Whispering_Jack

Watched bits and pieces of the stream on the AFL site and he looked very good to me. Looked very fit the way he moved around the ground and no doubt benefited from the pre season work he did at Melbourne. Probably being underrated by the pundits but that suits us fine.

What does it matter when they announce the teams? I think we more or less knew the makeup up the Melbourne side in advance once Clarrie was declared unfit and then the names in the Casey team just about confirmed it. Not sure whether Collingwood was playing ducks and drakes with their supposed flu and covid victims but the fact is that they go in today without De Goey, Sidebottom, Elliott and McStay, with Patrick Lipinski in after a long lay off after shoulder surgery, and Josh Daicos, McCreery and Hoskin-Elliott all named despite being under fitness clouds. We should be up to the task, particularly if we can kick accurately and exert some early pressure on them. They’ve had more than a month of easy games and look ready to slip up just as we were in 2021 when we were the hot favourite and they were the underdogs.

Vic Metro far too good for SA and have a big lead at 3QT with Brown putting in a very good contribution. Levi Ashcroft is a quality player and a likely #1 for next year - will go as a F/S to Brisbane.

Yup - Ben Brown and Daniel Turner are the mystery injuries of the week. Bell and Buntine also big outs.

Something extra to fight for on Monday - a stronger hold on a top four spot. A win is even more massive now.

Going beyond the next batch, it seems there’s another Duursma in the wings. Under 16 National Championships Victorian Squads

… or it could be a touch of Saturday morning sarcasm Bub. On the other hand, if we couldn’t beat them when one individual produced those numbers, then there might be another way to skin a magpie. 😉

I’ve come to the conclusion that we won’t miss Clarrie at all on Monday. His last two appearances for Melbourne vs Collingwood: • Queens Birthday 2022 - Kicks 21, Handballs 22, Disposals 43, Contested Possessions 16, Marks 7, Tackles 3, Disposal Efficiency 81%, Clearances 6, Scores 1.0, Goal Assists 0, Score Involvements 6, Frees For 3, Frees Against 1. • Round 21 2022 - Kicks 14, Handballs 28, Disposals 42, Contested Possessions 24, Marks 3, Tackles 8, Disposal Efficiency 69%, Clearances 14, Scores Nil, Goal Assists 1, Score Involvements 7, Frees For 3, Frees Against 1. Meh! No pressure on Tom Sparrow and James Jordon who collectively will probably be called upon to replace him. At least they don’t have blisters.

There’s a chance that in 24 hours time we will have not beaten a single team in the top 8.

PREVIEW | AFL U18 champs double-head hits Adelaide

You won’t find out till tomorrow. CASEY DEMONS vs COLLINGWOOD Sunday 11 June, 1:05pm, Casey Fields Head-to-head: Casey Demons 17-5. At Casey Fields: Casey Demons 8-3. Streak: Casey Demons 5 Teams for Casey Demons vs Collingwood to be released from 5:00pm on Saturday, June 10

Shane Fitzsimmons made his debut in Round 2, 1973 against Hawthorn at Glenferrie Oval.

My memory is that Robbie won the b & f in the Fourths in 1972 after initially being refused a clearance from Murrumbeena. He moved up the ranks pretty quickly after starting 1973 in the Under 19s, played 2 or 3 games in the Reserves. I remember him kicking 3 goals at the Western Oval against Footscray in the ressies in Round 9 and that gained him promotion to the seniors by Round 10. I think he ditched the glasses very soon after that. Friday Flashbacks: Robert Flower by Lynda Carroll on Aug 30, 2013 “Dream come true – Robert Flower was – and is - a Melbourne supporter, who played for Melbourne, and is highly regarded to this day. He was still at school when he made his senior debut, a skinny kid with glasses who thought it was all ‘surreal, unbelievable to be realising a dream.’ With that first game against Geelong at the MCG in Round 10, 1973 – a win, Flower kicked a goal – he was on the way to seeing the dream come to fruition.”

I definitely recall him wearing the specs early in his career. Very early on however, he started wearing contact lenses.

