Whispering_Jack

As a long time fan of the 49ers (whatever happened to Candlestick Park?) I'm gratified to see they're opening the season in Demon colours!!!

My mail was good. Oliver was announced winner of this year's Morrish Medal for TAC Cup best and fairest tonight. The kid is strongly built in the Ollie Wines mould and is a ball magnet. In one game this year he picked up 27 disposals and six clearances and for good measure, he booted six goals not bad for a midfielder. He also played a couple of games for Richmond VFL and was named in their best against Sandringham Zebras. TAC Cup Team of the Year B: Bailey Rice (Dandenong Stingrays) Kieran Collins (Dandenong Stingrays) Nick Coughlan (Murray Bushrangers) HB: Nick OKearney (Calder Cannons) Jacob Weitering (Dandenong Stingrays) Jarrod Berry (North Ballarat Rebels) C: Tom Phillips (Oakleigh Chargers) Jade Gresham (Northern Knights) Darcy Parish (Geelong Falcons) HF: Harley Balic (Sandringham Dragons) Callum Moore (Calder Cannons) Rhys Mathieson (Geelong Falcons) F: Blake Hardwick (Eastern Ranges) Joshua Schache (Murray Bushrangers) Ben Ainsworth (Gippsland Power) FOLL: Gach Nyuon (Dandenong Stingrays) Jacob Hopper (North Ballarat Rebels) Ryan Clarke (Eastern Ranges) I/C: Tom Cole (Bendigo Pioneers) Ben Crocker (Oakleigh Chargers) Lachie Tardrew (Bendigo Pioneers) Clayton Oliver (Murray Bushrangers) Nash Holmes (Gippsland Power) Darcy Tucker (North Ballarat Rebels) TAC Cup Coaches Award - Jade Gresham (Northern Knights)

I don't know if Terry Wallace has any inside info or whether he just decided to dispense with the priority picks in his TAC Cup Future Stars top 20 draft picks but FWIW, he now has us getting Darcy Tucker:- 1. Carlton - Jacob Weitering 2. Brisbane - Joshua Schache 3. Sydney* - Callum Mills 4. Gold Coast - Charlie Curnow 5. GWS* - Jacob Hopper 6. Essendon - Darcy Parish 7. St. Kilda - Aaron Francis 8. Melbourne - Darcy Tucker 9. Brisbane* - Ben Keays 10. Collingwood - Kieran Collins 11. GWS* - Matthew Kennedy 12. Geelong - Rhys Mathieson 13. Port Adelaide - Harley Balic 14. North Melbourne - Callum Ah Chee 15. Western Bulldogs - Sam Weideman 16. Brisbane* - Eric Hipwood 17. Adelaide - Harry McKay 18. Richmond - Wayne Milera 19. Hawthorn - Jade Gresham 20. Carlton - Bailey Rice ** * Academy bid ** Father/son

Eastern Ranges are in to the Preliminary Final against the Dandenong Stingrays after a 10 goal win over Geelong Falcons. Geelong Falcons 1.4 3.6 4.12 6.14 (50) Eastern Ranges 4.0 7.3 10.8 15.14 (104) GOALS: Geelong Falcons: McCartney 2 Kol Mathieson Blair Wagener Eastern Ranges: Hardwick 3 Brolic 2 Stephenson 2 Collins D Clarke Mitchener Cerra Cotte Gallucci Cyster Hannon BEST: Geelong Falcons: Doedee Witherden Wagener Connors McNamara Kershaw Eastern Ranges: R Clarke D Clarke Maibaum Collins Mitchener Parsons

Ranges lead by 5 goals at 3/4 time and look like causing another upset on semi final day. Darcy Parish and Rhys Mathieson have both accumulated a lot of the footy and show some polish, Curnow has been off target with his kicking but the player who has really caught the eye is Ryan Clarke of the Ranges. If he repeats today's performance in the next game, he could be a real bolter in the draft.

At half time, the Eastern Ranges 7.3 45 are heading for an upset win over the Geelong Falcons 3.6 24.

Tom ...linson?

