Whispering_Jack

The Dragons go 2 and 0. NAB League Boys: Sandringham Dragons nose out Northern Knights

The so-called “experts” keep saying that Melbourne hasn’t beaten an opponent of quality yet. If that’s true then the season begins today...

BBB lines up for his first goal in Demon colours.

In view of the new rules concerning the drafting of NGA’s, I think we need to keep a lid on Mac. That might be somewhat difficult if he repeats this sort of performance on a regular basis.

Yes ... it’s already started.

Jacob Edwards is a young ruck prospect who impressed in the opening round of the NAB League and could be considered in the mid season draft. Dragons' 202cm ruck prospect stands tall as mid-season draft option

From AFL Draft Central - Scouting Notes: 2021 NAB League – Round 1 “Dandenong Stingrays #22 Mac Andrew Another NGA prospect for Melbourne, he showed some really good signs as a forward that rotated through the ruck, where he displayed a good understanding of the role, timing his leaps and placing his taps well to the advantage of teammates around the ground, leading to Dandenong’s scoreboard pressure. He also positioned well in marking contests, being in spots just outside the forward 50 that he’d create a contest for Dandenong to get it back in. #27 Kobi George The Melbourne NGA prospect worked out of the backline, trusted with the kick-ins where he’d deliver to the advantage of teammates. He was a delight to watch when working through traffic, with Gippsland players just unable to get a hold of him. He could run through a pack and come out the other side without losing balance. His speed and precision with his handballing was top class, often getting a good amount of distance behind it to a teammate out on their own, allowing the Dandenong transition to continue quickly going forward. Had a few kicks on the run that didn’t quite come off as well as he’d like, but still managed penetration in them.”

Guilty until proven innocent’: Are the Demons the real deal in 2021?

The opening round of the 2021 NAB League boys competition (this year Under 19s) was completed today with the clash between two of the best performed clubs of recent years with the Sandringham Dragons hosting the Oakleigh Chargers at RSEA Park, Moorabbin. The home side came from behind to record a 16 point win. Co-skipper Josh Sinn was among the Dragons’ best while Collingwood father/son prospect Nick Daicos impressed with three goals. However, for Demon fans, the interest this year is likely to be with the Dandenong Stingrays who selected three 2021 Melbourne Next Generation Academy members in their side for their opening round game against the Gippsland Power which they won comfortably by 39 points yesterday. According to this report from the Greater Dandenong Leader (NAB League Boys 2021: Dandenong Stingrays defeat Gippsland Power) 18-year-old 200cm ruckman/forward Mac Andrews from Berwick was in the best for the Stingrays with 12 kicks, 10 handballs, 12 hit-outs, 3 marks, 3 tackles on debut in the competition. Kobi George, who is also in the Melbourne NGA, paraded his pace off half back which fellow academy member Ryan Koo Kwet Kim was also in the side. We’ll certainly be following the fortunes of these players as the season unfolds.

This game was one of our turning points last season. We were good enough to win had we kept our composure and thought our way through the Cats’ negative tactics (and had Adam Tomlinson’s shot from 50 been a metre closer to target). The 4 points would have come in handy at the end of the year. THE TEAMS MELBOURNE FB Trent Rivers, Steven May, Christian Salem HB Joel Smith, Jake Lever, James Harmes C Ed Langdon, Clayton Oliver, Adam Tomlinson HF Mitch Hannan, Jake Melksham, Aaron vandenBerg FF Bayley Fritsch, Jayden Hunt, Tom McDonald FOL Max Gawn, Christian Petracca, Jack Viney I/C Angus Brayshaw, Michael Hibberd, Jay Lockhart, Kysaiah Pickett EM Luke Jackson, Neville Jetta, Nathan Jones, Alex Neal-Bullen IN Mitch Hannan, Michael Hibberd, Jay Lockhart, Kysaiah Pickett, Aaron vandenBerg OUT Harley Bennell (managed), Luke Jackson (omitted), Neville Jetta (omitted), Nathan Jones (omitted), Alex Neal-Bullen (omitted) GEELONG FB Jake Kolodjashnij, Mark Blicavs, Jack Henry HB Mark O'Connor, Tom Stewart, Jed Bews C Sam Menegola, Patrick Dangerfield, Joel Selwood HF Tom Atkins, Gary Rohan, Mitch Duncan FF Esava Ratugolea, Tom Hawkins, Gryan Miers FOL Darcy Fort, Gary Ablett, Cameron Guthrie IC Luke Dahlhaus, Brandan Parfitt, Jack Steven, Zach Tuohy EM Jordan Clark, Lachie Henderson, Quinton Narkle, James Parsons IN Darcy Fort, Jake Kolodjashnij, Brandan Parfitt OUT Quinton Narkle (omitted), Rhys Stanley (injured), Harry Taylor (managed)

