Clarence vs Devonport Bellerive Oval Clarence vs Devonport

PLAYER MATCH UPS
IF THESE MAGPIES AND ROOS HAVE COME TO PLAY THEN THE WREST POINT
STATE LEAGUE GRAND FINAL OF 2010 WILL BE A GAME FOR THE AGES!
CLARENCE - 6 PLAYERS TO WATCH
15. Josh GREEN. Tassie Mariners captain and
likely 2010 AFL draftee. Josh is an exceptional ball
handler and is able to win the football both inside
and outside of a contest. He also has the ability to
kick a freakish and timely goal as shown late in the
preliminary final of 2009 against Burnie. This may
well be Josh’s last game with Clarence FC before
venturing into the AFL so look for him to have a
massive influence on the contest.
12. Cameron THURLEY. If “Thurls” plays well,
winning possessions at will and pushing forward
to kick goals Devonport will find it very, very hard
to win the game. His ability to influence games
throughout the year with his ball winning and skill
execution has enabled other Clarence players to
feed off his dominance and confidence. Look for
Cameron to put himself on the ground where a
spark or steadying influence is required.
20. Gregg SHARMAN. The key position backman has
had a good finals series to date, keeping Brian Finch
under control in two games against Launceston. In the
Grand Final he will get the match up on Devonport’s
main avenue to goal, Ben Reynolds. If Sharman
can match Reynolds in aerial contests and keep his
scoring output to a minimum, Clarence will be a long
way along to securing back to back TSL premierships.
5. Brennan SAVAGE. Having played in two NTFL
premierships with Launceston FC as a full back,
“Sav” now gets the chance to show his wares in a
grand final as a key position forward and back up
ruckman. Although not a big goal kicker Brennan’s
ability to provide a constant and strong forward target
and then feed the ball to his runners through CHF
has enabled Clarence to play their chip and charge,
fast paced game style.
16. Matthew DRURY. “Spud” is one of the hardest
match ups for opposition coaches in the competition.
He stands over 190cm and plays as a hit up, leading
forward but has the speed, endurance and agility of a
rover. As Clarence direct the ball through him on a high
percentage of forward thrusts, “Spud’s” opponent will
need to be fit and fresh to match his workrate.
22. Jaymes BAKER. When opposition coaches do
their match ups against Clarence this player can tend
to get under the guard with dire consequences. One of
the better and longer kicks in the competition, Baker
always contributes and has the ability to bob up and
kick important long range goals. Clarence use him as
a designated kicker whenever they can as his disposal
by foot can cut the opposition to shreds.
Devonport – 6 players to watch
2. Rhys MOTT. “Motty” has had a huge workload
in 2010 combining a prominent role in the team
at Devonport FC and being vice captain and an
important ball winner with the Tassie Mariners. Rhys
has the ability to win the footy in contested situations
through his exceptional ball handling and as evident in
the preliminary final against Launceston is also adding
to his game the ability to kick important goals.
8. Ben REYNOLDS. If Devonport has designs on
being the 2010 premier “Big Ben” will need to have
a big day. Reynolds has had a terrific year combining
his marking strength with an excellent work rate. He
plays CHF quite traditionally and Devonport focus
most of their forward forays thru him. Ben hasn’t
kicked a lot of goals in this year’s finals series and he
will probably need to do so for the magpies to have a
chance of winning.
26. Trent MCCROSSEN. McCrossen has had a
consistent year playing through the midfield and has
the ability to cut opposition up with his penetrating
and accurate kicking. When “froggy” is on song
and his work rate matches his ability he is a very
damaging player. With Clarence’s multitude of
midfield rotations Devonport will need McCrossen to
stand tall for their team.
15. Chris MCDONALD. The older of the McDonald
siblings slips under the guard of the opposition at
times due to having a lower profile. Chris has had a
very consistent year playing as a HF/midfielder and
has a clever knack of making something happen
when he gets the ball. After a couple of injury
ravaged years McDonald is starting to show how
much ability he really has.
35. Sam HESS. Once a ruckman now a CHB. Sam
has had a consistent year in a key defensive post and
Devonport will need him to stand tall in the grand
final. A likely opponent for Brennan Savage, Hess
will need to compete hard in aerial duels and give
some offensive drive for his team. If he can control
Clarence’s attacking corridor and output from their
key forwards he will be helping greatly Devonport’s
attempt to win the game.
5. Kurt HEAZLEWOOD. Devonport’s captain will
need to leave from the front if they are to claim the
premiership. “Snapper’s” strength lays in getting
to the fall of the ball first and linking up through
the midfield. He will need to use the ball well going
forward to give his forwards the best opportunity to
beat their opponents’ one on one. With quite a few
young players in their side Heazlewood’s experience
will be an important settling influence.
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