Re: "Bell Ready For Ringadingdinger" (One For Elwood)
Reply #46 –
Vossy nominated him as this weeks Finals Unsung Hero. Makes some points that have already been said here.
From AFL.com.au
Carlton v Richmond
Tom Bell
An in-and-out player at Carlton this year, Bell was a consistent contributor all day in just his 15th senior game and first final.
Originally from my junior club at Morningside in Brisbane, he was just about the Blues' best player at half-time, when they were 26 points down and should have been dead and buried.
A mountain of a young man making full use of his huge motor to get up and down the ground, he was running when most of his Carlton teammates weren't running in the first half. For a player who didn't know he was even playing until final selection on Saturday his was a really telling effort, helping to lay a platform on which a lot of more senior teammates cashed in after half-time.
Sure, he let himself down when he had a couple of chances to finish off his work, and a big turnover just before half-time which set up a Trent Cotchin goal could have been critical. But without him across the half-forward line and in the middle Carlton would have been in trouble. And when he starts to use the footy a little better he's going to be a player. A similar role awaits this week, when at least he should be confident of getting a game.