SC classic match: Long live the Magic Milf


<ul><li><strong>PLAYMAKER&#8217;S INSIGHTS: <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Why 'mini pre-season' is vital (opens in a new tab)" href="http://13.210.220.211/2020/04/13/playmakers-insight-why-mini-pre-season-is-key-to-return/" target="_blank">Why &#8216;mini pre-season&#8217; is vital</a></strong></li><li><strong>SC CLASSIC MATCH: <a href="http://13.210.220.211/2020/03/16/supercoach-classic-match-joeys-origin-masterclass/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Joey Johns Origin masterclass (opens in a new tab)">Joey Johns Origin masterclass</a></strong></li></ul>



<p>Whilst we are sitting around waiting for our beloved footy to start up again (won’t that be a hell of a weekend!), I thought what better way to keep the great game on the radar than to have a look at one of my favourite performances from past years.</p>



<p>It came during one of my favourite stints by a player.</p>



<p>The man is Anthony Milford, the year is 2014 and the stint I’m talking about is the start of his career playing for the Canberra Raiders. </p>



<p><a href="http://13.210.220.211/subscribe/"><strong><em>Sign up to SC Playbook</em></strong></a><strong><em>&nbsp;for detailed SuperCoach analysis from hundreds of additional articles throughout the 2020 NRL season.</em></strong></p>



<a id="nS57eoflR0BhSqI2qzB58g" class="gie-single" href="http://www.gettyimages.com.au/detail/452087296" target="_blank" style="color:#a7a7a7;text-decoration:none;font-weight:normal !important;border:none;display:inline-block;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Embed from Getty Images</a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'nS57eoflR0BhSqI2qzB58g',sig:'zQrM_xrTYJoidSfI1HlR4bpZZrLb56Wsh2Em2cqD4_U=',w:'594px',h:'395px',items:'452087296',caption: true ,tld:'com.au',is360: false })});</script><script src="//embed-cdn.gettyimages.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8" async=""></script>



<p>The young Milford was everything a footy fan could want.
Exciting, creative, very elusive, very fast and just a pure natural talent. </p>



<p>That isn’t to say Milford isn’t a good footballer these days
by any means, but his game is a little different to his raw younger days as his
career and body has evolved. </p>



<p>Do yourself a favour and check out his Canberra highlights
below. I have a particular soft spot for him because of a try he scored one day
against Manly at Brookvale which won me a head-to-head SuperCoach final in the
dying minutes.</p>



<p>It was spectacular and can be seen in the first minute of
the highlights package. Just imagine riding him home for this four pointer with
your season on the line. Milf! </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Anthony Milford - A Star in the Making [HD]" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1AU8XUECDWk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>Another match in particular I remember vividly was a on a
sunny afternoon up at the Gold Coast. </p>



<p>Milford put on an absolute masterclass. It was insane. The
match included some Dave Taylor magic, a Shaun Fensom four pointer, but above
all it was a perfect example of Anthony Milford at his absolute best and for
mine an example of how much better he could be these days with the right
fitness program and playing a more free role for Brisbane. </p>



<p>But that’s another discussion. There is more than one factor
to this.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="NRL 2014 Round 18 Titans Vs Raiders Highlights" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EjIt6Hpaxls?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>Milford’s tally that afternoon included two tries, two try-assists,
six tackle busts, four offloads, one line break and a ridiculous six line break
assists. </p>



<p>My favourite part of his play is the quality of his ball
playing, but also his ability to stay alive and back up after creating the
opportunity. </p>



<p>There are other games for Canberra where his ball running has been even more deadly, but it was this match that I enjoyed his overall game coming together. Long live Canberra Tony Milford.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-table"><table class=""><tbody><tr><td><strong>Stat</strong></td><td><strong>Tally</strong></td><td><strong>Points</strong></td></tr><tr><td>Try</td><td>2</td><td>34</td></tr><tr><td>Try-assist</td><td>2</td><td>24</td></tr><tr><td>Linebreak</td><td>1</td><td>10</td></tr><tr><td>Linebreak assist</td><td>6</td><td>48</td></tr><tr><td>Offloads</td><td>4</td><td>16</td></tr><tr><td>Tackle break</td><td>6</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>Tackles</td><td>1</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>Runs</td><td>14 (8 over 8m, 6 under 8m)</td><td>22</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Total</strong></td><td></td><td><strong>167 points</strong></td></tr></tbody></table></figure>


SuperCoach classic match: Long live the Magic Milf

Discussion (0)

Related /

Updated team reveal: SC Spy drops his 2024 Supercoach squad

Spy Talk: Mid-season musings for Supercoach BBL13

Spy Talk: Methodology to picking your Round 1 team

Updated team reveal: SC Spy drops his Supercoach BBL squad