Whispering_Jack

It's just as well that you resisted the temptation - my view is that it's bad karma to kick them when they're down, especially so soon after we've been there ourselves. I'm happy to savour our team's current vein of form and not have to worry about the woes of other clubs. That said, the growing gap between the haves and the have nots remains a serious concern for all football followers. Apart from the damage being caused to the look of the competition by lopsided games, the uneven fixture could have an impact on the make up of the finals and the top four with Richmond and North being the beneficiaries of easy draws. Last year, Essendon snuck into the 8 on the back of a soft run late in the season and look what happened in their elimination final? We have a fairly tough run towards the end of the season - it could make us or break us.

There were times when you watched Robbie play his sublime brand of football, it was almost as if time stopped dead in its tracks whether he was flying high for a mark, baulking and weaving around opponents, changing direction while bouncing the ball on either side and effortlessly kicking long goals. He mesmerized his opponents and did likewise to fans of every club, not just ours, and I only wish that he could be there in the stands tomorrow proudly watching the team of 2018 that is so much better than it was in 2014 when he passed.

Seriously, whoever gives out the best player list, there’s a glaring omission there. Initials are DT - easily BOG in my book.

Sam Weideman is coming along nicely and we are really well served for key defenders when you see the likes of Petty, Keilty and Frost playing at Casey. Petty looks like a fantastic prospect and I expect him to be a long term senior footballer.

5

As expected

The Allies stormed home in the final quarter to win 10.11.71 to Vic Country 6.12.48 Allies draw first blood at U18 Championship Allies 1.1 4.4 6.5 10.11 (71) Victoria Country 3.4 4.6 6.7 6.12 (48) Goals Allies: Briggs 3, Jones 2, Scott 2, Green, Peatling, Turner Vic Country: Flanders 2, Garoni 2, Caldwell, Williams Best Allies: Jones, Briggs, McGuinness, Green, Tomkinson, Baker Vic Country: Walsh, Reid, Brownless, Serong, Idun, Fletcher

The MFC players selected for this game but not playing are Garlett, Hannan, Neal-Bullen Pedersen, J Smith T Smith and Stretch. I would suggest that it’s Petersen and J Smith in the team with Garlett and Stretch on stand by in case of injury. I thing Tim Smith is being rested.

Team according to Channel 7 B: J. Hunt D. Keilty H. Petty HB: D. Johnstone S. Frost J. Wagner ? O. Baker T. Bugg C. Wagner HF: M. Lewis M. King J Kennedy Harris F: M. Lefau S. Weideman H. Balic Foll: L. Filipovic D. Tyson J. Lockhart I/C: J. Hutchins G. Lok J Munro A. Quigley A. Scott

On this day in 1973 Robert Flower made his debut for the Melbourne Football Club against Geelong

South Australia has the bye but remains the favourite to win the championships and it has the player who most experts regard as the likely #1 choice for the November national draft - AFL Draft Wrap: Is Jack Lukosius the best draft prospect this decade?

Tomorrow, it’s Western Australia v Victoria Metro at Optus Stadium (11.40am)

There are two games on this weekend in the 2018 National Under 18 Championships. Team Selection: National U18 Championships – Round 1 Today, it’s the Allies taking on Victoria Country at Blacktown (10.30am)

Casey Demons will still be fielding a reasonably strong side again. Looking forward to seeing the team on the small screen.

Let's keep a lid on it please. No awards for our players please.

The AFL Under 18 Championships fixture - Note: • Yesterday’s game between SA & WA was moved forward from Round 3; and • The Vic Metro v Vic Country game from Round 3 and all Round 4 & 5 games will telecast live on the Fox Footy Channel.