One player worth watching from my favourite NAB League team, the Sandringham Dragons, is Josh Sinn:- Sinn-tillating: The explosive No.1 contender who piled on 13kg in six months

Saints fixture is a killer. They can’t afford to lose this one.

How good is this. We haven’t played yet but are back in the top 4.

One hopes that Simon Goodwin and his team are watching what’s going on at the MCG. The Swans have torn the Tigers’ game to shreds and are doubling their score at 3/4 time. It could be the game changer.

No worries ?

The final score was 5.10.40 to 3.5.23. Well done to the Dees. Who’s next?

What a contrast from when they last played and the Swans struggled in a dull, low scoring affair? It was a game of rubbish defensive slogging. Sydney had 35 inside 50s for the entire game. They already have 36 today and more than two and a half times their final score.

I met Rod a few times in 1991 in the company of George Simon and his son Andy mentioned in the article as the people who “adopted” him as family during his short stay at the Melbourne Football Club. I think George headed up the club’s coterie in those days. They were regulars at the Chinese restaurant below my office and they took Rod there a few times when he was burning it up on the field with the Demons. Needless to say the conversation was pretty upbeat and enjoyable. It was a time when people rarely spoke openly about personal issues and things like paedophilia or alcoholism or the possible connection between the two weren’t even considered in blokey conversation. How different, Rod’s life might have turned out if only ... “Rod's housemate gave a statement to police (about Ray’s paedophilia), prevailing upon Rod to give one too. But fearful of living in a world in which everyone knew what had happened to him, Rod wouldn't unburden himself of 23 years of anguish.”

I first saw him in 1982 when he was starring for the St Francis junior football team in a Chelsea District Junior Football League match. Rod Owen was just 15 and already built like a man. A year later, he was playing for St. Kilda. A year after that, he was already an alcoholic and a drug addict. The troubled young footballer suffered injuries and managed only 60 games in a chequered career of eight years with the Saints before he was traded to Melbourne in 1991. He was spectacular in his brief stint at the Demons but managed only nine games (and two five goal hauls) before he was traded again — this time to the Brisbane Bears. This painful story is a long and harrowing read that details the horrors of abuse as a child by a teacher and by the uncaring officials who advised a 16 year old to sign away his life to a football club and not worry about school just weeks after his father’s passing. It’s a narrative about the tragic journey of a young man who appeared to have the sporting world at his feet but who never achieved the dream of sporting heroism and instead, endured the darkness of addiction, prison and a long journey towards rehabilitation. None of this was imaginable to me when I first saw the young Rod Owen wearing the green and white guernsey against Ajax at Le Page Park in Cheltenham almost forty years ago. He was just playing a game of footy back then. Addiction almost killed AFL star Rod Owen, but he was hiding the agony of abuse

Fabian Francis played one game for Melbourne. I think that might be a touch short of what’s needed to qualify even if he was the biological father.

Knightmare’s first power rankings for 2021 - April. No surprises there - Horne @ #1 and Daicos in the top 5.

Melbourne went on to win by 9 goals to go to 2-0 and our winning streak continued for several weeks. Hoping for similar in the coming rounds.

We played Hawthorn at Waverley and enjoyed a great opening term.

The impression I got from watching the last few minutes of last night’s game was that the Lions looked to have more run in their legs when it counted, culminating in some terrific possessions from McCluggage and Rich and the goal from Bailey. By way of contrast, a few Magpies looked slow in pace and in their reactions. If ever there was a case for holding onto a fitness guru like Darren Burgess, it was made last night.

Yes he will and the resurrection is all happening at the right time of the year.?