Footy Tragic

A review at all eight games from an AFL Dream Team and SuperCoach perspective, running through all the heroes and villains of each game.

St.Kilda vs Adelaide:

St.Kilda:

• Nick Dal Santo continued his great recent form, this week being somewhat free from any tag thanks to Adelaide’s choice to shut down Montagna instead. He has really stepped up around the clearances and is spreading really well, making him a great target for his teammates every time they win the ball. He uses is beautifully too, meaning he is a gem for SuperCoach, but with another 30+ disposal game, his Dream Team form has been great too. Racked up 31 touches, 9 marks and 6 tackles through this game.
• Nick Riewoldt bounced back into some form, starting the game very deep in the forward line before leading out around the arc, taking a season-high 14 marks for the game. His kicking started poorly, with his first set-shot ending up in the man on the mark, although he got better from there, finishing with a respectable 3.2. The signs have been there over the past month that good form wasn’t far away, and fortunately those signs continue to present themselves. Riewoldt is one of the most popular picks in both competitions this year, but if you are one of the coaches without him, his current price seems great value if you need another player for your forward line.
• Steven Milne deserves a mention for his 8.2. He completely smash Johncock in his milestone game, taking advantage of every loose ball that came into the Saints’ forward line. He isn’t a fantastic Dream Team or SuperCoach option though, thanks to his inconsistency – whilst his great games are great, his bad games can sometimes be terrible.
• Sam Fisher would have frustrated many coaches when subbed off half-way through the third term, despite playing a good game. He wasn’t injured, but rather rested after he had carried a corked leg into the game. The game was completely over, so there was no risk in Lyon resting one of his stars, and unfortunately I believe that this could be a bit of a trend over the next month or so for many of the top teams.

Adelaide:

• Scott Thompson was one of only a few decent Crows, with his own turnovers got lost amongst the chaos that was his team. He was a strong ball-winner for the Crows all night, winning a number of clearances and doing his best to get his teammates first use of the ball – he was also one of a few that didn’t simply give up half-way through the match. In extra credit to him, he did all this whilst copping the tag from Clint Jones, who has taken a number of significant scalps over the past month. He finished with 26 touches, 10 marks and 6 tackles. He also kicked a third of their goals – one.
• Sam Jacobs was also decent, being pitted against the in-form Ben McEvoy. Jacobs was very solid in the ruck, showing how dominant he can be in the hitouts, thrashing St.Kilda’s ruck division with his own 36 hitouts to their 18. He did get beaten around the ground though – whilst still taking some solid marks of his own, McEvoy pulled down more and also had a sizeable hand in many of his side’s attacks. Jacobs has found some decent form lately though and presents himself as a reasonable option for the rest of the year for those bargain-seekers out there – whilst he won’t be one of the higher scoring big men, he has a good track record for consistency.
• Kurt Tippett was terrible, despite him being one player who typically troubles the Saints. Admittedly, the delivery given to him was woeful, but he shanked all of his early opportunities in front of goal. Tippett is a very good player – we all know that – but Adelaide’s bomb-it-long technique is not going to help him put together many great games. Hopefully a new game plan in 2012 could see him finally flourish.
• Brad Moran continued on his consistent form of the past month – rubbish. Just like last week against the Dons, he shanked all his opportunities in front of goal and subsequently kept passing the ball off to teammates in a much worse position than him. He actually looked capable of being dangerous early, being a 200cm man playing on 186cm Raph Clarke, but they just didn’t want to exploit the match-up at all, and as I already stated, every time he did manage to get the ball inside the forward 50, he tried his hardest to avoid scoring.

 

North Melbourne vs Brisbane:

North Melbourne:

• Ryan Bastinac was great all day for the Roos and has all the traits to make him a fantastic Dream Team or SuperCoach option of the future; He is a great ball-winner, winning 29 touches in this game (a team high), uses the ball beautifully and also knows how to win contested ball, finishing with 10 contested possessions and 4 clearances for the game. He is also doing all this after having no pre-season, so if he manages a full summer this year, he could certainly be worth a look at for season 2012.
• Drew Petrie was again great up forward, although he did finish with a frustratingly inaccurate 3.5. The strength of his game continues to be his marking and he looks likely of either taking a grab or at least creating a good contest every time the ball comes his way. The worry for Petrie owners (if they are in fact worried), would be some of his upcoming opponents – he has played undermanned Western Bulldogs and Brisbane defences this past fortnight, but his next month sees him playing Carlton, Hawthorn, BYE and Fremantle, with perhaps a few lower scores to be expected.
• Jack Ziebell played his second tough, high quality game in a row, winning 21 touches, 5 clearances and laying 10 tackles. His form this year has been well down on what his debut season suggested he was capable of, so it’s great to see him hitting some good form. A lot of North’s recent draftees have been accused of being too one-paced and lacking any real outside class, so it’s great to see Ziebell proving that he is more than just a one trick pony, playing his games as a tagger, capable of winning his own ball and hurting the opposition the other way.
• Cameron Pederson had another great game, switching from back to forward, but again having the most effect in front of the sticks, booting 3.1 from 12 touches. He took so long to secure his spot in this team, despite his great early form, so it is great to see he continues to justify his selection from week to week. In fact, his good form will likely put significant doubt on Lachie Hansen’s spot in the team, who has been well down on his own form this year.

Brisbane:

• Simon Black would have been close to being best on ground, despite the fact he was in the losing side. His inside work is all class, but his inside-50 work was simply amazing, kicking the ball inside the forward arc a whopping 14 times! Not only was he going in there a lot, but he continued to kick to the advantage of his forwards, giving his inexperienced forward line a good chance against the Roos. He was easily the highest ball-winner of the game, picking up 37 touches and laying 8 tackles.
• Tom Rockliff gets his name in this article again – I feel that his name seems to feature here every week, but there is no doubting he needs mentioning every week thanks to his great form. Again he cracked the ton for the 6^th game in a row, picking up 29 touches, 5 marks, 7 clearances and 5 tackles. As the Lions progress out of the bottom eight in coming years, the likes of Rockliff will be an ultra exciting DT prospect, not that he isn’t already.
• Jed Adcock played one of his best games in well over a month, picking up 27 touches and 7 marks in a good rebounding display for the Lions. He seemed to be playing a much higher role than he has for a while, leaving him to pick up a lot more ball from half-back. Unfortunately though, the Lions have the bye next week, so any hope of continuing the form is lost – so instead we must wait until the following week against Adelaide to see if the form is legitimate.
• Aaron Cornelius played his first game for the club since round 5 and played one of his better games for the club, booting 2.3. He has obviously come in for the injury Jonathon Brown and did a good enough job to encourage Vossy to play him in the seniors for the rest of the year – he works hard enough in the forward line and is a decent mark, and whilst he doesn’t look the type to burst a game apart, it will be good to see some games given to the Lions young talent for the rest of the year.

 

Sydney vs Western Bulldogs:

Sydney:

• Adam Goodes has a fantastic history against the Doggies, so it was great to see him prove history correct with a brilliant best on ground performance, playing between the midfield and up forward. His form in recent weeks has been average, but as is always the case with Goodes, he looked much better playing on the ball – hopefully Longmire can continue to play him here, as clearly this is where his best footy is played. He racked up a career-high 34 touches, 5 clearances, 10 marks and 6 tackles for the game – all great numbers. If you don’t have him though, I wouldn’t pounce just yet – his recent form has been so average that is may just be worth waiting for him to back it up first.
• Kieren Jack was also great through the middle for the Swans – he has had an injury interrupted year, so it is great to see him getting back into some form. Winning 10 clearances and 50% of his disposals being contested, Jack was one of Sydney’s most influential midfielders – I love watching his crash and bash style football – it’s uncompromising, but it can certainly help win you games. With a low DT average in 2011, he could be a great option for next year.
• Craig Bird played one of his best games for the year, with his run and spread from the centre clearances being a massive factor in Sydney’s win. He dobbed four very important goals for the Swans, actually finishing as the highest goal kicker for the game, despite playing predominantly through the middle. Again, he is not a 2011 prospect, but another showing signs that a breakout season is only around the corner.
• Nick Malceski was a surprising choice as the sub, not coming into the game until late in the third quarter. The assumption would be that Sydney are protecting him in his comeback from his knee reconstruction, not wanting to overload him, so I wouldn’t read into this that he is out of favour. When he did come on, his only real contribution was a goal, but other than that he had just 3 disposals and 2 marks to his name. Thanks to this score, his price will be driven way down, making him a reasonable option in the coming weeks for those with the trades – perhaps as a decent 8^th defender option.

Western Bulldogs:

• Barry Hall was the best for the Dogs, a team that had very few four-quarter performers on the day. It was his last ever game on the SCG, a ground that was his home for many seasons, so there was no surprise he managed to switch on some vintage form, booting 5.3 for the game. His past two games have been great – he looks to have some of his speed back and his hands are as good as they’ve ever been. It’s a pity the Doggies now seem unlikely to make finals as he could prove a massive weapon come September.
• Matthew Boyd was good, but despite managing 29 disposals (26 of which were kicks!) and 8 clearances, his overall ball use wasn’t fantastic. That said, Dream Teamers will still certainly take his score and run, as will SuperCoaches, as his recent history at the SCG has been woeful, to be polite, averaging only 70-odd points a game at the ground – so it is a much better score than what was to be expected.
• Daniel Cross started the game on fire, picking up 10 disposals, 5 marks and 9 tackles in just over a quarter of footy (he was on 69 DT points at quarter time!), but unfortunately broke his nose when he cleaned himself up on Craig Bird’s elbow only a few minutes into the second quarter. His coaches should be ecstatic at the score he produced before going down injured, but at the same time will be furious when they think about the score he may have posted had he finished the game.
• Jarrad Grant was poor, being held to just one goal by Sydney youngster Alex Johnson. Along with his solitary goal, he picked up only 4 touches and 3 tackles, including absolutely no stats in the second half. His form has been really up and down all year – firstly, the delivery to him hasn’t been amazing, but he also hasn’t been working nearly as hard for it as he did in his breakout 2010 season.

