DESPITE a starring role from Eastern bottom-ager Baxter Sruk, Dandenong Stingrays finished strongly to run out nine-point victors in their Round 11 clash at Kinetic Stadium. Stingrays vice-captain Darcy Szerszyn made his long-awaited return in the win, firming as a talent to watch ahead of the National Championships. We took note of the top prospects from either side.

DANDENONG STINGRAYS 2.0 | 6.6 | 6.6 | 9.11 (65)
EASTERN RANGES 3.1 | 5.2 | 7.7 | 8.8 (56)

GOALS:
Dandenong Stingrays: B. Carroll 2, D. Linden 2, W. Antrobus, J. Emerson, J. Phillips, M. Toner, J. Vaughan
Eastern Ranges: R. Hoffman 2, J. Lewis 2, B. Sruk 2, M. Bartlett, E. Gregor

BEST:
Dandenong Stingrays: B. Carroll, C. Stuart, G. Kennedy, J. Phillips, C. White, W. Antrobus
Eastern Ranges: T. Krawczyk, B. Sruk, J. Lawrence, M. Grant, J. Flower, H. Chapman

DANDENONG STINGRAYS:

#1 Darcy Szerszyn
Tall Defender/Forward | 188cm | 20/05/2008

Stats: 12 disposals, 7 marks, 4 tackles

Making his much anticipated first appearance for the season, Szerszyn was able to showcase some of his best traits. After letting his first intercept mark attempt slip in greasy conditions, he began to find his groove and took several strong overhead grabs. The top-ager was solid in one-on-one situations and read the play well to relieve pressure across defensive 50. His speed and ability to peel off made him a threat going the other way, even running out the game as a forward.

#3 Gus Kennedy
Defender | 186cm | 21/02/2008

Stats: 18 disposals, 4 inside 50s, 6 rebound 50s

Kennedy brought his usual power and pace to proceedings on Saturday. The Stingrays skipper attacked each contest with vigour and showed the same intent with ball in hand, looking to burst forward and penetrate with long kicks. Kennedy’s clean handling was observed when intercepting and leaping into overhead marks, allowing him to quickly turn his thinking into counterattack mode. He had a few chances to launch deep inside 50 and while not always pinpoint, asked questions of Eastern as he continually took the game on.

#6 Mitch Toner
Forward | 186cm | 16/01/2008

Stats: 18 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal

Toner was among Dandenong’s most prominent avenues into attack, connecting the lines with his power and leading patterns. Whether gaining separation from his opponent or beating him in the air, Toner used his physical gifts to advantage. His explosiveness was felt across the ground and while he made most of his contributions working up to the wing, the top-ager clunked a pack mark deep inside 50 for his lone goal in term four.

#7 Andrio Sousa
Forward/Wing | 182cm | 11/08/2008

Stats: 17 disposals, 7 marks, 3 inside 50s

Working in tandem with Toner, Sousa helped Dandenong bridge the gap between midfield and forward 50. He was equal parts clean and flashy by hand, able to hold his marks or extract the loose ball before flicking off stylish passes under pressure. Spending plenty of time on the wing, Sousa showed a great ability to use the width of the ground and become an option as the Stingrays switched angles. His smarts and reading of the play were evident when situated inside 50, getting to the drop of the ball quickly to earn shots on goal.

#11 Jackson Phillips
Wing/Midfielder | 182cm | 30/01/2008

Stats: 24 disposals, 7 marks, 4 clearances, 1 goal

One of the league’s most stylish players, Phillips covered plenty of ground and looked to hurt Eastern with his ball use off either foot. Starting out on the wing, he found space but also provided an outnumber at the fall of the ball, before using his turn of speed to wheel away and deliver forward. Phillips’ poise and smooth movement were features of his game, earning him a move on-ball in the second half. His lone goal came from an intercept mark and set shot conversion early on.

#22 Clancy Stuart
Midfielder/Forward | 186cm | 17/03/2008

Stats: 26 disposals, 14 tackles, 5 clearances, 10 inside 50s

No one won more contested ball or clearances than Stuart, whose strong frame and clean handling were dominant attributes in the engine room. Not only did he extract the ball and prove difficult to bring down, but he also shut down opposition exits with robust tackles. While not blessed with leg speed, Stuart showed signs of explosiveness with his side-step and rounded out his game with great finesse when kicking inside 50. After a massive third quarter, he ran out the match with plenty of time deep forward but couldn’t add a goal to his bursting stat line.

