THE YOUNG Guns pipped Vic Country in their second and final outing ahead of the AFL Mid-Season Draft, winning by three points at Ikon Park on Sunday. Having trailed at every break, Country snuck ahead for the first time with under eight minutes left to play, on the back of five unanswered goals.

Western Jets forward Jovan Petric broke the streak, popping up to kick the winner for the Young Guns who went down by 20 points to Vic Metro last week. We noted some of the top performers from either side in what ended up being an enthralling finish in Carlton North.

YOUNG GUNS 4.3 | 8.7 | 11.9 | 12.12 (84)
VIC COUNTRY 1.2 | 4.3 | 7.6 | 12.9 (81)

GOALS:

Young Guns: E. Stanley 2, M. Kiraly 2, C. Tucker 2, A. May 2, J. Longmire, B. Tedcastle, W. Elliott, J. Petric
Vic Country: L. Charleson 4, W. Dawson 2, S. Frangalas 2, J. Pike 2, J. Grant, O. Poole

>> Squads: Young Guns vs. Vic Country

SCOUTING NOTES

Young Guns:

#8 Rye Penny (Calder Cannons)
01/03/2004 | 186cm | Defender

Reprising a role off half-back, Penny benefitted from the more friendly conditions in another promising outing – particularly in the opening half. He again showcased his athleticism with plenty of speed on the rebound and a nice intercept mark during the first term, looking most lively when able to burst away in straight lines. He showed opponents a clean set of heels but could have been more polished in possession as he looked to take the game on at all costs.

#9 Archie Sinnott (Geelong Falcons)
28/07/2004 | 186cm | Midfielder

Having cut his teeth in defence last time out, Sinnott was thrown amongst the midfield mix on Sunday to good effect. The over-ager’s weapon is his sharp left-foot kicking, which he used to stretch the Young Guns’ play across Princes Park. Naturally, he dropped back for a few possessions and was generally clean in the thick of the action, producing a solid outing on-ball.

#13 Ethan Stanley (Box Hill Hawks)
13/11/2003 | 188cm | Wing

One of the most talked about mid-season bolters, Stanley displayed all the traits which originally got him in the draft conversation. He camped out on the wing where his running and booming boot caused Vic Country headaches, with Stanley’s ability to be a 50 to 70-metre asset making for quick attacking transitions. The Box Hill Hawks product snared two terrific goals either side of quarter time, slamming the ball home from long-range and looking best when able to take all the ground in front of him.

#14 Luke Teal (Oakleigh Chargers/Richmond VFL)
20/05/2004 | 190cm | Midfielder

Teal was solid in midfield last week and did many of the same things on Sunday as a constant on the inside. He was generally clean at the contest and distributed the ball well, leaning on his big frame to allow others to exit on the outside. He had enough strength to keep the ball moving while being tackled and stepped up in the final term to help his side hang on to victory.

#18 Ryan Maric (Gippsland Power)
06/09/2004 | 193cm | Defender

Better known for his feats as a forward, Maric took position behind the ball on Sunday and was able to prop up his numbers in a friendly role. Looking to play to his strengths, Maric took on plenty of kick-in duties and ran the ball out of defence before unleashing long kicks to contest. He was a consistent rebounder and produced similar kinds of plays all day, but also won a crucial late one-on-one inside defensive 50 as the Young Guns scraped home.

#22 Hamish Pierson (Geelong Falcons)
03/11/2004 | 195cm | Key Defender

The Geelong Falcons co-captain has played some big roles on Talent League forwards, and found himself getting the better of 200cm Gippsland tall Wil Dawson early in Sunday’s game. He did a super job at getting to plenty of aerial contests, either splitting or winning them before thinking about what to do on the rebound. He pulled up lame after a contest in the fourth quarter but soldiered on to run out a terrific performance.

#28 Will Elliott (Oakleigh Chargers)
11/06/2004 | 203cm | Key Forward

While prone to a mistake or two, the upside to Elliott is clear and he continues to build into his over-age campaign. With his famous cricketing father and brother in attendance, the Oakleigh Chargers tall presented nicely as an aerial option up forward, and hit some sharp field kicks for a player his size. He also impacted the scoreboard himself in term two via an accurate 20-metre set shot.