 

Gold Coast vs Collingwood:

Gold Coast:

• Gary Ablett, the little maestro, put on another brilliant display through the midfield, playing a very big part in the final margin being within 10 goals – not bad considering the blow-out that was expected. He picked up 36 disposals and had 11 clearances (both stats were game-highs), but didn’t lay a single tackle, which has actually been one of his real strengths this year, so it was a shame to see it missing from his game. That said, we’ll take a near-ton from Gary vs Collingwood any day of the week!
• Trent McKenzie was damn impressive too, and whilst he did pick himself up 17 disposals and a couple of tackles, it were his two goals that was a feature of his game – his first goal was a 60m bomb, kicked on the run and went sailing through the sticks. His second goal was kicked from the centre square and managed to have enough momentum to bounce it’s way through. They were both damn exciting and these sorts of goals are become trademark for this youngster as he seems to be doing them each week.
• Danny Stanley had been a rumoured late withdrawal from this game, thanks to a tweet sent out by Gold Coast themselves on Friday afternoon. They warned that he didn’t complete training due to a sore back and therefore was in doubt for the game against Collingwood. Understandably, many people heeded the warning and stuck Stanley on their bench, only for him to post his first ton of the year. Just goes to show, you can’t trust anyone with rumours nowadays.
• Zac Smith was again very quiet – many were pretty pleased that Jolly was not playing for Collingwood, in the hope that it would increase Smith scoring potential, only having to go head-to-head with Wood. Despite still spending 85% of time on the field, Josh Fraser is taking away a significant amount of his time in the ruck, which is causing this points decrease. In fact, if it weren’t for a 39 point last quarter, it would have been a pretty disappointing game from him.

Collingwood:

• Luke Ball was great for the Pies, bucking the trend for BOG honours going to classy outside midfielders when playing the Suns. He was stacks of ball all day, winning stacks of ball for his teammates against the much smaller-bodies Suns. Another trait he has impressed with this year has been his ability to drop forward and kick goals, booting 2 goals in this game. It was never something he was known for at St.Kilda, so it’s been great that he has been able to come to Collingwood and actually improve. He also had 27 touches and 7 tackles for the game.
• Scott Pendlebury was another player going into the game with late-withdrawal rumours circulating around him – it had been suggested through the week that he was carrying a sore shoulder and may not be deemed fit to play. Fortunately he got up and had a great game, winning 34 touches, 5 tackles and booting 2 goals – good to see that Malthouse isn’t willing to flirt with their form.
• Ben Johnson, in only his second game back from injury, was great for the Pies off half-back. He teamed well with Leon Davis, streaking out of the backline and setting up plenty of Collingwood attacks with a game-high 10 inside-50s. He has now scored over 100 points in his past two games, assuming the role as Collingwood’s #1 rebounder in Heath Shaw’s absence – he hasn’t shown amazing Dream Team abilities for a few years now, but if you trust him to keep backing up these scores (and he could whilst Heath is gone), then he has the ability to be a real masterstroke selection for the run home.
• Dale Thomas was the sad/frustrating story of the evening – he was actually the Pies’ best player in the first quarter before he went down with a pretty big knock to the thigh in the second term and was subsequently subbed off. Right now the Pies are treating it as a corkie, however there are some fears it could prove to be a little worse than that when he has scans on Monday. We should all feel especially sorry for Dan this week as not only did he trade Thomas in this week, but made him captain too… Very sorry Dan – we hope you feel better soon!

 

Essendon vs Carlton:

Essendon:

• David Zaharakis was the Bombers’ best player on the night, continuing on his own great recent form through the midfield (although lets pretend he is still also playing forward so we can still pick him there next year!). He adds a great amount of run to Essendon’s side, often waiting outside the packs for the handball before streaking off down the wing. He probably does need to learn to win his own ball more often to be a great player, but for now we are happy enough with his outside game, picking up 25 touches and laying 6 tackles.
• Michael Hurley looked dangerous again up forward for Essendon, booting 3.2 from 17 disposals and 7 marks on Henderson. He looks good up forward, but really needs another true forward (other than Hille and Ryder) to help him – perhaps Gumbleton, who is due back soon. Hopefully his role can actually stay settled for a while too – with the injury to Pears, Hurls may be thrown back to defence every now and then to help out, but his game is going to progress much better being played in one position, so fingers crossed Hird can give him an extended run at CHF.
• Paddy Ryder actually started the game looking quite dangerous, but couldn’t quite continue the form all through the game, finishing with just 2.1 from 11 touches and 5 marks. Even with Hird cutting back to two ruckmen, Ryder’s form has just not been consistent or of high quality this year. The Bombers have a tough run home, including a bye in the DT/SC Grand Final, so if you are still holding onto him, perhaps it is about time to cut your losses and find someone else.
• Angus Monfries, after his career-best game last week, was back to his usual tricks, spending most of his time in the forward line and finished up scoreless and with just 15 disposals (13 of which were handballs). I warned last week that his midfield role may not be consistent and it has proven to be just that – I sincerely hope that no one fell for that one!

Carlton:

• Chris Judd was the star of the show again, putting in another 3-vote performance. He actually has a rather poor history against Essendon, mainly because of the great tagging job usually done by Heath Hocking, who was fortunately not playing (or unfortunately if you are a Bombers fan), so it was great to see him put in such a classy performance, top-scoring for the round in SuperCoach. It was a very complete game with 33 touches, 7 clearance, 9 inside-50s, 12 tackles and a goal – his workrate continues to be of first class and his decision making (especially by hand) is also great. The only issue is that he makes watching the Brownlow count each year somewhat predictable…
• Eddie Betts would be the only man capable of showing up Juddy after such a great performance, booting 8 goals straight, including one which will be a strong contender for goal of the year. With the lack of any strong tall target in Carlton’s forward line, Eddie really stepped up and made his presence felt, buzzing around the base of every pack and also leading up to mark the ball inside-50 – a trait shared with very few small forwards. He also managed 14 disposals and 8 marks for the night.
• Andrew Walker gets a mention simply so I can confirm (or at least put in my own point of view), that yes, this WAS the mark of the year – he leapt, with both knees planted onto the shoulders of Jake Carlisle, and seemed to stay there forever. It was certainly better than either Krakouer or Naitanui’s marks – those that disagree have simply overblown or romanticised the others in their head. More importantly, he went back and slotted the goal – one of four for the night in another very good performance from the high-leaping half-forward.
• Ed Curnow had another quiet game – he simply hasn’t recaptured the form he had from the start of the year, now making him nothing more than bench fodder for those who still have him. He is being given run-with roles through the midfield, and whilst completing them pretty well he is not winning much of the ball himself.

 

Geelong vs Richmond:

Geelong:

• Allen Christensen put in another brilliant performance for the Cats, surely securing himself the NAB Rising Star nomination for this week – in fact, if he doesn’t win it this week, I’d say the Geelong team will go on strike. Geelong seemingly have an abundance of small and medium forwards, all auditioning for only a few roles in the team, so it is great to see some of the youth, like Christensen, stepping up and grabbing one of those roles with both hands. He has been fantastically consistent in his past number of games too, averaging 94.2 DT points from his past five games. He is dangerous around goals, kicking both his goals on the run from deep in the pocket, whilst also winning his 26 touches between half-forward and in the midfield.
• Joel Selwood bounced back to his old scoring ways after a sub-par score last week on his return from suspension. His game wasn’t brilliant though, and he really only got into some good scoring form later in the game once it was all over. In fact, there were not many four-quarter performers for the Cats, which does sound a little strange considering their huge winning margin. Selwood eventually finished with 27 touches and 8 tackles.
• Paul Chapman was the best Cat of the first half, but really failed to have any effect through the second half. He played virtually the whole first half in the middle, and whilst he spent parts of the third and fourth quarters through the middle, the majority of his time was spent in the forward line, presumably resting. He was actually involved in a lot of plays, but often without actually touching the ball (shepparding, etc), which was frustrating, but with the game more than over at half time, you can understand why he was rested.
• Tom Hawkins continues to show some really good signs that he may actually become a solid forward option for the Cats. Whilst his kicking can still be a little wayward, his contested marking is getting better and better, as is his game sense, with where to lead and where to position his body. He ended up being their highest goal-kicker for the game with 3.2, as well as collecting 15 touches and 6 marks.

Richmond:

• Trent Cotchin was the best for Richmond, being one of the few players willing to take the game on. He worked hard through the middle all day, winning 38 disposals and laying 5 tackles. He is a very classy player and is clearly maturing with each game, after he spent the majority of his first couple of years at the club injured. There were a couple of instances through the game where he gave Geelong a bit of a wake-up call, in the sense that Geelong started going to sleep, as was the ease they were beating Richmond and Cotch was the only player attempting to take it up to them.
• Brett Deledio was good off half-back, although he did manage to gift Geelong some easy shots on goal early for either his unaccountability on his opponent, or through lazy disposal. He did improve after quarter time though and provided a good link-up player for them as they moved through the middle – there weren’t stacks of cheap disposals for him through this game, so he legitimately had to work hard up the ground to win the ball. He was one of the few Tigers who continued to present himself as a go-to option for the full game, which was very good to see for his owners. He finished with 34 disposals and 6 marks.
• Alex Rance was superb for Richmond, although isn’t really a great Dream Team option (SuperCoach maybe). Despite giving away height and weight to Podsiadly, he took him to the cleaners, thrashing him in one-on-ones all day and keeping him scoreless, which is no mean feat when he is the full-forward for a side that had 28 shots on goal! He will be a great player of the future and seems to have finally found his spot on the field.
• Chris Newman started the game really, picking up 5 touches and 4 marks within 15 minutes of the first bounce. Unfortunately though he went down not long after with a knock to the leg and was subbed off. There has been no timeline set yet for the injury, but with his recent form, it’s a real shame to see him out – especially considering there were a number of coaches to have traded him in this week.

 

In Lieu of Kristian’s new article on the TAC Cup and U/18s, we promised something a bit different as a captains article from here-on. So this is it… Pretty much, we will provide you with the raw stats (and a poll of course!), whilst also providing the video of us discussing it on last night’s show (the captains bit goes for only a few minutes). The issue this week is, I bought the wrong DVDs, so it won’t let me chop the captains bit out for you… doh! So here is the full video for you to check out… BUT, if you just want the Captains talk, it’s only 4:40 into the video.

 

VTS 01 1ep7 from Steve Greenwood on Vimeo.

