THE 2023 Coates Talent League season is over for nine of the 13 full-time regions, meaning it is time for them to not only look back and reflect on the year that was, but also what lies ahead. We recap the campaigns of the five teams who exited in Wildcard Round, and lucky loser Northern Knights.

BENDIGO PIONEERS

RECORD: 10th (6th Country) | 5-8 | 91.9%
STREAK: L | WWW | LLLL | WW | LLLL

THE STORY:

It was somewhat of a segmented season for the Pioneers who had two separate four-game losing streaks but were well poised at 3-1 come the community break. They struggled to match the top-end talent of other sides but competed well for five losses of three goals or less, including two in a row against Geelong to finish the season. When at full strength, they pushed the the Falcons and Rebels all the way, and even beat the Power and Devils – all teams which made finals.

THE HIGHLIGHT:

It has to be the Round 3 win over Tasmania, who went on to take out this year’s minor premiership. After trailing at quarter time, Bendigo turned it on at Arden Street Oval with a seven-goal second term before running out 38-point victors. Plenty of good players were on song that day, all of which will be highlighted below having gone on to play integral roles this season.

THE STAR:

Only one man could possibly fill this spot and it’s the captain, Harley Reid. Though he only turned out six times for the Pioneers this year, the leading draft prospect was in inspired form before the community break and finished on a high note with 27 disposals, five marks and five tackles in a Wildcard Round loss to Geelong. He found the goals in every game, including four times against Northern in Round 11, having reverted back to his more familiar midfield-forward rotation. What a star.

THE MAINSTAYS:

Bendigo was by no means littered with representative stars, aside from Reid, but had some solid draft age contributors. Oliver Poole and Oskar Smartt stepped up in a range of roles, while tall forward Hugh Byrne joins them as a state combine invitee. The likes of Malik Gordon and Charlie Hillier overcame injuries to contribute, and as versatile over-agers like Eli Pearce and Mitch Doddos did the job.

THE FUTURE:

Those from the Pioneers came into 2023 buoyed by what the next crop of prospects may offer. At the forefront of their 2024 pool are trio Tobie Travaglia, Archer Day-Wicks, and Jobe Shanahan, who were all tested in different roles to their primary posts. The likes of Tom Evans and Lachlan Hogan also showed good potential at different points in the season.

CALDER CANNONS

RECORD: 5th (3rd Metro) | 8-5 | 142.4%
STREAK: W | L | WWWWW | LL | W | LL | W | L

THE STORY:

A five-game win streak from Round 3 to 11 made up much of Calder’s positive record, including victories over finalists Eastern, Gippsland and Oakleigh, and a 173-point thrashing of the Northern Territory. Things stagnated a touch towards the back-end of the season, as the Cannons’ depth was levelled out by other sides and they lost five of their last seven games.

THE HIGHLIGHT:

Though they managed to knock off a bunch of finalists in 2023, many Calder players would likely have had the most fun beating the NT Thunder by 173 points in Round 4. Two Cannons – Isaac Kako and Amin Naim – booted seven goals, while Jordan Croft booted five as one of 10 individual goal kickers. Midfielder Mahmoud Taha also had a day out, racking up over 30 disposals alongside Rye Penny.

THE STAR:

Croft is Calder’s standalone national combine invitee and easily the region’s top draft prospect. He showed promise in his first couple of games and booted 14 goals in his side’s early five-game winning run. The 200cm forward ended up with 23 overall, with one of his standout performances yielding 3.4 from 17 disposals and seven marks opposed to Connor O’Sullivan – in a loss, no less.

THE MAINSTAYS:

Taha was arguably Calder’s most consistent performer throughout the season, even with Vic Metro duties to consider. He was supported by Hugo Garcia in the midfield rotation, while Naim, Maison Goodman, and skipper Kade Mueller all contributed each week. The likes of Ryan Eyre, Charles Bolmat, and Ryan Brodie also gave the Cannons good looks coming out of defence.

THE FUTURE:

Calder is another region with strong bottom-aged talent. At the top of the pile are livewire forward Kako and sharp-stepping midfielder Nash King, while backman Harry O’Farrell is a promising tall to consider. Damon Hollow and Noah Scott will likely be among the midfield rotation next year, while wingman-turned-defender Jayden Nguyen and goalsneak Kayne Rutley showed plenty of good signs in 2023.

