AFTER holding on to beat Eastern by four points, six Sandringham Dragons feature in our Coates Talent League Team of the Week. Round 13 was condensed to just three games, but there were some big performances from prospects across all six Metro regions. See who made our 24-player squad.

>> 2024 CTL Round 13: Snapshot | POTW | Scouting Notes

DEFENCE

B: Samuel Linder (SD) – Riley White (ER) – Hamish Bird (CC)
HB: Joshua Galstians (ER) – Andrew Barker (ER) – Mitchell Kirkwood-Scott (SD)

Defence was king in a low-scoring scrap between Sandringham and Eastern on Sunday, and that shows with five members of our back six coming from that game. The outlier is Calder Cannons bottom-ager Hamish Bird, who impressed with 18 disposals and seven marks in his side’s win over Northern.

Three Ranges made the cut, including Riley White and Andrew Barker as a makeshift key position pair. Both were strong aerially, with the latter taking a game-high eight marks while the former managed five. Teammate Joshua Galstians also sneaks in at half-back after a prolific 26-disposal showing in midfield.

Rounding out the defence are a couple of Dragons in Samuel Linder and Mitchell Kirkwood-Scott. Linder was competitive as ever with 19 touches, seven marks and five rebound 50s, while his partner-in-crime set up the play by foot with 23 disposals (17 kicks) and three breaches of either arc.

MIDFIELD

FOL: Cooper Duff-Tytler (CC) – Kristian Lawson (NK) – Thomas Burton (WJ)
C: Patrick Retschko (OC) – Zane Cochrane (OC) – Thomas McGuane (WJ)

The future is now with a trio of bottom-agers featuring in our hypothetical midfield this week. Western pair Thomas Burton and Thomas McGuane (2025 Collingwood father-son) were both excellent in the Jets’ loss to Oakleigh, combining for 49 disposals and providing plenty of drive on the attack.

Calder ruck Cooper Duff-Tytler showed his wares with 19 disposals and 13 hitouts to earn a starting berth. The 199cm prospect moves well for a player his size and should continue to build form after what was just his second game at Coates Talent League level, post school football commitments.

The remaining on-ball group is made up of top-agers, including Player of the Week Zane Cochrane. The Charger had 34 disposals, nine marks and six inside 50s to cement his spot at the heart of the side. He’s joined there by Northern Knights scrapper Kristian Lawson, who managed 30 touches of his own.

Cochrane’s Oakleigh teammate Patrick Retschko slots in on the opposite wing to McGuane after responding well to being rotated out of the Vic Metro Under 18 side. The specialist outside runner collected 22 touches, eight marks and seven inside 50s in a typically productive outing.

FORWARD

HF: Patrick Said (CC) – Luka Pecer (SD) – Thomas Legudi (CC)
F: Oskar Ainsworth (WJ) – Max Hoult (SD) – Tyson Gresham (NK)

There were no standout goalkickers in Round 13, with Sandringham’s Max Hoult bagging a high of three majors to spearhead the Dragons’ victory. He slots in at full forward with teammate Luka Pecer holding down the other key position spot after another promising outing while rotating through the ruck.

Along with Hoult, Western’s Oskar Ainsworth booted multiple goals (two) over the weekend to make the cut. The remaining forwardline comes out of the Calder-Northern clash, with all three players hitting the scoreboard while notching over 20 disposals each – making the most of midfield minutes.

Patrick Said is a repeat entrant, while Thomas Legudi earns his first nod of the season after picking up 22 touches and seven marks. Northern bottom-ager and Carlton NGA prospect Tyson Gresham (brother of Jade) was also lively with 25 disposals, five marks and five tackles to sneak into the pocket.

INTERCHANGE

INT: Kane Emery (OC), Oliver Greeves (ER), Sam Grlj (OC), Ned Maginness (SD), Daniel Snell (WJ), Miles Tyrer (SD)

There is no shortage of midfielders on this week’s bench, which makes the selection of bottom-age Sandringham ruck Miles Tyrer stand out even more. He makes the cut along with teammate Ned Maginness, who was typically strong and polished through the Dragons’ engine room.

Oakleigh duo Kane Emery and Sam Grlj were superb alongside Cochrane and proved hard to deny for a bench spot, with similar to be said for highly touted 2025 prospect Oliver Greeves and Western Jets onballer Daniel Snell, who round out our six-player interchange bench.