Nice but according to Demonwiki and the entry in the Football Record below, Robbie only kicked one goal on debut - http://demonwiki.org/Round+10+1973

It was Saturday 9th June, 1973, exactly 50 years ago today that a lightly built bespectacled 17 year old Robert Flower took to the field for the Melbourne Football Club on the hallowed MCG turf for the first time. There were 19,900 spectators on hand for the game to witness the debut of a player who ranks among the club’s greats. Melbourne beat Geelong by 58 points in a game where another youngster, Glenn Swan starred with 8 goals at full forward and John Tilbrook finished with 6 for the day. Flower booted one on his debut. Melbourne 2.6.18 8.13.61 16.16.112 20.19.139 Geelong 3.7.25 4.9.33 6.12.48 11.15.81 Robbie went on to play 272 games and kick 315 goals before he retired at the end of 1987. His last game was that season’s preliminary final and, at the time, he was games record holder at the club. He was captain from 1981 to 1987 was Keith 'Bluey' Truscott Medallist in 1977, twice MFC leading goalkicker, made the Melbourne Team of the Century on the Wing, made the Melbourne Hall of Fame and the Australian Football Hall of Fame and was twice All-Australian (1980, 1983). His exploits on a wing for Victoria in State of Origin matches were legendary. His football exploits were sublime, he was a great team player, loved the club and was a champion person who passed away far too early at age 59 on 2 October, 2014.

The game between Allies and Western Australia on Sunday at 12.30pm is being televised live on Fox Footy Channel.

These are the players mentioned with pen pictures supplied - a shortened version appeared in the Herald Sun print edition on 2 June, 2023 at p70. HARLEY REID Bendigo Pioneers/Tongala FC/St Joseph’s Echuca Date of Birth 18/04/05; Height 185 cm; Weight 85kg NICK WATSON Eastern Ranges/Montrose FC/Caulfield Grammar Date of Birth 24/02/05; Height 170 cm; Weight 67kg JAKE ROGERS Gold Coast Suns Academy/ Broadbeach Cats FC Date of Birth 02/03/05; Height 171 cm; Weight 68kg ASHTON MOIR Glenelg FC/ Plympton FC Date of Birth 15/04/05; Height 188 cm Weight 84kg COLBY McKERCHER Tasmanian Devils/ Launceston FC / Launceston College Date of Birth 12/04/05; Height 181cm; Weight 72kg JED WALTER Gold Coast Suns Academy/ Palm Beach Currumbin FC Date of Birth 08/06/05; Height 194 cm Weight 91kg DANIEL CURTIN Claremont FC/West Coast JFC/Curtin University Date of Birth 08/03/05; Height 195 cm; Weight 92kg ZANE DUURSMA Gippsland Power/Foster FC/Foster SC Date of Birth-28/08/05; Height 189 cm; Weight 79kg RYLEY SANDERS Sandringham Dragons FC/ North Launceston FC/Melbourne Grammar Date of Birth 21/01/05; Height 186 cm; Weight 85kg DARCY WILSON Murray Bushrangers/Wangaratta Rovers FC/The Academy Date of Birth 18/08/05; Height 185 cm; Weight 73 kg KOLTYN THOLSTRUP Subiaco FC/Newtown-Condingup JFC/Cunderdin Ag College Date of Birth 28/06/05; Height 188 cm; Weight 82kg HARRY DE MATTIA Dandenong Stingrays/Edithvale-Aspendale FC/SEDA Date of Birth 11/09/05; Height 184 cm; Weight 77kg ARCHER REID Gippsland Power/Inverloch Kongwak FC/Bass Coast College Date of Birth 19/09/05; Height 203 cm; Weight 85kg GEORGE STEVENS GWV Rebels/ South Warrnambool FC/Emmanuel College Date of Birth 14/04/05; Height 189 cm; Weight 94kg MITCHELL EDWARDS Peel Thunder FC/ South Mandurah FC Date of Birth 02/06/05; Height 205 cm; Weight 86kg JACK CALLINAN Tasmanian Devils/ Clarence FC Date of Birth 07/10/05; Height 177cm; Weight 73 kg NATE CADDY Northern Knights/Bundoora FC/Parade College Date of Birth-14/07/05; Height 192 cm; Weight 91 kg JOEL FREIJAH GWV Rebels/ Horsham Saints/Ballarat Clarendon College Date of Birth 14/11/05; Height 191 cm; Weight 86kg RILEY HARDEMAN Swan Districts FC/Caversham JFC/Edith Cowan University Date of Birth 27/02/05; Height 184 cm; Weight 70kg CLAY HALL Peel Thunder FC/Harvey Brunswich Leschenault JFC Date of Birth 12/05/05; Height 188 cm; Weight 83kg JORDAN CROFT Calder Cannons/Maribyrnong Park FS/Maribyrnong SC Date of Birth 12/05/05; Height 200cm; Weight 80kg WILL PATTON West Adelaide FC/ Mitcham FC Date of Birth 04/01/05; Height 193 cm, Weight 81kg ETHAN READ Gold Coast Suns Academy/Palm Beach Currumbin FC Date of Birth 07/08/05; Height 202 cm; Weight 87kg WILL LORENZ Oakleigh Chargers/Boroondara Hawks FC/Marcellin College Date of Birth-19/02/05; Height 186 cm; Weight 70kg WILL BROWN Sandringham Dragons/East Brighton FC/Kawana Park Eagles FC-Qld Date of Birth-16/06/05; Height-194 cm; Weight 85kg WILL McCABE Central Districts FC/ Tanunda FC/ Sacred Heart College Date of Birth 29/09/05; Height 197 cm; Weight 82kg COOPER SIMPSON Dandenong Stingrays/Mt Martha FC/Flinders Christian College. Date of Birth 13/02/05; Height 182 cm; Weight 76kg ARCHIE ROBERTS Sandringham Dragons/Hampton Rovers FC/Haileybury College Data of Birth 18/11/05; Height 184 cm; Weight 77kg CONNOR O’SULLIVAN Murray Bushrangers/ Albury FC/Xavier High School-Albury Date of Birth 19/05/05; Height 198 cm; Weight 92 kg NATHAN PHILACTIDES Oakleigh Chargers/ Blackburn FC/Yarra Valley Grammar Date of Birth 10/01/05; Height 181 cm; Weight 78 kg

