STEPPING up in the absence of top-age Allies representatives Lachlan Cowan and Tom McCallum, bottom-age Tasmania Devils prospect Arie Schoenmaker has been a recent revelation in his side’s backline. The 193cm talent possesses a sweet left foot and reads the play well, essentially combining what the aforementioned Devils leaders do so well as a pair.

After a breakout game in Round 10, Schoenmaker backed it up with 24 disposals, 11 marks and eight rebound 50s in Tasmania’s barnstorming 69-point win over Bendigo on Sunday. With plenty of players coming to the fore during representative season, we put the 17-year-old’s latest NAB League performance under our Player Focus microscope.

Defender

Arie Schoenmaker

Height: 194cm

Weight: 91kg

DOB: 07-01-2005

Strengths:

Ball use

Decision making

Kicking

Reading the play

Rebounding

Improvements:

Contested work

Defensive craft

SEASON SO FAR

Averages: 10 games | 14.0 disposals (10.7 kicks, 3.3 handballs), 4.8 marks, 1.3 tackles, 2.4 rebound 50s

Featuring in all 10 of Tasmania’s games so far, Schoenmaker steadily earned is spot in the starting lineup with promising performances. Trialled in a few different roles, he has lifted his output exponentially over the last fortnight with season-high numbers across the board. He notched between 10 and 12 disposals five times in the first eight rounds, before breaking through with 29 touches and 13 marks against Dandenong last week. He’s on the rise.

2022 NAB League, Round 11
Bendigo Pioneers 4.7 (31) def. by Tasmania Devils 14.16 (100)

Stats: 24 disposals (20 kicks, 4 handballs), 11 marks (5 intercepts), 8 rebound 50s

FIRST QUARTER

The first term was the only period where Tasmania leaked multiple goals, so it’s no coincidence that it reflected in Schoenmaker’s statline. Stationed in his usual defensive post, he managed two kicks – one via a kick-in – and one mark across the opening 25 minutes.

He hardly took long to get the ball in his hands though, peeling off as an outlet inside defensive 50 to mark uncontested, maintaining his stride and kicking fluently to the wing. His kick-in, nearly 20 minutes later, was another tidy effort to hit a teammate at the top of defensive 50. The best was yet to come.

SECOND QUARTER

Registering nearly half of his total disposals in one quarter, the second was clearly Schoenmaker’s most prolific. The Devils defender had the ball 10 times, clunking five marks (three intercept) and dishing out a handful of rebound 50s.

His distributive skills really came to the fore across a dominant 25 minutes, with all 10 of his disposals being kicks. Constantly wheeling onto his favoured left side, Schoenmaker moved the ball on quickly and made terrific decisions when doing so, picking off immaculate passes.

Playing relatively loose across the backline, he combined his intercept game with handy receives, getting into space and making good of his time in possession. With gutsy switch kicks across the d50 and darts down the middle, his disposal was diverse and eye-catching. Most importantly, he didn’t miss a target.

THIRD QUARTER

The third was another relatively productive quarter for Schoenmaker, even if his side was still dominant up the other end of the ground. He continued to position well behind play and spread quickly when Tasmania won possession, gaining more uncontested ball.

On the flip-side, Schoenmaker was found wanting defensively on a couple of occasions, but Tasmania’s team defence ensured his leading opponent would be cut off. With fatigue perhaps entering the equation, he also missed his first kicks of the day – albeit while trying to execute high-reward inboard passes.

His best patch of play came late on, clunking consecutive intercept marks off errant Bendigo kicks to the wing. He reeled in the ball on his chest both times, but those grabs were followed by the aforementioned cut-off kicks.

FOURTH QUARTER

After big efforts in the second and third terms, Schoenmaker’s output in the final period was more like that of the opening quarter. He notched another handful of touches in the early and late stages of the term, rounding out a solid day.

Shoenmaker produced his best play in the final five minutes, latching onto a handball receive inside defensive 50, rebounding via foot, before getting the ball back on further afield and pinging another sharp kick forward.

He’s the type of talent who can play to his strengths, and they are quite obvious. Kicking his his one-wood, and Schoenmaker reads the play well not only to intercept, but also get into space where that distributive skill can shine. He has been a real asset over the last fortnight for Tasmania.