A PAIR of thrilling Coates Talent League quarter finals were decided at the death in the Country conference. Greater Western Victoria got the job done with a kick after the siren, while Gippsland Power survived a scare having earned Wildcard immunity last week. We took note of the top prospects an performers from both Country quarter finals, with the Metro notes to come tomorrow.

>> Snapshot: 2025 Coates Talent League Quarter Finals

Dandenong Stingrays 11.13 (79) def. by GWV Rebels 12.10 (82)

DANDENONG STINGRAYS:

#3 Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves
Forward/Midfielder | 186cm | 16/11/2007

Stats: 15 disposals, 5 marks, 1 goal

Hibbins-Hargreaves’ magnet was again shuffled through several roles, starting with his base up forward. He fired a couple of early shots, but had to wait until late in the first quarter to nab a goal after presenting well on the lead inside 50. Once shifted into midfield, the Stingrays’ co-captain showcased his darting field kicks and ball winning balance. While his composure wavered a little on the inside, Hibbins-Hargreaves was clean and competitive, complimenting his ability to accumulate on the outside. He ended up also spending time on the wing.

#11 Toby Sinnema (Melbourne NGA)
Midfielder/Defender | 180cm | 11/12/2007

Stats: 16 disposals, 6 tackles, 4 inside 50s

Along with Hibbins-Hargreaves, Sinnema was part of the Stingrays’ heavily rotated midfield group and ran out the game in defence. When utilised on the wing, he showed a willingness to fold in on the contest and either win his own ball, or lay fierce lock-up tackles. With a team-high nine handball receives, Sinnema also looked to be productive on the outside and utilised his kicking skills on unique angles. His speed and evasiveness were useful in those situations, or when restarting the play from kick-ins.

#19 JayDe Varlet
Forward/Midfielder | 181cm | 26/07/2007

Stats: 15 disposals, 5 marks, 6 inside 50s

Playing with plenty of power and intent, Varlet provided Dandenong with connectivity in the attacking phase. In spurts of explosive speed, he carried the ball from up the ground and looked to find a target heading inside 50. He accomplished the same role when shifted into midfield, only doing so earlier in the transitional chain. Varlet also got to showcase his hunt and physicality as a ball winner, hitting hard in defensive acts and proving strong over the ground ball. A touch of polish on his kicking was the only thing lacking at times, including with a running shot on goal in term four.

#29 Callum Smith
Midfielder | 189cm | 12/09/2007

Stats: 21 disposals, 6 tackles, 6 clearances, 7 inside 50s

Smith led the Stingrays for clearances (six) and contested possessions (10), proving a dominant figure at the source all day. At 189cm, he exhibited deceptively good agility to either evade would-be tacklers or escape to the outside. Even if he was held up, he had the strength to stand and dish the ball off. Smith’s intent was to always surge the ball forward and that led to a high number of attacking 50 entries, some of which contributed to a tally of four behinds. That finishing touch wasn’t quite there for the midfielder, but perhaps in more ideal conditions he would have hit the scoreboard for a fourth consecutive game.

#51 Adrian Cole
Key Defender | 197cm | 05/01/2006

Stats: 12 disposals, 5 marks, 4 rebound 50s

Cole had his hands full with some tough matchups down back, most notably against Floyd Burmeister. While beaten for speed in the early stages, Cole fared well to split one-on-one jostles and ran out the game with some clutch defensive acts. His sharp reactions and timing led to several important intercepts, and he was relatively composed when moving the ball on. He was hardly beaten in the air when competing within defensive 50, repelling plenty of GWV attacks.

#64 Tairon Ah-Mu
Key Forward/Ruck | 198cm | 06/06/2007

Stats: 22 disposals, 12 marks, 12 hitouts, 4 goals

Ah-Mu dined out as Dandenong’s most dominant big man, offering an attacking centrepiece and reliable marking target. While he had around a 10cm height advantage on his direct opponent, Ah-Mu was unstoppable on the lead both inside 50 and up the ground. He utilised his booming kick to launch long inside 50 – even kicking a goal from beyond the arc that way. The hulking forward was clean overhead and chopped out in the ruck with good physicality, although can continue to improve his ground ball work. Otherwise, he largely made the most of the delivery that came his way.