• Dane Swan
  • Never played Gold Coast
  • Averaging 117 DT and 114 SC from past 5 games
• Scott Pendlebury
  • Never played Gold Coast
  • Average of 109 DT and 133 SC in his last 5 games
  • Typically it is the classy players that carve up GCFC
• Dale Thomas
  • Never played Gold Coast
  • Average of 115 DT and 121 SC in his last 5 games
• Gary Ablett
  • Averages of 117 DT and 114 SC in his past 5 vs Collingwood
  • Would still have to be a concern this week against Pies
• Sam Mitchell
  • Averages of 105 DT and 101 SC in his past 5 vs Melb
  • Last time they met he scored 110 DT and 96 SC
• Dean Cox
  • Averages of 92.8 DT and 89.2 SC in his past 5 vs Fremantle
  • BUT, no Sandi: This year at Subi: 117 DT and 130 SC
• Adam Goodes
  • Averages of 114 DT and 123 SC in his past 5 vs WBD

Words of warning:

• Chris Judd
  • Averages 87 DT and 90 SC against Essendon.
  • Scored 79 DT and 84 SC against them earlier this year
• Matthew Boyd
  • Averages of 102 DT and 94 SC in his past 5 vs Sydney
  • Last 5 at SCG: 73 DT & 74.5 SC
  • Last time they met he scored 134 DT and 124 SC
• Geelong players
  • Up against Richmond, however the form lines of Chappy, Stevie J and Selwood are a little tricky to predict at the moment – personally I would avoid.
  • Richmond 3^rd lowest team for DT points conceded

 

KRISTIAN’S TOP 3 DREAM TEAM PICKS:

1. Dane Swan

2. Scott Pendlebury

3. Dale Thomas

KRISTIAN’S TOP 3 SUPER COACH PICKS:

1. Scott Pendlebury

2. Dale Thomas

3. Dane Swan

And here is Footy Tragic Episode 7! In this episode we run through all the teams, captain options and boys on the bubble, Heath Shaw, Check out some of the best U/18 talent in the country as well as checking out who you should play on the field this week from the plethora of defence bench options… Plus much more!

Remember too, you can go here for the big-screen version!

 

VTS 01 1ep7 from Steve Greenwood on Vimeo.

VTS 01 1ep7 from Steve Greenwood on Vimeo.

ST KILDA V ADELAIDE

ES – Fri Jul 22, 7:40pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

St Kilda

B: Dean Polo, Zac Dawson, Raphael Clarke

HB: Brendon Goddard, Sam Fisher, Sean Dempster

C: Farren Ray, Nick Dal Santo, Jason Gram

HF: Brett Peake, Nick Riewoldt, Sam Gilbert

F: Stephen Milne, Justin Koschitzke, Jack Steven

Foll: Ben McEvoy, Clinton Jones, Leigh Montagna

I/C: David Armitage, Jarryn Geary, Adam Schneider, Ryan Gamble

Emg: Andrew McQualter, Tom Lynch, Tommy Walsh

In: Jarryn Geary

Out: James Gwilt (Knee)

 

Adelaide

B: Graham Johncock, Daniel Talia, Andy Otten

HB: Michael Doughty, Ben Rutten, Nathan van Berlo

C: David Mackay, Scott Thompson, Brodie Smith

HF: Richard Tambling, Jack Gunston, Ricky Henderson

F: Patrick Dangerfield, Kurt Tippett, Matthew Wright

Foll: Sam Jacobs, Bernie Vince, Rory Sloane

I/C: Brent Reilly, Brad Moran, Brad Symes, Jared Petrenko

Emg: Chris Knights, Ivan Maric, Luke Thompson

In: Jack Gunston

Out: Matthew Jaensch (Shoulder)

Milestones: Graham Johncock – 200 games, Brent Reilly – 150 games

NORTH MELBOURNE V BRISBANE LIONS

ES – Sat Jul 23, 2:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

North Melbourne

B: Cameron Richardson, Cameron Pedersen, Michael Firrito

HB: Brady Rawlings, Scott Thompson, Kieran Harper

C: Daniel Wells, Ryan Bastinac, Jamie Macmillan

HF: Jack Ziebell, Aaron Edwards, Brent Harvey

F: Matt Campbell, Drew Petrie, Lachlan Hansen

Foll: Todd Goldstein, Leigh Adams, Andrew Swallow

I/C: Scott McMahon, Ben Warren, Robert Tarrant, Levi Greenwood

Emg: Ben Ross, Gavin Urquhart, Luke Delaney

In: Robert Tarrant, Cameron Richardson

Out: Luke Delaney, Benjamin Speight (Shoulder)

 

Brisbane Lions

B: Ashley McGrath, Matt Maguire, Joel Patfull

HB: Brent Staker, Niall McKeever, Jed Adcock

C: Andrew Raines, Tom Rockliff, Pearce Hanley

HF: James Polkinghorne, Mitchell Clark, Sam Sheldon

F: Patrick Karnezis, Aaron Cornelius, Todd Banfield

Foll: Matthew Leuenberger, Simon Black, Jack Redden

I/C: Luke Power, Cheynee Stiller, James Hawksley, Amon Buchanan

Emg: Ryan Harwood, Jesse O’Brien, Rohan Bewick

In: Aaron Cornelius, Amon Buchanan

Out: Jonathan Brown (Face), Ryan Harwood

 

SYDNEY SWANS V WESTERN BULLDOGS

SCG – Sat Jul 23, 2:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Sydney Swans

B: Nicholas Smith, Heath Grundy, Martin Mattner

HB: Tadhg Kennelly, Ted Richards, Alex Johnson

C: Rhyce Shaw, Kieren Jack, Jarrad McVeigh

HF: Ryan O’Keefe, Sam Reid, Craig Bird

F: Daniel Hannebery, Lewis Roberts-Thomson, Josh P. Kennedy

Foll: Shane Mumford, Adam Goodes, Jude Bolton

I/C: Nick Malceski, Ben McGlynn, Lewis Jetta, Luke Parker

Emg: Paul Bevan, Jesse White, Trent Dennis-Lane

In: Jude Bolton

Out: Jesse White

 

Western Bulldogs

B: Easton Wood, Tom L. Williams, Lukas Markovic

HB: Jayden Schofield, Dale Morris, Shaun Higgins

C: Daniel Cross, Matthew Boyd, Liam Picken

HF: Callan Ward, Liam Jones, Luke Dahlhaus

F: Jarrad Grant, Barry Hall, Daniel Giansiracusa

Foll: Ben Hudson, Ryan Griffen, Adam Cooney

I/C: Dylan Addison, Lindsay Gilbee, Andrew Hooper, Nathan Djerrkura

Emg: Brennan Stack, Sam Reid, Thomas Liberatore

In: Dylan Addison, Nathan Djerrkura, Jayden Schofield

Out: Robert Murphy (Groin), Josh Hill, Sam Reid

Milestones: Dale Morris – 150 games

GOLD COAST SUNS V COLLINGWOOD

MS – Sat Jul 23, 7:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Gold Coast Suns

B: Josh Toy, Nathan Bock, Campbell Brown

HB: Joel Wilkinson, Rory Thompson, Jarrod Harbrow

C: Sam Iles, Gary Ablett, Trent McKenzie

HF: Daniel Stanley, Tom Lynch, Dion Prestia

F: Harley Bennell, Josh Fraser, Jared Brennan

Foll: Zac Smith, David Swallow, Michael Rischitelli

I/C: Maverick Weller, Nathan Krakouer, Matt Shaw, Rex Liddy

Emg: Karmichael Hunt, Hayden Jolly, Charlie Dixon

In: Maverick Weller, Nathan Krakouer

Out: Hayden Jolly, Charlie Dixon

Milestones: Nathan Krakouer – 50 games

Collingwood

B: Leon Davis, Ben Reid, Heritier O’Brien

HB: Brent Macaffer, Nick Maxwell, Tyson Goldsack

C: Dane Swan, Dale Thomas, Simon Buckley

HF: Jarryd Blair, Chris Tarrant, Andrew Krakouer

F: Steele Sidebottom, Travis Cloke, Leigh Brown

Foll: Cameron Wood, Scott Pendlebury, Luke Ball

I/C: Ben Johnson, John McCarthy, Lachlan Keeffe, Alex Fasolo

Emg: Luke Rounds, Ben Sinclair, Tom Young

In: Tyson Goldsack, Brent Macaffer, Cameron Wood, Simon Buckley

Out: Alan Toovey (Hand), Sharrod Wellingham (Groin), Luke Rounds, Darren Jolly (Illness)

 

ESSENDON V CARLTON

MCG – Sat Jul 23, 7:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Essendon

B: Kyle Hardingham, Michael Hurley, Dustin Fletcher

HB: Dyson Heppell, Tayte Pears, Henry Slattery

C: Jake Melksham, Mark McVeigh, Brent Prismall

HF: Brent Stanton, David Hille, Angus Monfries

F: Stewart Crameri, Jake Carlisle, Leroy Jetta

Foll: Patrick Ryder, David Zaharakis, Ben Howlett

I/C: Ricky Dyson, Alwyn Davey, Kyle Reimers, Travis Colyer

Emg: David Myers, Tom Bellchambers, Michael Ross

In: Jake Carlisle

Out: Heath Hocking (Soreness)

 

Carlton

B: Christopher Yarran, Lachlan Henderson, Jeremy Laidler

HB: Bryce Gibbs, Marcus Davies, Nick Duigan

C: Heath Scotland, Chris Judd, Dennis Armfield

HF: Kade Simpson, Bret Thornton, Jeffrey Garlett

F: Andrew Walker, Matthew Kreuzer, Eddie Betts

Foll: Robert Warnock, Mitch Robinson, Marc Murphy

I/C: David Ellard, Zach Tuohy, Edward Curnow, Wayde Twomey

Emg: Setanta O’hAilpin, Mark Austin, Kane Lucas

In: Dennis Armfield, Marcus Davies, Zach Tuohy

Out: Paul Bower (Calf), Aaron Joseph (Hamstring), Matthew Watson

Milestones: Kade Simpson – 150 games

GEELONG CATS V RICHMOND

ES – Sun Jul 24, 1:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Geelong Cats

B: Matthew Scarlett, Josh Hunt, Tom Lonergan

HB: David Wojcinski, Harry Taylor, Corey Enright

C: James Kelly, Joel Selwood, Jimmy Bartel

HF: Travis Varcoe, Tom Hawkins, Mathew Stokes

F: Allen Christensen, James Podsiadly, Nathan Vardy

Foll: Trent West, Paul Chapman, Joel Corey

I/C: Shannon Byrnes, Steve Johnson, Andrew Mackie, Taylor Hunt, Daniel Menzel, Mitch Duncan, Josh Cowan

In: Shannon Byrnes, Matthew Scarlett, David Wojcinski, Daniel Menzel, Mitch Duncan, Josh Cowan

Out: Cameron Ling (Soreness), Simon Hogan, Steven Motlop

 

