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Ward

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100action said:
ward is great and will be part of the spine of this club for many years to come but lets not kid ourselves, rich is so far ahead of anyone its not funny. Those 50-60m drop punt bullet passes he does to forwards so they only need to get a 1m lead on their opponents is uncanny.
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Good post. Ward looks good and is promising, but Rich is a one man freakshow.
 
Ward was bloody brilliant today. Contested marks running into packs, running through packs, hard ball after hard ball. Rich deserves RS this year but in 3 years time, Ward has more improvement in him - look out!
 

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It is true that bookies have been paying out on Daniel Rich. Someone on another board has said they're doing it and then introducing a 'who will come 2nd' market to try and get something back.

Anyone reckon Ward is a chance for 2nd. I reckon he's better than Beams but not as much media hype. Grimes is the other one.
 
Ward is quickly becoming a star ! He's hard , tough, fast, and a smart footballer .

like picken, he is becoming another favourite of mine down at the kennel !

Go Dogs !:p
 
I cant remember a player actually improving at this rate before. There have been players who started better and then got even better (like Rich for example), but for sheer vertical learning curve, ward is amazing.
 
Ward and Reid.

Wow, loving the toughness. They're tough now and only nineteen. Exciting twelve years coming up watching these two win the contested ball and throw their bodies on the line.
 
31 Aug 09 @ 12:05pm

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Callan Ward in action yesterday.


CALLAN Ward doesn’t order anything from the caf we’re at. Instead, he brings his own Gatorade and salad sandwiches wrapped in a white plastic bag. “Do you reckon they’ll let me eat it here?” he asks.
The waiter swings by to let Ward know that they’ll “allow it today, but not in the future”.
There’s a lot more to Callan Ward this year - seven kilograms more.
His full pre-season in combination with more game-time has allowed Ward the confidence and strength necessary to put together a string of consistent performances, earning him a NAB Rising Star nomination and a new two-year contract with the Western Bulldogs.
Dogs football manager James Fantasia said the club was delighted to have Ward on board for the next two seasons.
“Callan’s Rising Star nomination highlights what an outstanding talent he is; the club is very excited to make this announcement,” he said.
For Ward, a true son of the West, the choice to stay on was “an easy decision”.
It was a simple decision for the Bulldogs too it seems, with Ward’s average stats almost doubling from 2008 to 2009 - a result achieved by quality weekly performances rather than one or two flashy games.
An NAB rising star nomination in round 18 was a well-deserved re-ward for Ward that many thought was overdue.
“There was no pressure, I guess I knew that if I kept playing consistently, which I think I have been, the chance would come and it has,” he says.
Although stoked with the result, Ward doesn’t rate his chances of winning believing the award lies firmly in the hands of the favourite, Brisbane’s young star Daniel Rich. “I’m just happy to be nominated,” he says.
A nomination means Ward will be attending the NAB rising star lunch, which will announce the winner at the end of the year.
All nominated players will have their own mini presentation, already pre-recorded for the day. Ward spent a couple of hours filming with Channel 10, which visited his junior football club (Spotswood) and his father, Greg Ward.
Greg can not speak highly enough of his only son. (He also has three daughters, Kiandra, Mickayla and Aysha, and their names are tattooed on his chest.)
“I’m very proud of him. Not just for what he’s achieved but the way he’s gone about it,” he said.
Greg praises the way Callan has handled himself on and off the field at such a young age but doesn’t rate his performance around the home.
“As far as help around the house goes, you don’t get too much out of Callan,” he said.
Ward’s presentation will also highlight the local journey behind the youngster’s promising success. “It was about the significance of me staying at home, being a local boy.”
They also filmed Ward at a basketball court he grew up near. When he was younger he used to use the ring to practise his football skills.
Ward now feels comfortable playing in an AFL side, though it took a bit of getting used to.
He remembers playing against Essendon last year, the team he barracked for and watched on TV as a youngster.
“It was weird, I was still trying to come to terms with playing AFL, it was a bit daunting. They didn’t take it easy on me or anything.”
And now it is he who kids watch on TV, and his number that kids wear on their backs.
Ward loves the game and his advice to kids is to, “keep practising, ask lots of questions and enjoy the game”.
He has shown a tremendous amount of composure for such a young player and has worked hard to cement his spot in the team.
“Last year it was a bonus to play but this year, if I miss out I’m disappointed,” he says.
Ward’s focus now lies solely on the finals, as the Bulldogs enter September as a united force.
When presented with the fact that he could, potentially, be playing in a Grand Final in his tender second year; that day in September that some players wait their entire career for - and never get to experience - Ward seems taken aback.
“I know. It would be a good feeling, but I’m trying not to look that far ahead. It’d be exciting and I’d be nervous but it’s a long way away and anything could happen from now ‘til then,” he says.
One of Ward’s most memorable moments was his very first goal in AFL football where he ran into some open space and with a mixed look of uncertainty and elation kicked a goal from about 45m away. “It was probably the best feeling in the world,” he says.
It was this game that his teammate Robert Murphy boldly declared he’ll play 200 games. He’s certainly on the way, playing for the team of the mighty west.


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Rich is a gun and Beams will have a long career but if I had a choice of two players from the rising star ranks I'd choose Ward and Hurley....without thinking twice about it. Both are stars of the (very near) future.
 

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Its just unfair how we can pick so many talls and hopefully we will get a good one but Essendon pick Hurley and hes a freak at both ends of the ground in his first year!
 

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