By Peter Blucher. Good news for Dempsey, Joyce.
Two players at opposite ends of their AFL career grabbed the Queensland spotlight in selection for Round 10 of the Toyota AFL premiership overnight.
Essendon veteran Courtenay Dempsey, sidelined for the past fortnight with a hamstring problem, was rushed back into the Essendon side for the “Dreamtime at the G” clash with Richmond on Saturday night.
It will be the seventh appearance in the indigenous round feature match for the 28-year-old Cairns junior. He missed the first four “dreamtime games”, which began in 2005, but has played six of the last seven.
And, in a welcome good news story from the injury-ravaged Gold Coast Suns, local youngster Jesse Joyce was elevated from the rookie list and included in the AFL match squad for Sunday’s Perth clash with the West Coast Eagles.
Named on an extended interchange bench, Joyce is not expected to play but it is encouraging recognition nevertheless for the five-year member of the Suns Academy program..
A zone selection at No.67 in the NAB AFL Rookie Draft last November, 18-year-old Joyce was born in Melbourne but moved to Tweed Heads with his parents as a two-year-old.
The 181cm utility played junior football with the Coolangatta-Tweed juniors, then switched to Palm Beach-Currumbin where he played senior football as a 16-year-old.
He has averaged 18.4 disposals per game in five games this year in the NEAFL and would be the first Suns Academy player to graduate to AFL ranks if he was to get the final selection nod from coach Rodney Eade.
In other Queensland news to come out of Round 10 selection:-
- Clay Cameron, who played well in the Suns Reserves last week after a one-week layoff with injury, was also named on an extended bench squad. He is expected to make the trip west for what will be his eighth AFL game of the year.
- Claye Beams looks set to follow much the same path. Having spent last weekend on the sideline with a minor adductor strain after playing the first eight games of the year, he was named as a Lions emergency for Saturday’s Gabba clash with Hawthorn. Barring a late call-up he’ll play in the NEAFL.