GWV REBELS:

#1 Ethan Drever
Midfielder | 185cm | 10/07/2008

Stats: 22 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 8 inside 50s

Finishing as the equal-top ball winner alongside two talls, Drever accumulated freely around the ground. While usually a clean distributor at the contest, he leant on his running ability to find space and become more of an influence via his ability to drive forward by foot. With good spatial awareness and agility, the bottom-ager navigated tight spots and produced an unorthodox goal assist for Charlie McKinnon in term three – with his shot swinging violently across goal and into the forward’s lap.

#5 Floyd Burmeister
Key Forward/Ruck | 199cm | 04/05/2006

Stats: 11 disposals, 3 marks, 6 inside 50s, 1 goal

It was an indifferent kind of day for Burmeister, who started brightly and threatened to be a genuine difference-maker. The over-ager was productive when presenting up the ground and wheeling towards goal with his booming left-foot kicks. He steadied for a classy checkside goal in the third quarter having recovered from a heavy collision in the second period, before starting term four in the ruck. There, he utilised his leap and long kicking to produce quick entries from the middle, although couldn’t conjure the same marking influence to see out the game.

#9 Talor Byrne
Forward/Midfielder | 174cm | 14/11/2007

Stats: 14 disposals, 3 tackles, 2 goals

Byrne’s crumbing ability was the absolute highlight of his game throughout the four quarters. He started as a forward with stints in midfield, impressing most when able to shark the ball at speed or arrive in ideal front-and-centre positions. Such craft saw him carry his momentum towards scoring opportunities by drawing high free kicks on the move. He converted two goals that way and was a precise field kick around the ground. His desperate chase and tackle efforts also caught the eye.

#22 Charlie McKinnon
Tall Forward | 190cm | 25/10/2007

Stats: 11 disposals, 6 marks, 6 goals

McKinnon was the hero for GWV, taking his season goalkicking tally to 53.22 with another six majors – including the winner after the siren. The 190cm spearhead booted three of his goals in term four, showcasing his usual craft in one-out jostles or on the lead. McKinnon was strong overhead and generally converted his chances well from all angles, even via snaps on the boundary. Few players have been as dangerous as him within a 30m radius of the goals this season.

#23 Flynn Penry
Ruck | 201cm | 20/04/2006

Stats: 22 disposals, 6 marks, 22 hitouts, 7 clearances

It was an imposing ruck performance from Penry, who not only fulfilled his primary duties, but also had an influence around the ground. His team-high six marks were indicative of that fact, with the over-ager able to drop back and intercept or provide an option down the line. In closer quarters, Penry was comfortable enough to grab the ball from the ruck and dish it off to midfielders, absorbing or evading pressure well. He became more effective at that as the game wore on and exhibited neat foot skills for a player his size.

Gippsland Power 8.11 (59) def. Geelong Falcons 7.9 (51)

GIPPSLAND POWER:

#4 Zachary O’Keefe
Midfielder | 177cm | 22/03/2007

Stats: 16 disposals, 6 tackles, 1 goal

O’Keefe’s snap goal late in the piece snatched back Gippsland’s lead and was a great example of owning the moment. The midfielder had also started brightly with half of his 16 disposals collected by quarter time. He was clean at stoppages and utilised his darting steps to free up space to kick. One such instance saw O’Keefe drop a deft baulk to buy time and spot up Wil Malady inside 50.

#7 Willem Duursma
Midfielder/Forward | 191cm | 21/06/2007

Stats: 15 disposals, 7 marks, 2 goals

After O’Keefe had snatched back the lead, Duursma sealed the deal with a terrific tap to himself before running into the open goal. He had been an aerial threat all day, rising high to pluck the ball atop of his reach and ending up with four contested grabs. He even prised four hitouts having rucked a few forward 50 stoppages. The pick one fancy was a focal point during his long stints in attack and while kicking into the wind was tough, he hit some darting passes when working with it. As a midfielder, his ability to spread forward from the centre was a highlight.

#10 Cody Templeton
Forward/Midfielder | 179cm | 01/01/2008

Stats: 11 disposals, 4 marks, 9 tackles

The numbers may not flatter Templeton but he provided great energy and impetus for the Power. Particularly after captain Tom Matthews went down in the third quarter, his pressure and spearing tackles became a key feature at the contest. The bottom-ager was also a marking threat inside attacking 50 and had a couple of set shot opportunities to score against the wind in term one, but couldn’t find the target.

