PRELIMINARY

Our resident TAC Cup watcher Stevo was at Visy Park for Preliminary Final Day

PRELIMINARY by Stevo

TAC Cup Preliminary Final Day at Visy Park was a humbling day in many ways as it saw the demise of last year's premiers as well as this year's minor premiers. The Sandringham Dragons fell to the Gippsland Power in a nail biter of a game while North Ballarat Rebels were comprehensively beaten by last year's runners up, the Oakleigh Chargers.

The day of the double header began with the close one. Gippsland were the early favourites in the competition remaining unbeaten for the first eight rounds before going into a minor trough. The Power, coached by former Port Adelaide and Carlton star Nick Stevens, knocked off their neighbours from the Dandenong Stingrays on qualifying final day and were coming off a big week after midfielder Nick Graham became the Morrish Medallist for 2012. Of added interest to Demon fans is the fact that the Power are the feeder club for Casey and quite a few of the current team had stints as the 23rd player with the Scorpions this year. Three of these players Tom Muir, Shannen Lange and Jack Johnstone were named in their best players.

The Dragons, coached by Justin Plapp, were reigning premiers and have had a solid season. They narrowly lost their opening qualifying final against top placed North Ballarat but came back strongly in their semi to comfortably account for the Geelong Falcons. As it turned out, a win would have set up a replay of last year’s TAC Cup Grand Final.

The game was a great contest with the lead see-sawing all day but in the end, the country lads, spearheaded by a brilliant eight goal performance from Tim Membrey, finished on top. Membrey’s effort was certainly the difference between the two sides and he will undoubtedly feature early in draft calculations.

Those who saw him playing in the Victorian Under 18 championships for Victoria Country would realise only too well how difficult it is to compartmentalise this youngster. At 188cm and 87kg, the 18 year old Membrey is an unlikely key position forward but he is a big physical presence at this level. He marks everything whether overhead or on a lead, is a smart mover and an accurate kick. He was simply outstanding for his team and I think he will go either very late in the first round of the draft or in the second and he could tempt the Demons if they are looking for readymade material at that level. That said, he will have plenty of work to do in the pre season to comply with Mark Neeld’s demands that players must be strong on the defensive side of their game, irrespective of where they play.

Another interesting player at Gippsland who has been around for a while is over ager Anthony Tipungwiti from the Tiwi Islands, who turns 20 in April of next year. I’ve seen him go through a few physical changes since he started with the Power in 2010 when he was a teammate of Dyson Heppell (this year, he plays in the same team with Heppell’s brother Aaron). Standing only 171cm but weighing 79kg, he’s an elusive character with pace to burn and has a few tricks (as well as a pair of yellow boots) in his kit bag. He is also very good at ground level.

Nick Graham from Traralgon Tyers United is a midfielder forward who plays a strong inside game, attacks the ball and tackles the man and uses the ball well. His Morrish Medal win probably pushed his draft credentials forward to the public but most recruiters would have had him in their sights already and at 182cm he is taller than many of the others who win this award but are often overlooked because of lack of size. He capped off a big week by kicking the winning goal to get his team into the Grand Final.

Ben Kearns is another midfielder who can go forward and kick goals and like Graham he kicked a couple against the Dragons.

This might sound strange having witnessed a very close game between the two sides but I didn’t see all that much immediately draftable talent among the Dragons. James Stewart who kicked three goals is a father/son prospect, a few others are still a year away from being drafted (bottom ager Josh Kelly is an outside GWS mini draft possibility on current form) and the team is very even so there is not much that stands out. Their midfield talent is somewhat "vanilla" when compared with the leading draft candidates around the TAC Cup and interstate. 

Tom Tyquin had a very good game for the Dragons. His disposal was superb at times. Teammate Tom Temay is probably better credentialed because of his versatility in that he can go down back and forward and play run with roles as well. Kenny Ong had his moments and is one who could snaffle a late draft or rookie  placing. I do expect the Dragons to come back well next year as they have some good young prospects who will be thereabouts in 2013.

