The Toronto Dingos will meet the Toronto Rebels in the Tim Shaw-Josh McMillan Memorial match this weekend. It is the first time the match has been held since 2019 as both clubs look to honour teammates that passed away far too soon. Earlier this month, Dingos President Justin Robertson and AFLO Hall of Famer Craig Stewart reflected on Shaw and how he defined Dingos’ DNA. The Dingos will look to honour Shaw by playing a game that truly represents what Dingos’ footy is all about.
This match will see the return of a few key players to the Dingos. Stefan Cosma, Dan Gunn, and Thomas Espinosa will inject plenty of energy and skill into the lineup. Cosma and Gunn will start in the backs moving Matteo Lugarini up to forward.
Lugarini is a big addition to a massive forward group that features plenty of size, physicality, and elite skill. Rob McNaughton and Francis Lecasse will be the targets around the goal square. Espinosa, Mattie Hastas, and Michael Karas will look to crumb off the contest and create plenty of goal scoring opportunities.
The mids and rucks have done a great job controlling the game in recent weeks. Harry Shelton will look to follow up his Best on Ground performance as he links up with Brad Wooten in the mids. The ruck will see Matt Howell alongside Chris Jepsen and Ciaran Buckley. The Dingos mids have been suffocating as teams try to move the ball through the middle of the ground. Shelton, Jepsen, and Buckely’s relentless pursuit of the ball is a big reason why.
Captain Mike Bocian will once again lead the squad from the fullback position. Dingos veterans Gaz Conlan, Stephen Gordon, Dan Gunn, Stefan Cosma, and Justin Moore all be called on to shut down the Rebels attack. Expect to see plenty of tackles and the backs doing everything they can to win 50/50 balls. A hard nosed defense has been an element of Dingos DNA all season long.
The bench will see Jay Shin, Derek Bressette, Mark Bergman, and Michael Ladd round out the squad.
The Tim Shaw-Josh McMillan Memorial Match will start at 1pm at Humber South this Saturday. An alumni match will follow at 3pm.
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