James Magner is one of two over-age players retained on the Stingrays list under new rules this year.By Callan Date
DANDENONG Stingrays will start the 2006 TAC Cup season looking to go one step further than their runners-up spot to Gippsland Power in 2005.
After four months of training, the final squad has been cut to 36 players with another 14 added to the club’s development list.
Graeme Yeats takes charge of the team for the third year and will be keen to mix both team successes with the continued development of all players on the list.
With three players drafted to the AFL last year and a further two added to rookie lists, the Stingrays will be keen to continue to provide players that are capable of playing at the highest level.
Two players that will be closely watched throughout the season are Matt Robinson and Alex Lee, both of whom created interest last year amongst talent scouts.
Robinson plays his club football at Rowville, while Lee plays for Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula.
The TAC Cup has also introduced a new rule that allows each club to have two 19-year-old players on their list that showed potential during the previous year, but unable to play a full season.
Local boy James Magner was granted one of two spots and the 180cm player from Beaconsfield will gain from the experience of having a full year in the TAC Cup competition.
The Stingrays begin their 2006 campaign with a rematch of last year’s grand final against local rivals Gippsland Power on Sunday, 2 April at Morwell.
