DEMONLAND/DEMONOLOGY/BIGFOOTY SPONSORS EVENT

[Demonland 73,140]

THE PLAYER SPONSORS EVENT by George on the Outer

Well for those who didn’t make it along…bad luck….you missed out on an absolutely first-class event, which was the opener for a day of highlights.

Around 20 of the group met at the Mountain View Hotel to listen to the guru of the draft – Craig Cameron give us insights into his role, his assessment of the performances of those players recently drafted, their future prospects, their shortcomings, and just in a small way what the club is looking for in the future.

The group could have listened and questioned him for hours, and if you really want to get to hear the true inside running story about the draft, the why’s and why not’s, then you have to listen to Craig speak. Your next chance will be at the U18 Championships and then at the post-draft get-together for the group.

Unfortunately, Craig had to leave in time to get down to Victoria Park for an U18 game, and given the recent successes that he has had with Bartram, Bate and Dunn, we weren’t going to stand in his way…But to give you a snippet, he considers that Michael Newton who is yet to make an appearance at senior level, to be the most gifted of the 2004 draftees.

Our MC for the day – Whispering Jack introduced our next guest in Paul Wheatley. Paul was very generously a last minute stand in for Clint Bartram, our sponsored player, who could not make it due to some commitment he had at 2pm. Some story about stopping a Bell ...

Paul was absolutely fantastic and warmed to his task of surviving the hard questions from a group of Demon fanatics. He gave the group insights into what was expected of a player, in particular a new recruit. And he told of the work that was required to play at AFL level, and the intensity of medical recovery following injury, like his current hamstring strain.

He gave us insights into the playing group, and how the arrival of Byron Pickett has added a toughness not seen before, and how this enables the players to “stand a little taller� in his presence. Paul spoke of his preferred position on the field and why that was the case, but if you want to hear the whole story…then you will have to join the group.

However, he also provided one insightful snippet which we will share with you. He works very hard at doing his job, and knows the importance of weights room training. After a couple of years he had got to being able to bench press 110kg. He thought he was pretty pleased with this until two young 17 year olds in Brock McLean and Colin Sylvia arrived and on their first day did the same weight, but half a dozen times in succession.

We wish Paul a speedy recovery, and the group wish to extend to him our heartfelt thanks. It was only on short notice that he attended, and we do appreciate the expectations placed upon our players. Paul was a true credit to his club, and a charming role model for all, as well.

If you still want to join up with the group, we would be pleased to have you on board. The Craig Cameron post-draft night is worth every cent of the contribution alone, and to be honestly truthful, there is nothing like this offered through the club to any other group.

There are either threads on the various sites or links to the sponsorship group, to find out the details.

You can read George's match reviews every week on DEMONOLOGY http://demonology.midnight.net.au/