Richmond

B: Chris Newman, Alex Rance, Luke McGuane

HB: Brett Deledio, Will Thursfield, Bachar Houli

C: Trent Cotchin, Dustin Martin, Shane Edwards

HF: Robin Nahas, Ben Griffiths, Matthew White

F: Tyrone Vickery, Jack Riewoldt, Jake King

Foll: Angus Graham, Reece Conca, Nathan Foley

I/C: Daniel Jackson, Shane Tuck, Mitch Morton, Mitchell Farmer, Jeromey Webberley, Shaun Grigg, Jake Batchelor

In: Angus Graham, Shane Tuck, Mitch Morton, Mitchell Farmer, Jeromey Webberley

Out: Andrew Browne, Bradley Helbig (Leg)

Milestones: Robin Nahas – 50 games

MELBOURNE V HAWTHORN

MCG – Sun Jul 24, 2:10pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Melbourne

B: James Strauss, James Frawley, Daniel Nicholson

HB: Colin Garland, Jared Rivers, Nathan Jones

C: Jack Trengove, Colin Sylvia, Tom Scully

HF: Ricky Petterd, Liam Jurrah, Luke Tapscott

F: Brad Green, Jack Watts, Addam Maric

Foll: Mark Jamar, Brent Moloney, Jordie McKenzie

I/C: Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn, Stefan Martin, Jordan Gysberts, Jeremy Howe, Michael Evans

In: Clint Bartram, Matthew Bate, Lynden Dunn, Michael Evans

Out: Cale Morton

 

Hawthorn

B: Kyle Cheney, Josh Gibson, Thomas Murphy

HB: Paul Puopolo, Grant Birchall, Brent Guerra

C: Jordan Lewis, Sam Mitchell, Shane Savage

HF: Michael Osborne, Lance Franklin, Liam Shiels

F: Cyril Rioli, David Hale, Shaun Burgoyne

Foll: Max Bailey, Luke Hodge, Brad Sewell

I/C: Xavier Ellis, Clinton Young, Brendan Whitecross, Jordan Lisle, Riley Milne, Luke Breust, Isaac Smith

In: Jordan Lewis, Brad Sewell, Cyril Rioli, Jordan Lisle

Out: Matt Suckling (Back)

 

FREMANTLE V WEST COAST EAGLES

PS – Sun Jul 24, 2:40pm

Tickets | TV & Radio

Fremantle

B: Antoni Grover, Alex Silvagni, Michael Johnson

HB: Adam McPhee, Luke McPharlin, Tendai Mzungu

C: Stephen Hill, Michael Barlow, Garrick Ibbotson

HF: Greg Broughton, Christopher Mayne, Dylan Roberton

F: Hayden Ballantyne, Matthew Pavlich, Zachary Clarke

Foll: Jonathon Griffin, Nathan Fyfe, Matthew de Boer

I/C: Ryan Crowley, Paul Duffield, Rhys Palmer, Nick Suban, Peter Faulks, Jayden Pitt, Nick Lower

In: Ryan Crowley, Nick Suban, Peter Faulks, Jayden Pitt

Out: Roger Hayden (Leg)

New: Peter Faulks (Williamstown (VFL))

 

West Coast Eagles

B: Will Schofield, Darren Glass, Shannon Hurn

HB: Scott Selwood, Eric Mackenzie, Beau Waters

C: Andrew Embley, Matthew Priddis, Matthew Rosa

HF: Bradley Ebert, Josh Kennedy, Mark Nicoski

F: Mark LeCras, Quinten Lynch, Nic Naitanui

Foll: Dean Cox, Adam Selwood, Luke Shuey

I/C: Mitch Brown, Ashley Smith, Patrick McGinnity, Brad Sheppard, Ashton Hams, Andrew Gaff, Jack Darling

In: Mitch Brown, Patrick McGinnity, Brad Sheppard, Ashton Hams

Out: Koby Stevens

Milestones: Will Schofield – 50 games

 

 

Dan & Toby run through all the kids about to play their 3rd game and rise in price – so who looks best for your AFL Dream Team & SuperCoach?

Well it’s a pretty quick and easy Bubble Boys this week – in fact, there are only three players currently sitting ready to play their third games. Ian Callinan is still precariously sitting on the milestone, however Adelaide have already confirmed that he won’t be announced in the team tonight after pulling up sore this week at training. At least this week a couple of the names I will discuss actually have some relevance, so without any further ado, here is Boys on the Bubble…

 

Daniel Talia (Adelaide, DEF/FWD)

DT: $97,600. Scores: 59, 76 Break even: -56

SC: $110,200. Scores: 92, 81 Break even: -95

Talia is one player which Adelaide fans have been crowing out to see for a while now (pardon the pun), and finally got his chance a fortnight ago against Sydney (it has only taken so long for him to debut thanks to a series of injuries). He was a first round draft pick, taken at pick 13 in the 2009 draft. You can conveniently pick him up as either a defender or a forward, although all of his footy will be played at CHB. The Crows have been playing around with their key defensive stocks this year, with Talia being the third youngster given a crack at CHB – although it hasn’t been from lack of persistence. Phil Davis is clearly their first choice for this spot, however he is out for the year, so since then it has been Luke Thompson playing the role. Unfortunately, Thompson’s form has waned in recent weeks, allowing Talia his opportunity, which he has fortunately taken with both hands.

His first game was against Sydney, where he played on fellow young-gun Sam Reid, doing a pretty good job at keeping him quiet. He manages to win his own ball too (Adelaide have always liked playing around with the ball in their defence), although this won’t be his primary role. His second game was last week against Essendon, where he often took the resting ruckman (mostly Ryder) when they went forward. Ryder was kept to just one goal and had limited influence up forward, whilst Talia won 16 possessions of his own.

In conclusion, I think Talia is actually a pretty decent option, especially in SuperCoach. Whilst his numbers will likely hover between 50 – 70 most weeks, the expectation wouldn’t be to have him on the field that often, although he is a little more than a live body if you do have a couple of players out one week. He will be a very good cash-grab in the forward line or backline, and without any massive competition for spots, should play out the year.

Summary: Will likely only be your 9^th/10^th defender or forward and will score very well for that position. Good job security too makes him a pretty decent pick.

 

Lachlan Keeffe (Collingwood – RUC)
DT: $92,500. Scores: 53, 33^ Break even: -11
SC: $103,600. Scores: 50, 34^ Break even: -11

Keeffe has played his first two AFL games as a foil for Travis Cloke in the Collingwood forward line. He hasn’t been going too badly in that role, however his scoring potential is limited and the major danger is the news that Chris Dawes is progressing quicker than first expected. Even the fact he was subbed off last week is of some concern. If the Pies are playing Keeffe in Dawes’ role, then if you’re considering trading him in you have to accept the high chance he’ll be out of the team when Dawes recovers from his hand injury in the next couple of weeks.

If you’re looking to downgrade in the ruck position you probably missed the boat with Matthew Lobbe, who was the last legitimate option with scoring potential and job security.

Summary: If you need cash and are using your ruck division for it, you have to accept that Keeffe isn’t likely to stay in the seniors for the rest of the season with Dawes due back soon.

Rory Thompson (Gold Coast – RUC)
DT: $97,600. Scores: 77, 48. Break even: -46
SC: $110,200. Scores: 88, 53. Break even: -63

Of the two rookie ruck options Thompson is probably the pick of the pair this week. He’s shown a bit more scoring potential in his two games so far, but the issue with all Gold Coast kids is that they rotate them at such a rapid rate. Thompson got a bit of a touch up in his first game from Sydney’s Sam Reid, but on the positive he scored quite well himself and was backed in for his second game the following week, where he played well in a rare Suns win on Tyrone Vickery.

The big man is a good tall defender and will receive a bit of competition for his spot in the team from Seb Tape and Jack Hutchins, but the news that Michael Coad reinjured his hamstring could help his chances of keeping his spot in the team.

Summary: I’d prefer Thompson over Keeffe if you’re going to downgrade in the ruck this week. Better job security and scoring potential – but the term job security and Gold Coast youngster is a pretty loose term.

Dan runs through all the action from this weekends state-league matches. Which AFL listed players are pushing for a senior game?

ADELAIDE

Chris Knights played his first SANFL game for the year and in a good showing picked up 23 touches, four marks, five tackles and 2.1. It’d be nice if he could get back in the Crows side (which is every chance after their performance on the weekend) and score 106 DT points. Luke Thompson was very good in defence for WWT with 20 touches and 13 marks.

Jack Gunston was named best on ground for Central District with 17 touches, 11 marks and 5.2. Recently upgraded rookie (second time this year) Aidan Riley was Sturt’s highest ball winner with 23 touches and four marks, while teammate Brodie Martin had 19 touches and four marks – the pair of them getting named in the bests for the Double Blues.

 

BRISBANE

Rohan Bewick staked his claim for a senior recall with a best on ground performance for the Lions reserve on the weekend. Aaron Cornelius kicked his fourth bag of five (or more) for the year, taking hi season tally to 46 and was named second best for the Lions.

Bryce Retzlaff also had a solid return with four goals and was named in the best players. While the Lions reserves have struggled this season, they’ve had no dramas getting goals from their big forwards with Cornelius, Retzlaff and Karnezis all putting up good numbers – with the latter two spending reasonable time at AFL level too.

Jesse O’Brien and ruckman Bart McCulloch were both named in the best players too. Callum Bartlett is still finding his feet, with the weekend’s game only being his second of the year. Xavier Clarke didn’t play with a foot injury, Amon Buchanan had a very good first half, but sat out the second half to stay fresh in case the Lions needed a late replacement for the AFL. Jamie Charman is set to play his first NEAFL game of the year next weekend.

 

CARLTON

The Northern Bullants had the bye on the weekend, but their reserves played against Williamstown reserves with four Blues players in that game. I caught the last quarter of that game and Joe Dare was looking good (continuing on from a good game last week in the seniors against Sandringham) and I see he was named best on for the Bullants (who got smashed, by the way). Levi Casboult was well held up forward by Bulldogs listed Matthew Panos.

 

COLLINGWOOD

Tom Young was named best on for the Pies reserves and continues to push his case for senior inclusion after being named as emergency a few times in the past six weeks. He had 17 touches and four tackles playing a bit further up the ground than usual on the wing, though the problem with his game is that he can still run himself into trouble at VFL level – he certainly doesn’t lack any confidence when he gets the ball in his hands.

Paul Seedsman really impressed across half back and a little up on the wing. He’s still quite skinny, but has been talked up a bit lately after missing about a month of footy not long ago. He had 19 touches, including five marks with his pace and kicking being a feature.

