TAC CUP GRAND OLD FINAL

[Demonland 65,729]

TAC CUP GRAND OLD FINAL by Whispering Jack

On the morning of the TAC Cup Grand Final, the Sunday Herald Sun ran an article quoting Barry Prendergast on Oakleigh Charger midfielder Jack Viney, with the Melbourne recruiting chief declaring that he would "not take much notice of the father-son sensation".

Easy for him to say because the 178cm 77kg midfielder is already committed to the club, but for Demon fans at the ground it was hard not to notice the 34 possession winning human battering-ram tackle, harass and generally terrorise the Sandringham Dragons on his way to being judged officially as best on ground.

A fair effort for a bottom aged player who isn't eligible to be drafted until November next year, but enough of that.

This was a grand final and it was won by the Dragons who started and finished the stronger and it was their big men who won the day in a high standard exciting game of football that had everything.

The game was one of momentum shifts that also highlighted the talents of some skilful youngsters who will soon be attracting more attention from the football world as the national draft draws closer.

The players who attracted my attention were:-

• Sandringham Dragons

Ben Darrou 25/11/93 190cm 91kg - a strong, athletic defender who looks to have all the attributes necessary to make it at AFL level. He held up well even in the middle stages when the Dragon defence was most under pressure. Does a lot of the one per centers that often don't get noticed.

Jackson Paine 21/06/93 193cm 87kg - was impressive when I saw him playing for Vic Metro in the televised national championships game. On Sunday, he kicked a couple of goals and always looked dangerous with his good positioning and strong marking.

Xavier Richards 25/04/93 194cm 81kg - brother of Sydney Swan Ted Richards. He played forward and back, kicked a couple of goals and was one of a number of talls who overwhelmed the Chargers in the end.

Fletcher Roberts 03/06/93 197cm 80kg - it seems that every TAC Cup grand final produces a player whose performance is elevated in draft standings and the 197cm Roberts with five goals (three in the final quarter) was the match winner who stood out with his leading and strong contested marking. He missed a couple in the third term but generally, his disposal was good. He also showed good agility and was reasonable at ground level.

Liam Sumner 16/08/93 182cm 70kg - a well balanced pacy outside midfielder with poise who kept going all day. Showed that he can win the ball at the stoppages and also pushed forward to kick a goal. A potential first round selection.

Alex Woodwood 11/06/93 179cm 79kg - worked really hard for the Dragons and finished with 20 touches in a performance that showed he has the capability of making it as a small midfielder who can win the hard ball.

• Oakleigh Chargers

Seb Gotch 12/07/93 172cm 71kg - son of the Scorpions' coach. I liked the way this Gotch played and in this day and age when the small forward is making a comeback, it would not surprise if he was drafted (albeit probably late because of his size). He took a couple of speccies in the second quarter for his two goals and showed great discipline on a couple of occasions when he gave the ball off to a teammate in a better position. Is a quick thinker and a moves well and apparently if he doesn't make it as a footballer, he could make it at a high level at cricket.

Toby Greene 15/09/93 180cm 78kg - was super-impressive at the national championships and was close to best on ground in the final game at Etihad Stadium on his way to All Australian honours. He must like this ground because he was close to best again with 34 possessions in a losing team. A real ball magnet who links well and has good skills.

Nick Murphy 22/03/93 194cm 86kg - got the Chargers going with his strong hands, good leading and accuracy in front of goals. Kicked five but in the end was overshadowed by his opposite number for the Dragons.

Adam Tomlinson 10/08/93 192cm 86kg - his run out of defence was exceptional and he saved his team on a number of occasions. Has good mobility and, despite a rare error late in the game, he was one of his team's best. Should get drafted early.

Dom Tyson 08/06/93 186cm 82kg - touted as one of the leading midfielders and a possible top five draft choice after winning All Australian selection at the national championships. Tyson did not stand out in the grand final but he did show signs of his ball winning ability and the creativity that led to the big wraps on him this year.

There were others who went in and out of the game which I rate as one of the best I've seen in the two decades of TAC Cup competition but I have to come back to Viney who fully deserved the accolades he received for his game. His attack on the ball was the strongest I've seen from a kid of his age and his performance ranks favourably with that of another under age midfield type from the Dandenong Stingrays who I watched in the 2008 final series. Tom Scully was seriously good in those games and stamped himself as a potential # 1 pick for the draft that was then more than twelve months away. Viney is in the same category but his pathway is likely to be different in that he will probably share his time between the Casey Scorpions and the Carey Grammar school team. I do sense that Viney will be somewhat more committed to the cause of the AFL team for which he is destined to play.

Sandringham Dragons 6.1 7.6 10.10 17.11 (113)

Oakleigh Chargers 2.2 9.4 14.6 16.9 (105)

GOALS:

Sandringham Dragons: Roberts 5 Williams 2 Coleman 2 Paine 2 Richards 2 Sumner Anastasio Fallon Ong

Oakleigh Chargers: Murphy 5 Mascitti 2 Gotch 2 Hammond Jong Greene Soriano Wooffindin Heath Arnot

BEST:

Sandringham Dragons: Roberts Darrou Paine Heagney-Steart Williams Woodward

Oakleigh Chargers: VINEY Harris Tomlinson Murphy Greene Purcell

[rpfc 27,545]

Just on Seb Gotch - it looks as though he is not going on an Australian underage cricket trip to India (and foregoing the captaincy apparently) to focus on exams...

You can read that differently to me, but I think that means he has chosen football.

Or possibly him mum got in his ear...