DEVILS OUT TO SILENCE CANNONS
DANGEROUS Devils Will Clifford and Luke Nicholson believe Tasmania can silence the Calder Cannons in their NAB League Boys team contest at the Twin Ovals on Sunday and continue their charge toward the finals in a few weeks.
The Devils are second on the ladder behind Gippsland Power, and have Dandenong Stingrays and Geelong Falcons breathing down their necks in third and fourth respectively.
In a game livestreamed at the mercury.com.au from 1pm, it will be the Tasmanians’ first time against Calder this season and a win is critical to maintain the home team’s position and possibly challenge for top spot.
“It would give us a good run toward the finals and hopefully we can get in and make something happen – maybe make history,” Nicholson said. “Calder are not going too well this season so hopefully we can knock them off and give us a bit more momentum.”
The Devils’ form comes from the chemistry created by new coach Jeromey Webberley and his squad.
“We’ve come together really well,” Nicholson said.
“The Northern boys and the North-West boys are really close up there, and we bond well down here.”
An NAB League match at the Twins is always a special day for Clifford. “I like it because it’s my home deck – who doesn’t like playing on their home deck?” he said
Being second on the ladder has been reward for effort. “If Tasmanians came to watch us play, they would be proud of how our boys are going about it,” Webberley said.
“We’ve become a side who are hard at the contest and our tackling pressure is fantastic. We like to be hard to play against.
“The players have been terrific in the way they’ve brought into what we’ve asked of them.”
The Devils have numerous players catching the eye of AFL recruiters, like defender Lachie Cowan, who averages 28.4 disposals, while at the other end of the ground, Brandon Leary has kicked 26 goals in 10 games to be the competition’s leading goalkicker.
“Everyone in our side has had their moments,” Webberley said.
“Lachie and Tom McCallum have been standouts in defence. Colby McKercher and Liam Jones continue to find plenty of the footy in the middle of the ground.”