By: BRETT STUBBS
DESPITE only scoring their first win last Saturday and sitting second-last on the ladder, the Devils have a record six representatives for the VFL squad -- the most of any club.
The 38-man squad announced yesterday to play the SANFL at TEAC Oval on May 21 contains regular Devils stars Ben Beams and Ben Atkin.
This year it also includes fullback Mathew Jovanovic, on-baller Ken Hall, goal-kicking midfielder Ian Callinan and leading full-forward Justin Plapp.
And the Tasmanian connection for the match goes further: former Mariner, North Hobart, Geelong and Sydney tall Gerrard Bennett (South Adelaide) and former Devil Daniel Kirk (Glenelg) are in the South Australian squad while past Devils best and fairest winner Jordan Doering (Bendigo) is also in the Victorian outfit.
And there is also good news for the Devils on the team front with the side hoping to have an almost-full list to select from after their two-week hibernation.
The Devils have a bye this weekend followed by a week off for the representative match, meaning their next game is not until May 27 under lights at Launceston's Aurora Stadium.
Devils coach Mathew Armstrong said the break has come at the right time.
Ben Setchell (hand), Tim Peterson (shoulder), Kane Richter (leg stress fractures), Leigh Walker (hamstring) and Jason Ling (quad) are all chances to resume playing.
"I could have a full list to pick from,'' Armstrong said yesterday.
"I'll train them very hard this week. It will be a very solid week on the track, just to tighten up there fitness and take their fitness to a another level.
"But you can't get too excited at the minute.
"If I can just get the blokes fresh again, get the blokes back from injury that we need to structure our side up, I think we can get better.
"But we still have a long way to go.''
He will also use the time to work on out-of-form midfielder Luke Shackleton.
"I need to get Luke Shackleton a little bit fitter and to get him going,'' he said.
"He is too important, too good a player for us not to, so I've got two weeks to get that right.''
VFL squad -- Callan Beasy, Justin Blumfield, Jordan Doering, Adrian Wilson, Nick Carter (Bendigo),Clinton Alleway, Tim Harvey, Kristan Height (Box Hill), Adam Houlihan , Nathan Foley, Eric Kuret, Michael Rix (Coburg Tigers), Byron Murphy (Frankston), James Byrne (Geelong), Craig Biddiscombe, Julian Field, Marc Greig, Mark Porter, Nathan Saunders (North Ballarat), Justin Crow (Northern Bullants), Rod Crowe, David Gallagher, Chad Liddell, Sean O'Keeffe, Peter Summers (Sandringham), Ashley Eames, Steve Harrison (Scorpions), Ben Atkin, Ben Beams, Ian Callinan, Ken Hall, Matthew Jovanovic, Justin Plapp (Tasmania), Salim Hassan, James Podsiadly, Chad O'Sullivan, Travis Robertson (Werribee), Brad Lloyd (Williamstown).
Last Modified on 10/05/2005 15:47