Allies fast start too much for Croweaters SOUTH AUSTRALIA 2.0.12 3.0.18 7.1.43 11.2 (68)
 ALLIES 6.2.38 9.7.61 10.9.69 12.12 (84) GOALS:
 South Australia: J. Delean 4, L. Fawcett 2, D. Gladigau, K. Herbert, A. Holt, A. McShane, A. Moir
 Allies: C. McCormack 3, J. Walter 3, M. Rider 2, R. Sanders 2, P. Gothard, I. Kirk BEST:
 South Australia: S. Draper, J. Delean, T. Goad, A. Holt, K. McAuliffe
 Allies: R. Sanders, J. Walter, C. McKercher, J. Rogers, C. McCormack

The AFL Under 18 Boys Championships 2023 are under way. These are the Under 18 Squads The Fixture Sunday, 4 June South Australia vs. Allies at Thebarton Oval, SA, 11:00am Sunday, 11 June South Australia vs. Victoria Metro at Thebarton Oval, SA, 9:45am Sunday, 11 June Allies vs. Western Australia at Thebarton Oval, SA, 12:05pm Sunday, 18 June Victoria Country vs. South Australia at IKON Park, VIC, 10:35am Saturday, 24 June Western Australia vs. South Australia at Optus Stadium, WA, 2:15pm Friday, 30 June Western Australia vs. Victoria Country at WACA, WA, 6:00pm Sunday, 2 July Allies vs. Victoria Metro at Brighton Homes Arena, QLD, 2:00pm Sunday, 9 July Victoria Metro vs. Western Australia at RSEA Park, VIC, 10:35am Sunday, 9 July Victoria Country vs. Allies at RSEA Park, VIC, 1:35pm Saturday, 15 July Victoria Country vs. Victoria Metro at IKON Park, VIC, 10:35am

Setterfield can do what he likes tonight. Now plays for Essendon.

It really is time for our small forwards to come good after a couple of weeks of underperforming.

Dropped from the side for missing a recovery session:- "Mac missed a recovery session on Sunday morning after the game against the Western Bulldogs, and while this, in isolation, is not a major issue, we believe Mac needs to understand the demands of playing AFL football," Suns general manager of football performance Wayne Campbell said. https://www.afl.com.au/news/940989/teams-dees-pair-out-blues-add-five-sun-banned Pity because he’s just starting to play well as a defender for the Suns. As Campbell says, it’s not a major issue taken in isolation but one senses that he needs a helping hand up there.

I’m not so sure. I would not be surprised if our club recruiters took the view that it was unlikely at our position on the ladder that there was little prospect of our finding suitable players any better than we already have at the club.