STRENGTHS:

+ Agility
+ Goal sense
+ Smarts
+ Versatility

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Composure
- Endurance

A native of Alice Springs who relocated to complete his footballing education in Victoria, Ricky Mentha is a craft small with plenty of potential. He is tied to Melbourne's Next Generation Academy and showed signs of great growth after training with the Dees for two weeks during preseason.

Turning out for the Northern Territory, Gippsland Power, Allies, and National Academy, Mentha has enjoyed plenty of opportunities to further his development. He has most often been utilised as a small forward where his creativity and goal sense shine, though has also been exposed to the wing.

A late-season move to defence, where he spent time playing in NT colours, helped further outline Mentha's versatility. After a couple of injury setbacks, it seemed as if he regained some of his zip and confidence, while being able to use his smarts to make good reads and rebound the ball.

Mentha, an agile and evasive talent, still has plenty of development left. He can certainly strengthen his endurance base, which will help him maintain a consistent output and apply greater defensive pressure. Adding some size will also aid his ability to execute skills under physical pressure, for longer.

DRAFT RANGE: Rookie

PLAYER HIGHLIGHTS: