Unfortunately the Misfits spent the week drinking their own bathwater and resembled nothing so strongly as a flimsy excuse for a d grade team. Daylight re-appeared and we are never happy when that prick straps on the boots.. 15 Misfits were named, but Phillips forgot to hand in the permission note from his mum and was AWOL, this would result in a spell in the reserves IF, the reserves side wasn't already a dysfunctional rabble of off-casts where one more would beak the camels back. His attempt to feign injury to avoid a head to head with the ruck colossus that is Roughhead has not gone unnoticed. The other 14 may as well have joined him and managed a combined 935, 220 of which came from 2 players. B&F points for round 7; 5 Ward - Yep, that dude again.. 4 Kelly - Continues to emerge 3 Dunstan - Had an ordinary game over all but met some key indicators 2 Daniel - Welcome back son 1 Daylight - Bastard Tally 30 Ward 12 Whitfield 11 Daylight 10 Daniel 9 Rich 8 Laird 7 Kelly 5 Fantasia, Williams, Dunstan 4 Daniher 2 Smith, Hombsch
Round 8 and thrashed by the Spelunkers.. Lacking a ruck and only 4 fwds, been some time since we could name a full team in position, hard to remedy by trading as most of the problems are temporary. B&F points for round 8; 5 Kelly - Vunderboi 4 Williams - Damn we love this kid 3 Daylight - Bugger off MoFo 2 Ward - Off week for the main man 1 Daniher - Needed to lift and did 0 Daniel - Sorry bud, but that was crap Tally 32 Ward 14 Daylight 12 Whitfield, Kelly 10 Daniel 9 Rich, Williams 8 Laird 5 Fantasia, Williams, Dunstan, Daniher 2 Smith, Hombsch
Jamie Elliott gone for the year....... FML, traded for forwards knowing I was light on there and yet even the intelligent trades fail.... Misfits could be the first ORF team to fold due to mismanagment
I think that if the AFL can limit its injuries to the entirety of 3, perhaps 4, ORFFA teams, then that would be a good outcome for the other ORFFA teams. Between you, me, snoz and Bandit we could put a fit team on the park.
Round 9 and the Guim were "gifted the bye" despite being severely weakened themselves, it appears the 2016 Misfits are only feared by bartenders who've sold out of JD. Connor Blakely a surprise highlight, probably wont play in the ruck again B&F points for round 9; 5 Ward - Back to his best, dude will still be winning this in 10 years 4 Blakely - Bang, "who's this Weller fella"? 3 Williams - Damn we love this kid *repeat* 3 Bruce - Welcome to the team bud, where have you been all year? 2 Rich - Not exactly Mr Consistent, but a valued Misfit 1 Dunstan - Nice, not excited, but nice 0 Daniel - Clearly not built to play Giants, should rebound next week 0 Daylight - Tally 37 Ward 14 Daylight 12 Whitfield, Kelly, Williams 11 Rich 10 Daniel 8 Laird 6 Dunstan 5 Fantasia, Daniher 4 Blakely 3 Bruce 2 Smith, Hombsch
Round 10 and the Misfits are beginning to personify road kill, fortunately we drink and can only remember one game at a time. B&F points for round 10; 5 Kelly - Epic performance from a future star of the game 4 Daylight - Who keeps inviting this MoFo? 3 Blakely - 2 weeks in a row isn't consistent, but it's a bloody good start 2 Williams - Keep on keeping on Bud 2 Daniel - Proved it was only the giant thing last week 2 Hombsch - Definition of a depth player Tally 37 Ward 18 Daylight 17 Kelly 14 Williams 12 Whitfield, Daniel 11 Rich 8 Laird 7 Blakely 6 Dunstan 5 Fantasia, Daniher 4 Hombsch 3 Bruce 2 Smith
Round 11 and the Misfits met Ugly, it was surely not pretty. B&F points for round 11; 5 Ward - Bounced back 4 Whitfield - Lenny Hayes' influence becoming evident 3 Williams - Loving this year's development 2 Blakely - someone from Freo has to play well, glad it's this guy 1 Rose - Just because 1 Daniel - See Rose Tally 42 Ward 18 Daylight 17 Kelly, Williams 16 Whitfield 13 Daniel 11 Rich 9 Blakely 8 Laird 6 Dunstan 5 Fantasia, Daniher 4 Hombsch 3 Bruce 2 Smith 1 Rose
Round 12 and the Misfits travelled to Wagga, a victory was had and the celebrations are likely to last 3 weeks... B&F points for round 12; 5 Laird - First 100 since round 2 4 Weller - Answered the challenge from Blakely and earnt himself a RS nomination in the process 3 Whitfield - Destroyer of Swans 2 Ward - We want his father/sons 1 Rich - Tried hard in a team that didn't Tally 44 Ward 19 Whitfield 18 Daylight 17 Kelly, Williams 13 Daniel, Laird 12 Rich 9 Blakely 6 Dunstan 5 Fantasia, Daniher 4 Hombsch, Weller 3 Bruce 2 Smith 1 Rose
