THE SECOND week of TAC Cup Finals have been run and won, with Geelong Falcons and Sandringham Dragons progressing to Sunday’s TAC Cup Grand Final at Etihad Stadium

You can re-watch both TAC Cup Preliminary Finals games here.

Read Matt Balmer’s scouting notes from the finals below, focusing on some of the better players on the weekend, with an emphasis on the 2017 draft eligible players.

Geelong Falcons vs. Dandenong Stingrays 

Geelong Falcons:

#4 Gryan Miers – Was lively up forward and was a tough match up for the Stingrays defenders. Showed his smarts inside 50 and booted three goals – including an ‘underground’ goal after running 35m towards the goals. Was willing to tackle and though at times, his unique kicking action saw a few kicks miss the target – he was one of the Falcons’ best.

#13 Ethan Floyd – Showed his skill on the outside and was able to get off the chain for the second week in a row, finishing with 28 disposals and five inside 50s. At times he did rush a few of his kicks, but took an impressive mark in the third term and made it back-to-back strong performances.

#19 Matt Ling – Didn’t set the house on fire finishing with 15 disposals and three inside 50s, but an outstanding run in the third quarter saw him burst through the middle of the ground – taking a few bounces and kicking it long inside 50. Put in a strong effort close to goal in the final quarter and continued to show off his outstanding agility.

#42 Cassidy Parish – Broke the game open after half time with 14 disposals in the third quarter alone, winning it in the contest and showing his smarts at the clearances. He finished as the leading disposal winner on the ground with 33, and he rarely missed a target by hand in the stoppages. Also showed off a pinpoint left foot pass and finished with a goal in the final term.

#43 Joshua Jaska – Played a stellar role in defence, with 14 disposals and four rebound 50s. He took a great intercept mark in the second quarter and finished the game on a high note – with a very strong last quarter when the Stingrays needed to hit the scoreboard.

Dandenong Stingrays:

#2 Hunter Clark – Was the Stingrays leading disposal winner with 25 (13 contested), winning the ball in the midfield. His clearance work is very good and he was willing to tackle hard on the inside. Had a game-high 10 inside 50s and was willing to pump it long to give the Rays forwards the best chance. Won a free kick in the third quarter and converted the chance at goal.

#6 Aiden Bonar – Had a quieter game with 14 disposals, but his ground ball numbers were some of the highest for the weekend – indicating his ability to win the one-on-one contests at ground level. Played mostly forward, with stints in the midfield after half time and took some good lead up marks. Won four clearances in the midfield.

#9 Luke Davies-Uniacke – Had a strong first half and spent a bit more time up forward in the second half, rather than through the midfield. Won 22 disposals (12 contested), laid six tackles, had five clearances and four inside 50s. Once again he showed that he could remain standing when being tackled, showing his strengths to dispose of the ball without going to ground. Nearly took a huge screamer in the third term and kicked a strong set shot goal from 45 metres out in the last quarter.

#12 Bailey Morrish – Marked well on multiple occasions around the ground and was able to be effective by both hand and foot. Shows some spring on his feet when he’s running around and has good athletic traits.

#29 Bailey Williams – The bottom-age ruckman was the dominant ruckman on the ground with 22 hitouts. He used his leap to effectiveness and took an outstanding contested/intercept mark deep in defence.

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Oakleigh Chargers vs. Sandringham Dragons 

Oakleigh Chargers:

#1 Jack Roughsedge – Won the ball in the contest and was willing to throw his frame around. Roughsedge finished with 27 disposals (14 contested) and eight clearances, as one of the Chargers’ better players. At times his kicking could’ve been better around the ground, but he won three centre clearances and kicked a good goal in the third term.

#6 Matthew Day – Started well with some clean pick ups at ground level and recorded two inside 50s early – but unfortunately hit his head on the ground after being tackled in the second quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game with concussion.

#11 Matthew Rowell – Was the Chargers’ best for the day and showed why he is a contender for the No.1 pick in 2019. Rowell won the football on the outside and showed his class in getting the ball going forward. Kicked a vital goal in the third term and his 17 disposal & five tackle game was impressive from the Under 16.

#14 Ed Richards – The left footer used his pinpoint kick to effectiveness linking up from half back and on a few occasions showed off his good closing speed with was notable when he was going to defend. Richards played more of a role in the midfield in the second half, winning a few clearances. Was used in short sharp bursts, spending a lot of time on the interchange bench.

#35 Jack Higgins – Was a heroic effort to get up, with whispers going around late last week he was in doubt – but Higgins just willed himself to get up for the contest. Looked to suffer a corkie in the second quarter and was in the hands of the trainers for a long period of time, but came back on the ground in the third term and managed to hit the scoreboard. Finished with 10 disposals and 2.2 – in a effort that saw him push through the pain.

Sandringham Dragons:

#2 Geordie Nagle – Continues to fly under the radar and has been one of the Dragons’ big improvers. At times he took the kick outs, but he was composed with ball in hand looking short for a target and possessing good vision to often look for the option to switch. Finished with 23 disposals in a strong performance down back.

#5 Seb Williams – Been mighty impressive in the last two weeks, once again showing his zip in the middle of the ground. Impressively, 10 out of his 12 kicks were effective – an area that has been around the 50 per cent efficiency in recent times. He took the ball inside 50 on five occasions and his handball to Angus Styles in the second quarter that led to a goal assist was super. Kicked a huge goal in the last quarter, to give the Dragons a two goal lead.

#9 Andrew Brayshaw – Continued to show why he could well be a top 10 selection in November’s NAB AFL Draft, finishing with 25 disposals, seven tackles, six clearances and five inside 50s. Once again with his head bandaged, he was able to win the ball and get it moving forward effectively. Also kicked a good goal in the second quarter.

#15 Alfie Jarnestrom – Intercepted a nice kick 30m from goal early in the contest and finished with 14 disposal and two goals. His tackling pressure was enormous, finishing with eight and he was able to spread well and out mark his opponent around the ground. His tackle on Isaac Quaynor was huge in the final quarter.

#69 Ben King – The bottom-ager showed why he is well in the calculations for a top 10 selection, finishing with 20 disposals and 10 marks in the No.69 top. His first half was superb and without the Chargers’ No.1 tall forward Toby Wooller (missing through injury), King had a field day intercepting at ease.