TWO MORE VAFA BOYS GET THEIR CHANCE

Two more VAFA alumni will make their AFL debuts this weekend.
Max Gawn, formerly of Ormond, saddles up for the Demons, while Rupertswood’s Taylor Hine has been picked by Gold Coast.
Melbourne snatched Max Gawn at pick 34 in the 2009 draft. He played at Ormond from U9 level, then had a spell with Sandringham Dragons. At 206cm, he can take a grab.
Taylor Hine joined Rupertswood as an enthusiastic 8 year old and played over 100 games as a junior before playing in the VAFA Under 19 Premier Section as a 16 yr old, between Calder Cannon commitments.  Taylor boasts a rather envious record, in that his junior years at Rupertswood yielded 6 consecutive premierships, which was then followed by another at the Cannons.
Rupo reports: In 2009, he was drafted by Gold Coast as a 17 year old as part of the draft concessions available to them. Taylor will be proudly wearing number 29, the same number he carried on his back for his entire junior career. He is fiercely proud of his Rupertswood heritage and is seen regularly around the club when time and travel permit.
He has worked extremely hard and made many sacrifices to achieve his goal. He is a wonderful role model and is a credit to his parents Joanne & Trevor. The Hine family maintains its strong connection with the Rupertswood Football Club with Taylor’s two brothers playing at the club. Joshua is starring in the club’s senior team and James who is carving a strong career in the U16s.

We can’t quite claim him, but Essendon has selected Alex Browne for his debut. The son of former Marcellin premiership coach and VAFA U19 coach Murray Browne, Alex was listed with Old Xavs last season but did not play a game.

Well done to all three.