Josh Thomas played a good game as an inside mid, picking up 27 touches with plenty of clearance work against a very experienced Williamstown midfield brigade. He’s had an interrupted year, but will be one to watch for the future. For those Simon Buckley owners he had a serviceable game in the midfield, but Ben Johnson’s good game in the seniors might not help his immediate chances.

 

ESSENDON

Jake Carlisle had another good game in defence for Bendigo, playing on Port Melbourne goal kicking gun Dean Galea. He kept Galea to only two goals and Carlisle was named sixth best with his defensive marking being a feature.

Michael Ross was named best on for Bendigo. He’s happy to take the game on and has put forward a strong case for senior selection over the past month. Essendon have a few guys to return from injury in the coming weeks, but Ross might snag a sneaky game or two before the season is out. He actually travelled to Adelaide as an emergency for Friday night’s game, but flew back to play VFL on the Saturday.

Taite Silverlock was rebounding well from half back before a concussion to in form defender Tyson Slattery meant that Silverlock had to play on Patrick Rose. Rose had four for the day, but not all of them were on Silverlock – in all not a bad game from the quick one.

Cale Hooker returned from injury and quickly returned back to injury. He only lasted until five minutes in the second quarter before succumbing to hamstring soreness – I should stress that it is apparently just soreness and reinjuring the muscle.

Scott Gumbleton has strung together four games in a row now. With Essendon’s forward line structure not quite clicking at the moment (Hurley needs help!) they’ll want Gumbleton back soon. He kicked 1.4 and was often leading wide, not making his job of converting any easier. He couldn’t be too far away, but it’s touch and go whether he gets a call up this week.

 

FREMANTLE

For the first time in a long time Freo had more players in WAFL action than West Coast did. In fact, 13 players in the WAFL means their injury list is finally starting to shorten. You’ve got to admire Byron Schammer’s season. He’s been consistently good all year and helped Claremont get through to the Grand Final of the Foxtel Cup with his 17 touch and two goal effort (fourth best for them).

Nick Suban made his return from injury in the same game and picked up ten touches playing deep in defence. He’ll be better for them run, but will probably need one more week before an AFL call up.

Clayton Hinkley and Clancee Pearce had 26 and 25 touches respectively for Swan Districts, while Pearce also had six marks and eight tackles in an effort that will have him one of the first in line for a recall.

Kepler Bradley had 18 disposals with four marks and a goal for West Perth, while Josh Mellington kicked three goals from his seven touches. Peter Faulks had a good game in defence and while he’s a shutdown defender it’s worth noting he could be in the mix for a debut.

 

GEELONG

If the Cats ever need/want Cameron Mooney in their AFL forward line he hasn’t really put a foot wrong over the past month (except maybe when he missed that set shot against the Bullants to tie the game in the dying stages). He kicked four goals and has 13 goals in his past three games. He’s still working hard and is there if they need him.

Shannon Byrnes went alright after a slow start. He kicked three goals and is playing well enough for a call up, once again if needed! They left Duncan and Menzel out of the AFL on the weekend (neither played VFL, for what it’s worth) and at least one, probably both of them are ahead of Shagger.

Josh Cowan played a good inside and outside game to keep his name in and around the selection mix, while Dawson Simpson was very good in the ruck. Rookie listed basketball convert Ryan Bathie showed some promising signs for the future.

You’ve got to feel for Marcus Drum. He was named for his second game of the year (he only last ten minutes in his first of 2011) on the comeback trail from what I can tell is his third separate injury this year and hurt his hamstring at the last training session of the week.

 

GOLD COAST

There’s not a heap of info coming out of the Suns reserves, as it was played in Cairns as a curtain raiser to the Richmond vs. Gold Coast clash. The big news is that Michael Coad reinjured his hamstring four minutes into the game and will be out for the rest of the season. The mature aged recruit, who debuted at 27 and has played two AFL games this year can’t catch a break. I really hope he’s back and fully fit next year, because he’s taken the long road to the AFL and is a quality player.

Ruckman Daniel Gorringe injured his ankle before half time and will also miss the rest of the season, so it wasn’t a great day for the Suns reserves, who also went down pretty convincingly to the top of the ladder NT Thunder.

In losing Gorringe, big Tom Hickey stepped up and was named best on ground for the Suns and added two goals in a good rucking performance. Luke Russell was lively and also bobbed up for two goals, while Jeremy Taylor had a good battle with former Saints player Ross Tungatulum (who could be a chance for being redrafted with the good season he is having).

 

HAWTHORN

With Hawthorn having the bye Clint Young was the only player who backed up and played for Box Hill after lining up for Hawthorn the previous week. He didn’t have a great game. He ran well, but wasn’t kicking as well as he usually does. It will be interesting to see if he holds his senior spot. Based on other clubs state league movements in AFL bye weeks it seems like he’s on the chopping block.

Jordan Lewis also played for Box Hill with his suspension served and nowhere else to play. He got through the game without standing out, but will come straight back in this week.

Sam Grimley showed a bit of promise in the ruck and also went forward for two goals. Jarryd Morton was the only Hawthorn listed players named in the bests for his role across half forward.

 

MELBOURNE

Neville Jetta returned from four weeks off with a hand injury and was named in the best players for the Casey Scorpions with some lively work in the forward line. Lynden Dunn had a handy return of four goals from 21 touches and six marks and was also named in the best players, but the best performed Demon listed player was Michael Evans with his good inside work, picking up 25 possessions.

The Demons on the fringe for selection mostly didn’t play though, with Matthew Bate, Clint Bartram and Max Gawn all having travelled to Darwin as emergencies for the seniors. Aaron Davey was originally named for Casey, but didn’t line up. The other news, and I don’t usually make a habit of mentioning non-AFL performances, but Fev snuck through a sly 11 goals.

 

NORTH MELBOURNE

There’s not a heck of a lot of info coming out of the North Ballarat side of things, considering the game partially clashed with the North Melbourne game on Sunday. Cam Richardson was named best on ground again with 31 touches and ten marks, but we all know what he can do at VFL level – it doesn’t mean he’ll get an AFL call up. He’ll need to bide his time and wait for an AFL opportunity to arise through either injury or others bad form.

Lindsay Thomas kicked 3.1 (not 1.3) and had 18 possessions. He looked a lot more comfortable and will hopefully keep it up. An immediate recall wouldn’t be on the cards you imagine, as he needs to string a few good performances together with less of a spotlight as well. Ben Cunnington also had a good game and was named in the best players for the Roosters with 29 touches, but probably needs an extended run in the VFL to really get his game going. Daniel Pratt also had it 29 times.

Werribee had a bye, so a large chunk of North Melbourne reserve players weren’t in action.

 

PORT ADELAIDE

There were only four Port players in SANFL Seniors action on the weekend, with a further two playing for Port Adelaide Magpies in the Foxtel Cup. The Magpie pair were probably the two most notable performances with John Butcher being named third best…oddly only collecting eight touches, three marks and kicking 0.2 – granted, the games are shortened in the Foxtel Cup.

Jacob Surjan picked up 14 touches and two marks as the final South Australian team bowed out of the tournament.

Jason Davenport had 19 possessions and five marks for West Adelaide. With ruck stocks thin at the Power, if Brogan isn’t back any time soon to give Lobbe/Trengove a chop out rookie listed Daniel Bass had 14 touches, four marks and 15 hitouts for South Adelaide and Jarrad Redden had 10 touches, six marks, eight hitouts and 2.1 playing a fair bit up forward for WWT.

 

RICHMOND

You don’t imagine that too many sides lose to Gold Coast and don’t ring the changes. Brad Miller was best on ground for Coburg with ten marks and five goals. With all the talk about Jack Riewoldt’s body struggling lately he might be a chance to come back and give him a chop out.

Mitch Morton would have to be a walk up start this week after picking up 28 touches on the wing, as well as working hard defensively in a consistent performance.

Jayden Post took a screamer, amongst his eight marks, while pinch hitting in the ruck. David Gourdis conceded four goals to Cam Mooney, but wasn’t too bad.

Out of favour Angus Graham had 32 hitouts and 18 touches, so will be a chance if Richmond turn the team upside down. Shane Tuck travelled to Cairns as an emergency against Gold Coast, so didn’t play. Tom Hislop and Mitch Farmer had 22 and 21 touches respectively.

 

ST.KILDA

St.Kilda’s affiliate Sandringham had the bye. Their reserves played with Jarryn Geary getting some much needed game time. He picked up 30 touches in a best on ground performance and is very close to an AFL recall after missing most of the year with a leg injury.

 

SYDNEY

Jarred Moore was best on ground for the undermanned Swans reserves in a typical Jarred Moore performance. He was tackling hard in his role across half forward before moving into the middle later, where he was also dominant.

Mark Seaby gave the Swans first use a lot of the time with 25 hitouts. He also spent a fair bit of time in the forward line where he kicked two goals. Nathan Gordon had another really good game in the forward line, displaying the hardness that saw him debut earlier in the year.  He took ten marks and kicked 3.3. His tackling pressure could make him a handy option for the Swans going forward.

Paul Bevan and Irishman Chris McKaigue also had good games and I’ve got to give a shout out to my mate Peter Lake, who filled in as a top up player and had a couple of early goal assists before getting knocked into tomorrow by former Crow Chad Gibson – onya Lakey!

 

WEST COAST

Jordan Jones’ rich vein of form continues and the Eagles clean bill of health is the only thing preventing him from getting a game at this stage. The versatile tall had 27 touches, 10 marks and kicked 2.1. He plied a lot of his trade in juniors as a rebounding half back, but is a genuine outside mid or medium forward option.

Big Callum Wilson kicked nine goals, with eight of those in the second half. He’s not the most mobile bloke in the world and doesn’t add a lot of pressure, so with West Coast’s high pressure forward line it’s hard to see how he would fit in, but his game deserves credit – if he didn’t get a game when Lynch missed with suspension I’m not sure that he will at all.

Ashton Hams worked tirelessly for 28 touches and generated four shots on goal, but only converted for one goal. Andrew Strijk had an impressive 18 touches, eight marks and 4.0 for West Perth.

Tom Swift and Patrick McGinnity were named best and second best for Claremont in their Foxtel Cup semi final victory over Port Adelaide Magpies. Swift had 24 touches in the shortened game, though the quality of his disposal was a bit scratchy. Mitch Brown played for Peel reserves due to East Freo having a bye, so he needed the run in his legs. I just wanted to point out that Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls is still on their rookie list and had a solid game with 22 touches and 12 marks for East Perth.

 

WESTERN BULLDOGS

Ayce Cordy was named in the best players for his role in defence in his return after a two week layoff with a back complaint. Hopefully his body will allow him to play out the rest of the season, because he’s a great talent.

