A WEEK removed from the dramatic finish game one produced, South Australia’s Under 17 Futures squads again went head-to-head on Thursday night. With a few key changes to either side, Team Yellow came out victorious this time around with a 22-point defeat of their Blue counterparts. Some of the state’s best Under 17s will top-up the Allies team to face their own Under 19s on Sunday, meaning this game may just have served as an unknowing audition for some. We take you through some of the top performers and players to watch from either side in the latest Scouting Notes edition. Note, they are the opinion of the individual author.

YELLOW 6.1 | 7.2 | 11.8 | 12.9 (81)
BLUE 1.1 | 2.3 | 4.4 | 9.5 (59)

GOALS:
Yellow: J. Magor 3, A. Tully 2, I. Kean 2, L. Rawlinson, N. Hyde, W. Dowling, P. Weckert, J. Matz
Blue: J. Delean 3, T. Tattoli 3, H. Francis, S. Bennier, H. Barnett

Team Yellow:

#2 Kade Maddigan (Norwood) 04/08/2005 | 169cm | 69kg

A nippy kind of player who thrives at ground level, Maddigan looked busy from the outset and used his pace to carry the ball out of defence. He was the smallest player afield at 169cm and did most of his work on the outer, receiving in space before kicking on the end of short spurts. He did miss his share of targets by foot, but has plenty of time to develop.

#4 Angus Tully (North Adelaide) 4/08/2005 | 181cm | 61kg

A regular part of Team Yellow’s midfield, Tully showcased a superb inside game with some fantastic moments at the stoppages. Able to win first possession, he was clean by hand and balanced in traffic, shifting into space with deft feints before wheeling around to get a clearing kick away. Tully often turned on a dime and shifted quickly to buy himself valuable time and space, bringing class to his clearance work. He also booted two goals; with one a quick snap in term one, and the other a 40m set shot in term four.

#10 Noah Hyde (Norwood) 15/06/2004 | 176cm | 71kg

One who started brightly, Hyde was part of Team Yellow’s midfield-forward rotation and looked most effective in the front half. He snared a goal in the opening term after copping heavy front-on contact, slotting the set shot on his left foot. For a 176cm player, Hyde showed guts in the air with a couple of intercept marks and was not afraid to throw his body into contests. He was a touch scratchy on some kicks but hit others well, proving a touch quieter after half time.

#14 Alex Holt (Sturt) 28/01/2005 | 181cm | 71kg

Carrying on his form from game one, Holt rotated into his side’s midfield mix more permanently as the game wore on, enjoying an especially prolific second quarter. He looks dangerous when released to run, driving the ball forward and capping off with a kick. He had a centre clearance dribble over the back and hit the post in term one, before sending several balls into the attacking arc throughout term two. While he can polish that end product, Holt’s bursts bring energy to the game and make things happen.

#24 Jaiden Magor (South Adelaide) 16/02/2004 | 185cm | 79kg

A highly touted inclusion for this game, Magor did not disappoint as he starred in Team Yellow’s forward line with three goals. He got on the board early with a 35m set shot for the game’s first goal, before coming to life with two more in term three. He could well have had more, missing a few chances from a range of distances and angles, but proving dangerous inside 50. A strong and explosive type, Magor showed that side of his game with solid contested work, acceleration off the mark, and penetrative kicking.

#30 Oscar Talbot (West Adelaide) 28/09/2005 | 191cm | 75kg

The Team Yellow defence didn’t have too much to do in the opening half, and in line with that factor, Talbot showed his best form towards the end of the game as more ball came his way. He was particularly prominent in the fourth quarter, popping up for a series of intercept marks inside defensive 50. In those instances, Talbot read the play well to peel off his direct opponent or mark at the back of forming packs, cutting off Blue’s quick forays forward.

#32 William Dowling (North Adelaide) 07/01/2004 | 187cm | 77kg

A big body on the inside at 187cm, Dowling did well to earn a high amount of possessions in midfield while also getting busy up forward. The North Adelaide talent was strong over the ball and distributed it cleanly at stoppages, often leading to clearance breaks as his runners were released into space. He hit the scoreboard with a nice finish from 45 out in term one, but scuppered dual chances in the next two periods of play.

#34 Will Patton (West Adelaide) 04/01/2005 | 193cm | 73kg

The General down back for Team Yellow, Patton followed up a promising game one to put together a few nice moments. He showcased a handy balance of traits, leaning on his 193cm height and reading of the play to take multiple intercept marks, while also using the ball well with both long and short-range kicks. He often moved it on swiftly too, helping his side quickly get back on the front foot from the back half.

#42 Jayden Matz (Central District) 23/04/2005 | 195cm | 78kg

While not the most prolific player afield, Matz again displayed his upside as a versatile 195cm prospect. The Central District product notched the game’s second goal, sliding to mark deep inside 50 before converting a straightforward set shot. He continued to present on the lead inside 50 and looked best when the ball came in quickly off centre breaks, marking at the arc before kicking deeper. Matz also got to show his wares rotating through the ruck.

