Malcolm Rosas Jr is the grandson of Bill Dempsey, who passed away in March. Dempsey was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2022, and should have been elevated to legend status on the strength of his speech alone. Dempsey was one of the greatest ruckmen to come out of the WAFL. His grandson is a completely different footballer – slighter, slippery around the packs and a superb user of the ball. His seven goals on Sunday propelled his team to a 19.17 (131) to 17.12 (114) victory and the top of the AFL ladder, more than 30% clear of the second placed Fremantle.
In a brief, jam-packed and much-needed vent this week, Luke Beveridge lamented the high scores that the AFL and its broadcasters have contrived. But that sort of football has its place, especially on grounds like the SCG. Sunday’s game was a helter-skelter affair, with both sides blazing through the middle of the ground. At times it resembled one of those mid-1980s games in Sydney. It was a good era to be a forward then, and it was a good day to be a forward on Sunday.