Youngster Jason Tutt had about 20 touches and continues his good form this year. Nathan Djerrkura and Tom Liberatore were prolific in the midfield and got great service from ruckmen Will Minson and Jordan Roughead, with the duo winning the hitouts 49-34. Patrick Veszpremi and Justin Sherman were lively with two goals each, while Brennan Stack was also named in the bests.

 

Hi all!

I am very excited to be kicking off a brand new article for Footy Tragic, giving a complete rundown of happenings in the world of junior footy. The AFL season may very well be heading towards the home straight, but here at Footy Tragic, we’re already planning for season 2012 and beyond!

Being a Dream Team and Super Coach tragic, it is important to scout the talent coming through the ranks, because in future years you will have a lot of background information about player’s capabilities in fantasy games once they enter the AFL.

It is not a coincidence that the likes of Dyson Heppell and David Swallow were able to step straight into the big time and score similarly to what they did at junior levels. They have particular traits in their game that make them Dream Team and Super Coach stars of the future, whether it be through having great goal sense, a high kick to handball ratio, great overhead ability, elite endurance or a very good inside tackling game.

For me personally, the National Draft is one of the most exciting days on the footy calendar (partly because it’s the only thing I can cling on to as a Tigers fan), but it’s great to be able to watch these guys run around and say you picked them as  legitimate superstars when they were eighteen!

This year’s draft, while not particularly strong at the back end, still provides a very strong top twenty. It’s still a little early to tell how deep this year’s crop will go, as there are always a few surprises and bolters late in the season once finals come around and especially after the Draft Combine.

Every Tuesday I’ll be looking at what’s going on in the TAC Cup particularly (being based in Melbourne) but also keeping an eye out for the Western Australian, South Australian, Tasmanian and Northern Territory youngsters that will be vying towards being picked up early in the draft. For today though, I’ll be reviewing the recent NAB U/18 National Championships, giving some insight into the top draft picks, providing stats and results and we’ll have a close look into the All-Australian team, proudly dominated by the Vic Metro boys!

It was Vic Metro’s tournament the whole way, winning all of their five games quite convincingly, even against South Australia who had a great championship as well, winning four games. For me, the biggest disappointed was Western Australia, as we’ve become so accustomed to them producing such high quality top end talent, but the cupboard’s looking pretty bare this year.

Firstly I’ll look at the All-Australian team in depth, as well as talking about some others who are highly rated, but didn’t get a spot. Then I’ll go through each of the twenty games individually, looking at the best players, goal kickers and providing some game notes.

2011 U/18 ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM

 Defenders: Jed Anderson (NT), Michael Talia (Vic Metro), Brandon Ellis (Vic Metro), Brad Crouch (Vic Country), Brody Mihocek (Tas), Alex Forster (SA)

Midfield: Billy Longer (Vic Metro), Dom Tyson (Vic Metro), Stephen Coniglio (WA), Jaeger O’Meara (WA), Toby Greene (Vic Metro), Will Hoskin-Elliott (Vic Metro)

Forwards: Chad Wingard (SA), Sam Mayes (SA), Lachie Whitfield (Vic Country), Ben Kennedy (SA), Jonathon Patton (Vic Metro), John McKenzie (Tas)

Interchange: Mitchell Grigg (SA), Brodie Grundy (SA), Taylor Adams (Vic Country), Clay Smith (Vic Country)


 

VIC METRO

MICHAEL TALIA, Calder Cannons, 193cm, 87kg

 He’s the younger brother of Adelaide’s Daniel Talia, and they are very much the same type of player. Talia was named the All Australian full back, and for good reason. Whilst he is not a polished footballer in regards to his disposal efficiency, his main attribute is his aggressiveness at the contest and desire to win. He played four games in the champs, averaging 16 disposals, 5 marks and 65 DT points.

BRANDON ELLIS, Calder Cannons, 181cm, 81kg

Ellis is a ready made midfielder who already has a strong body. He reminds me of Mitch Farmer as a junior; just a smart player who reads the play well and has neat disposal. Very much like Farmer, I’m not sure he quite has the pace to keep up at AFL level, but the Draft Combine will help tell us a better story. He averaged 18 disposals and 63 Dream Team points, playing all 5 games.

BILLY LONGER, Northern Knights, 202cm, 95kg

 Longer had a very solid carnival, being named the All Australian ruckman alongside Brodie Grundy from South Australia. His coach made a big claim during the carnival, likening him to a young Dean Cox. He still has a long way to go, development wise, but his athleticism and ability to run his opposing ruckman off his legs are very promising traits that he possesses. His spread from the contests and physical presence are two aspects of his game that can be improved, but overall, he’s a very promising ruckman. He averaged 23 hit outs and 71 DT points in his 4 games.

DOM TYSON, Oakleigh Chargers, 186cm, 82kg

 Dom Tyson is one of those guys that will be in many Dream Team and Super Coach teams for a long time. There have been some comparisons to Scott Pendlebury in the way he moves, finds space, and makes correct decisions with his brilliant left foot. He’s not a player that will burst through packs with speed, but he does have a great side step that enables him to find the room he needs. He seems to have cemented his position as a top 10 draft pick going by his great carnival where he averaged 23 disposals, 4 tackles, 5 marks and 92 DT points.

TOBY GREENE, Oakleigh Chargers, 180cm, 78kg

 Greene is a great story of perseverance. Only last year he was just playing school footy until he worked on his endurance and hasn’t looked back since. He’s a tough, in and under player who has basically come from no where, to now being seriously considered as a first round draft pick chance. He won Vic Metro’s MVP from his 4 games, averaging 25 disposals and 82 DT points a game. I was surprised to see his tackle counts were well down in his first 3 games, only laying 3 in those few games before had had 6 tackles in his 4^th match. He’s normally the player inside the packs dishing out the handballs, so his Dream Team game is affected a bit, but he’ll be fine once he works on his outside game and spread from the contests.

WILL HOSKIN-ELLIOT, Western Jets, 190cm, 76kg

 Some people will look at the raw statistics and ask how Will make the All-Australian squad. He played only the 3 matches for an average of 14 disposals, but Hoskin-Elliot’s disposal and run is arguably the most damaging we’ve seen from a draftee in a long time. He reminds me very much of a younger Ryan Griffen where he just sits on a wing or half back, runs 30 metres and kicks is 60 metres. From the 14 disposals he averaged a game, 7 of those were inside 50’s! He’s definitely going to be a Super Coach star, and I’m sure other areas of his game will improve to be a Dream Team option of the future. At the moment he’s looking like a top 5 draft pick, depending on his Draft Combine results.

JONATHON PATTON, Eastern Ranges, 197cm, 95kg

 He’s widely regarded as this season’s number one draft pick, and Patton did his chances no harm at all during his 5 games in the Champs, kicking 18 goals and 16 behinds in a very dominant display at full forward. Admittedly, his first game was a little off the mark, only touching the ball 9 times (and 9 marks), but he really hit some form kicking some big bags. Patton does come with his critics. Some say he’s a Tom Hawkins clone; just bullying around guys physically smaller than him, but Patton has many tricks to his bow. He’s got it all for a guy his size; leg speed, agility, excellent marking ability and great goal sense. The one criticism might be that he doesn’t offer much outside of his mark-kick-goal game, but those issues should be ironed out at an AFL club. He averaged 98 DT points over his 5 games.

HAYDEN CROZIER, Eastern Ranges, 184cm, 68kg

We all know Hayden from that absolute ripper mark he took on the goal line, but I think all the hype is a little unsubstantiated at the moment. Crozier still has a lot of aspects to his game that he needs to develop, but as far as raw talent goes, there isn’t too many better. I don’t think he’s a first round draft pick just yet, but that could change come the end of the season. He only averaged 11 disposals, 4 marks and 61 DT points over his 5 games.

LIAM SUMNER, Sandringham Dragons, 182cm, 70kg

 Sumner is one of my personal favourites from this draft, and I think he could be a real bolter into the first round. He’s quick, elusive in the Dale Thomas mould, and has an outstanding kick on him. In terms of talent, he has it in spades, in fact I think he’s one of the most talented midfielders in the draft and has the potential to be a real star of the AFL once he develops. Once he develops his tank, and gets the ball more, he’ll be a real weapon. He only averaged the 15 disposals in the champs but he nailed 4 tackles a game and averaged 67 DT points in his 4 matches.

VIC COUNTRY

BRAD CROUCH, North Ballarat, 184cm, 183kg

It’s amazing to think Crouch only turned 17 six months ago. He’s a very hard working midfielder that likes to handball but he also has a solid kick, evidently with a disposal efficiency of 76% over the champs. He really only played two and a half games, due to getting injured in the fourth game and leaving with crutches. He still managed to win a spot in the All Australian midfield, just showing how good he actually was in those games! You’d have to think he’d be right up there to be taken by the GWS with the 17 year old rule, so there’s an opportunity for AFL clubs to trade for him and possibly get him for a bargain considering he’ll be a top line pick in the 2012 draft.

LACHIE WHITFIELD, Dandenong Stingrays, 182cm, 72kg

 Making the All Australian team is quite a phenomenal achievement for Whitfield, considering he turned 17 only two days ago! He showed maturity beyond his years in the carnival, proving to be one of Country’s best overall players, averaging 21 disposals and 89 DT points. He isn’t eligible for this draft, but make sure you remember his name!

 TAYLOR ADAMS, Geelong Falcons, 181cm, 80kg

Adams is a really solid midfielder that really doesn’t have any stand out qualities, but generally gets the job done. I guess a good comparison in recent drafts would be Ben Cunnington. Whilst not athletically gifted or quick off the mark, Adams will go in and get the hard ball and dish it out to the outside players. He has great leadership qualities and often makes the correct decisions when he has the footy. We’re looking at a late first round draft pick to early second round here though as he doesn’t quite have the X-Factor most clubs are looking for these days. He averaged 19 disposals, 4 tackles and 74 DT points in his 4 games.

CLAY SMITH, Gippsland Power, 180cm, 78kg

 Smith is a ‘heart and soul’ player that puts everything into his game and into the team. He is a real leader amongst the Gippsland group but he’s also an outstanding footballer. Every club needs a Clay Smith and I can see him getting snapped up quite early in the draft. For such a tough, in and under player who is a specialist at the clearances, he has great overhead ability and knows how to kick a goal or two. He had a great carnival playing every game and averaged 17 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles and 77 DT points.