#48 Koby Cockshell (South Adelaide) 06/12/2004 | 190cm | 90kg

Another of Team Yellow’s bigger bodies among the midfield rotation, Cockshell pinch hit at the centre bounces but looked arguably more comfortable as a forward. The 190cm, 90kg South Adelaide talent displayed sharp short kicking skills for a player of his size, punching the ball forward with a mix of force and finesse. He looked to use his power and got on the move with ball in hand, but couldn’t quite snare a goal for himself after assisting Magor in term one.

Team Blue:

#1 Trent Tattoli (Central District) 14/04/2005 | 179cm | 62kg

One of two players to kick three goals for Team Blue, Tattoli was a busy member of the midfield-forward rotation. He put opponents into a spin with two of his goals, weaving through traffic with great poise to find a bit of space and finish well. In between those efforts in the second and fourth quarters, Tattoli also converted a 40m set shot to take toll from a 50m penalty. He worked hard up the ground as a high half-forward and made great decisions inside 50, while also finding a bit more ball in the middle.

#7 Jack Delean (South Adelaide) 15/04/2005 | 179cm | 65kg

Team Blue finished with the last five goals of the game and Delean kicked three of them. While we know by now he can pull off such feats, it was even more impressive given he was released up to the wing in term four. The usual forward started there and brought great presence to the attacking 50, proving slippery at ground level while also applying tackling pressure. His first major was a 40m set shot, but the other two were snaps which showed extraordinary goal sense and smarts. He crumbed on both occasions, hitting the ball on the move before converting in a flash. Special talent.

#9 Archie Lovelock (Glenelg) 19/12/2004 | 177cm | 69kg

While not the biggest midfielder at 177cm and 69kg, Lovelock was repeatedly able to get first hands on the footy at centre bounces and was super clean in those situations. Sharking on the move, the Glenelg prospect proved one-touch with his handling in most instances and stayed moving to navigate a couple of nice clearance exits.

#15 Luca Slade (Sturt) 3/11/2005 | 183cm | 69kg

A familiar name in South Australian parts, Slade comes from good pedigree but is a handy player in his own right. The 2023-eligible prospect has shown class in most of his work with Sturt to-date, but got to use a bit more grunt on this occasion when running through midfield. Slade made a few physical plays, laying a big bump in term two and looking to drive his legs through stoppages with aggression. He has pretty good range around the ball at 183cm and a promising bit of upside overall.

#17 Lachlan Scannell (Glenelg) 16/08/2004 | 186cm | 73kg

Operating mostly off the wing with stints up forward, Scannell displayed a handy balance of toughness and class in diverse passages of play. He started off with a good bit of play to smother and win the loose ball in term two, before taking a nice intercept mark on the stretch during the same period. Later in the game, Scannell showcased some smooth movement through traffic where it looked like he had a bit of time in possession, also making a good decision to wheel around and hit a target going away from goal in term three.

#25 Tyson Coe (West Adelaide) 21/10/2004 | 182cm | 82kg

As one of the more developed players afield, it was no surprise to see Coe find plenty of the ball and make some strong plays with it throughout the game. He was utilised in his usual defence-midfield rotation, driving Team Blue forward with a bit of force and looking to kick more often than not. While a little scrappy at times by foot, Coe was reasonably effective when allowed a bit of time and space, and he needed to be given how many possessions he accumulated in the back half.

#31 Ashton Moir (Glenelg) 15/04/2005 | 186cm | 78kg

Operating out of defence, Moir is a good size already but does not rely solely on brawn. The Glenelg talent caught the eye early with a running passage through the corridor, getting the one-two handball going and driving forward with some class. He looked smooth in possession and that boded well for rebounding play, which could also be observed as Moir distributed cleanly from a few kick-ins.

#41 Will McCabe (Central District) 29/09/2005 | 195cm | 75kg

Another dynamic kind of player on the blue side, McCabe was utilised as a tall wingman and showed great signs of upside. He moves well at 195cm and has great range with his reach, while also handling the ball cleanly under pressure. McCabe snuck forward in the third term for a couple of shots on goal, seeing a quick snap fall short in the goalsquare and his 40m set shot head offline.

#45 Shaun Bennier (North Adelaide) 20/02/2004 | 190cm | 87kg

A swingman of sorts, Bennier started forward for Team Blue and kicked his side’s first goal of the game. He came from two-deep to win a deep spillage inside 50 before turning and snapping home over his shoulder on the left. While unable to produce another major, Bennier presented strongly in the second term and registered minor scores, with one coming after a terrific holding the ball tackle. He was later swung to defence and popped up for an intercept mark in term four.

#51 Harry Barnett (West Adelaide) 22/01/2004 | 201cm | 92kg

One of the more highly touted talls afield, West Adelaide’s Barnett took on the primary ruck duties for Team Blue while also rotating forward. He arguably looked best when stationed in attack, kicking a goal in the third term and almost adding another in the fourth. He was the only player over 200cm afield, and looked to use that advantage in both roles.