Absolutely delighted for the kid, may take a year or two to validate my opinion, but looking forward to seeing him out there
The 19-year-old from Collingullie in the Riverina area of New South Wales was taken with pick 13 in last year's NAB AFL Draft, and is the second player from the GIANTS’ academy to debut this season, after Jacob Hopper played his first game against Gold Coast in round eight. Kennedy has been in outstanding form in the NEAFL and is coming off a 26-possession, three-goal game in the reserves last week, and coach Leon Cameron said on Thursday that his opportunity was well deserved. "He's really hard at the footy, he's a good country lad and the boys really love him," Cameron said. "He plays footy for the right reasons and in the right spirit. "He'll put his head over the footy and can mark the ball overhead, so he'll play on ball and forward as well. "He'll be an infectious player amongst our group because he's got that that popularity in the short time he's been here." GWS co-captain Phil Davis told AFL.com.au that Kennedy announced himself to the playing group as soon as he arrived at the club with his physical style of play. "He's extremely hard at it, his contested ball winning ability is very, very good, but he's got a few other strings to his bow," Davis said. "He's a really nice kick, he's very good overhead for a midfielder, but his hardness is his number one thing. "I haven't seen too many blokes as hard as he was when they've just rocked up to the footy club. "Matt (Kennedy) will come up to AFL speed pretty quickly."
Changes at the Bar, not enough, but the off-season will correct that Out: Jaksch - delisted, I still think he will be a very good player one day, but I needed to cut someone and he has no trade value. Barrett - traded in a pick exchange to improve our draft position. Jakey is a grunt midfielder, unf in a long queue at the giants, the odds are he moves next year and shows what he has, again not one I wanted to lose but someone had to go. Connor Blakely - Traded out for experience, something we plan to do a bit of over the next 6 months, great young player with a heap of potential, we wish him well at the Battlers. In: Shaun Hampson - fixes our short term ruck issue and hopefully leaves me at the start of next year with 3 playing rucks and a decent trade chip. David Myers - will give us depth in the mid group next year, a solid soldier (returning to the Bar after being drafted in the inaugural draft). Marc Murphy - experienced reliable mid, part of a group of players whoi we hope will come in and move our window forward, needs to work on the correct utilisation of K's. Squad now looks like this; Backs Rory Laird, Marco Paparone, Zachary Williams, Jack Hombsch, Orazio Fantasia, Adam Tomlinson B/F, Daniel Rich B/M, Michael Hartley Fwds Devon Smith, Jamie Elliott, Josh Bruce, Caleb Daniel, Jo Daniher, Will Hoskin-Elliot, Riley Knight, James Rose, Shaun Hampson R/F Mids Callan Ward, Lachie Whitfield, Luke Dunstan, Josh Kelly, Lachie Weller, Marc Murphy, Jake Barrett, Matthew Kennedy, David Myers Ruck Matt Flynn, Andrew Phillips, Patrick Ryder
Callan Ward is becoming the ORFFA's best leader When one thinks of the AFL’s greatest current day captains, most people would pull out names such as Luke Hodge, Nick Riewoldt and Robert Murphy. But there is one captain who is lifting his side closer and closer to a premiership, his name is Callan Ward. The Giants co-captain is arguably playing the best football of his already impressive career. As a player Ward is averaging 25 disposals per match in 2016, and lists inside the top ten in key categories such as clearances, contested possessions and boasts an elite disposals efficiency of 73 per cent, a remarkably high rate considering the crash and bash style of football he plays. Ward thrives on the contest and makes the younger players walk beside him. As a leader, Ward shows similar traits to Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge. Not only is he demanding, ruthless and highly respected by the AFL world, he sets the example for work rate, consistency and performance on a weekly basis. The Giants are glittered with first round draft selections and are the envy of most clubs in terms of their natural talent and age. But the importance of players such as Ward cannot be understated or undervalued. Full story http://www.theroar.com.au/2016/07/09/callan-ward-becoming-afls-best-leader/