Match stats - Oskar Baker 10 kicks 13 handballs 23 disposals 7 marks 77 dream team points Harley Balic 1 goal 4 behinds 12 kicks 5 handballs 17 disposals 5 marks 3 tackles 83 dream team points Tomas Bugg 1 behind 8 kicks 5 handballs 13 disposals 2 marks 8 tackles 68 dream team points Lachlan Filipovic 5 kicks 5 disposals 4 marks 4 hit outs 31 dream team points Sam Frost 1 goal 9 kicks 5 handballs 14 disposals 5 marks 5 tackles 78 dream team points Jeff Garlett 2 goals 2 behinds 9 kicks 8 handballs 17 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 84 dream team points Jayden Hunt 13 kicks 8 handballs 21 disposals 2 marks 1 tackle 61 dream team points Dion Johnstone 12 kicks 6 handballs 18 disposals 3 marks 5 tackles 75 dream team points Declan Keilty 5 kicks 6 handballs 11 disposals 4 marks 4 tackles 55 dream team points Jay Kennedy Harris 1 behind 12 kicks 12 handballs 24 disposals 2 marks 5 tackles 85 dream team points Mitchell King 1 goal 4 kicks 2 handballs 6 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 17 hit outs 58 dream team points Mitchel Lewis 1 behind 4 kicks 6 handballs 10 disposals 2 marks 3 tackles 43 dream team points Jay Lockhart 1 behind 8 kicks 10 handballs 18 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 62 dream team points Cameron Pedersen 4 goals 1 behind 12 kicks 6 handballs 18 disposals 11 marks 4 tackles 5 hit outs 122 dream team points Harrison Petty 9 kicks 6 handballs 15 disposals 4 marks 53 dream team points Aidan Quigley 1 behind 1 kick 8 handballs 9 disposals 1 mark 2 tackles 28 dream team points Angus Scott 12 kicks 6 handballs 18 disposals 3 marks 2 tackles 65 dream team points Joel Smith 13 kicks 4 handballs 18 disposals 5 marks 5 tackles 82 dream team points Billy Stretch 1 behind 12 kicks 16 handballs 28 disposals 8 marks 6 tackles 117 dream team points Dom Tyson 9 kicks 14 handballs 23 disposals 4 marks 8 tackles 97 dream team points Corey Wagner 1 behind 14 kicks 10 handballs 24 disposals 4 marks 6 tackles 99 dream team points Josh Wagner 16 kicks 10 handballs 26 disposals 6 marks 3 tackles 95 dream team points Sam Weideman 2 goals 1 behind 8 kicks 3 handballs 11 disposals 4 marks 4 tackles 2 hit outs 71 dream team points

The only genius about Carlton and Bolton is the fact that they have a bye this week which means I can look forward to a real game of footy on Friday night.

The #1 contender for top spot in the November AFL Draft, South Australian Jack Lukosius starred in the opening of the 2018 Under 18 carnival with 4 goals 3 behinds. Along the way, he amassed 17 disposals and took 14 marks in his team's 89-point win over WA today. Teammate and fellow tall Hugo Munn also kicked four goals. U18: No.1 hopeful Lukosius dominates for SA South Australia 5.3 9.4 14.8 19.10 (124) Western Australia 1.1 3.3 5.4 5.5 (35) Goals South Australia: Lukosius 4, Munn 4, Jarvis 3, Chapman 2, Tarca, Hately, Valente, Nietschke, Rankine, Sampson Western Australia: Moore 2, English, Clark, Hill Best South Australia: Lukosius, Valente, Jarvis, Lewis, Hately, Gould Western Australia: Jackson, English, Greaves, Sturrock, Spooner

Not this week - next week.

That one just brought the house down monoccular.

Former Demon Clay Sampson’s name is likely to come up in dispatches in the near future because his son Hayden is a member of the South Australian team for the AFL Under 18 National Championships which start tomorrow. Hayden Sampson from South Adelaide is a midfield/small forward who has football smarts and is dangerous in front of goal. He has been selected in the forward pocket for the opening game against WA alongside Jack Lukosius, one of the favourites for #1 selection in the November National Draft. Clay Sampson was drafted by Melbourne as a wingman at 51st overall in the 1994 AFL Draft and played 13 games (one goal) in the following two seasons before being cleared to Adelaide where he played in that club’s first AFL Premiership in 1997. After two seasons, 24 games and 16 goals with the Crows, he moved to Richmond where he also played two seasons before returning to his original club South Adelaide where he eventually coached for a short period. In all, Clay Sampson played 64 AFL games at his three clubs so young Hayden isn’t eligible for any of those clubs under the father/son rule but, given that the Demons currently have a few picks in the second/third round band, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility that history might repeat and another Sampson gets drafted to them with a pick around #50.

South Australia and Western Australia clash tomorrow in the first round of the AFL Under 18 Championships. Teams previewed by AFL Draft Central:- South Australia Western Australia The Teams:-

There was a time not so long ago that if you woke up on the morning of a game and your opponent for the day had 13 premiership players, two days extra break and the venue was Etihad Stadium, you would sort of freak out in the expectation of another flogging. Those days are gone. Good luck to Nathan Jones - he’s like a good wine that gets better with age and side by side with Jack Viney, should lead the Demons home to victory in his 250th game.

Correct Drunkn - with 18 MFC listed players in the team, it leaves room for very few Casey lads. Lockhart is a lock and so is 23rd player Quigley. Scott and Corey Wagner have been consistent all year so two of the skipper Hutchins, Munro or Lewis are going to have to miss unless there's a mystery injury of the week around.