Whispering_Jack

They usually do the testing at the Combines at the end of the season but this is something new. Another Rising Star in the making? Docker's brother impresses in testing Kobi George, one of our New Generation Academy players featured in the 20m sprints.

I gave up on the Dockers five minutes into the last when Steven’s put Carlton 16 points up. Must remember that it ain’t over till it’s over. Same applies to the race for the finals. We need to win one more to make it a certainty.

We played Gold Coast at Carrara in Round 1 and while it was an easy win in the end, it qualifies as travelling (only game I attended so far). Next week, we’re drawn to play the Dockers in Fremantle.

I’m unable to provide a link to the story by Chris Cavanagh on page 89 of today’s Sunday Herald Sun “CASEY HAUL GIVES DAW SOLID START” so I’ll summarize. It starts by highlighting the fact that Majak Daw was one of Casey’s standouts in its 35-point practice match win over the Box Hill Hawks on Friday night. Daw kicked four goals for the night. However, that news was tempered by the fact that the club has said he “is some way from being fit” and has “got a lot of work ahead of him.” On that basis, don’t expect him to play in Round 1. The article adds that Kysaiah Pickett continues “his push for a Round 1 return as he also produced a lively performance”.

I don’t have the answer to that question George but it seems that if it is the case then “our” Jacob Sengstock hasn’t inherited the genes heightwise. Larry was 198cm and Jacob is 184cm. Both he and Mac Andrew are with the Dandenong Stingrays. Andrew is taller at 191cm but must be absolutely a stick figure if the weight of 56kg attributed to him is correct.

Jason Horne - pity our first pick is somewhere in Round 2 of the draft at the moment. Potential No.1 draft pick with 'great highlights package' exciting recruiters

Pretty sure the women’s game v Essendon was last Saturday afternoon. I was at Casey Fields to watch my grandsons in the athletics and saw the end of the VFLW game. Spoiler - we lost by a narrow margin.

Many of the names on the MFC list have been around for a few years and some could have been selected at the end of 2020. I wouldn’t get too excited about the names on the list.

Deakin Pereira and Kobi George have been on the list for a while. Pereira is the big unit who looked very impressive at training in late 2019 but was trying out for a career on the US basketball scene. His mother was good enough to post here at the time and it would be good to hear how he went or even if he made it to the States given the Covid19 pandemic might have affected the aspirations of young basketballers over there last year.

The AFL has issued a list of players available to the club as members of the Next Generation Academy:- MELBOURNE Cody Egan Deakin Pereira Reggie Gallagher Joey Ryan Koo Kwet Kim Antonio Quach Kobi George Mac Andrew Ariki Lowe Jacob Sengstock Richard Riek Gai Andrew Moniz-Wakefield NGA crop revealed: Freo gets first call on son of Power, Roos gun

Majak Daw has been given the #28 made famous by Oscar McDonald. Deakyn Smith has #34 which Marty Hore released to go to #21.

When the community series was first publicised it was stated that there would be a weekend in between the series and the opening round and among other things, this would enable players who suffered concussion enough time to recover under the rules. I assume this is a direct reference to the “12” day concussion rule. If it were otherwise then the four clubs that played on Monday would be at a relative disadvantage to the other clubs.

The final AAMI Community Series Ladder Port Adelaide 1 - - 116 45 257.8 4 Western Bulldogs 1 - - 106 67 158.2 4 Hawthorn 1 - - 120 81 148.1 4 GWS Giants 1 - - 114 86 132.6 4 Brisbane 1 - - 117 89 131.1 4 St Kilda 1 - - 125 99 126.3 4 West Coast Eagles 1 - - 67 57 117.5 4 Geelong 1 - - 79 72 109.7 4 ———————————————- Richmond 1 - - 80 74 108.1 4 Collingwood - 1 - 74 80 92.5 0 Essendon - 1 - 72 79 91.1 0 Fremantle- 1 - 57 67 85.1 0 Carlton - 1 - 99 125 79.2 0 Gold Coast - 1 - 89 117 76.0 0 Sydney Swans - 1 - 86 114 75.4 0 North Melbourne- 1 - 81 120 67.5 0 Melbourne - 1 - 67 106 63.2 0 Adelaide - 1 - 45 116 38.8 0

If you take a look at the AFL ladder, I don’t quite know how, but despite the doom and gloom around here, we’re still in with a chance to play in the finals. We’re due to play against the Western Bulldogs in Round 11 and I’m fairly confident that the 22 who step onto Marvel Stadium wearing the red and blue in late May is going to be somewhat different to the 24 who played for us today. The result might even be different. Who knows?

I think if we had a complete clean sheet with injuries, it might have been worth considering Baldwin as a medium to long term development player for Ben Brown to mentor over the next couple of seasons. However, with two acl’s and Brown and Weideman likely to miss 4 to 6 rounds, I think we have to go a little conservative with list vacancies. It wouldn’t surprise if we went for only one of Daw or Declase - we’ll know in less than48 hours.