 MATTHEW BUNTINE, Dandenong Stingrays, 188cm, 83kg

 Buntine is really highly rated among recruiters and is seen as a potential top 10 draft pick. He’s a defender/midfielder that is just all class and often mops up across half back collecting quality touches at will. He did have a disrupted carnival, suffering from shin splints, so he did have limited game time in most games and we weren’t really able to see what he can do. He did have a really good final game though, gathering 23 disposals across half back.

 ANDREW BOSELEY, Geelong Falcons, 194cm, 80kg

Boseley’s not really ever going to be a Dream Team or Super Coach option in the future, but he’s a really solid defender, and once he fills out, he should have no problem becoming a full back at AFL level. His stocks have risen after his job on Patton, keeping him to two goals.

 DEVON SMITH, Geelong Falcons, 175cm, 73kg

 Devon Smith is a small midfielder but he is an absolute pocket dynamo. Jarryd Blair would probably be an appropriate comparison, because Smith can go forward and kick goals better than most midfielders in his class. He had a standout game against the Northern Territory, gathering 27 possessions and kicking 6 goals, but he also amassed 30 disposals and 5 goals in his return game from hip surgery for the Falcons, so that was certainly no ‘out of the box’ game from Smith. He is a beauty, who has a very, very big future in the AFL.

 

 SOUTH AUSTRALIA

ALEX FORSTER, Norwood, 189cm, 75kg

Forster is another one of my favourites from this draft. He plays predominantly across half-back, but I see him becoming a damaging wingman in time, once he fills out. An AFL comparison would probably be Grant Birchall. Forster has great hands and often chops off opposition attacks with his ability to read the play. He has excellent disposal off both sides of the body as well. He has SANFL reserves experience last year as an under ager, so stepping in against the bigger bodies shouldn’t be too much of an issue. He averaged 15 disposals and 60 DT points in his 5 matches.

 CHAD WINGARD, Sturt, 181cm, 73kg

 Wingard follows Jared Polec as the next highly touted left-footed midfielder to come out of South Australia. He should be a certainty to go at pick 4 if he doesn’t get snaffled by GWS with their first 3 picks, assuming Port Adelaide win the wooden spoon. Wingard is really the complete package; wins his own ball, brilliant kick, courageous as they come, kicks goals, is the South Australian captain, wins clearances and has great pace. His courage does come at a cost though, as he recently got concussed in the 4^th champs match, adding to a worrying trend that has developed in his game. He’s been concussed more than five times in the past couple of years, and we all now know how brutal these head injuries can in fact be, so we wish him all the best, as he’s just a gun footballer. Discounting the game he got concussed in, he averaged 24 disposals and 81 DT points in his three matches.

 SAM MAYES, North Adelaide, 187cm, 74kg

 Sam Mayes is another guy who isn’t eligible for this year’s draft, but is a tantalising prospect for next year. Mayes, from Port Pirie, is a half forward/wingman that has brilliant goal sense, agility and overhead ability. Nathan Fyfe is a guy that comes to mind who would be a similar comparison; this is how highly I rate Mayes. He had an outstanding carnival for an underage player, definitely deserving his All-Australian nomination. He kicked off his carnival with 4 goals in each of his first 2 games, and finishing with 13 goals from his 5 games. He averaged 12 disposals, 5 marks and 72 DT points a game. Definitely keep an eye out for him in 2013!

BEN KENNEDY, Glenelg, 174cm, 73kg

Kennedy is another one of those 17 year old players that will be on the GWS radar. He is a very smart small forward/midfielder, with a thumping left foot kick that knows how to hit the scoreboard. He kicked 11 goals in 4 games, including two 4 goal hauls.

MITCHELL GRIGG, Norwood, 183cm, 81kg

Mitchell Grigg has shot up the rankings with an outstanding carnival, and is without doubt the best kick in the draft, in my opinion. He has a lethal left foot, much similar to Daniel Rich, even with the way he moves and wins those clearances. Against Vic Metro he won 9 clearances alone, displaying his ability to go in and win his own ball. He really is an outstanding footballer, and it will be a tough decision for Port Adelaide as to whether they go for Wingard or Grigg; that’s if they are both available! I now rate Grigg top five material with that kick of his. Not only is it a long booming left foot, but it’s deadly accurate, averaging an elite 71% kicking efficiency across the carnival and 6 inside 50’s a game. He also averaged 20 disposals and 83 DT points in his 5 matches.

BRODIE GRUNDY, Sturt, 200cm, 92kg

Grundy is another 17 year old that had an outstanding carnival and earned All Australia honours. If he doesn’t get picked up this year, he’ll undoubtedly be a top 5 draft pick next season. He’s a basketball convert who has outstanding athletic capabilities for a big bloke, and he’s one of the main reasons Wingard, Kennedy and Grigg were so prolific in the carnival, with his brilliant tap work. He averaged 10 disposals, 24 hit outs and 65 DT points in his 5 games.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

STEPHEN CONIGLIO, Swan Districts, 182cm, 76kg

Coniglio will be one of the youngest draftees in this bunch because he doesn’t turn 18 until December. What he’s achieved at his young age only the average person could dream of. At the age of 16 he starred in the WAFL senior’s finals series, against grown men, gathering 26 disposals in one final, and then playing second fiddle to Andrew Krakouer in the Grand Final with 20 possession and 4 goals! The problem is, we still don’t know whether Coniglio will choose AFL or cricket. He has all the tools to become an elite player of the competition, as he doesn’t have many flaws at all in his game. There is talk that he does not want to be drafted by GWS, but I really don’t think that’s the case. I’m sure he’d be rapt to be drafted anywhere and there is little doubt he’ll go top 3 in the draft if he chooses footy. Coniglio had a very good champ’s campaign, winning the MVP in Division 1 and also Western Australia’s MVP as well as averaging 22 disposals, 4 tackles and 95 DT points.

JAEGER O’MEARA, Perth, 182cm, 75kg

Jaeger (love the name) will be the most sought after 17 year old for clubs with the GWS trade incentive scheme. He is a dynamic, goal kicking midfielder with ELECTRIFYING speed. I don’t use that lightly! He’s brilliant off both sides of the body as well. It will be exciting to see how everything unfolds for Jaeger during trade week, that’s for sure because just about every club will be after him! He averaged 21 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles and 85 DT points in his 5 matches.

SHANE NELSON, West Perth, 178cm, 70kg

Nelson is the next string to the bow of Western Australia’s pretty dynamic midfield. Nelson complements Coniglio and O’Meara really well with his uncompromising toughness at the contest. He is surprisingly quick and likes to link up with handball a lot, accumulating possession with ease. He can run all day with his outstanding endurance as well. I really wouldn’t be surprised to see him in the top 15, but a top 30 pick is more realistic. In his final game he spent a fair bit of time on the bench but in his first four he averaged 25 disposals and 81 DT points.

NORTHERN TERRITORY

JED ANDERSON, Darwin, 178cm, 75kg

Anderson was clearly NT’s best player, and was rewarded with All Australian honours. He again is ineligible to be drafted to this year, but it’s likely he’ll be picked up by GWS as a 17 year old. He’s a goal kicking midfielder with a great left foot and brilliant inside game for his size. He averaged 17 disposals, 4 tackles and 82 DT points from his 5 matches.

TASMANIA

BRODY MIHOCEK, Burnie, 191cm, 86kg

Mihocek is a very handy utility player that got named in the backline for the All Australian team, but he is just as good up forward. It’s hard to gauge where he’ll be drafted, or if indeed he will be, but his champs did him no harm at all. He averaged 17 disposals, 5 marks and 66 DT points from his 5 matches.

 JOHN MCKENZIE, South Launceston, 177cm, 80kg

It was great to see McKenzie earn All Australian honours and he’s just a great player to watch and it would be brilliant to see him get drafted. He captained the Tasmanian side and won the MVP for Division Two. He just goes in and wins his own footy and is a brilliant leader, but his lack of pace may play against him. He averaged 21 disposals and 86 DT points from his 5 games.
OK, so those are some of the players to look out for! Now it’s time for the individual games! *NOTE* Some games are missing reports and statistics.

ROUND 1

Northern Territory     0.0    4.5    7.9      9.12 (66)
Western Australia     2.5    3.8   5.13  11.14 (80)

GOALS

Northern Territory: Tipungwuti 3, Turner 2, Stafford 2, Collinson, Stokes

Western Australia: Williams 2, Coniglio 2, Peters 2, Hamling 2, Eardley, Taylor, O’Meara

BEST

Territory: Egger, Tipungwuti, Collinson, Turner, R Smith, Wilson
Western Australia: O’Meara, Coniglio, Hamling, Newman, Taylor

NOTES

- Stephen Coniglio gathered 26 disposals, 8 tackles and 2 goals. He finished with 116 DT points.

- Jaeger O’Meara also gathered 26 disposals, 8 tackles and a goal for 109 DT points.

- Shane Nelson racked up 25 disposals in a great midfield display for Western Australia.

- Jed Anderson rued some missed opportunities for Northern Territory, kicking 3 behinds, but managed 87 DT points, helped by 6 tackles on a half forward flank.

 
Queensland          2.3    3.4    4.5        6.7     (43)
South Australia    5.2    7.8    10.15    14.16 (100)

GOALS

Queensland: Oxley, Thurlow, Russ, Oxley, Cabrera, Starcevich
South Australia: Mayes 4, Carger 2, Wingard 2, Grigg 2, McDonough, Murdoch, Simpson, McDonough

BEST

Queensland: Yagmoor, Newell, Wagner, Joyce, Boston, Murphy
South Australia: Waldhuter, Raikiwasa, Grundy, Mayes, McKay, Wingard, Neale

NOTES

- Chad Wingard played a fine game, gathering 20 disposals and 2 goals.

- Mitchell Grigg also was great, with 21 disposals, but 14 of those were handballs. It was a strange game from him, considering he’s one of the best kicks in the draft.

NSW/ACT  1.4    5.6    6.7        9.7     (61)
Vic Metro    6.3   11.5    17.6    21.15 (141)

GOALS

NSW/ACT: Flagg 3, Cummins, Moller, Johns, Moody, Guthrie, Breust
Vic Metro: Gotch 3, Paine 3, Atkins 2, Crozier 2, Frost 2, Tyson 2, Haynes, Greenwood, Wooffindin, Haynes, Tomlinson, Patton, Richards

BEST

NSW/ACT: Potter, Hartley, Witts, Flagg, Breust
Vic Metro: Ellis, Frost, Richards, Tyson, Woodward, Wooffindin

NOTES

- Jackson Potter from NSW/ACT recorded 8 clearances as well as 21 disposals at 81% efficiency.

