Magpie kids a bright spot; bolter surges into AFL mid-season draft mix: The Reserves
With Collingwood’s season spiralling out of control, they can at least look forward to more young talent coming into the senior side.
Plus the VFL bolter pushing his case for AFL mid-season draft selection and exciting news for Carlton.
Catch up on all of the big stories out of the state leagues this past weekend in The Reserves!
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COLLINGWOOD fans desperately looking for positives after a hugely disappointing loss to Gold Coast, which saw Nathan Buckley’s side anchored in 17th with a 1-6 record, need only look down a level.
With Buckley opting for experience at the selection table in Round 7, bringing in Chris Mayne and dropping five players with a combined 50 AFL matches under their belts, the Magpies’ kids starred in a thrilling three-point VFL win over the Suns.
Oliver Henry continued to push for a return to the AFL side, having impressed through the pre-season and debuted in Round 1, but being dropped after having just four disposals. Against Gold Coast, he had 22 disposals, 13 marks and kicked three goals.
His fellow 2020 draftee Reef McInnes is inching closer to an AFL debut, laying a game-high 11 tackles and adding 20 disposals and a goal, while rookie Tom Wilson had 30 disposals.
Brayden Sier (28 disposals, one goal) and Jack Madgen (25 disposals, five marks) will be considered for senior returns.
COBURG’s Marcus Lentini continues to push his case for the AFL mid-season draft after racking up another 40-disposal haul on the weekend.
Lentini has been a ball magnet since arriving at Coburg, after coming out of the Northern Knights. He led the VFL in disposals in both 2018, tied with former Williamstown and now Carlton player Michael Gibbons, and 2019.
On Sunday night, Lentini’s 42 disposals and seven tackles led the Lions to an 18-point win in torrential rain against Brisbane.
“I don’t know what more he needs to do for an AFL recruiters to say he’s worthy of having a look at and getting a crack on an AFL list,” Coburg coach Andrew Sturgess told The Leader.
“If you look at guys that have gone from VFL to AFL – Gibbons, Saad, Barlow, Mitchell – the biggest question Marcus is often asked is what’s your X-factor, well I’d say it he gets the football more than anyone else.
“Players like that that have a natural ball-winning ability and football brain are able to make the jump to the next level much easier.”
Lentini’s teammate Sam Lowson, who kicked two goals in the win over Brisbane, was viewed as one of the top contenders for the 2019 mid-season draft, but injured his knee and ankle the week before it, resulting in clubs overlooking the small forward.
CARLTON could re-call Nic Newman and Tom De Koning straight back into the senior side after they made successful returns from injury in a 49-point VFL win over Essendon.
Newman, who hadn’t played since Round 2 last year when he ruptured his patella tendon, had 23 disposals in his first game back and would slot nicely into a defence that has been leaking goals all year.
And with the Blues losing another big man on Sunday, when Mitch McGovern (hamstring) went down injured, De Koning (13 disposals, 31 hit-outs) would be a valuable inclusion into David Teague’s team.
Will Setterfield is banging down the door for selection after a 26-disposal and one-goal haul, while Lochie O’Brien also looked better than the level.
It was a mirror image of the senior-level Derby in the WAFL, as Peel Thunder demolished West Coast by 79 points, led by a five-goal haul from dropped FREMANTLE forward Josh Treacy.
Treacy was left out of the AFL side with Dockers coach Justin Longmuir not wanting his 22 to be too tall, especially with Nat Fyfe spending time forward, but made a strong case to return on Sunday.
Meanwhile Sam Sturt added three goals while Liam Henry added to his highlight reel, kicking an excellent goal from one of his 20 disposals.
For WEST COAST, Brendon Ah Chee (13 disposals, two goals) had his moments on his return from a hamstring injury, likewise Jarrod Cameron (10 disposals, three goals).
Mitch Wallis pushed his case for a senior return - especially considering the poor output of Rhylee West in the WESTERN BULLDOGS’ loss on Friday night - when he had a team-high 28 disposals in a win over the Northern Bullants.
After plenty of commentary around him not being selected for an AFL debut, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan had his quietest VFL game yet, kicking one goal from 10 disposals.
In other news:
- Darcy Fogarty continued his move to the midfield at SANFL level, and impressed with 18 disposals, seven clearances and a goal in ADELAIDE’s one-point loss to Sturt;
- ESSENDON’s Brandon Zerk-Thatcher (14 disposals) didn’t exactly force Ben Rutten’s hand at selection after being dropped to the VFL;
- A strong performance from Darcy Fort (17 disposals, 23 hitouts) in a VFL win over Sydney will make GEELONG ruckman Rhys Stanley nervous, while an AFL return for Max Holmes (23 disposals, three goals) surely looms;
- GWS forward Jake Riccardi looked at home in a new defensive role in Sunday’s win over Southport, recording 40 disposals with 19 marks;
- Sam Weideman, who’s in line for AFL selection after Adam Tomlinson’s injury forced MELBOURNE coach Simon Goodwin to move Tom McDonald into defence, helped his case with 17 disposals, 10 marks and four goals in a big win over North Melbourne;
- PORT ADELAIDE is hopeful Tom Rockliff hasn’t suffered a severe knee injury after a 34-disposal, eight-clearance day out in a big win over Woodville-West Torrens;
- Surprise SYDNEY omission Nick Blakey had 19 disposals in a VFL loss to Geelong while Braeden Campbell managed 25 disposals and seven tackles, while top draft pick Logan McDonald kicked three goals.