Draft hopefuls get another day in the sunEmma Quayle
The Age
June 15, 2012Under-18s get to strut their stuff this weekend.ESSENDON father-son draftee Joe Daniher will play his first game for Vic Metro in the under-18 championships this weekend, as another AFL relative stands in the way of Metro's back-to-back title hopes.
Troy Menzel, the younger brother of Geelong's Daniel, has kicked 15 goals in South Australia's opening two matches of the five-round series, including nine against Tasmania two weeks ago, the day after Daniel sustained his major knee injury.
Menzel, one of the most intriguing players in this year's draft pool given he had LARS surgery almost two years ago on his knee, had four goals on the board early in the second quarter of last Sunday's game against the Northern Territory before finishing with six.
He has played as a half-forward in this series, but was playing on a wing when he injured his non-preferred right leg playing for the SA under-16 team in July 2010.
''He's playing really well and he's doing everything right,'' said South Australian coach Brenton Phillips. ''He's been taking contested marks, he's marking on the lead and getting the ball off the ground. That's what's made him so damaging.
''He puts himself in the right positions and the right times, and it's hard to coach that type of thing.''
Daniher will join a Metro side sitting in third spot on the championships table, toppled in round one by the Northern Territory but beating Tasmania comprehensively last Sunday.
A loss to SA would make a title win very difficult for Metro, which didn't drop a match in last year's championships, the team featuring nine first-round draftees, including top five picks Jon Patton, Dom Tyson and Will Hoskin-Elliott.
After two rounds, Vic Country leads the championships by percentage from South Australia, with both sides having comfortably won both clashes with second division sides.
Western Australia, Vic Metro, Northern Territory and Queensland are on one win, while neither Tasmania nor NSW/ACT are yet to record a win.
With all division one sides having played two games against division two teams, the competition now moves into its final three rounds, with Metro playing South Australia in Adelaide on Saturday and Western Australia hosting Vic Country on Sunday.
Luke McDonald, North Melbourne's 2013 father-son pick in waiting, is expected to return to the Metro midfield after missing game two, while South Australia will be without captain Jimmy Toumpas. A likely high pick and already a premiership player for Woodville-West Torrens, Toumpas injured a hip against the Northern Territory and may miss the final two rounds in Melbourne in two weeks.
SA is expected to produce a bunch of top-end draftees this year, with ruckman Brodie Grundy, Sam Mayes and Ben Kennedy also considered likely first-rounders.
No. 1 pick-in-waiting Lachie Whitfield will play his second game for Vic Country against WA, after starring on Sunday with a 27-possession, three-goal game.
Teammate Ollie Wines racked up 31 possessions to push his claims for a top-three spot at this year's draft, with the first round likely to be dominated by midfielders.
Joe Daniher (left) plays his first game for Vic Metro, while Troy Menzel (right) has kicked 15 goals in two games. Photo: Paul Roverehttp://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/draft-hopefuls-get-another-day-in-the-sun-20120614-20d2q.html#ixzz1xmf6PZdJ
