A number of State League players are putting their best foot forward in a bid to impress and potentially secure spots in their respective senior sides for round two.
VFL
Richmond 13.15(93) def. Northern Blues 7.12 (54)
Trailing at every break, the Northern Blues were unable to match Richmond’s forward pressure, ultimately resulting in a 39-point loss.
An impressive game through Tom De Koning was brought to an end as he limped off the field with a moderate grade lateral ligament issue. The tall forward showed class and composure, both in the air and on the ground, before coming off late in the third term. Despite this, De Koning finished with two goals and earned a spot on the Northern Blues best.
Tall players, Levi Casboult and Patrick Kerr, rotated between forward and defensive posts.
From Richmond, defender Ryan Garthwaite is in a position to replace Alex Rance in the senior side after Rance tore his right ACL in the Tigers' round one clash against Carlton. Whilst Garthwaite was returning from injury himself, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick told reported that he could be promoted.
Other notable mentions include Brandon Ellis who collected 40 disposals whilst forwards Callum Moore and Jake Aarts scored six goals between them, assisting in Richmond’s victory over the Northern Blues.
Geelong 10.11 (71) def. Collingwood 7.12 (54)
A scrappy contest between Geelong and Collingwood saw the Cats rise above and hold a strong lead in the final quarter.
After racking up 28 disposals and a goal, Quinton Narkle played an impressive game that could see him push into contention for the senior side. Narkle put on a best on field performance to assist in the Cats 17-point victory.
Cats defender Lachie Henderson impressed as he emerged as a leader for the young backline. He finished with 16 disposals, eight marks and five rebound-50s after an interrupted pre-season.
It was Collingwood’s Brayden Sier who dominated the contest. As Sier played in hopes of a chance to face Richmond in the senior side on Thursday night, the big bodied midfielder showed displayed strength at stoppages whilst racking up disposal after disposal.
First-round draftee Isaac Quaynor put his best foot forward and proved promising in an attempt to show Collingwood what he was capable of.
Essendon 23.11 (149) def. Coburg 7.7 (49)
Entering his fourth year, young gun Darcy Parish secured five goals in the clash against Coburg after a shocking selection left him overlooked for the senior side. Parish impressed as he starred in the 100-point win, giving senior coach John Worsfold lots to consider.
Coburg’s numerous attempts to surge the ball forward were put to a halt at the great defensive pressure of Brandon Zerk-Thatcher.
However, it was fan favourite Martin Gleeson who stole the show as he returned from a season-ending ankle injury in the 2018 JLT Community Series. Despite being restricted to limited game time, only playing the second half, Gleeson fared well in the Bombers' win over Coburg.
Port Melbourne (78) def. North Melbourne (58)
Despite featuring 10 AFL-listed players in their practice match, North Melbourne were unable to secure the win on their home turf.
Victim to North Melbourne’s strong midfield depth, Paul Ahern sat out Round 1 in the AFL, but appeared solid in North’s 20-point loss to Port Melbourne. Hard work at the stoppages saw Ahern prove a point to Senior coach Brad Scott that he was a promising player for Round 2.
Whilst Tom Murphy only played four AFL matches last season, he showed promising signs. The defender surged the ball forward and, with the assistance of a strong breeze, was able to kick an astounding 70 meter goal.
Sandringham 12.7 (79) def Williamstown 8.9 (57)
Hunter Clark, Blake Acres and Rowan Marshall were three of the senior players demoted to the VFL side this week, all of whom starred in the practice match against Williamstown at Trevor Barker Oval.
Youngster Hunter Clark didn’t let his shock omission get in the way of proving his talents. Finishing with 23 disposals and one goal, Clark impressed in the 22-point win over Williamstown.
Rowan Marshall and Blake Acres also impressed, finishing with 21-disposals and 27-disposals respectively. Acres was also able to bag a goal of his own in his second game after returning from a back injury.
These three young guns will give Senior Coach Allan Richardson something to think about as St Kilda’s senior side enter the Round 2 clash against Essendon this Saturday.
Footscray 17.12 (114) def. Werribee 9.6 (60)
Rotating through 39 players, Footscray wanted to make the most of their practice match against Werribee and get a look at most of their list.
After being omitted by the senior side, Jackson Trengove responded perfectly. Trengove assisted with the Dogs 12 second-half goals with three of his own. He also collected 28 disposals to help successfully defeat Werribee with a 54-point win.
New draftee put on a show as he impressed North Melbourne with 28 disposals and a goal. Whilst talented forward, Patrick Lipinski starred with 36 disposals and also slotting a goal.
