OAKLEIGH Chargers vice-captain Elijah Tsatas turned in a prolific performance on Sunday, racking up a game-high 36 disposals in his side’s 31-point win over the Northern Knights. Touted as a pick one candidate coming into his top-age campaign, the 17-year-old possesses explosive athletic traits and elite kicking skills on the move.

After 27 touches in Round 1, he backed up his early form with another top display – even without partner-in-crime George Wardlaw. He brought some different than usual traits to the fore this time out, playing on both sides of midfield in our featured Player Focus performance for Round 2.

Midfielder

Elijah Tsatas

Height: 186cm

Weight: 79kg

DOB: 18-10-2004

Strengths:

Athleticism

Clean hands

Composure

Kicking

Run-and-carry

Speed

Draft range: Top 5

NAB LEAGUE ROUND 2
Oakleigh Chargers 12.12 (84) def. Northern Knights 7.11 (53)

Stats: 36 disposals (21 kicks, 15 handballs), 7 marks, 7 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s

FIRST QUARTER

What makes Tsatas’ final stat line even more remarkable is just how poor his first term was, especially by his lofty standards. Starting out on the wing and attending zero centre bounces, the pick one contender notched just two kicks, both in the opening 15 minutes.

He looked to get dangerous with his first possession, getting a handball receive off the centre bounce exit and stepping into the corridor, but being run down from behind as he looked to accelerate into attack.

Tsatas’ first kick came shortly after, as he snaffled up a loose ball on the wing and was caught high in a tackle. He used that possession to launch a kick to the top of the 50, where a contest formed and Oakleigh mopped up the spill.

Clearly his best bit of play was an intercept mark right on the defensive 50 arc, cutting across an opponent and claiming the ball cleanly overhead. The resultant kick wasn’t so good, with Tsatas called to play on, unable to baulk his opponent, and producing a turnover 30 metres over the top. It obviously lit a fire under him given what was to come.

SECOND QUARTER

After a slow start, Tsatas began to absolutely rack up possessions in term two. He made an impact in the first minute of the quarter, covering plenty of ground to jet inside 50 as Oakleigh moved forward.

Tsatas contested a one-on-one ball overhead from the forward 50 entry, bringing it to ground before a quick one-two handball and centring kick to assist Angus Curry’s second goal of the game.

His quick and clean hands became a factor, with Tsatas holding his width on the outside of stoppages and being the go-to receiver almost every time. While unable to pump his legs away from the contest, he hit some lovely long handballs to help Oakleigh use Preston City Oval’s expanses.

He was clean off the deck too, at speed, and always managed to get a disposal away under tackling pressure. Tsatas also proved composed with his uncontested work, which made up many of his touches in term two.

He participated in a heap of kick-mark play, though that style did not necessarily best showcase his elite traits. With generally safe kicks and not much opportunity to use his speed, it was more a case of him accumulating the ball at will.

Oakleigh finally pulled the trigger at the very last centre bounce, thrusting Tsatas into the action and being immediately rewarded. The speedster wheeled away at the back of the contest and sent a long kick to half-forward which came off. It was a fitting end to a much better term individual-wise.

THIRD QUARTER

Shifted back onto the wing, it became increasingly clear that Tsatas looked most dangerous when hitting or possessing the ball at speed. While he continued to make neat work of his uncontested possessions, the 17-year-old’s best moments came in different situations.

Whether it was scooping the ball up off his shoelaces or hitting leading targets by foot, Tsatas gave a glimpse of his best. On the latter, he showed a slight tendency to float nothing kicks forward when no one presented ahead of him, but was generally polished in possession.

He was again present at the final centre bounce of the quarter but did not get a chance to show his wares there, as Northern won a free kick and the resultant clearance. Tsatas is usually the one you want delivering inside 50 and while he had done so on a couple of occasions, he found less opportunities than usual to get dangerous while out on the wing.

FOURTH QUARTER

Tsatas was finally given the chance to play a permanent inside role in term four, attending every centre bounce. Although, it wasn’t his breakaway play which came to the fore – instead, his clean and quick hands at the contest were on display.

He again had no trouble finding the ball, with the very first ruck tap directed down his throat. He used the possession to handball to the back of the stoppage, where Alwyn Davey Jnr hacked away the clearing kick.

Tsatas also managed his first running bounce of the day in term four, finding space on the outer wing and advancing forward with a kick inside 50, albeit not his best effort. He was visibly frustrated after being pinged for a throw at a later centre bounce, and could certainly have contributed more defensive running from midfield.

Nonetheless, it was another high-disposal period for Tsatas, who capped off a prolific performance by showcasing a wider variety of traits. Going forward, his zero-tackle effort may be a sore point, but Sunday’s game was a solid base to work off for more midfield minutes. He remains well within top five calculations at this early stage.