#29 Clay Tucker (Eastern Ranges)
09/08/2004 | 204cm | Ruck

Tucker has come to the fore for his work as a ruck, and having started there on Sunday, he also made a splash when employed up forward. The Eastern Ranges product spread both ways when on-ball and clunked his usual overhead marks, but looked terrific leading up to the kicker too. Both of his third quarter goals were converted over the mark from beyond 40 metres in a tick for Tucker’s versatility.

Vic Country:

#2 Lachlan Charleson (GWV Rebels)
29/01/2005 | 176cm | Small Forward/Midfielder

Snaring a game-high four goals, Charleson showcased his quality as a small forward but also spent plenty of minutes in midfield after half time. The nippy GWV Rebels talent finished with aplomb on Sunday; snapping truly and slotting the ball home on the run in a strong display of his class. He booted a goal in each quarter to extend his impact throughout the game.

#4 Billy Wilson (Dandenong Stingrays)
16/06/2005 | 182cm | Defender/Wing

One of the more polished Country players among a raft of rebound defenders, Wilson showcased his strengths in said role before shifting up to the wing. He backed his speed to take off in transition and used the ball typically well by foot, while even chiming in with a few intercepts. He was quieter on the wing but has the traits to develop there and looks likely to break into the final Country side.

#5 Luamon Lual (GWV Rebels)
28/03/2005 | 181cm | Defender

Lual was one of the slower starters on Sunday but eventually got to prove his talent in a familiar defensive role. He popped up with several intercepts and read the ball nicely, while also proving composed when pushing high up the ground to get involved in the attack. He has the makings of a top 25 talent as it is, and even more so should he piece his best moments together more consistently.

#7 Joel Freijah (GWV Rebels)
14/11/2005 | 191cm | Utility

Having broken into first round contention with similar feats, Freijah was utilised on the wing, up forward and through midfield on Sunday. He was another steady starter but showed obvious class with each possession, impressing with his blend of size and athleticism. Difficult to pin down, Freijah zigged, zagged and burst away at will after winning the ball cleanly, and his timing to release the ball in running forays was on point.

#8 Sam Frangalas (Dandenong Stingrays)
20/04/2005 | 187cm | Midfielder/Forward

A player with raw power, Frangalas got to work in his usual midfield-forward rotation. He was busy around the ball and used his strength to move from the inside, out, looking more polished by foot than usual once in space. Though there’s improvement left in that aspect, Frangalas kicked truly with a pair of set shots in the third quarter to become one of eight multiple goal kickers for the day.

#9 Angus Hastie (Geelong Falcons)
19/09/2005 | 189cm | Defender

Along with the likes of Wilson and Lual, Hastie was one of a few Country players vying for similar roles off half-back. He took on the kick-in duties early and as usual, kept on running to demand the ball back. He was most potent when able to carry the ball forward from defence, but would have loved taking an intercept mark against fellow Falcon and opposite number, Archie Sinnott in term four.

#13 Kade De La Rue (Dandenong Stingrays)
19/11/2005 | 184cm | Forward/Midfielder

A smooth mover, De La Rue showed off plenty of his agility and craftiness with ball in hand on Sunday. While not overly prolific, he looked lively whenever he took the ball and found little pockets of space to work in up forward, before spending time on-ball in the final term. There, he laid a terrific tackle on Teal in the middle of the ground.

#16 Harry De Mattia (Dandenong Stingrays)
11/09/2005 | 184cm | Midfielder/Forward

Starting in midfield, De Mattia did much of his best work there as he used his pace to stream away at the front of stoppage. He did so most effectively when released by others, turning on the jets and creating quick attacking phases before kicking on his favoured left side. The skipper for the day also spent time up forward but couldn’t quite find the goals to cap off an exciting outing.

>> Scouting Notes: Young Guns vs. Vic Metro