Gippsland Power 6.2.38 9.4.58 12.7.79 16.10.106

Sandringham Dragons 5.2.32 7.5.47 11.9.75 15.12.102

Goals

Gippsland Power Membrey 8 Graham Kearns Northe 2 Scott Tipungwuti

Sandringham Dragons Stewart 3 Langdon Zijai 2 Amon Cathcart Freeman Hayes Heatherley  Howes Le Grice Tyquin

Best

Gippsland Power Membrey Muir Lange Channing Johnstone Hams

Sandringham Dragons Le Grice Ong Mangoni Tyquin Barnes Wilson

The second game was something of an anti-climax after the thriller that preceeded it. The North Ballarat Rebels were disappointing after finishing as minor premiers, sitting on top  of the competition ladder for  11 of the 17 home and away rounds and beating the Dragons in a tight qualifying final a fortnight ago. 

To the victor, the spoils were a berth in the Grand Final but the Rebels were never in the hunt and were slaughtered by 83 points in the end with Chargers dominant in the midfield and everywhere else on the ground. Needless to say, I struggle to find any Rebel players whose performances are worth commenting upon.

Last year Oakleigh produced Toby Green, now starring with the GWS Giants and Jack Viney (best on the ground in the Grand Final) who was the right age this year but concentrated on VFL with Casey and school football with Carey Grammar. This year the Chargers maintained their elite midfield status finding, among others,  Viney's schoolmate in skillful left footer Jackson Macrae who is the perfect size for a modern midfielder at 188cm. 

Coming off a very good Under 18's carnival, Macrae has been in outstanding form in the finals and his stocks have risen rapidly. He reads the play well, is an outstanding kick and decision maker and he can find the goals. 

His partner in crime Ryan Exon, has a name that sounds like a petrol company and the Chargers have been getting good mileage out of him. The team was also well served by Aiden Franetic and bottom age sensation Jack Billings who starred for Vic Metro in the championships and was in sparkling form at half forward. He's a great user of the ball and will move into the midfield next year. He's also a certainty to be a top three draft pick next year, especially with Jack Martin and Jesse Hogan out of the way.

Oakleigh's key forwards Kristian Jaksch and Ned Walmsley kicked five goals between them and while I'm loathe to comment on promising key position players after pumping up Lucas Cook's tyres a couple of years ago, I think the former has what it takes to live up to the high accolades that have been heaped upon him. Jaksch is tall, a good contested mark, strong on the ground and his kicking is solid. He also goes well down back and is another schoolmate of Jack Viney at Carey.

Another prospect for next year is North Melbourne father/son hopeful Luke McDonald who, like Billings is already an All Australian. He will most likely cost his old man's club a first round selection in next year's draft.

As much as I have a soft spot for the Ballarat region which has produced a few players for Melbourne in recent years, there was not much to report from the Rebels' listless effort in a must win preliminary final.  Tanner Smith who showed good run in defence for Vic Country struggled in this game as a key position forward while defender Tim Mackenzie battled hard against the odds. The small brigade which has served the Rebels well all year wasn't up to the might of the Chargers although midfielder Nick Rippon, who has been consistently good, had his moments. An interesting prospect who I do like is Dom Barry, a Northern Territorian who boards at St. Pat's Ballarat and has sizzling pace. One Rebel who showed real class was bottom ager Matt Crouch whose brother was picked up in last year's GWS mini draft. He will be a likely contender next year.

North Ballarat Rebels 0.2.2 1.3.9 5.4.34 5.6.36

Oakleigh Chargers  3.7.25 10.10.70 14.15.99 17.17.119

Goals

North Ballarat Rebels  Herbert 3 Neade 2

Oakleigh Chargers Franetic Jaksch MacRae 3 Collopy Walmsley 2 Billings  Cutler McDonald Toohey

Best

North Ballarat Rebels Hendy Cassidy Barry Blake Mackenzie Herbert

Oakleigh Chargers MacRae Collins Exon McDonald Billings Raru