Must be love The Misfits Day Western Bulldogs youngster Caleb Daniel is thriving in the AFL THE recruiters couldn’t help but notice. Meeting an AFL club at an Adelaide hotel, Caleb Daniel’s legs dangled as he sat in a chair. They couldn’t quite touch the ground. Daniel talked a big game and the scouts loved him, but after one look knew it would be a tall order to pick him. “Imagine what the (senior coach) would say on the first day of pre-season,” one grinned. “He looked about 12!” Welcome to the life of Caleb Daniel, the 168cm Western Bulldog who looks up to all of his peers. “It’d be nice to be six-foot two and 80kg, but that’s something I won’t be ever,” Daniel says. A lack of red meat on his plate wasn’t to blame. “Small” mum Karen laughs when asked about the gene pool. Caleb Daniel has proved to be a hard man to catch. Picture: Michael Klein “We make Caleb look big. When (older sister) Chloe and I are around Caleb he’s the big man in the family.” Caleb’s dad Grant can look him in the eye but Karen and Chloe need high heels on to get close. Daniel has always played at elbow height. It’s the reason Karen purchased his trademark black helmet — the same one he will wear against Richmond. When Daniel was five or six he signed up to Edwardstown juniors in Adelaide for his first real kick of the Sherrin. “He jumped the fence with a football nearly the size of his torso,” Karen says, “and his coaches kind of looked at each other. “They said, ‘What, are we taking pre-schoolers now?’” But it is what happened next which tells the real story. Daniel stayed, and Daniel dominated. The only kid who could naturally kick, mark and handball, Daniel punched above his weight for the first time, but certainly not the last. “Gobsmacked,” is how Karen describes the reaction. “And they never mentioned him not belonging again.” Daniel and key forward Jack Redpath walk from the ground together. Picture: Getty Images Sledges and doubters have been constant, but Daniel’s ears have never been tuned to either. “I usually just laugh it off (on the field). Sometimes I just agree with them,” he says. “I don’t say too much out there, I’m not quick-witted enough.” What about the lack of inches? “There’s obviously disadvantages. But I’ve never really thought too negatively about it.” And neither have the Bulldogs. Come draft time in 2014, they put his recruitment down to a science. There was no question Daniel could play. Coming off an ankle injury, you don’t finish the national championships as the No. 1 ranked player averaging 172 SuperCoach points without ability. Daniel’s numbers dwarfed the likes of Christian Petracca, Isaac Heeney and Angus Brayshaw and his form continued in 11 SANFL games for South Adelaide. The Bulldogs knew from Daniel’s family tree he wouldn’t be getting any bigger. So they examined what impact the lack of inches would have in the AFL. If he was an inside midfielder or a marking player, he wouldn’t cut it. For that you need body size, and the Dogs were flush for that sort anyway. But Daniel’s forte was uncontested ball and ground-level play. And for that, size doesn’t matter. After 22 AFL games, 75 per cent of Daniel’s neat disposals have been in space. Blessed with little feet, Daniel boasts a quick change of direction which buys extra time to make those clever decisions. With the height hurdle cleared, Bulldog recruiters engaged some of their smartest football brains to see how he would fit into the gamestyle. This was tricky, as the Dogs were between senior coaches, but the forensic analysis delivered a perfect match. In 2014, the Dogs were bulls around the ball but broke down in transition, particularly out of defence. They lacked a link man. Daniel was just that. Ardent Bulldog minds must wander to the bevy of precise deliveries Daniel has made to defuse danger. When those little legs start pumping and Daniel gets the ball, you can just about bank on the Dogs winning the next possession. There’s no waste. Short kicks to Marcus Bontempelli inside 50 have proved instrumental in the past two stirring away wins, against Port Adelaide and Sydney. “And he did that to us on the ‘G about 3-4 times in really tight