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Battle in the big league

By Robbo May 15, 2007
From The Mercury
Reported by Brett Stubbs

THE biggest issue facing the Devils was the gap between the level of local competitions and the standard of VFL football, AFL Tasmania general manager Scott Wade said yesterday.

Wade has called a meeting of AFL Tasmania's football department and the Devils' coaching staff tonight after the Devils' pitiful 114-point away loss to Werribee on Saturday -- their fifth loss in a row.

"Is the structure of football in Tasmania supporting the Devils?" Wade said.

"The message to the football-loving public of Tasmania is that the gap between the SFL and the NTFL and the VFL is enormous.

"We have got some players who have come back into the VFL competition after performing exceptionally well in local footy who are realising it is a big jump, but they will persevere and get there in the end."


Victorian State Squad Announced

By Robbo May 14, 2007
The Victorian Football League today announced an initial 39 man squad for the upcoming Representative Match vs. Western Australia on Saturday 26th May, 2007 at TEAC Oval, Port Melbourne.

Bendigo Bombers (2) Jason Cloke * Simon Rosa *

Box Hill Hawks (4) Matthew Ball * Sam Gibson * Kristan Height * Nick Smith *

Coburg Tigers (2) Alistair Neville * Travis Ronaldson *

Frankston (2) Justin Berry # Ashley Eames *

Geelong (4) James Byrne ^ Jason Davenport * Todd Grima * Phil Read *

North Ballarat (1) Tristan Cartledge *

Northern Bullants (2) Justin Crow # Josh Houlihan *

Port Melbourne (7) John Baird * Tim Hazell * Luke Livingston * Robin Nahas * Chris Obst ^ David Robbins ^ David Spriggs *

Sandringham (6) Andrew Biddlecombe * Rod Crowe # Ezra Poyas * Nick Sautner ^ Peter Summers * Shane Valenti *

Tasmania (1) Ken Hall #

Werribee (3) Robert Castello * Dominic Gleeson * James Podsiadly #

Williamstown (5) Steven Greene * Brett Johnson * Dean Limbach * Liam Picken * Andrew Williams *

* - Player has not represented Victoria before (30)
# - Player represented Victoria in the last State Game against South Australia in 2005 (5)
^ - Player has previously represented Victoria (4)

Doubt over Bandy puts selectors in a quandary

By Robbo May 14, 2007
From The West Australian
Reported by Ross Lewis

WA selectors will consider more additions to the squad preparing for the May 26 interstate clash with the VFL due to doubts over the fitness of Daniel Bandy.
  
The former Fremantle and Western Bulldogs ruckman missed Claremont’s 22.15 (147) to 10.14 (74) win over Swan Districts at Claremont Oval on Saturday due to a hamstring complaint.
  
But WA coach Ashley Prescott, also at the helm of the Tigers, indicated Bandy might be worth the risk of playing for the Black Swans even if the 31-year-old was again unfit to play against East Fremantle on Saturday.
  
But there was brighter news for former Fremantle squad member Michael Warren, who also missed the triumph over Swans.

Headache for Devils coach

By Robbo May 14, 2007
From The Mercury
Reported by Brett Stubbs

THE unique vagaries faced in leading the Devils are having a detrimental effect on coach Daryn Cresswell's game plan.

In the wake of the Devils' horrible 114-point thrashing at the hands of Werribee on Saturday, Cresswell said the "whole state" approach was causing headaches with his run-at-all-costs blueprint.

While Cresswell's predecessor Mathew Armstrong believed in the centralised system -- getting the majority of his team based in Hobart so the players could constantly train together -- Cresswell wanted to open the Devils up to the entire state by having regional training squads in the South, North and North-West.

This brought in an influx of players from northern Tasmania, but it has not brought results, with the Devils losing their past five games and sitting above last place by percentage only.

"It is pretty hard because obviously with the three regions I am finding it pretty difficult to deal with and it makes it very hard," Cresswell said.

King-sized problem for Cats' coaching staff

By Robbo May 14, 2007
From Geelong Advertiser
Reported by Michael Auciello

THEY say actions speak louder than words.

