Scully out of TAC Cup decider
The Age
Thursday September 24, 2009
TOM Scully, Melbourne's No. 1 draft choice-in-waiting, will miss tomorrow's TAC Cup grand final after having surgery to mend his injured knee on Tuesday night.Scully, who will miss the chance to captain the Dandenong Stingrays in their second consecutive grand final, had a small crack in his kneecap repaired and some floating pieces of bone removed from the injured joint.The midfielder was injured during the Stingrays' 41-point preliminary final win over the Geelong Falcons on Saturday, sat out most of the last quarter after starring early and saw specialist David Young yesterday ahead of his operation.The injury is expected to keep Scully out of action for only a month, which means he won't be able to compete at next week's draft camp but will be ready to start pre-season training following the November 26 national draft.The grand final will also unfold without star Calder Cannon Josh Toy who, after being signed by the Gold Coast as a 17-year-old last month, went away on a school trip to China and won't return until the weekend.The Cannons' side will feature the Western Bulldogs' two father-son prospects for 2010 €” Tom Liberatore and Mitch Wallis €” with Wallis rated a particularly promising prospect at this early stage.Cannons midfielder Jake Melksham has finished the season strongly and is tipped to be a top-20 draft pick this year, while Anthony Long €” the nephew of Essendon champion Michael €” has also shown late promise and should return from an ankle injury for the 4pm match at Etihad Stadium.Jake Carlisle shapes as one of the better tall players on offer this year, and may become a first-round choice, while Serhat Temel's marking has made a big impression during the finals series and potentially helped shoot him up the draft order. He has taken 21 contested marks and kicked 17 goals in the first three weeks of the finals.With Scully missing, Gold Coast recruit Matt Shaw and Ryan Bastinac will drive the Dandenong midfield, with Bastinac's kicking among the most highly rated in the draft. Dylan Roberton and the Hallahan brothers €” Mitch and James €” are others to watch out for, while Adam Treloar will not only represent Dandenong, but line up again on grand final morning for Vic Country in the under-16 grand final.
© 2009 The Age