High five for Stingrays

By Paul Pickering
DRAFT bolter Rohan Kerr was the icing on the cake for the Dandenong Stingrays last Thursday night.
The polished half-forward, who played just 11 TAC Cup games, joined Dandenong team-mates Tom Scully, Ryan Bastinac and Dylan Roberton on the AFL books when Carlton made a speculative selection with its last pick (59) in the draft.
Blues’ recruiting boss Wayne Hughes later suggested that Kerr may have been the most surprised draftee of 2009.
He only joined the Stingrays program last summer, having impressed playing senior footy for Parkdale Vultures in the VAFA last year.
His late-season form – including a strong performance in the grand final loss to Calder – was promising, but Stingrays staff expected that Kerr might have to get his chance through the rookie draft on 15 December.
Instead, he became the fifth Ray to achieve his AFL dream this year, including mid-season Gold Coast recruit Matt Shaw.
Fremantle-bound Roberton, a rebounding medium defender, will relish the opportunity to ply his trade on the vast expanses of Subiaco Oval. He was chosen with pick 49 on the back of an exceptionally consistent TAC Cup season and eye-catching performances in the endurance tests at the draft camp.
Strong-marking forward/ruckman Levi Casboult and team-mates Jarryd Amalfi, Myles Pitt, James Hallahan, Corey Millard and Riley Heddles have all attracted some interest ahead of the 15 December rookie draft.