BIG Bart's back. That was the good news to come out of the Devils' first practice game of the season against Victorian Ovens and Murray league
team Myrtleford at Launceston's Aurora Stadium yesterday.
The Devils easily accounted for the outclassed opposition, winning by 47 points, 13.19 (97) to 7.8 (50) in a curtain-raiser to last night's Hawthorn-Adelaide NAB Cup quarter-final.
But the most pleasing aspect, apart from the absence of injuries, was the return of Trent Bartlett.
The former Brisbane and Western Bulldogs key forward had a year off from the Devils last season to let his ageing and battered body recuperate, and the Devils severely missed that target up forward.
He easily got through the first half yesterday, kicking 4.2 in the process.
He dropped a couple of marks he would normally swallow, but he provided the contest and the spillage for the Devils' fleet of runners to swarm over.
Devils coach Mathew Armstrong was happy with the team's and Bartlett's performance first up, but said both have a lot improvement.
"He [Bartlett] has got bricks for hands at the moment and he really could have kicked at least six goals by half-time if he had held on to everything, but that will come," Armstrong said.
"When my top echelon was on the ground we actually moved the ball quite well which I was surprised about.
"Their attack on the ball and hardness for this time of year was fantastic."
Justin Plapp roamed effectively from half-back to full-forward, Ben Beams gathered possessions at will and rounded off his game with three goals, and Ian Callinan gave his usual classy display.
And there were also promising signs from the youngsters.
Starting in the ruck, 16-year-old Tom Bellchambers looked highly talented if raw, and certainly impressed Armstrong after only joining the group earlier this week.
"I lacked a bit in the tall-man department with Rowan Andrews, myruckman, not up and going yet, and I have lost Markham Johnston to Werribee," he said.
"He [Bellchambers] is going to be ruckman for the Mariners and he is a beauty.
"He has got a future. He could be a draftable prospect [for the AFL] in a year or two."
Burnie's Jason Howard also started and finished strongly, while Armstrong also rated the performances of Tom James on a wing and forward Mitch Andrews.
The Devils outscored Myrtleford in every quarter and if not for some woeful kicking at goal would have won by a vastly bigger margin.
While the visitors were certainly out of their depth in terms of fitness and class, the Ovens and Murray grand finalists did boast former Richmond and Collingwood ruckman Steve McKee and competition best and fairest Brad Murray.
Last Modified on 06/03/2006 11:44