THE LIONS Academy bounced straight back onto the winners list in Round 6 after a thumping 72-point win over Geelong Falcons in Werribee. After conceding a quarter-time deficit, Brisbane piled on five goals in each term thereafter to salute for the third time this season. We took note of the top prospects and performers from either side.

>> Scouting Notes: NSW Academies reign supreme in Blacktown

GEELONG FALCONS:

#7 Riley McLeod
Tall Forward | 192cm | 13/06/2008

Stats: 11 disposals, 3 marks, 2 goals

There were limited opportunities for Geelong’s forward after half time, meaning McLeod did all his scoring beforehand. He ended up with 2.2 which could easily have been four-straight given his set shot opportunities. The top-age tall competed well aerially to at least bring the ball to ground and was mobile enough to present an option up the ground. His marking waned in the second half, unable to always clunk the ball overhead, but McLeod continued to offer a mobile target in attack.

#16 Tom Teague
Small Defender | 178cm | 14/04/2008

Stats: 24 disposals, 6 marks, 7 rebound 50s

It was no surprise to see Teague rack up the possessions given how much ball resided in Geelong’s defensive half. The top-ager was full of run in the early stages, daringly venturing further afield to chain together attacks. He backed his foot skills to target the corridor – often finding Ned Badrock – and showed strong kicking power in the process. Teague roamed the back 50 and accumulated across the last line, where it was increasingly difficult to pick holes in Brisbane’s team defence.

#33 Riley McLure
Defender | 181cm | 27/04/2009

Stats: 14 disposals, 7 marks, 5 tackles

McLure did his best to hold firm under fire as Geelong’s defence withstood the Lions’ territorial advantage. He showed plenty of guts to sit under high balls and proved his aerial quality on the intercept. The bottom-ager then looked to take off quickly and joined Teague in racking up a bit of ball deep inside defensive 50. His ability to run and connect up the ground helped turn his initial defensive acts into promising transitional play.

#36 Nate Mensch
Ruck/Key Forward | 196cm | 11/03/2009

Stats: 10 disposals, 5 marks, 13 hitouts, 1 goal

Rucking in tandem with Cooper McKane, Mensch exhibited some of his athletic traits while also impacting up forward. The bottom-age tall leapt nicely at centre bounces and moved with mobility on the lead, gaining separation for several chances on goal. He converted one of his three set shots but was otherwise neat with his field kicking and just as tidy to win four clearances.

LIONS ACADEMY:

#4 Benjamin Lillico
Forward/Midfielder | 176cm | 09/09/2007

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

Lillico was once again a productive link between the midfield and forwardline, utilising his sharp left-foot kicking to connect the lines. The over-ager often wheeled around onto his preferred side and put the ball into dangerous spots, proving a clever launch player all day. He also fared well at stoppage, slipping out of tackles and darting into space where he could do damage. His clean and quick hands helped make that kind of play all the more easy.

#11 Tarkyn Benton
Midfielder/Forward | 179cm | 13/07/2008

Stats: 15 disposals, 5 marks, 8 tackles, 3 goals

Benton was among Brisbane’s most impactful players, swapping between the midfield and forwardline. He showed his hardness with several strong tackle and ball-winning efforts, often burrowing in at ground level. Benton also adopted a surge style, charging forward with ball in hand and making repeat efforts to work the ball into space. He got on the end of some fast breaks to kick three goals after half time, one of them coming from a superb overhead mark.

#16 Caylen Murray
Defender | 181cm | 03/01/2008

Stats: 18 disposals, 5 inside 50s, 6 rebound 50s

Fresh off his National Academy duties, Murray got back into the swing of things in Lions colours. He was a mainstay off half-back, taking the bulk of kick-ins as the player Brisbane wanted delivering the ball to all parts of the ground. His relentless overlap run made him a threat in transition, putting speed on the ball and launching attacks by foot. Murray’s aggressive forays were balanced out by composure with ball in hand, making measured decisions to ensure his ball use remained sharp.

#30 Jackson Bridge
Forward | 187cm | 16/07/2009

Stats: 10 disposals, 4 marks, 5 goals

Having cut his teeth as a high-level defender, Bridge brought his talents to Brisbane’s forwardline. He was swung there late last week to good effect and came away with a bag of five goals this time out, including three in the third quarter. Bridge competed hard in all facets, crashing the aerial packs and remaining active when the ball hit the deck. His strong overhead marking and set shot conversion gave the impression of a much taller player, making good on his chances nonetheless.

#33 Reece Thompson
Tall Forward | 192cm | 08/10/2007

Stats: 9 disposals, 4 marks, 4 goals

Thompson has been bubbling away for Brisbane, showing glimpses of his talent without necessarily putting the whole package together. That changed on Saturday as he bagged 4.2 from nine touches, split evenly between either half. The over-ager started out by working up the ground and using his smooth movement on the way back to goal, but leapt out of the ground with a huge pack mark closer to goal in term two. He slotted the resultant set shot to get his scoring going, and followed up with a classy dribble finish in the same term. While prone to an error at times, Thompson’s athleticism and left boot show there is plenty to work with.

GEELONG FALCONS 4.2 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 7.7 (49)
LIONS ACADEMY 3.3 | 8.7 | 14.11 | 18.13 (121)

GOALS:
Geelong Falcons: C. Gray 2, R. McLeod 2, A. Chamberlain, N. Mensch, V. Rahilly
Lions Academy: J. Bridge 5, R. Thompson 4, T. Benton 3, H. Bridge, H. Deighton, J. Grills, C. Hodge, Z. Kleinschmidt, A. Watts

BEST:
Geelong Falcons: W. Nicholls, R. McLeod, R. McLure, C. McKane, N. Mensch, D. May
Lions Academy: T. Benton, J. Bridge, A. Smith, B. Lillico, R. Thompson, C. Murray

AROUND THE GROUNDS

THE SUNS Academy ran riot in a 66-point win over Murray Bushrangers on Sunday, making it two Talent League wins on the trot. The Queenslanders opened up their 29-point half time lead with seven goals to one in the third quarter, before running out comfortable 17.8 (110) to 6.8 (44) victors on home turf.

Isaac Mayne was named best afield after booting three goals from 24 disposals. Speedy small Caleb Williams posted his own hat-trick, while Leroy Kaesler (24 disposals, two goals), Oliver Bennett (19 and two) and Cooper Collins (26 and one) were also among the goals. Meanwhile, National Academy member Archie Hill returned to Suns colours with 18 touches, five marks and a major.

It was no surprise to see Murray defender Jackson Hewitt (28 disposals, 12 marks, eight rebound 50s) lead all comers. Bottom-ager Lincoln Brand had it 18 times in his first appearance for the year, while Kade Hadley booted half of his side’s six goals in the defeat. Also among the Bushies’ best was livewire Rory Kennedy, who picked up 17 disposals, seven tackles and five clearances.

SUNS ACADEMY 4.2 | 7.3 | 14.8 | 17.8 (110)
MURRAY BUSHRANGERS 0.1 | 2.4 | 3.5 | 6.8 (44)

GOALS:
Suns Academy: I. Mayne 3, C. Williams 3, O. Bennett 2, B. Crawford 2, L. Kaesler 2, J. Wenzel 2, C. Collins, J. Harris, A. Hill
Murray Bushrangers: K. Hadley 3, A. Hueston 2, I. Daley

BEST:
Suns Academy: I. Mayne, L. Kaesler, C. Collins, C. Johnson, C. Williams, B. Crawford
Murray Bushrangers: R. Kennedy, J. Hewitt, A. Williams, Z. Lambert, A. Everett