Round Two

This round's Rising Star nominee may be a bit of a surprise. I'm selecting Kelvin Moore, having played his first games in 2004 as a rookie he only just meets the criteria.

Why is Kelvin a surprise nominee? Many people, myself included, doubt that Kelvin will ever really make it at AFL level, despite the fact that he's been in the system for 4 seasons. Moore often looks too good for VFL, but not quite good enough for the AFL. Kelvin's attributes include speed, courage, determination and the ability to take a very nice mark. In most sides this would be enough, however this is Richmond we are talking about. The Tigers unfortunately have one of the most undersized and frailest backlines in the league. Kelvin is a defender and he's not quite key position sized, nor is he talented enough for that not to count.

He made his debut off the rookie list late in 2004 and caught a few observers eyes as a dashing young defender. For the next 2 seasons Terry Wallace experimented by alternating him between attack and defence, because of his speed there was sense in at least trying him in the forward line. The way Kelvin was used in his occasional senior appearances in 2007 it appears that the forward experiment has ended.

In Round 2 Kelvin was played in defence and was moved onto Corey Jones when the Roos small forward had kicked 3 goals in a blistering first quarter and completely shattered Round 1 hero and my Rising Star nominee Jake King. Jones ended with 7 for the game, but could have been far more damaging without Kelvin Moore's close attention. Moore worked hard all day, was able to get the ball away from Jones on a few occasions and use his speed to run it out of defence. What impressed me most was his attitude and the fact that even when the result was beyond doubt Kelvin never stopped trying and giving it everything as if the game was still in the balance. If he continues in this vein Kelvin may just rise above his physical deficiencies to become a long term member of the Tigers backline.

Next round...