A Giant surprise
FORMER Queenscliff defender Stephen Owen says he is keeping his options open after putting in a clearance to join GDFL side Geelong West Giants.
The 30-year-old has trained with the Giants, but has yet to fully commit to the move.
“I haven’t signed anything. It’s still up in the air,” Owen said yesterday.
“I’ve got a few things on at the moment, but we needed to get it done before the (clearance) cut-off (at the end of the month) and then we will just have a think about it after that.”
Owen was one of the Bellarine Football League’s leading defenders at Queenscliff in the club’s premiership reign between 2011-13.
But chronic shoulder injuries forced the former Geelonglisted player into an early retirement.
He missed the 2015 and 2016 seasons waiting for his injury to settle, but managed to play seven games in 2017 with three of those coming at senior level.
Owen said his body was “not too bad for someone who is someone that’s nearly 31”.
He said the idea of playing
The Hawks have stumped up $5500 for the appeal, of which a portion will be refunded if the appeal is successful.
In cases from the weekend, Inverleigh’s Michael Best accepted a set one-match sanction for striking Bannockburn’s Jake Myles on Saturday.
Modewarre’s Luke Collins accepted a two-match penalty with mates had lured him to putting through a clearance to the Giants.
“I’ve been doing a bit (of training). I’ve had a couple of sessions down there,” Owen said.
“I was having a chat with a few people down there, a few mates and that’s where it come from.
“It’s always good to play with some mates.”
Owen is not the only former after being reported for intentionally striking Steven Hicks, of Portarlington.
Bannockburn was vindicated in not accepting a set ban for Brent Jacques, after his report for “carelessly striking an unknown Inverleigh player” was withdrawn by the AFL Barwon match review panel.
“There was found to be inconclusive evidence, with Cat to look to the GDFL as part of a footy comeback.
Premiership ruckman Mark Blake ran out for Winchelsea at the weekend, kicking 10 goals in his return from a three-year hiatus.
Giants coach Andrew Clark said the club was not putting any pressure on Owen to play.
“He trained a couple of nights in pre-season with us,” Clark said.
“He was unsure whether he no charges laid,” a statement read.
The MRP also reviewed footage of a melee a threequarter time in the Inverleigh- Bannockburn match but laid no charges.
The MRP received a request to review a possible incident in the goalsquare of the Torquay-Barwon Heads game. There was no vision and no charges were laid. wanted to play or not. He was having a talk to a few of the boys and thought, ‘Well, I’ll put in a clearance, if I play I’ve got a clearance and if not it’s not going to matter’.
“Whether he plays or not is 50/50 still. If we can get him to play it would be great, but we will be leaving it up to him.
“If he turns around and says he is really keen to play the rest of the season, then we’d love to have him.”