He had surgery on a stress fracture in his left foot early in the club's pre-season, and wasn't able to train properly with his new team-mates until mid-February.

But the strong-marking forward has put those frustrations behind him, and is set to make his VFL senior debut for the Bombers against Frankston tomorrow.

'‘It's good to get an opportunity," said Weeks, who helped run a football clinic for Year Eight students at Eaglehawk Secondary College yesterday.

‘‘It's a relief to get the chance after having surgery at the start of the pre-season - not being able to hit the track with the boys and having to watch training was frustrating.

But Roosters chief executive officer Mark Patterson has no idea to what extent or what shape they might take.

"I wouldn't be surprised," he replied when asked whether he believed the VFL would undergo some form of restructure.

"Everything is in the mix.

"There are various models likely to be considered."

An AFL delegation will meet North Ballarat on Tuesday, May 29, as part of a review into the VFL.

Mr Patterson said the Roosters were still to finalise their presentation for the talks in Ballarat with AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou's assistant Tony Peek, AFL national development general manager David Matthews and AFL strategic planning manager Sam Graham.

The AFL announced in March it would review the second tier of the sport, with a suggestion some AFL clubs wanted to return to stand alone "reserves" rather than being part of alignments with VFL teams.

NULLIFYING one of the most dangerous forward lines in the VFL will be the key to helping the Devils arrest their five-game losing streak at Bellerive Oval today.

The form line of the two sides couldn't be further apart, with the Devils struggling since opening the season with a solid win against Bendigo.

On the other hand Coburg has strung together four wins since a first-round loss to the Northern Bullants and is sitting fourth on the ladder.

In all four victories the Tigers have cracked the 100-point barrier and with Tasmanian Jack Riewoldt, former Geelong spearhead Kent Kingsley and roaming target Cleve Hughes all lining up, coach Andrew Collins has plenty of choices.

From The Age
Reported by Sean Cusick

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THE Northern Bullants lost just one home-and-away match for the entire 2006 season, but face one of their biggest tests today when they hit the road to face North Ballarat.

Barry Mitchell's group has been devastated by injuries to key personnel in the past fortnight, and a clash with the improved Roosters shapes as a true test of their depth and resolve.

Last year's VFL centre-half forward of the year, Digby Morrell, broke some ribs early in last week's narrow win over Box Hill, and looks set to miss at least a month.

The ex-Blue and Kangaroo has long been one of the competition's most dangerous players, displaying a balance of strength and agility that makes him a nightmare match-up for opposition coaches.

"We'll miss him not only as a good player but as a bit of a general," Mitchell said. "He's really important because the younger Carlton guys get to play with him and learn from him. He points them around and tells them where to go."

Cartledge was delisted by Essendon after playing seven AFL games in 2005 and 2006 and returned to the Roosters - his junior football club.

He is North Ballarat's only representative in the state squad of 39 but all AFL-listed players (except rookies) are ineligible and the Roosters have a number of Kangaroos in their line-up.

The clash with WA is fitting reward for Cartledge's good recent form.

"He can be a great story for the VFL - to not get listed, have a good year in the VFL, and be ready to go again. That reinforces the value of the level," North Ballarat coach Gerard Fitzgerald said.

"They have picked a squad that is in form. The VFL's coverage of the games has been terrific."

Six-time leading VFL goalkicker Nick Sautner, of Sandringham, seems certain to be chosen as the spearhead with Werribee's James Podsiadly, the VFL's leading goalkicker in 2005, also likely to be included.

VFL coach Mark Williams said there was no reason why the two could not work well together.

"Dean Limbach (Williamstown) is also in the squad and in consideration," Williams said. "And Andrew Williams is in the mix."

Coach Williams said the VFL was unlikely to play more than three marking forwards.

Of the 39-strong squad, 29 will play in this weekend's VFL Round 7 matches with the other 10 - from Port Melbourne and Werribee - enjoying byes.

The squad will be pruned to 25 on Monday night and then train on Tuesday and Thursday.

KANGAROOS assistant coach Donald McDonald has always believed in the value of the VFL as an AFL breeding ground.

The 2001 Box Hill Hawks premiership coach has again had his faith in the stepping-stone system vindicated with the progress of Kangaroos forward Aaron Edwards.

Edwards, delisted by West Coast, won a second shot at the AFL after a 2006 VFL season in which he booted 100 goals in 20 games for Frankston to head the goalkicking list and win the Liston Trophy as the league's best-and-fairest.

"(Our recruiters) were confident that Aaron could make the change to AFL footy and we thought he could be a really good foil for Nathan Thompson, because of what he showed at VFL level," McDonald said.

McDonald said when he coached in the VFL, he thought there were players who could be ranked between 10 and 30 at AFL clubs, but the clubs were looking at those capable of filling numbers one to 10.

COURAGEOUS Cat Tom Lonergan expects to return to the football field in four weeks' time, 293 days after the sickening onfield collision which almost cost him his life.

Lonergan, who celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday, revealed he "could finally see the light" after enduring a painful off-field recovery, setting himself for a comeback through the VFL in about a month.

Lonergan was placed in an induced coma and underwent emergency surgery to remove his right kidney after colliding heavily with Melbourne's Brad Green at Skilled Stadium on August 26 last year.

"I made the decision about two months ago that I would aim to return mid-year and I'm on track at the moment,'' Lonergan said.

"I'm progressing each week now. At the start it was just about seeing how my body was going with the load and at the moment it's going pretty well.''