DANDENONG STINGRAYS

RECORD: 9th (5th Country) | 6-7 | 102.9%
STREAK: L | WWWW | L | W | LLLL | W | LL

THE STORY:

A grand finalist last year, Dandenong came into the season with a strong top-age group and plenty who were rated highly. The Stingrays translated that into four wins in their first five games, but after building to a 5-2 record by Round 9, lost four on the trot and six of their last seven games. They eventually bowed out to Gippsland in Wildcard Round.

THE HIGHLIGHT:

One of the great Talent League queries is; can they get it done on a cold, rainy night in Frankston? Dandenong proved up to the task, taking down Oakleigh by four points in a Round 7 thriller. What’s more, the Stingrays trailed at every break and came back from a 29-point deficit in the final quarter, booting five unanswered goals to steal the result.

THE STAR:

It is hard to look past co-captain and top draft prospect Harry DeMattia in this category. The talented dual-sport athlete had plenty asked of him in a variety of roles but adjusted beautifully along the way. His primary post was in midfield, but he was effective on the wing, up forward, and even as a rebound defender. He led from the front across 11 games with plenty of ticker and flashes of brilliance.

THE MAINSTAYS:

While injuries interrupted his season, Cooper Simpson did a fine job leading the side next to DeMattia in the back-end of the year. The likes of Billy Wilson, Kobe Shipp, and Ben Hopkins provided plenty of drive from behind the ball, while Kade De La Rue and Sam Frangalas were potent mid-forward pieces. Elsewhere, Matthew Nelson locked down a wing and tall forward Jacob Grant showed enough to earn a state draft combine invite.

THE FUTURE:

Having been named in the leadership group this year, it is no surprise that Harvey Langford is among Dandenong’s top prospects for next year. Along with Cooper Hynes and Harrison Doughton, he was an integral part of the mid-forward group. Potentially the best of the 2006-born lot is tall utility Noah Mraz, who broke through for a berth with Vic Country. The Stingrays also blooded 2007-born talent like Tairon Ah-Mu, Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves, and Toby Sinnema, who all showed promise late in the year.

MURRAY BUSHRANGERS

RECORD: 13th (7th Country) | 3-10 | 72.1%
STREAK: LL | W | L | W | LLLLLL | W | LL

THE STORY:

Finishing as the bottom-placed region overall, the Bushrangers showed potential throughout the season and had plenty of draftable players at their disposal. Their three wins came against the Giants Academy, Calder and Sandringham, with the latter victory coming right before a six-game losing streak. Murray’s campaign came to an end at the hands of GWV in Wildcard Round.

THE HIGHLIGHT:

It’s difficult to split two of Murray’s wins for this spot, but it has to be the post-siren triumph over Calder – although, that may change if Sandringham goes on to win the premiership. In Round 15, the Bushies had lost six games on the trot and looked like making it seven at 32 points down in the third quarter. Having clawed back to within three goals, they booted the final three majors of the match as Jesse Hart‘s booming set shot after the siren sealed the one-point win.

THE STAR:

Murray had two standout top-agers to choose from here, but it had to be Darcy Wilson. The prolific midfielder-forward thrived on the responsibility of being his side’s main man towards the back-end of the season, playing somewhat of a lone hand in some heavy defeats and constantly looking to inspire his side. He averaged 25 disposals and over a goal per his 11 games, with a high of 35 touches in the win over Calder, and three bags of three goals.

THE MAINSTAYS:

Aside from Wilson, Connor O’Sullivan is at the pointy end of Murray’s draft prospects. He found a home at centre half-back but was also solid up forward and even through midfield at times. Fellow national combine invitees Phoenix Gothard and Oscar Ryan were lively at either end of the field, while Vic Country representative Coby James had a solid year. There were other strong contributors like Harrison Hewitt, Nick Newton, and skipper Mitch Way across each line, while Giants Academy forward Charlie McCormack was a handy addition to the squad post-championships.

THE FUTURE:

Murray has two players set to take part in the upcoming Under 17 Futures showcase – forward Joshua Murphy and midfielder Oliver Warburton. There is plenty of excitement around twin talls Jack and Matt Whitlock, while the likes of Will McCarthy and Cohen Paul have potential. A pair of promising 2007-born players also earned berths late in the year, in U16 Giants Academy MVP Ryder Corrigan and Vic Country representative Riley Onley – both versatile tall midfielders.

