DANDENONG Stingrays midfielder Mitch Szybkowski has started his 2022 NAB League season on fire, putting his name in lights as one of the competition’s premier inside ball winners. On Sunday, he returned another best afield performance in the Stingrays’ 17-point win over the Bendigo Pioneers at Queen Elizabeth Oval.

The strongly-built top-ager is relentless at the contest and has an incredibly clean set of hands, which combined with his strength make for terrific inside traits. Szybkowski’s past form and future potential were recognised with AFL Academy selection this year, and his appetite for hard work is paying off at this early stage.

We put his Round 3 performance under the NAB League Player Focus microscope.

Inside Midfielder

Mitch Szybkowski

Height: 186cm

Weight: 86kg

DOB: 09-01-2004

Strengths:

Clean hands

Consistency

Decision making

Inside game

Work rate

Improvements:

Kicking consistency [reference to execution]

Speed

WHAT THEY’VE SAID

“The good thing about Mitch is that he never changes the way that he is. Obviously he got into the AFL Academy, he trains so professionally and gets the best out of himself. It’s well deserved for the way he is, the way he prepares and obviously he’s got some football talent as well.

That mix is pretty good at the moment. His expectations of himself are quite high, and all he does is control what he can – that’s his training and preparation.” – Dandenong Stingrays coach Nick Cox during preseason.

NAB LEAGUE ROUND 3
Dandenong Stingrays 13.12 (90) def. Bendigo Pioneers 10.13 (73)

Stats: 32 disposals (15 kicks, 17 handballs), 4 marks, 8 tackles, 6 inside 50s, 2 rebound 50s, 1 goal
Season averages: 29.0 disposals, 2.7 marks, 6.0 tackles, 5.0 inside 50s, 1.3 rebound 50s, 0.3 goals (1 total)

FIRST QUARTER

Taking up his usual starting spot at the centre bounces, Szybkowski was quick to get stuck into his work. The top-ager got his hands on the ball straight away, gathering as it hit the deck and scrubbing a kick forward from congestion. Tone set.

His stoppage craft is top notch and that was noticeable from the off, as he snared another clearance by backpedalling from under the Dandenong ruck to make space and receive a handball before sending the ball inside 50.

Szybkowski’s ability to be one-touch in tight spots served him well, and given his largely inside tendencies, that trait is arguably his most important. He fumbled once in term one, and it almost cost him clear possession but he was caught high in the resultant tackle.

With plenty of ball in the clinches, Szybkowski was also able to showcase his terrific vision and spatial awareness when flicking out handballs. One of his best plays was a quick tap over the outstretched arm of an opponent at stoppage, before taking the ball and bringing it to the outer.

Overall, it was as solid a start as the Stingrays standout has produced across each of his first three games, and his key attributes all came to the fore despite Dandenong trailing at the first break.

SECOND QUARTER

Given the level of Szybowski’s play, and the fact that his side needed a lift, he began to prove a difficult read for both opponents and teammates around the ball. With shifts of the hips, baulks and nifty turns, Szybkowski got creative but was sometimes a bit cute with his decision making to start term two.

Forced to shovel the ball out or work hard to find space, the 18-year-old’s mettle was tested. He absorbed as much pressure as possible and would often cop a tackle to allow teammates that extra bit of space, given he nearly always finds a way to dispose of the ball despite contact. Pure strength.

While his kicking was not always on point throughout Sunday’s game, Szybkowski snared a lovely stoppage goal to draw Dandenong to within a kick of the lead. He got on the move to create separation, latched onto the tap and snapped home on his right foot without breaking stride. It was a moment of quality.

Szybkowski also got involved in the Stingrays’ handball chains through the corridor too, with his constant tracking of the play and unmatched appetite for possession helping to keep the flow of play moving. One of his final plays for the half was a goal assist, hitting up Hugo Nosiara from the pocket.

THIRD QUARTER

Having made a strong start to proceedings in the opening half, Szybkowski began to get into a rhythm and continued to do what he does best. His efficient use by hand was sharp throughout term three, as was his movement in the clinches.

Szybkowski was not afraid to hold possession for as long as possible and looked comfortable with opponents closing in, biding his time and making up for a lack of breakaway speed with his smarts.

He hardly missed a handball across the 25 minutes, and willed his way out of tackles with pure strength – something he can exploit at the Under 18 level. Szybkowski’s ability to spread was another feature of term three, as he ran in waves with his fellow ‘Rays to surge the ball inside 50.

A dump kick out of defensive 50 going out on the full was a rare blemish for him, but Szybkowski’s strengths lie in his handball game and he was generally far neater with that method of disposal and decision making.

FOURTH QUARTER

With the game still up for grabs in the final quarter, Szybkowski tried to lift his side by turning the screws with his tackling pressure. Laying eight for the game, his jumper pulls turned back into big wrap-ups to forced spills or stoppages.

His handball game went smoothly as per usual, and Szybkowski continued to win a good amount of stoppage ball to further showcase his consistency. He even displayed a bit of power with a burst away from two tacklers, and had a fine finish to his best afield outing.

All in all, Szybkowski continues to prove he is one of the more reliable midfielders available in the Victoria draft crop, with his enormously high work rate and obvious contested prowess proving too good for most at NAB League level. His core traits are easily transferable to the next level, though the top-ager can look to work on his outside weapons with sharper kicks inside 50 and more green ball.