Caulfield Grammar coach Nathan Page has poured praise on AFL great Jimmy Bartel's impact on the squad ahead of the school's grand final at Brighton Grammar on Saturday.
Caulfield will take on an undefeated Tonners lineup at 2pm - a prospect which looked unlikely after losing two of its first three
In Marlon Neocleous and Wil Malady, Caulfield has two first round prospects on its roster this year and Bartel, the school's football director, has augmented the development of the Gippsland pair boarding at the school, but also, just as importantly, raised the standards more broadly across the group.
"He's provided the high level habits, the mentorship - clearly he knows what it takes," Page told Zero Hanger.
"And not just developing high level talent but developing the whole group. He connects with staff, with players and I think we're trying to create a more connected program, not just a top-end elite program.
"He's unbelievably generous with his time from a welfare, craft and vision perspective. He's invested, we set standards early on and within the program there is an amazing amount of resources and he's empowered players to lean into that and there will always be time made for those who want to improve their game or improve them as people in the school community.
"I think it's no secret we're trying to create better people and have alignment with school values. They're the conversations we're having with recruiters; talent speaks for itself but they want to know what they're like behind closed doors or in the school community."
Page is confident that if Caulfield plays the brand of footy it has been striving for all season it will put itself in a position to knock off Brighton.
A 42-point win over St Kevins College in Round 9 was a significant show of what they are capable of even without star midfielder Harper McCullough, with rival coach Daniel Harford declaring them the best team the Snakes faced all year.
They followed that up with a 98-point victory before taking care of business in difficult conditions against Melbourne Grammar.
"We tinkered with game plan in terms of how we want to defend and move towards a team first buy-in and we forget we're dealing with kids and they want to impress so we have to reinforce that the way to do that is through playing good, team-first footy," Page said.
"I think we had the opportunity to implode and go ‘this isn't working' earlier in the season or lean in, and once we started to get nourishment, that built confidence within the group.
"We were big on making bold selections around that and selecting guys who would make us better as a team and that improved the environment.
"The St Kevin's performance was impressive but we've been building for a while and we're confident we have a stronger baseline level of performance that isn't reliant on individual performance.
"I think it has often been seen as an opportunity to showcase rather than an opportunity to have fun with your mates. How do we play fun footy? It's through connection and having trust in your teammates and if you do that well enough, you'll get eyes on you anyway."
Brighton Grammar has looked somewhat vulnerable in recent weeks, just getting over the top of Xavier College and taking until midway through the last quarter to break away from Geelong College which has struggled this year.
It has provided cause for optimism externally that Caulfield is a genuine chance to take the inaugural premiership, but Page said it was important to emphasise the size of the achievement they have already accomplished.
"It would be significant but you can't be solely basing success on win-loss," he said.
"Do we want to win? Absolutely. But we're trying to create a sustainable environment built on team-first connection and buy-in and we want to take a breath and celebrate that this week and then compete. We want to showcase what we think CGS footy looks like."
A significant factor in the game will be Brighton Grammar captain and top three AFL Draft prospect Arki Butler.
Butler has not played since midway through the Under-18s National Championships, where he sustained a broken collarbone, but has set himself to return for the big dance since receiving news of the injury.
He was a difference-maker in the Round 1 clash between the sides and an eight-goal game against Melbourne Grammar was the clearest sign of how much of a factor his talent is at schoolboy level.
"Without saying too much, clearly we had a plan Round 1 which didn't work as well as we would've liked. We have plans in place to curb his influence," Page said.
"A top-end talent like that will have his moments; we just want to be able to manage those as best we can and make it a hard game for them to play."
Key players
Harper McCullough
A big-bodied midfielder who will likely be a crafty forward at the next level, he is a crash-and-bash style of player whose skillset is suited to the competition, and, in particular, Brighton Grammar's small ground. Look for him to step up and put himself in positions to impact the big moments.
Ben Forster
The skipper has gained draft interest off the back of strong school footy form. Being named as skipper despite not previously playing firsts footy before this year is a big nod to his character. Will likely play in defence but has filled multiple roles for Caulfield Grammar this year.
Wil Malady
The athletic forward will likely get the matchup on Tyson Bradley and will be Caulfield Grammar's forward barometer. If they cannot get it down to him, do not be surprised to see him utilised as a midfielder, winger or even defender to get him more involved in the game. He's arguably Caulfield Grammar's most talented prospect.
Marlon Neocleous
And if Malady is not the most talented prospect for Caulfield Grammar, Gippsland's Neocleous certainly is. The dynamic small forward will likely start on the ball and has been in electric form in recent weeks, able to find the goals from anywhere and burst away from congestion.
Ryan McConnell
One of the more unheralded members of the Caulfield Grammar lineup because he hasn't necessarily translated his excellent school footy form to Talent League like the others. McConnell has been an instrumental and workmanlike midfielder for the past two seasons and regularly gives his side ascendancy at stoppage.
Wil Thornton
A 2028 Carlton father-son prospect who is an important cog behind the footy, marking indiscriminate balls kicked into the opposition's attacking end and distributing with great skill and creativity.
