David Polkinghorne June 15, 2012
Belconnen Magpies recruit Jay Shannon’s stay in the NEAFL eastern conference could be short-lived with several SANFL clubs showing interest in the former Port Adelaide Magpies onballer.
Shannon was sacked by Port last week, along with four other players, as part of a mid-season review and was quickly snapped up by Belconnen playing coach Matthew Lokan, who was also recruited from Port this season.
But Shannon could be returning to Adelaide as quickly as he left, depending on how discussions go with several SANFL clubs.
The 22-year-old was seen as a future star at Port Adelaide before under going a knee reconstruction in 2010, playing 18 senior games since debuting in 2009.
Shannon won the Great Flinders Football League A-grade Mail Medal, on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, aged just 16, becoming the youngest player to win the league’s best-and-fairest award.
Port general manager Brian Leys said it had been a hard decision to let the skilful midfielder go.
‘‘Jay was probably really unlucky. He’s been doing everything right in the reserves, playing really good reserves footy for us but we didn’t see him getting the opportunity [in the seniors] against some of the inside mids at the club at the moment so that’s purely the only reason,’’ Leys told The Canberra Times yesterday.
‘‘He harbours a desire to play SANFL senior footy and we couldn’t offer him that at this stage so that was the only reason, otherwise he’d still be at the club.’’
Shannon was part of the Belconnen team that flew to Brisbane yesterday for today’s inter-conference clash against Redland.
It will be a tough trip for the Magpies, despite Redland sitting sixth on the northern conference ladder, with the Bombers coming off a one-point victory over table-topping Southport last week.
Meanwhile, Southport is flying south to take on second-placed Queanbeyan at Margaret Donoghoe Oval today, in a clash which sees the best Queensland team up against the best Canberra side.
Ainslie and Tuggeranong do battle at Ainslie Oval tomorrow.