spaces,” Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley says. Daniel’s footy brain is enormous, mind a steel trap for the next play. No matter how critical the moment, he simply makes the right decision. It’s why David King sees a blend of Sam Mitchell and Brent Harvey when he watches Daniel. King reckons those pinpoint 20m kicks can be just as important as long, penetrating passes. So the Dogs knew Daniel’s frame wouldn’t matter and he was the missing ingredient in their team. Still, they wanted a killer attribute. One to set him apart. When the draft combine rolled around, they found it. Weeks after playing in South Adelaide’s preliminary final, Daniel ran the beep test. As the last man to pull out at the elite level of 16.1, he was red in the face. And after steadily warming throughout the year, the Dogs officially had the hots for him. The beep test showed he had enormous aerobic capacity and the mental drive to match. “A 13 beep isn’t good enough for that role,” chief recruiter Simon Dalrymple said on draft night “But 16 is elite so we see that as a real point of difference.” Dogs coach Luke Beveridge loves Daniel’s creativity and the footprint he is leaving on wins. Those who tracked Daniel aren’t surprised. They say he is doing exactly what he did at underage level for the Bulldogs. Beveridge goes back to Round 3 as Daniel’s “significant day”. He was shifted onto Sam Mitchell and the scoreboard promptly shifted the Dogs’ way. The next week Daniel would get a Rising Star nomination and Matthew Lloyd says if it was voted on today, the pipsqueak Bulldog should win it. The bookies are starting to agree. Daniel has been crunched into a clear top three, along with No. 1 pick Jacob Weitering and No. 2 Petracca. And Champion Data backs it all up. In Daniel’s position, he is producing better numbers than seasoned stars Brett Deledio, Toby Greene, Steve Johnson and Harvey. But it’s not just his short-kicking game cutting sides apart. Champion says Daniel’s long-kicking rating is +15 per cent — ranked No. 2 in the AFL. “We think we’ve got a bit of a steal there,” Beveridge said this week. A bit? The Dogs got Daniel with their last live pick, No. 46, which they received for Liam Jones. Yet in drafting circles, that was considered early. About 10 clubs interviewed Daniel but if you ask South Adelaide coach Brad Gotch he’ll tell you the Dogs were the only genuine buyer. It’s why Daniel was nervous on draft night. “I think every footballer has got that self-doubt in their head,” Daniel says. “I’d be lying if I said (missing out) didn’t dawn on my mind. “There was a lot of taller midfielders and taller forwards that were playing good footy. “There was nerves when it got to about pick 40 because a few of my mates slid from South Australia from where they were mock drafted.” But when Daniel’s name was called he became the smallest player drafted since Tony Liberatore, and the 1990 Brownlow winner called him straight away. Liberatore saw a snippet of Daniel that year and alerted Dalrymple when they crossed paths. “If you’re good enough you can make it. I’ve always had that attitude,” Libba says. “He’s the modern-game player. He gets the ball, his agility is good, he uses the ball well, he can run and he can break lines. “The kid’s got something. I’m rapt another little fella is playing AFL.” Mum Karen gets teary when she reflects. “It’s always been David v Goliath,” she says, “because he’s always been the tiny fella. “He flies the flag for the little people.” Diminutive in stature, delightful to watch best sums up Caleb Daniel. “We never thought of him being small. He’s a big man in a little fella’s body.” Full story http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/a...l/news-story/dde50acc2473bd1109c30c34715b2947
Round 13 and the Misfits hosted the Lilacs, who escaped with the cherries.. B&F points for round 13; 5 Laird - Two max points in a row 4 Kelly - Silky skills 3 Williams - 2 injuries in the game and still managed 90, hopefully he plays next week 2 Fantasia - Love this kid, speculative drafting at it's best 1 Hampson - Done good, played strong on debut 1 Dunstan - Could he be finally turning the corner? Tally 44 Ward 21 Kelly 20 Williams 19 Whitfield 18 Laird, Daylight 13 Daniel 12 Rich 9 Blakely 7 Dunstan, Fantasia 5 Daniher 4 Hombsch, Weller 3 Bruce 2 Smith 1 Rose, Hampson