GWV Rebels wingman Joel Freijah is our Coates Talent League Player of the Week for Round 4, after standing tall in his side’s 34-point loss to Dandenong on Sunday. The top-ager broke through for 26 disposals, seven marks, seven tackles and six of the Rebels’ nine goals in a remarkable performance.

Freijah, a member of the Vic Country Under 18 talent hub, has cut his teeth on the wing over the last two seasons but played a slightly different role in Round 4. He started on the outside before being shifted into the centre bounces, and even swinging forward on rotation.

He’s a good size at 190cm and has some bubble with his bounce, also proving hard to catch in possession with slick steps and composure. All of the above was on show in his latest outing, which yielded season-high tallies across the board.

Freijah now averages 21.3 disposals, 3.5 marks, 3.3 inside 50s, and a tick under two goals per his four Talent League games. He and his Rebels will now take a well deserved break, before returning to action against the Suns Academy on May 21 at Princes Park.

Around the grounds, there were plenty of other notable performances. Many came in Calder colours as the Cannons thrashed the Northern Territory Academy by 173 points. Isaac Kako and Amin Naim both booted seven goals, while Mahmoud Taha snared two to go with a game-high 36 disposals.

Elsewhere, Levi Ashcroft and Will Brown were again superb as Sandringham defeated the Giants Academy, while bottom-age gun Jagga Smith (37 disposals, two goals) was the standout for Oakleigh as the Chargers beat the Swans.

Western Jets spearhead Logan Morris was also up and about in his side’s first win of the year, booting five goals. Only one Metro player – Nick Watson – has taken out Player of the Week honours this season, despite the efforts of all of the above.

2023 COATES TALENT LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Round 1: Indhi Kirk (Swans Academy)
Round 2: Tom Anastasopoulos (Geelong Falcons)
Round 3: Nick Watson (Eastern Ranges)
Round 4: Joel Freijah (GWV Rebels)