{"id":194663,"date":"2025-07-08T12:49:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T02:49:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/?p=194663"},"modified":"2025-07-08T12:49:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T02:49:20","slug":"2025-ctl-round-14-player-of-the-week-lachlan-hicks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/07\/08\/2025-ctl-round-14-player-of-the-week-lachlan-hicks\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 CTL | Round 14 Player of the Week: Lachlan Hicks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>WESTERN Jets midfielder <a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"165065\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/lachlan-hicks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lachlan Hicks<\/a>&nbsp;is our Coates Talent League Player of the Week after filling his boots in Round 14. The bottom-ager amassed 34 disposals, 10 marks, six inside 50s, five clearances, and four goals as his side soared past Bendigo to the tune of 74-points in Mildura on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&gt;&gt; <strong>SNAPSHOT:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/07\/07\/snapshot-2025-coates-talent-league-round-14\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2025 Coates Talent League &#8211; Round 14<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a dominant four-quarter performance from the 17-year-old, who has been utilised on the inside, outside, and up forward. He racked up the ball at will, combining with teammates to rack up 23 uncontested possessions and 12 handball receives. To top it all off, he hit the scoreboard with 4.2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hicks becomes the fourth Jet in five weeks, and third in a row to earn a Player of the Week nod. His feats, following the trend of his teammates&#8217; video game numbers, helped Western claim a second win in three weeks to climb off the bottom of the ladder &#8211; even in the absence of three Vic Metro representatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having been part of the preseason training hub, Hicks was overlooked for selection in the final Vic Metro squad. He won the side&#8217;s MVP award at last year&#8217;s Under 16 National Championships and began to find form this season with Wesley College in the APS competition &#8211; which is currently on break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VM-Lachlan-Hicks-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-187429\" srcset=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VM-Lachlan-Hicks-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VM-Lachlan-Hicks-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VM-Lachlan-Hicks-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VM-Lachlan-Hicks-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VM-Lachlan-Hicks-128x85.jpg 128w, https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VM-Lachlan-Hicks-32x21.jpg 32w, https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/VM-Lachlan-Hicks.jpg 1944w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lachlan Hicks trialling for Vic Metro | Image Credit: Rookie Me Central<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Many other Western prospects stuffed the stats sheet on Sunday. Recent Vic Metro squad addition <a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"154386\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/oskar-ainsworth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Oskar Ainsworth<\/a> booted five goals from 18 touches and seven marks, while <a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"134664\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/finnegan-davis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Finn Davis<\/a> (30 disposals, nine marks) and bottom-ager <a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"168907\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/angus-tippett\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Angus Tippett<\/a> (26 disposals, seven clearances) were also prominent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Around the grounds, 2026 prospect <a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"165064\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/arki-butler\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arki Butler<\/a> impressed with 18 disposals, eight marks and three goals in Sandringham Dragons&#8217; 25-point loss to Greater Western Victoria. In the same game, run-and-gun Rebels defender <a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"134596\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/sam-niklaus\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sam Niklaus<\/a> led all comers with 24 disposals, eight marks and five rebound 50s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Eastern&#8217;s three-point win over Oakleigh, <a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"184034\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/mitch-gillan\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Mitch Gillan<\/a> (28 disposals, 11 marks) and <a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"25762\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/charlie-whitehead\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Charlie Whitehead<\/a> (26 disposals, eight inside 50s, one goal) were named best afield for the respective sides. Only five games were played in Round 14 as opposed to the usual six, as there will be in Round 15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2025-ctl-players-of-the-week\">2025 CTL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Round 1:<\/strong>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/03\/31\/2025-ctl-round-1-player-of-the-week-willem-duursma\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Willem Duursma (Gippsland Power)<\/a><br><strong>Round 2:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/04\/07\/2025-ctl-round-2-player-of-the-week-cody-templeton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cody Templeton (Gippsland Power)<\/a><br><strong>Round 3:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/04\/14\/2025-ctl-round-3-player-of-the-week-thomas-mcguane\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thomas