Good performance: Clayton Oliver won best-on-ground against Collingwood. Photo: AAP Image/Scott Barbour
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SCOTT BARBOUR
Melbourne’s Clayton Oliver once again showed why he is one of the AFL’s most dangerous talents on Monday afternoon.
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The Mooroopna product was in red-hot form in his side’s Queen’s Birthday clash against Collingwood at the MCG, taking home the Neale Daniher Trophy for his best-on-ground performance.
Despite the Demons falling to the Magpies 12.10 (82) to 8.8 (56), Oliver saw plenty of the ball in the middle of the field, collecting 43 disposals for the game with 27 coming in the first half.
While Oliver impressed enough to be best afield, his side was overrun by a Collingwood team which continues to impress.
Featuring Tallygaroopna’s Steele Sidebottom, the Magpies’ big second half had them pick up another important win.
Sidebottom’s teammate and Euroa product Jamie Elliott booted three goals and gathered 19 touches in the memorable triumph.
On Thursday night, Port Adelaide’s district contingent fell in heartbreaking fashion at the MCG, with the Power going down to Richmond by 12 points.
Three goals to Deniliquin’s Todd Marshall, 26 touches to Echuca’s Ollie Wines and nine possessions to Katamatite’s Tom Clurey were not enough to get the Power get over the line.
Meanwhile, in Western Australia, Fremantle picked up a tight 13-point win over Hawthorn.
Shepparton talent Will Brodie found the ball 22 times and managed eight tackles in another solid display for the Dockers.
Brodie was joined by fellow exports David Mundy and Lachie Shultz in the win, with Seymour’s Mundy finding the ball 23 times, while Schultz managed two goals.
Benalla’s Harry Morrison scored one major for the game, with the midfielder’s 17 disposals almost helping his side get the win.
Re-signed: Benalla's Becky Webster will remain in Geelong colours this season.
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Arj Giese Photography
In the AFLW, three talents from the region will take to the field again, with Geelong announcing its list for the upcoming season.
Benalla’s Becky Webster, Echuca’s Annabel Johnson and Kyabram’s Julia Crockett-Grills have signed on again for the Cats, with the trio ready to go around again in the white and blue hoops.
Webster will be looking to build on her 29 AFLW games this season, with the talented midfielder sure to impress again, while Johnson will be hoping to rediscover her pre-injury form for the Cats.
Crockett-Grills, who led the Cats for inside 50s in the 2021 season, is another valuable player returning.
With the AFLW season now locked in to start at the end of August, pre-seasons are already under way.
The Geelong trio will be joined by a number of other Goulburn Valley products for season seven of the competition in what is shaping up to be one of the most exciting yet.
Lastly, the cruel injury run for Benalla export Caleb Marchbank continued this week.
Scans on Monday confirmed Marchbank, who returned to AFL level in Carlton’s win over Essendon, suffered a lateral meniscus tear in his knee.
The defender is scheduled to miss the next six to eight weeks.
Marchbank had not played at the highest level since July 2019 and the injury setback is a gut-wrenching blow for the 49-game talent.
Carlton’s head of football Brad Lloyd said the news was tough to handle.
“Caleb is understandably really disappointed, as we are as a footy club, given how hard we all know Caleb has worked to get himself back and ready to play at the elite level,” he said.
“Caleb has had more than his fair share of bad luck, which makes this news tough to hear, but as we all saw on Friday night he is more than capable of performing at the level and all we can do is support him through this period of his recovery, we have no doubt the Carlton faithful will do the same.”
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