- Dom Tyson had 27 possessions at 85% efficiency.

- Brandon Ellis gathered 29 disposals, 6 rebound 50’s and 5 inside 50’s at 76% effieciency.

Vic Country 4.4   6.7   13.5  15.15  (105)
Tasmania 0.0   4.1   6.1   13.5  (83)

GOALS

Vic Country: S Gordon 4, J Elliott 4, L Whitfield 2, N Haynes, N O’Brien, J Crisp, J Staley, T Elton
Tasmania: J Dobosz 7, B Cox-Goodyer 2, Z Hislop, N McCulloch, J Harper, J Thurlow

BEST

Vic Country: J Elliott, C Smith, L Whitfield, B Crouch, T Adams, J Kelly
Tasmania: J Dobosz, L Owen, J McKenzie, B Mihocek, B Cox-Goodyer, Q Byard

NOTES

- Matthew Buntine gathered 19 possessions at 74% efficiency with 4 inside 50’s and 6 tackles.

ROUND 2

South Australia     5.4  10.9  14.14  19.19 (133)
NSW/ACT            2.3  5.4  6.4  9.4  (58)

GOALS
South Australia: McDonough 5, Kennedy, Mayes 4, Murdoch 2, Forster, Neale, Simpson, Toumpas
NSW/ACT: Flagg, Cunningham 2, Milne, Potter, Ryan, Morris, Moller

BEST
South Australia: Forster, Laird, Wingard, Raikiwasa, Toumpas, Grundy, Mayes, McDonough
NSW/ACT: Morris, Coward, Witts, Taylor

NOTES

- Alex Forster gathered 22 possessions at 91% efficiency and 9 marks.

- Mitchell Grigg had 6 clearances and 6 inside 50’s with 22 possessions.

- Chad Wingard collected 24 possessions, 12 contested, 5 inside 50’s and 6 rebound 50’s.

Vic Country                    2.4   6.7   10.12  14.14  (98)
Northern Territory        0.4    3.6     7.6      9.11  (65)

GOALS

Vic Country: D Smith 6, F Dale 2, T Elton, S Wyatt, S Dobson, B O’Hanlon, S Deery, C Smith
Northern Territory: G Turner 3, L Lawler 2, J Anderson 2, A Tipungwuti, N Morrison

BEST

Vic Country: D Smith, T Elton, C Smith, S Dobson, S Wyatt, N O’Brien
Northern Territory: J Neade, J Anderson, L Michell, B Rioli, B McLean, J Wilson

NOTES

- Devon Smith gathered 27 possessions, 21 of those were kicks, 6 goals, 7 clearances, 7 inside 50’s, and 5 1%’ers.

- Jed Anderson collected 22 possessions, 14 contested, 8 hitouts, 5 clearances and 6 inside 50’s.

Vic Metro                    4.4   6.8   11.12  17.17  (119)
Queensland                 2.1   5.2   5.4       5.4     (34)

GOALS

Vic Metro: J Patton 6, T Curran 2, T Greene, L Sumner, T Totevski, H Crozier, D Markworth, D Tyson, B Ellis, S Frost, B Longer
Queensland: J Starcevich 2, L Russ, J Rolfe, A Sexton

BEST

Vic Metro: J Patton, B Longer, T Greene, J Viney, T Totevski, L Sumner
Queensland: R Newell, J Allen, A Boston, J Starcevich, J Wagner, T Fields

NOTES

- Toby Greene had 24 possessions at 79% efficiency with 6 clearances and 5 inside 50’s.

- Jonathon Patton took 9 marks inside 50.

ROUND 3

South Australia     2.1  4.5  14.14  19.9 (123)
Victoria Country   3.5  7.9  8.10    11.11  (77)

GOALS

South Australia: McDonough, Kennedy 4, Grigg 3, Hender, Mayes, Wingard 2, Grundy, Toumpas
Victoria Country: S.Gordon, Pongracic, Whitfield 2, Elton, N.O’Brien, C.Smith, D.Smith, Wright

BEST

South Australia: Raikiwasa, Grundy, McKenzie, Wingard, Laird, Kennedy, Forster
Victoria Country: Tynan, N.O’Brien, C.Smith, Whitfield, Wright

NOTES

- Mitchell Grigg has 8 clearances and 9 inside 50’s with 21 possessions.

- Brody Grundy amassed 36 hit outs.

Western Australia    2.2   7.3   9.6   11.9 (75)
Vic Metro            1.6   5.9   8.10   12.13 (85)

GOALS

Western Australia: Yarran 3, Coniglio 2, Newman 2, Garlett 2, Eardley, Hamling
Vic Metro: Crozier 4, Patton 4, Viney, Tyson, Hoskin-Elliott, Bussey

BEST
Western Australia: Coniglio, Bolger, Garlett, Newman, O’Meara, Nelson
Vic Metro: Patton, Viney, Longer, Crozier, Hoskin-Elliott, Greene

NOTES

- Stephen Coniglio had 25 possessions at 88% efficiency, with 4 clearances and 8 inside 50’s.

- Jaeger O’Meara had 22 possessions at 82% efficiency with 6 clearances.

- Will Hoskin-Elliot recorded 8 inside 50’s.

- Dom Tyson got 22 possessions at 86% efficiency with 9 clearances.

- Jack Viney gathered 23 possessions and 8 clearances.

Queensland: 3.2     6.3    9.7    15.9 (99)
Northern Territory: 2.1    4.6    7.7    9.7 (61)

GOALS

Queensland: Cameron 2, Michael 2, Starcevich 2, Oxley 2, Thurlow 2, Boston, Davidson, Fields, Rolfe, Russ
Northern Territory: Turner 4, Collinson, Nundhirribala, Stokes, D.Williams, Tipungwuti

BEST

Queensland: Michael, Boston, Newell, Tucker, Fields, Overington, Allen
Northern Territory: Turner, Neade, Stokes, Wilson, Anderson, Stafford

NOTES

- Tom Fields recorded 27 disposals, 13 marks, and 137 DT points.

Tasmania 3.2    6.8    12.13    13.13 (91)
NSW/ACT 2.2    4.5    5.9    10.13 (73)

GOALS
Tasmania: Dobosz 4, McCulloch 2, McKenzie 2, Jenkins, Joseph, Smith, Webster, Musicka
NSW/ACT: Johns 2, Hampton 2, Cunningham, Breust, Lynch, Potter, Guthrie, Ryan

BEST
Tasmania: McKenzie, Mihocek, Hislop, Brown, Dobosz, Webster
NSW/ACT: Lynch, Black, Guthrie, Stevens, Milne, Cunningham

NOTES

- John McKenzie racked up 25 possessions and 8 clearances.

ROUND 4

Tasmania                       3.4    3.6    5.7    10.9 (69)
Northern Territory        3.1    3.2    4.4     5.6 (36)

GOALS

Tasmania: Dobosz 3, Joseph 2, Allison, McCulloch,  Lonergan, Mihocek, McKenzie
Northern Territory: Tipungwuti 2, M.Smith, Collinson, Turner

BEST

Tasmania: McKenzie, Mihocek, Lonergan, Joseph, Jeffery, Blight
Northern Territory: Neade, McLean, Wilson, Rioli, K.Williams, Miles

NSW/ACT     3.0    6.2    8.3    12.7 (79)
Queensland    0.2    1.2    2.5    3.7 (25)

GOALS

NSW/ACT: Johns 2, Brooks 2, Hampton 2, Milne, Lynch, Moller, Coward, Williams, Breust.
Queensland: Sexton, Cameron, Davidson

BEST

NSW/ACT: Milne, Black, Breust, Coward, Lodge, Stevens
Queensland: Yagmoor, Thurlow, Cameron, Oxley, Joyce, Russ

ROUND 5

Vic Metro         2.4    3.8    7.11    9.16 (70)
Vic Country    0.5    1.6    1.6      2.10 (22)

GOALS

Vic Metro: Patton 2, Paine 2, Crozier, Bussey, Greene, Tyson, Curran
Vic Country: Adams, Valentine

BEST

Vic Metro: Tyson, Longer, Greene, Ellis, Wooffindin, Hoskin-Elliott, Newnes, Talia
Vic Country: Buntine, Boseley, Whitfield, O’Brien, Adams, Docherty

NOTES

- Dom Tyson again collected 29 possessions at 72% efficiency with 5 clearances and 7 inside 50’s.

- Toby Greene amassed 29 possessions, 15 contested, at 83% efficiency, 6 clearance, 6 tackles, and 3 inside 50’s.

South Australia         4.4    6.9    7.10    14.10 (94)
Western Australia    2.1    6.4    8.8    11.10 (76)

GOALS

South Australia: Mayes 2, McDonough 2, McKenzie 2, Simpson 2, Amato, Carger, Grigg, Kennedy, Murdoch, Neale
Western Australia: Lockyer 2, Yarran 2, AhChee, Garlett, Mitchell, Schloithe, Verrier, Waters, Williams

BEST

South Australia: McKenzie, Brown, Laird, Grigg, Simpson, Grundy, Mayes, Carger
Western Australia: Mitchell, Garlett, Coniglio, Hutchinson, Jupp

NOTES

- Stephen Coniglio recorded 6 inside 50’s and 8 clearances.

 

Tasmania    4.2    6.5    5.8    13.7 (85)
Queensland    0.3    1.5    8.6    7.10 (52)

GOALS

Tasmania: Brown 3, Musicka 2, McKenzie 2, Joseph 2, Hislop, McCulloch, Lonergan, Dobosz
Queensland: Laskey 2, Sexton 2, Cameron, Davidson, Allen

BEST

Tasmania: Brown, McKenzie, Jenkins, Smith, Schade, Joseph
Queensland: Reynolds, Allen, Starcevic, Cameron, Laskey, Oxley

 
NSW/ACT 2.1    3.4    6.6    9.9  (63)
Northern Territory 3.2    5.4    7.7    10.7 (67)

GOALS

NSW/ACT: Breust 2, Brooks 2, Flagg, Morris, Potter, Tweeddale, Witts
Northern Territory: Kunoth 3, Lawler 2, Anderson, Collinson, Lawton, Miles, Neade

BEST

NSW/ACT: Witts, Breust, Tweeddale, Stevens, Taylor, Cunningham
Northern Territory: Neade, Anderson, Lawler, Wilson, Michell, McLean

 

That’s all we have for this week folks. It’d be great to have some juniors discussion on this board in the coming weeks and if you have any questions or would like to contribute what you have seen in the juniors on the weekends, it’d be awesome to hear from you!