McGuane (Western Jets)<\/a><br><strong>Round 4:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/05\/02\/2025-ctl-round-4-player-of-the-week-max-hudson\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Max Hudson (Suns Academy)<\/a><br><strong>Round 5:&nbsp;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/05\/05\/2025-ctl-round-5-player-of-the-week-daniel-annable\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Daniel Annable (Lions Academy)<\/a><br><strong>Round 6: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/05\/12\/2025-ctl-round-6-player-of-the-week-beau-addinsall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Beau Addinsall (Suns Academy)<\/a><br><strong>Round 7: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/05\/19\/2025-ctl-round-7-player-of-the-week-cody-walker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cody Walker (Bendigo Pioneers)<\/a><br><strong>Round 8: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/05\/27\/2025-ctl-round-8-player-of-the-week-charlie-mckinnon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Charlie McKinnon (GWV Rebels)<\/a><br><strong>Round 9: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/06\/03\/2025-ctl-round-9-player-of-the-week-thomas-burton\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Thomas Burton (Western Jets)<\/a><br><strong>Round 11: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/06\/17\/2025-ctl-round-11-player-of-the-week-lachy-dovaston\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lachy Dovaston (Eastern Ranges)<\/a><br><strong>Round 12: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/06\/24\/2025-ctl-round-12-player-of-the-week-oskar-ainsworth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Oskar Ainsworth (Western Jets)<\/a><br><strong>Round 13: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2025\/07\/01\/2025-ctl-round-13-player-of-the-week-jake-miller\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jake Miller (Western Jets)<\/a><br><strong>Round 14: Lachlan Hicks (Western Jets)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-dc-block-dc-mention _dc_mention\"><div class=\"section-heading_wrap\"><span class=\"section-heading is-small\">Mentions<\/span><span class=\"hor-border\"><\/span><\/div><ul class=\"js-overflow-list overflow-list\"><li class=\"object-mention_single\"><div class=\"tag tag--is-clickable\"><a class=\"tag-text _dc_mention_p\" href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/player\/lachlan-hicks\/\">Lachlan Hicks<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"object-mention_single\"><div class=\"tag tag--is-clickable\"><a class=\"tag-text _dc_mention_p\" href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/player\/oskar-ainsworth\/\">Oskar Ainsworth<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"object-mention_single\"><div class=\"tag tag--is-clickable\"><a class=\"tag-text _dc_mention_p\" href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/player\/finn-davis\/\">Finn Davis<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"object-mention_single\"><div class=\"tag tag--is-clickable\"><a class=\"tag-text _dc_mention_p\" href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/player\/angus-tippett\/\">Angus Tippett<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"object-mention_single\"><div class=\"tag tag--is-clickable\"><a class=\"tag-text _dc_mention_p\" href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/player\/arki-butler\/\">Arki Butler<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"object-mention_single\"><div class=\"tag tag--is-clickable\"><a class=\"tag-text _dc_mention_p\" href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/player\/sam-niklaus\/\">Sam Niklaus<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"object-mention_single\"><div class=\"tag tag--is-clickable\"><a class=\"tag-text _dc_mention_p\" href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/player\/mitch-gillan\/\">Mitch Gillan<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"object-mention_single\"><div class=\"tag tag--is-clickable\"><a class=\"tag-text _dc_mention_p\" href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/player\/charlie-whitehead\/\">Charlie Whitehead<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"js-dropdown dropdown overflowed\"><button class=\"btn btn-icon-only\"><span class=\"icon btn-icon\">\n                    <!-- icon - plus circle - 20px-->\n                    <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 20 20\">\n                        <path d=\"M15,9.28h-4.3V5h0A.72.72,0,1,0,9.28,5h0V9.28H5a.72.72,0,0,0,0,1.43H9.28V15a.72.72,0,0,0,1.43,0h0V10.71H15a.72.72,0,0,0,0-1.43Z\"\/>\n                        <path d=\"M10,0A10,10,0,1,0,20,10,10,10,0,0,0,10,0Zm0,18.57A8.57,8.57,0,0,1,10,1.43h0a8.57,8.57,0,0,1,0,17.14Z\"\/>\n                    <\/svg>\n                <\/span><\/button><div class=\"popover\"><div class=\"popover-content\"><ul class=\"popover-menu\"><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WESTERN Jets midfielder Lachlan Hicks&nbsp;is our Coates Talent League Player of the Week after filling his boots in Round 14. The bottom-ager amassed 34 disposals, 10 marks, six inside 50s, five clearances, and four goals as his side soared past Bendigo to the tune of 74-points in Mildura on Sunday. &gt;&gt; SNAPSHOT: 2025 Coates Talent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":194686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18050,8,18522,20172,3134,11598],"tags":[21004,21836,2255,21968,21047,22856,21805,21823],"class_list":["post-194663","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-afl-draft","category-news","category-player-of-the-week","category-talent-league","category-victoria","category-western-jets","tag-angus-tippett","tag-arki-butler","tag-charlie-whitehead","tag-finnegan-davis","tag-lachlan-hicks","tag-mitch-gillan","tag-oskar-ainsworth","tag-sam-niklaus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194663","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194663"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":194687,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194663\/revisions\/194687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}