Oakleigh Chargers eliminate the Murray Bushrangers from the finals with an exciting 6 point win. Bushies goaled on the siren but they were outplayed in the third quarter when it really counted. Schache finished with two goals. Murray Bushrangers 2.4 3.9 5.12 9.13 (67) Oakleigh Chargers 2.4 4.6 7.10 10.13 (73) GOALS: Murray Bushrangers: Oliver 2 Schache 2 Smith Tiziani Payne McMullan Smith Oakleigh Chargers: Phillips 2 Walker 2 Byrne-Jones Thompson Kerr Ridley Lane Cuningham BEST: Murray Bushrangers: Tiziani Oliver Waite Schache Payne Brodie Oakleigh Chargers: Byrne-Jones Answerth Beddison Walker Phillips Firns

I think there's a connection because the Suns have been linked with Jeremy Howe.

It's close at half time in the TAC Cup - the Chargers lead the Bushies by 4.6.30 to 3.9.27. Josh Schache who is known as an accurate kick for goal has scored 0.3 but Clayton Oliver has scored a goal.

Newspapers as we know them are dying a slow death. The way the Melbourne Age is looking these days whenever I pick it up in a local cafe, it is one of those for which the last rites are pending in the near future. I hope that doesn't prevent us from getting access to pieces like this, written by a gifted footballer who suffered some bad injuries and became a gifted writer ~ Soiling a dream

The AFL has the luxury of being able to deal with requests for special assistance and compensation in any way it wants because the criteria it applies are deliberately vague and capable of being interpreted in different ways. Unfortunately, this opens the door up for abuse and corruption. On its special assistance rule, Melbourne was denied in 2013 after several years of poor results and only two wins during that particular season for reasons that were so nonsensical that they beggared belief. In 2014, we were fed with another story about the denial of special assistance somehow making it possible for Melbourne to receive Band 1 free agency compensation even though the James Frawley situation warranted it anyway. Carlton now claims the right to special assistance despite in recent times just missing out on making a preliminary final (when it lost to the Eagles in a semi final in Perth) and beating Richmond in an elimination final in 2013. Brisbane has made the finals within the past five years and earlier this year was considered a finals prospect before injuries hit them hard. The Lions' last outing this season was a win against one of this year's finalists and two of the four players who shared in the Merrett-Murray Medal were recruited from other clubs this year while another, missed out by two votes to finish in the top five vote getters:- 1. Dayne Beams (130) 1. Stefan Martin (130) 1. Mitch Robinson (130) 1. Dayne Zorko (130) 5. Allen Christensen (128) Most of their other top ten place getters are also relatively new to the club. Hence, on the basis of one of the reasons given by the League for excluding Melbourne in 2013, special assistance doesn't apply to them either. The AFL will have to exercise more mental gymnastics if it is to help Brisbane out of the situation whereby Carlton will claim Band 1 compensation in the event of Kreuzer leaving. The circumstances are extraordinary with claims of the Blues making him a lowball offer to invite approached from other clubs and the AFL has already put it out there that it might not look at Band 1 in the same light as it did with Frawley because inflation, salary cap increases and spending are greater this year. You could also add that the vagueness of the guidelines mean that the AFL will consider the differences in a player's history, the position he plays, past records of injury etc. Frawley was a former All Australian in a reasonable state of good health - you can't say that about Kreuzer or Leuenberger for that matter. In addition, I still think there's a very good case to argue for special assistance to be given to Melbourne on the basis of its lengthy run of lowly finishes which runs into 2015 but to do so would be to flog the proverbial dead horse. Except of course that the AFL revived that horse by letting out the connection between knocking back special assistance and then awarding Band 1 compensation for the loss of a player to free agency. That suggestion is to my mind not only outrageous but, close to an abuse of power. The two should never be connected and to do so raises questions of whether those charged with dealing with these issues are properly carrying out their duty of good governance. And by the way that the AFL and its stronger clubs have gone about matters such as special assistance to struggling clubs, be it in terms of the draft, the draw and financial assistance in lieu of getting the plum fixtures, I'm convinced that it no longer takes the equalisation of the competition seriously.

Fair enough. I've closed down the other thread and while we might have exhausted all possible areas of discussion on this player, I have a feeling there's more to come.

Closing this thread to avoid duplication. Jack Watts discussion can now take place here.

Changing my name to Whispering Steve?

