AARON Davey will make another cameo for Wodonga Raiders.
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Coach Daryn Cresswell said the former Melbourne forward “had a ball” playing in Saturday’s thrilling win over Yarrawonga and was confident of him returning to Birallee Park.
Davey played five matches with Damian Cupido, Nathan Lovett-Murray and Brad Dick at Rumba- lara before joining the celebrity games circuit last month.
He lined up for Chirnside Park (Eastern league), Rocherlea (Northern Tasmanian association) and alongside Liam Jurrah and Austin Wonaeamirri at Kilcunda Bass (Alberton league) before his appearance at the Raiders.
“He will play another game for us,” Cresswell said.
“He kicked a couple and was lively.
“‘Flash’ was really good in the first quarter with 10 possessions.
“He’s good mates with the Heta boys, and with the club having such a strong Indigenous connection, I think it gave the whole team a real lift.”
Davey will have to play against Wangaratta or Myrtleford in the next fortnight before clearances close, or remain at Birallee Park full-time, to play a second game.
Cresswell said Davey and former Sydney Swan Paul Bevan had played vital roles in recent weeks with the Raiders being without injured stars Todd Grayson, Jake Goldsmith, Jydon Neagle and Steve Jolliffe.
While the trend of one-off appearances has been discussed at AFL North East commission level, with concerns being raised over the integrity of competitions, Cresswell said Davey and Bevan had been valuable inclusions.
“We are coming from a long way back and, with some of our best players missing, our young players have learnt a lot from these guys,” he said.
Wodonga Raiders will regain Jolliffe from a shoulder injury to play Wangaratta at Birallee Park on Saturday, while Grayson and Goldsmith look set to return by round 12.
The Magpies have stormed back into finals contention by winning four of their past five matches and can sneak into fifth spot if they defeat Raiders and Yarrawonga lose to Wangaratta Rovers.