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Stevo's Sting - Dees' fans rejoice, Petracca's time has come

The debut of former No.2 draft pick Christian Petracca looms large at Melbourne, the Kangas may rue missing out on Mason Cox and Ben Cunnington is a lucky man. This and more as Mark Stevens breaks down the main talking points out of the weekend's AFL action.

THERE were a couple of winks and nudges from Melbourne people on Sunday night.

"He's ready," one said.

They were talking about the guy in the brown boots and dress pants mingling in the winning rooms ... Christian Petracca.

Christian Petracca in line for debut. Pic: Getty
Christian Petracca in line for debut. Pic: Getty

There is a strong feeling the 2014 No.2 draft pick, cruelly cut down by a knee injury prior to last season, is finally battle hardened and fit enough to debut against St Kilda on Saturday.

He is a big personality with a big game. A powerhouse, who will probably start life as a half forward before pushing into the middle.

How good is Melbourne suddenly travelling when it can cautiously, fastidiously prepare to unleash a player of this quality.

It also has the luxury of a rested Clayton Oliver waiting in the wings for for this week.

So if Petracca is ripe and ready after lighting up the VFL in recent weeks, how does he get in?

You'd think Oliver is a lock, but expect Petracca to also come in against the side that passed up on him for Paddy McCartin.

His way through the door is the short turnaround from Sunday night to Saturday afternoon.

Expect the Dees to "manage" a couple of players off the short turnaround and for Oliver and Petracca to be named.

Angus Brayshaw still looks a little sluggish and slightly off.

Surely they can't hold Petracca back any longer.

Not a bad time to be a Demons supporter.

The Dees can make the finals. They have the depth, structure, unity and class to be well and truly alive in the race Round 18 and beyond.

They have the second best ruckman in the cop, a pick 26 father/son steal in Jack Viney who is vying for a Brownlow and a beast of a bolter called Dean Kent.
It is time to believe ...


BEN Cunnington was incredibly lucky to escape with a fine at the MRP.

Cunnington lucky to escape punishment. Pic: Getty
Cunnington lucky to escape punishment. Pic: Getty

The panel deemed the action careless, there disregarding it could have been a total accident.

So surely, once the knee on Ablett was deemed careless, he was gone for a week, right?

Carelessly putting your knee into the base of someone's back is a bad look for the game, right?



Well, no. The MRP looked for an out clause, judging the impact as low.

So Cunnington going at full tilt, driving knee into the back, and causing Ablett to stop and grimace in pain is low impact?

I'd hate to see someone kneed in the back with severe impact.

If the MRP had deemed the act an accident, fair enough given Cunnington's foot was kind of tangled up. You could cop that. As long as the reasoning was explained, we'd have moved on.

But once you deem the act careless it is a massive let off when somehow the impact is wheeled back to low.

From there, a fine was a soft option.

Either let Cunnington off, or make a statement. Don't have a bet each way.


MASON Cox only had 10 disposals in black and white vertical stripes, yet stole all the attention away from another first gamer Josh Smith, who had a ripper.

That's fair enough. We were all seduced by the point of difference.

I wonder what the recruiters at North Melbourne and the three other clubs who chased the US rookie were thinking.

Back in May 2014, Cox trained with the Kangas and the coach Brad Scott couldn't contain his delight. The photos are a reminder.

Cox in Kangas colours.
Cox in Kangas colours.

North was quick to register its interest in Cox after scouts attended the US combine.

“They spoke to me before they came back (from the US), don’t worry about that,” Scott said.

Collingwood beat North to the punch.
Collingwood beat North to the punch.

“They were on the phone straight away really excited by what they’d seen in terms of not just his physical attributes, but he’s a really intelligent guy and I think that’s really important that he shows the aptitude that’s required, because clearly he’s very raw and will require a lot of coaching and we really look closely at those guys who show the aptitude towards being coachable.”

In the end, the Pies won a bidding war for Cox, who had a blossoming professional career outside of sport in the States.

The Pies' facilities may have been a factor, but rest assured the big fella is being paid more than your average rookie.


HASN'T had a lot of publicity, Toby McLean, but remember the name.

Toby McLean a future star for the DOgs. Pic: Getty
Toby McLean a future star for the DOgs. Pic: Getty

The kid, in his second year at the Bulldogs, will be a star. He's hard, elusive and has incredibly clean hands.

McLean would've played finals last year if not for a shoulder injury. Don't rule him out of Rising Star calculations.