#24 Brodie Atkins
Midfielder/Forward | 181cm | 25/01/2007

Stats: 21 disposals, 8 tackles, 6 clearances

Atkins was at his best during the middle phase of the game, collecting 15 of his 21 disposals during the second and third terms. He was typically strong over the ball and rose to the finals occasion in his crash and bash style. Atkins’ defensive efforts as a stoppage sweeper and tackling machine were integral late in the piece, while he also helped drive the ball long inside 50 when Gippsland had the wind advantage.

#40 Xavier Ladbrook
Key Defender | 200cm | 16/01/2008

Stats: 13 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles

Ladbrook stood tall in the second half to be one of his side’s most important defensive pillars. The athletic and versatile tall arrived at contests swiftly to produce some key intercept marks, doing so cleanly before aiding the Power’s transitional ball movement. He also proved capable of playing slightly smaller with link-up play on the rebound and moves so well for a player his height.

#42 Jonah Walker
Ruck | 191cm | 16/06/2007

Stats: 20 disposals, 18 hitouts, 13 clearances, 2 goals

It was a monster performance from Walker, whose listed triple-double extended to 11 inside 50s and 14 contested possessions. He took over from Cohen Dent in the ruck and provided great physical presence, competing well in the air and grabbing the ball out of contests at will. Walker’s deceptive agility and thumping kick made for several effective clearances which put Geelong’s defenders on the back foot. He also hit the scoreboard twice with launching kicks from well outside 50, using the breeze to send the ball home off minimal run-ups.

GEELONG FALCONS:

#3 Kobe George
Defender/Midfielder | 188cm | 22/04/2006

Stats: 16 disposals, 3 inside 50s, 9 rebound 50s

George played an integral role for Geelong, being a key distributor from defence and taking on the Duursma matchup when required. He was neat and composed on the rebound, balancing that play with his ability to split aerial duels inside defensive 50. The over-ager also spent time at the centre bounces and opted to go by foot with 13 of his 16 disposals.

#4 Jesse Mellor (Geelong NGA)
Forward/Midfielder | 185cm | 04/01/2007

Stats: 16 disposals, 7 tackles, 5 inside 50s, 2 goals

Mellor again threatened to be Geelong’s game-changing figure, starting up forward before spending the second half in midfield. A man for the big moments, Mellor booted the opening goal and straightened up for another on the run in term three. He hit up at the ball with authority and was strong enough to work through physical pressure, while also setting the tone with seven tackles of his own. He showed plenty in the final two games to boost his stocks.

#6 Josh Lindsay
Defender/Wing | 183cm | 07/04/2007

Stats: 21 disposals, 3 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s

Lindsay was back near his best after a steady Wildcard Round outing. He was again prominent on the handball receive and took some of the kick-ins, but also popped up with a couple of intercepts and smothers to prove he can win his own ball. Despite being tested by tough conditions, the classy kicker looked to move the ball on quickly and bit off risky inboard kicks, while also using his kicking power as a weapon with the wind. He was clean and composed in key moments late on.

#19 Darcy Harrington
Wing | 177cm | 17/11/2008

Stats: 19 disposals, 5 marks, 4 inside 50s

Harrington was among Geelong’s top ball winners for much of the day, providing support and gaining meterage on the outside. He was a constant outlet either out of the packs or in transition, and utilised his kick penetration to help connect the lines. Harrington also had a couple of shots on goal in the second half, the second being a handy point to put Geelong up by seven points with five minutes left to play. He’s gutsy and powerful for a small player.

#28 Daniel Lowther
Ruck/Key Forward | 198cm | 07/08/2006

Stats: 24 disposals, 12 hitouts, 6 clearances, 1 goal

Lowther enjoyed an enthralling ruck battle against Walker, holding his own to remarkably lead all comers with 24 touches. Among that figure was a game-high 16 contested possessions, with the over-ager competing hard throughout the day. He marked the ball as if playing in dry conditions during the early stages and wasn’t afraid to pluck it out of the ruck. Lowther’s courage and clean hands ensured he was a constant aerial threat, and he even popped up with a clutch set shot goal against the breeze in term four. It put Geelong two goals up with 10 minutes left on the clock.