A HANDFUL of Vic Country representatives have starred in Dandenong Stingrays’ 59-point win over Geelong Falcons on Saturday. The home side led their Round 14 clash at every break and kicked away with seven unanswered goals after half time at Shepley Oval.

It was the Stingrays’ second win over Geelong this season after saluting to the tune of 51 points in Round 1. They now sit pretty in second place with a 6-2-1 record, while the Falcons are 10th of the full-time regions at 3-6. We took note of the top prospects from either team.

DANDENONG STINGRAYS 3.2 | 6.5 | 8.7 | 13.9 (87)
GEELONG FALCONS 2.1 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 3.10 (28)

GOALS:
Dandenong Stingrays: C. Styles 3, M. Toner 3, J. Bedson 2, B. Carroll 2, G. Kennedy 2, C. White
Geelong Falcons: A. Chamberlain 3

BEST:
Dandenong Stingrays: B. Carroll, C. White G. Kennedy, M. Toner, C. Stuart
Geelong Falcons: D. Harrington, C. Gray, T. Teague, A. Chamberlain, A. Daffy

DANDENONG STINGRAYS:

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

Stats: 16 disposals, 7 marks, 4 tackles, 5 rebound 50s

Szerszyn was a superior athlete to his forward matchups. After winning one-on-ones, the rangy defender was able to run and carry out of defence. He was brave aerially and claimed multiple eye-catching grabs. In the second half, he was tried forward and showed intent while still finding his feet in a new area of the ground. 

#3 Gus Kennedy
Defender/Midfielder | 185cm | 21/02/2008

Stats: 22 disposals, 8 marks, 6 tackles, 2 goals

The dashing half-back demonstrated his dual position capabilities. In the first half down back, Kennedy grabbed intercept marks and sped up the field with ball in hand. In the second half, he was ferocious when playing in the midfield. The positional switch allowed him to get closer to goal and thus was able to hit the scoreboard a couple of times. 

#6 Mitch Toner
Forward/Midfielder | 186cm | 06/10/2008

Stats: 21 disposals, 6 marks, 4 inside 50s, 3 goals

The powerfully built forward was typically imposing on the lead. He used his power to break away from opponents and fend off defenders in order to distribute ball to teammates inside 50. Toner played periodically on-ball to maximise his explosivity around stoppages. 

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

Stats: 22 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles, 5 clearances

The Stingrays’ vice-captain played forward for spells but was best around the ball and patrolling the wings. Sousa’s sharp skills and clean ball-handling once again stood out. Dandenong relied on his quick hands to extricate the ball from congestion. 

#8 Wil Antrobus
Defender | 182cm | 18/04/2008

Stats: 20 disposals, 5 marks, 5 inside 50s, 6 rebound 50s

The rising talent continued to showcase his superlative traits. Antrobus gained a lot of ground on his raking left boot. His speed and ease in carrying the ball up the field make him an eye-catching prospect. He also bobbed up for timely intercepts inside the defensive 50. 

#36 Ben Carroll
Forward/Midfielder | 181cm | 28/04/2008

Stats: 34 disposals, 8 clearances, 8 inside 50s, 2 goals

Carroll was the Stingrays’ busiest player. He was the biggest clearance winner in the game and did plenty of grunt work while getting goal-side of stoppages in order to deliver the ball to his forwards. He slid through congestion but also bullocked his way out of packs, usually exiting with ball in hand. To cap it off, Carroll finished the game with two last quarter goals. 

#45 Cooper White
Tall Defender | 192cm | 05/11/2008

Stats: 19 disposals, 11 marks, 4 rebound 50s, 1 goal

The standout defender on the ground, White took more marks than anyone and never looked like dropping the ball. A feature of his performance was his intercepting; he was able to hold onto marks in all contexts and read the ball, no matter the delivery off the boot. He was near impenetrable at half-back. In the fourth term, he was given a chance forward where he capitalised with a late goal.

GEELONG FALCONS:

#3 Archie Daffy (Geelong F/S)
Forward/Midfielder | 175cm | 24/09/2008

Stats: 17 disposals, 5 tackles, 3 marks

In another solid showing, the tough small forward impressed playing up the field. As a midfielder, he tackled aggressively at the coalface and benefited from being low to the ground because it allowed him to scoop up loose ball without breaking stride. Around the ground, he hit up teammates with precise short passes and was close to becoming another goalkicker for his side.

#4 Darcy Harrington
Midfielder | 176cm | 17/11/2008

Stats: 37 disposals, 6 marks, 11 tackles, 5 clearances

The hard-edged small utility punched above his weight throughout the game. Harrington threw his body around in pursuit of contested wins and created momentum coming out of defensive 50. He was able to turn the ball over by cutting off linear passes through the centre. For his efforts, he collected most of his possessions on the ground. 

#6 Archer Chamberlain
Small Forward | 171cm | 26/01/2008

Stats: 11 disposals, 5 marks, 3 tackles, 3 goals

Chamberlain ended up as the Falcons’ only goalkicker for the afternoon. The compact goalsneak out-marked his opponent in the opening term for his first and nailed his second shortly after from a contest in the goalsquare. He applied necessary physical pressure inside 50 and was often able to win one-on-one contests.  

#16 Tom Teague
Small Defender | 178cm | 14/03/2008

Stats: 22 disposals, 7 marks, 9 tackles, 5 rebound 50s

It was another solid performance from the consistent small defender. He ably performed his role as a reliable distributor, barely missing a target out of the back 50. Teague rode some hard hits but continued to get back up and play unimpeded. 

#20 Charlie Gray
Midfielder | 181cm | 12/05/2008

Stats: 21 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 4 inside 50s

The Falcons midfielder showed off some nice lateral movement and the ability to weave through traffic at speed. Gray made sure his tackles stuck, and when in possession, the ball went forward rapidly in order to catch defenders on their heels. He probably should have been the second goalkicker after he secured a sliding mark inside the forward arc from a comfortable range deep into the last quarter.