NORTHERN KNIGHTS

RECORD: 4th (2nd Metro) | 9-4 | 115.9%
STREAK: WW | L | WWWWWW | LL | W | LLL

THE STORY:

Northern went on a six-game winning run which held up much of its 9-4 record. In fact, the Knights won eight of their first nine games and at one point sat atop the Talent League ladder. Only Eastern – a preliminary finalist – beat them in that time, and they even managed to knock off the minor premier, Tasmania away from home. Since then, they dropped four of their last five games, but defeated another final four side in Sandringham along the way. The Dragons ended up beating Northern in Sunday’s Quarter Final, after the Knights advanced through Wildcard Round despite being felled by Oakleigh.

THE HIGHLIGHT:

There are a few possibilities here, but the five-point win over Tasmania just about takes the cake. The Devils make for stiff competition on the Apple Isle – even without their representative stars – and proved as much having fought to a slender lead at three-quarter time. Though, the Knights rallied and booted consecutive goals in the final two minutes to snatch victory via a Davin Cameron karate kick.

THE STAR:

It could only ever be high-marking forward Nate Caddy. After fracturing his leg in preseason, the mercurial spearhead returned ahead of schedule and quickly found his groove to boot 25 goals in just nine games. He was kept goalless just twice, but bagged three four-goal hauls and a high of six against Bendigo. That effort, and his feats against Sandringham in Round 16 were absolute match-winners across an outstanding campaign from the top 10 prospect.

THE MAINSTAYS:

The Knights had a very even group of solid contributors, but were led well by a pair of Vic Metro representatives in ruck Will Green and key defender Christian Mardini. The former earned a combine invite alongside Caddy, as did prolific midfielder Kristian Ferronato for his undeniable efforts. Elsewhere, over-age ruck Flynn Riley was almost snapped up in the mid-season draft, while Richmond father-son candidate Charlie Naish was solid in a range of roles in between school football commitments.

THE FUTURE:

At the forefront of Northern’s bottom-aged crop this year was midfield-forward pair Zak Johnson and Jesse Dattoli. Both made the Vic Metro Under 18 squad and were terrific at Talent League level, as was classy wingman Lucas McInerney. Forward Liam Farrar is another 2006-born talent to watch, while Under 16s Tyson Gresham (brother of Jade) and Mitchell Moate were blooded late in the season.

WESTERN JETS

RECORD: 12th (6th Metro) | 4-9 | 82.1%
STREAK: LLL | W | L | WWW | LLLLLL

THE STORY:

Western’s season was bookended by losing streaks, but there were some positive moments in a run of four wins from five games coming out of the community break. The Jets broke through for their first victory by taking down the Lions Academy in Round 4, before knocking off preliminary finalist Eastern in Round 9. A streak of six losses rounded out the campaign, with the last three coming by over 50 points as Sandringham breezed past them in Wildcard Round.

THE HIGHLIGHT:

Western’s 10-goal thumping of Eastern raised a few eyebrows and was undoubtedly the region’s best win this year. The game was all but over after 10 goals to three at half time, but Western piled on the pain in Williamstown to run out comfortable victors. Other worthy mentions include road wins against Bendigo and Murray, and the breakthrough victory over Brisbane in Round 4.

THE STAR:

It was none other than Logan Morris who spearheaded the aforementioned win against Eastern with four goals, among his tally of 30 for the season. That equates to three goals per his 10 games, with Morris bagging multiple majors in nine games and being held goalless just once – managing four behinds against GWV instead. His high of five majors came in a win over the Lions Academy, with Morris comfortably being Western’s top draft prospect this year and lone combine invitee.

THE MAINSTAYS:

Top-age midfielder Jake Smith was arguably Western’s most prominent and consistent contributor all season, while captain Diesel Moloney gave everything down back. Speaking of, Lachie McArthur had his moments and over-ager Jovan Petric put in shifts across each third of the ground. Up forward, Joel Freeman kicked the most goals behind Morris. The Jets also had solid operators like Jack Kovacevic at their disposal, while there was a good amount of hype around Alex Tsia and Darcy Weeks coming into the year.

THE FUTURE:

Western has some handy talent to look forward to next year, headlined by tough defender/midfielder Lucca Grego. Diminutive on-baller Massimo Raso also showed promise throughout the season, as did high-leaping forward Daniel Snell. The Jets also handed debuts to a pair of 2007-born talents in Thomas Burton and Thomas McGuane – the latter being a Collingwood father-son prospect for 2025.