#36 Ben Carroll
Midfielder | 181cm | 28/08/2008

Stats: 22 disposals, 4 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 1 goal

Undoubtedly the highlight of Carroll’s performance were his two running goals, the second of which effectively sealed the result. His burst speed was on show in both instances, escaping congestion and daring to break the lines before slotting the ball home at full tilt – from long-range, no less. Carroll made a habit of driving his legs forward, even with tacklers hanging off him, and was effective in bringing the ball to the outside where he could do serious damage.

EASTERN RANGES:

#2 Baxter Sruk
Midfielder/Forward | 181cm | 18/07/2009

Stats: 27 disposals, 6 marks, 12 tackles, 2 goals

It was often up to Sruk on Saturday, with the bottom-ager doing just about everything to put his side in a winning position. He showed real grit and remarkable power for a player his age, shrugging off full-body tackles and applying plenty of his own. Sruk’s clean handling not only saw him thrive in the contest, but also as Eastern moved the ball in waves on the outside. Capping off a strong and competitive performance, Sruk hit the scoreboard with a pair of quality finishes on the turn, although had a few more efforts fall short or wide into the teeth of the wind.

#3 Jett Flower
Midfielder/Defender | 183cm | 25/05/2009

Stats: 18 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 3 clearances

Flower had his magnet shuffled at different stages, starting in a wing/on-ball rotation before running out the game down back. He was typically combative when the ball was in dispute, fighting to extract it at the bottom of packs with rugged repeat efforts. That competitive streak also translated to gutsy overhead marks and success in one-on-one situations. Flower then looked to use his speed on the outside and tried to improvise by foot, but found the wrong side of the boundary on a couple of occasions. Still, he could hardly be faulted for effort nor intensity.

#16 Harrison Chapman
Midfielder/Wing | 189cm | 06/01/2008

Stats: 28 disposals, 6 tackles, 2 clearances

Swapping between the centre ball-ups and wing, Chapman had no trouble racking up possessions. He constantly looked to charge forward out of packs, and while on several occasions he ran straight into traffic, looked dangerous when able to wheel into space. The top-ager showed improvement in his contest work, using his size and frame to break open the congestion. His disposal suffered as a result, but there were plenty of times where Chapman forced the opportunity to carve up Dandenong with combination play through the corridor. His turn of foot is absolutely deadly.

#21 Thomas Krawczyk
Defender | 180cm | 05/07/2009

Stats: 14 disposals, 4 tackles, 4 rebound 50s

Establishing himself in the side as a bottom-ager, Krawczyk was recognised by the Ranges’ coaches as their best. Others found more of the ball, but he thrived on being just about unbeatable in one-on-one contests, splitting aerial duels and recovering the loose ball. Krawczyk also pulled off a few intercepts and just did enough to keep the ball in play, before looking to provide a way out on the rebound. He competed well considering how lightly framed he still is.

#36 Jaden Lawrence
Ruck | 199cm | 08/08/2008

Stats: 12 disposals, 9 tackles, 30 hitouts

Lawrence dominated the ruck realm and made a particularly strong start to proceedings. He used his physicality to advantage in jostles around the ground and was able to stand in packs to clunk a couple of terrific marks down the line. Lawrence’s centre ball-up dominance was credit to his leap, and he remained in the game at ground level with strong lock-up tackles to force repeat stoppages.

#59 Marcus Krasnadamskis
Key Defender/Ruck | 202cm | 18/06/2007

Stats: 20 disposals, 6 hitouts, 4 clearances, 8 rebound 50s

Continuing to settle into his new role down back, Krasnadamskis also showed nice signs when rotating through the ruck. The over-ager was able to split aerial contests and follow up with competitive work at ground level, either laying tackles or flicking the ball out to teammates. He was adept at prising his own clearances from the ruck and even took on some of the kick-in duties, delivering well measured short passes as Eastern picked a way forward.