Some of us around these parts attended the Crown Casino complex on Friday night but how many ventured out to Rosehill Gardens last night to attend what aught to be the pinnacle of the year to all true No T$ No B$ devotees - the unveiling of the winner of the 2015 Sheedy Medal? So just in case anybody might have missed it, here are the top 10 placegetters (well, actually the top 11) and, standing out like dog's balls, is absence of the million $ man:- 1. Heath Shaw (117) 2. Adam Treloar (98) 3. Callan Ward (91) 4. Jeremy Cameron (82) 5. Stephen Coniglio (75) 6. Devon Smith (73) 7. Dylan Shiel (72) 8. Ryan Griffen (64) 9. Shane Mumford (60) 10. Toby Greene, Nick Haynes (59)

Tomorrow is TAC Cup Semi Final day and I'm declaring my interest in two midfielders. Darcy Parish from Geelong Falcons is pretty well known by draft watchers by now while Clayton Oliver, who was best for the Bushies in their narrow loss to the Stingrays last week, is climbing up the ratings on the back of some impressive recent form. Here are the teams for the two games to be played at IKON Park (better known as Princes Park in Royal Parade, Parkville, former home of this year's wooden spooners). Murray Bushrangers v Oakleigh Chargers Sunday September 13th IKON Park at 11.15am Murray Bushrangers B: Tiziani B Sharp McDonald HB: Morrison Coughlan Cousins C: Mennen Oliver Garthwaite HF: Canfield Schache Tanner F: Brodie McMullan Waite FOLL: King Simpkin Payne I/C (from) Battista Carroll Minogue McKeown R Sharp B Smith L Smith Sproule Oakleigh Chargers B: Hooper Firns Byrne-Jones HB: Beddison McLarty T Phillips C: Duman Answerth Pearce HF: Johnstone Crocker P Phillips F: Lane Thompson Wooller FOLL: Wenn Cuningham Sullivan I/C (from) Adduci Jackson Kerr Larkey Ridley Walker Whitehead Murray's KPF Josh Schache who is likely to go first or second in the draft is also on show in this game. Semi Final Geelong Falcons v Eastern Ranges Sunday September 13th IKON Park at 2.00pm Geelong Falcons B: Doedee Rieniets Witherden HB: McCarthy McNamara Sexton C: Dowling Mathieson Augerinos HF: Wagener Zdybel Kol F: Bennett Blair Curnow FOLL: Elliot Parish Connors I/C (from): Blood Kershaw Killen Holroyd McCartney Schilder Sheahan Eastern Ranges B: Gallucci Keppel Brolic HB: Cotte Maibaum D Clarke C: Parsons R Clarke Harvey HF: Cerra Hannon Crocker F: Brown Hardwick Collins FOLL: Mitchener Batty Jeffs I/C (from) Cyster Davies Horner Jacotine McCormack Stanley Stavrou Stephenson Geelong's Rhys Mathieson and Charlie Curnow are both likely to gather interest from this game.

... and the last of the weekly reports from the coach ~ VFL Player Review: Elimination Final I wonder how many of this team will survive as Demons going forward to next year?

I didn't particularly like the headlines this week about "Buddy's Demons" because Lance Franklin is in reality battling an illness that has nothing to do with "demons" of any sort and I'm sure we wish him well because our sport is all the poorer without him and because highlighting his plight and his battle for recovery might also help others like him. I also cringed at this headline until I discovered it referred to no demons other than the ones who play in Tassie ~ Demons lining up a big move as they chase Brendan Fevola for coach Then I realised that if a footy club is chasing Fev to be its coach, then perhaps it is a good news story after all because it means that he's finally overcome the affliction that had him making the headlines for all the wrong reasons when he was in Brisbane and that his story can provide hope for Buddy, Mitch and the thousands of others who are fighting the battle against mental illness, a thought which our own coach expressed at last night's b & f.

Funny you should ask. I didn't see him at the Bluey but I was watching the replay of last Sunday's game v GWS and lo and behold, there he was with his missus in the second quarter with the clock showing 14.35 and just as Jesse Hogan was shooting for goal - The Devil Inside sitting in the sparse crowd!

Bernie Vince wins

The Keith "Bluey" Truscott Memorial Trophy - club champion goes to Bernie Vince on 328 votes

Which means ...

The Syd Anderson Memorial Trophy - club champion (second) goes to Jack Viney on 327 votes, one less than the winner.

The Ron Barassi Senior Memorial Trophy - club champion (third) goes to Tom McDonald