The AAMI Community Series Ladder in the lead up to tomorrow’s dramatic end to the pre-season competition Port Adelaide 1 - - 116 45 257.8 4 Hawthorn 1 - - 120 81 148.1 4 GWS Giants 1 - - 114 86 132.6 4 St Kilda 1 - - 125 99 126.3 4 West Coast Eagles 1 - - 67 57 117.5 4 Geelong 1 - - 79 72 109.7 4 Richmond 1 - - 80 74 108.1 4 Collingwood - 1 - 74 80 92.5 0 ———————————————- Essendon - 1 - 72 79 91.1 0 Fremantle- 1 - 57 67 85.1 0 Carlton - 1 - 99 125 79.2 0 Sydney Swans - 1 - 86 114 75.4 0 North Melbourne- 1 - 81 120 67.5 0 Adelaide - 1 - 45 116 38.8 0

All eyes tomorrow at Whitten Oval will be on the small number of Demons and train on would be MFC listers in action against Footscray. That means the following will be taking part:- 10. Angus Brayshaw 19. Fraser Rosman 36. Kysaiah Pickett 38. Mitch Brown 46. Austin Bradtke Majak Daw (train on) Kye Declase (train on) Kobi Farmer (train on) Deakyn Smith (train on) The following players are out this weekend - 3. Christian Salem (rested/managed) 7. Jack Viney (next week at Casey) 13. Clayton Oliver (rested/managed) 14. Michael Hibbert 18. Jake Melksham 21. Marty Hore (long term) 26. Sam Weideman (round 5/6?) 27. Aaron Nietschke (long term) 44. Joel Smith 50. Ben Brown (round 5/6?) And in a bit of a nutshell, that’s where we’re at.

For those who like team lists:- 1. Steven May 2. Nathan Jones 4. James Harmes 5. Christian Petracca 6. Luke Jackson 8. Jake Lever 9. Charlie Spargo 11. Max Gawn 12. Toby Bedford 15. Ed Langdon 16. Bailey Laurie 17. Jake Bowey 20. Adam Tomlinson 22. Aaron vandenBerg 23. James Jordon 24. Trent Rivers 25. Tom McDonald 29. Jayden Hunt 30. Alex Neal-Bullen 31. Bayley Fritsch 32. Tom Sparrow 33. Oskar Baker 35. Harrison Petty 37. Kade Chandler 39. Neville Jetta 41. Jay Lockhart

Way to go! Never show your complete hand in practice matches!!!

Dees to take on Dogs in VFL practice match The game will be played at the Whitten Oval on Monday morning at 10.30am. and will be Casey’s first game under appointed coach Mark Corrigan, who signed on late last year. For the record, the Bulldogs’s VFL team is called “Footscray”.

The all-important AAMI Community Series Ladder (you probably won’t see it anywhere else) Hawthorn 1 - - 120 81 148.1 4 St Kilda 1 - - 125 99 126.3 4 Geelong 1 - - 79 72 109.7 4 Richmond 1 - - 80 74 108.1 4 Collingwood - 1 - 74 80 92.5 0 Essendon - 1 - 72 79 91.1 0 Carlton - 1 - 99 125 79.2 0 North Melbourne- 1 - 81 120 67.5 0

With a week to go before selections are to be made for 2021 AFL Supplemental Selections, the Demons are facing a dilemma caused by two long term injuries arising during the preseason. The club might have four potential list vacancies as it already held two unfilled list spots held over from the drafts in December 2020 (although it’s not clear to me whether a vacancy caused by a long term injury to a rookie like Aaron Nietschke allows the club to claim a supplemental selection or a mid season draft pick down the track). Based on training and practice match form to date, I think the club will take Majak Daw as a SS but I doubt that more than one of Kobi Farmer, Deakyn Smith and the latest invitee Kye Declase from Werribee would score invites at this stage. Going on a “needs basis” I don’t believe we should take either Farmer or Smith at this point - rather, I would seek to have them play with Casey pending a reappraisal for the mid season draft. Clubs need to leave open the possibility of selecting late bloomers in the Under 18 system, especially in Victoria who had no opportunity to develop in 2020. There’s also the possibility of picking up a player from another club not given a contract in the supplemental period. I was surprised that Richmond delisted Derek Eggmolesse-Smith in the first place. I would be more surprised if they don’t contract him after his showing for them on Friday.

Worse if you’re in Queensland. Game starts at 8.30 am.

The AFL just ‘ripped the heart out’ of its elite pathway — and clubs are livid at the ‘neglect’ AFL clubs are furious about changes to Victoria’s pathway program for elite boys after the competition underwent a controversial overhaul. This is a particularly sensitive subject in light of the fact that the Under 18 competition was abandoned last year due to Covid19. There would be many young players going well under the radar who simply escaped identification as a result of this. Astute recruiters might be able to gain advantages for their clubs if their networks get on top of this area.

Richardson on Luke Jackson on SEN today "It's as if he hasn't read the book on how to be a tall player. "He rates tackle, groundball, chase etcetera as highly as he does marking. It's like we have another onballer."