Yesterday, Steven King was the equivalent of a man making an impassioned speech to say he's not done yet.

The former Geelong captain did everything he was sent back to the VFL to do.

Coach Mark Thompson wanted him to just compete, without fear that any part of his body would break down again.

When he went to full forward in the first quarter, King pulled in two towering overhead marks in the goalsquare.

In the second, he drifted down back to fill any gaps in the Bendigo Bombers' forward line and put his body on the line.

At the start of the third quarter, he'd contest the centre bounce and then sprint straight to the forward line.

His inspired tackle on Simon Rosa late in the term said a lot.

 In between all his work around the ground, he and developing ruckman Trent West controlled the middle.

King finished with four goals in the Cats' 32-point win at Skilled Stadium.

Brave Bombers tumble

By Robbo May 14, 2007
From Bendigo Advertiser

GEELONG yesterday proved why it is one of the favourites to win this year's VFL premiership after defeating the Metricon Bendigo Bombers by 32 points at Skilled Stadium.

The star-studded Cats won their fifth straight game, leading from start to finish in a 20.16 (136) to 16.8 (104) victory to leave the Bombers with just one win after six rounds.

Bendigo found itself behind the eight-ball from the outset as the Cats had kicked 3.3 inside the first 13 minutes before the Bombers had scored.

All six of Geelong's early scoring shots came from marks inside 50, while around the ground, Cats ruckman Steven King was giving his on-ballers an arm chair ride.

Like they would do all throughout the game though, the Bombers rallied, kicking three consecutive goals of their own, including two to Kyle Reimers, to draw within three points at the 25-minute mark.

However, Geelong answered with two late goals to King, who was resting at fullforward, to push the Cats' lead out to 15 points at quarter-time.

The Bombers would get no closer for the rest of the match, despite gaining control of the contest during periods in each of the second, third and final terms.

Jumping Jack's flash of brilliance

By Robbo May 14, 2007
From Herald Sun
Reported by Geoff Poulter

JACK Riewoldt moved closer to an AFL debut for Richmond with five goals to help Coburg fend off the Casey Scorpions yesterday.

With recruit Kent Kingsley managing just one goal, Riewoldt was the star in the Tigers' 13-point win.

"He is just getting better and better isn't he," Coburg coach Andrew Collins said of Riewoldt, who showed class and looked hungry for the ball.

Kingsley's effort was more workman-like, but Collins said the former Cat was cleary on the improve after a long injury layoff.

"He is getting better, he is very smart," Collins said.

"I don't think we will have him for very long, but while we have got him we might as well utilise him."

The Tigers finally slipped into gear in the last quarter with the aid of a strong breeze to get a grip on fourth position on the ladder with their fourth straight win.

"It was pretty rugged out there," Collins said.

"We knew it was going to be a tough day, hard game.

"We were struggling to find run but to the credit of the boys in the last quarter, in particular, we got a few players come through the lines.

"There was a really strong breeze out there. We were glad we were kicking with it in the last quarter."

Coburg Tigers resist Scorpions' fight

By Robbo May 14, 2007
From The Age
Reported by Sean Cusick

Coburg has edged out a determined Casey Scorpions outfit by 13 points in a rugged encounter at Coburg City Oval. The Scorpions showed plenty of fight, but appeared to tire in the final quarter as a classy Jack Riewoldt came to the fore in his best VFL performance to date.

The prized Richmond recruit finished with five goals, including the sealer from a mark 35 metres out deep into time-on after the Scorpions had dragged the margin back to seven points.

Kent Kingsley, playing his first senior VFL match since crossing to Richmond, had little impact on the match. He kicked one goal, the result of a holding-the-ball free kick in the goal square, and was outplayed by Max Hudghton for most of the day.

Tigers coach Andy Collins wouldn't be drawn on whether his club was talking up a top-four finish to the home-and-away season. "I don't worry about that . . . we're going well, we're a team that's won four and one, so it's good," he said.

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