Recap

Matt Balmer’s scouting notes:

Vic Metro completed a perfect day with a relatively easy win against a spirited Northern Territory side.

#2 Callum Brown– Another one who surprised me, as I didn’t think Brown had this much of the ball ending the day with 31 disposals. Spending most the day on the wing, Brown was a link man for the Metro side on the wing mostly hand balling the ball to other players running forward. I think he is best suited inside forward 50, due to his light frame but threw his body around nabbing four tackles for the day.
#4 Ben Ronke– Was the first time I’ve seen Ronke play, he was one of the better players for Metro throughout the day giving a real four quarter effort.
#6 Lachlan Bramble– Bramble played most of the day as a high half forward collecting 16 disposals.
#8 Corey Lyons– Lyons spent most of the day on the wing collecting 20 disposals. His run is good with the ball and he tackles really hard at stoppages. One thing I think he needs to work on is his kicking, especially when looking for targets inside 50.
#10 Campbell Lane– Returning as a top age player Lane performed well collecting 23 disposals playing most of the game on a flank. He had five inside 50s, but didn’t hit the scoreboard like I was hoping he would.
#12 Callum Searle– An ok game from Searle, he finished the game well in the last quarter when the match was dead. Searle has a lot of development in him before the draft, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he goes for the rest of the season.
#14 Matthew Signorello– Signorello has averaged 21 disposals in the TAC Cup this year and continued his form claiming 23 on the weekend. He clears the ball well out of stoppages, often using his hands to find a free player. Could be a bolter come November…
#16 Joel Garner– One of the best names going around in the draft pool, unfortunately he won’t be drafted til next season. He has some really good pace and a nice left foot.
#20 Joshua Daicos– Daicos had an ok game. He stands out in orange boots and provides some real moments of brilliance with his speed and agility. He often kicked the ball sideways which frustrated me, rather than him kicking long to the forwards inside 50. Will be keeping a close eye on him, but I don’t think he’s going to be collecting 20+ disposals in too many games this season.
#22 Lachlan Walker– The midfielder continues to find plenty of the ball, collecting 22 disposals. I thought he was stiff not to be drafted last year, but to his credit he has come back and played three good games. He has a good ability to take marks overhead and I thought he was one of the better players on the day.
#24 Hayden Blythe– Spent most the game playing as an inside midfielder and I thought he was ok being one of the smaller players in the Metro side.
#26 Connor Larkin– Larkin spent most the day at CHB and reads the ball drop well when defending.
#30 Brodie Romensky– Romensky is a really good mark but was probably quieter than usual. Normally a really good kick, his kicking was a bit off what it usual has been so far this season.
#32 Jordan Ridley– 192cm forward Ridley played a nice role in the forward line for Metro and kicked one goal.
#34 Jack Maibaum– A real quiet game from Maibaum unfortunately, I was expecting more from him but he really struggled to get near it for most of the day.
#36 Harrison Nolan– Just the seven disposals for 194cm tall Nolan who played majority of the game in the backline.
#38 Karl Brown– Was really impressed with top ager Brown, he kicked 36 goals in the TAC Cup last year and dominated in the air with 14 marks. Despite being 192cm, he really extends his arms and gets space between himself and the defender to take marks. He kicked two goals in one of his better games I’ve seen him play.
#40 Ryan Carter– Another tall who was quiet with just seven disposals.
#42 Mitchell Lewis– Lewis spent most the match in defence and was solid for the Metro side with seven rebound 50s.
#44 Tom Burnside– The 197cm tall had a good game with 15 disposals and kicked a goal. One things I wasn’t convinced about was his ball drop and set shot goal kicking technique which I think needs some work.
#46 Joshua Hannon– Struggled to get into the game playing all over the place, I think he might have some potential as a tall midfielder but needs some work with his positioning when he plays as a tall inside 50 and his kicking needs some work.
#48 Chas Roberts– Roberts rucked well for the Metro side and dominated his NT opponent with his height and leap.
#50 Lachlan Filipovic– Filipovic didn’t dominate as much as I was expecting, playing as the second ruckman behind Roberts. However, his work at the throw ins was better than Roberts and moved better around the ground than him.

Northern Territory:

#5 Michael Hagan– Was the best NT player for the day, always providing plenty of energy. He was always willing his side and showed some good smarts with the ball in hand making good decisions by foot. He was really ‘silky’ around the ground and I hope he can impress in the Division Two championships in May.
#24 Jamie Hampton– I was hoping for a bit more from Hampton but he had a really quiet day. Playing as a high half forward, I was hoping he could hit the scoreboard on a few times but was unable to. He’s very agile but I’d like to see more from him in May before I definitely say if he is draftable or not.