{"id":218217,"date":"2026-07-01T18:56:35","date_gmt":"2026-07-01T08:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/?p=218217"},"modified":"2026-07-01T18:56:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-01T08:56:38","slug":"scouting-notes-dragons-come-up-clutch-to-quell-cannons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2026\/07\/01\/scouting-notes-dragons-come-up-clutch-to-quell-cannons\/","title":{"rendered":"Scouting Notes: Dragons come up clutch to quell Cannons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>SANDRINGHAM Dragons snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating the Calder Cannons by seven points in Craigieburn on Sunday. The Round 15 clash was tightly contested from go to woah, and the Dragons were made to withstand Calder&#8217;s fourth quarter push to get back on the winners list. Prospects from every age group shone for both sides, and are highlighted in our latest <em>Scouting Notes<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>CALDER CANNONS 3.3 | 4.7 | 7.8 | 11.8 (74)<br>SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS 1.3 | 4.8 | 7.14 | 11.15 (81)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>GOALS:<\/strong><br><strong>Calder Cannons:<\/strong> T. Lincoln 4, A. Abdallah 2, H. Fitzpatrick, J. Naim, C. Roberts, C. Robbins, C. White<br><strong>Sandringham Dragons:<\/strong> K. Watt 3, L. Browne, B. Forster, A. Grikis, M. Miller, J. Robinson, M. Stewart, J. Surkitt, R. Theodoropoulos<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>BEST:<\/strong><br><strong>Calder Cannons:<\/strong> N. Staropoli, K. Bewick, M. Darwish, J. Watkins, C. Robbins, L. West<br><strong>Sandringham Dragons: <\/strong>A. Bakoulas, J. Lemon, J. Surkitt, A. Dreaver, K. Watt, J. Noorbergen<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div>\n<div class=\"t7_match_result match-result-comparison rmc-block is-match-preview\">\n<div class='match-result_legend'><ul><li>Team<\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class='match-result_team'><ul><li class='column-head'><h5 class='heading title h5'>Calder Cannons<\/h5><img src='https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/FB_IMG_1728076435556-150x150.jpg' \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class='match-result_team'><ul><li class='column-head'><h5 class='heading title h5'>Sandringham Dragons<\/h5><img src='https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Sandringham-150x150.jpg' \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>CALDER CANNONS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#7 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"183938\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/levi-west\/\" target=\"_blank\">Levi West<\/a> <strong>(Bulldogs F\/S)<\/strong><br><strong>Midfielder | 178cm | 13\/08\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>18 disposals, 4 marks, 11 tackles<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was a typical kind of game from West, who laid a whopping 11 tackles and was certainly up for the midfield scrap. The Bulldogs father-son prospect (son of <strong><em>Scott<\/em><\/strong>) wasn\u2019t so easy to tie down for the opposition, proving slippery and agile around the packs. His clean handling and quick releases also helped bring the ball to the outside. West was effective over the short-range and worked hard to find some outside ball, all while remaining competitive at the source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#8 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"183937\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/koby-bewick\/\" target=\"_blank\">Koby Bewick<\/a> <strong>(Essendon F\/S)<\/strong><br><strong>Defender | 178cm | 10\/01\/2009<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>29 disposals, 9 marks, 6 rebound 50s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another father-son gun at Calder\u2019s disposal, Bewick made his awaited return from injury on Sunday. He was stationed in a familiar playmaking role off half-back and looked like he hadn\u2019t missed a beat, leading all comers with 29 touches. A natural accumulator, Bewick showed top notch footy IQ and running patterns to find space and width when his side won possession, while also kickstarting play from the kick-outs. The bottom-ager\u2019s poise and foot skills were key features as he largely did as he pleased, taking plenty of ground in a very outside-leaning role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#9 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"183939\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/moustafa-darwish\/\" target=\"_blank\">Moustafa Darwish<\/a> <strong>(Essendon NGA)<\/strong><br><strong>Midfielder | 180cm | 07\/01\/2009<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>28 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 5 inside 50s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Essendon fans are generating plenty of steam aboard the Darwish hype train, and why not given how well he\u2019s playing. The classy midfielder seamlessly picked up 28 disposals, using the ball neatly by hand and foot as he moved his side forward. He quite often peeled off to get a handball receive out of the centre clearance and launch inside 50, but was also willing to drop back and give flow to Calder\u2019s defensive transition. Darwish\u2019s run and quick thinking made him a threat when moving with the ball, as shown by his consecutive goal assists to start term four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#19 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"183849\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/charlie-robbins\/\" target=\"_blank\">Charlie Robbins<\/a><br><strong>Midfielder | 181cm | 08\/02\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>28 disposals, 7 marks, 4 clearances, 1 goal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Robbins has gone under the radar as one of the competition&#8217;s most consistent midfielders, and again had a big say for Calder in Round 15. He accumulated possessions as per usual, but made them count by getting into positions to launch inside 50 and showing improvement to deliberately pick out targets under pressure. His clean handling and side-step were also up to scratch in a well-rounded performance, which he ran out strongly to very nearly drag the Cannons home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#20 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"183933\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/jackson-watkins-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">Jackson Watkins<\/a><br><strong>Midfielder | 185cm | 04\/10\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>26 disposals, 8 marks, 7 tackles, 9 clearances<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watkins hit his stride in a powerful midfield performance, dominating the clearance stakes. He hunted first possession and cleanly roved the rucks&#8217; taps before bursting to life with his explosive turn of speed. Watkins was consistently able to break clear of the centre stoppages and take ground, looking most threatening in that phase of play. He could perhaps have been a little more pinpoint with his kicking on the run, but was damaging and line-breaking nonetheless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#21 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"197733\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/nicholas-staropoli\/\" target=\"_blank\">Nicholas Staropoli<\/a><br><strong>Tall Defender | 190cm | 21\/12\/2007<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>14 disposals, 10 marks, 6 tackles, 5 rebound 50s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Arguably Calder\u2019s most important figure on the day, Staropoli showed why he garnered firm mid-season draft interest. At his best, his intercept marking was terrific, making early reads on the play and using his athleticism to impact aerially. The over-ager also competed hard upon bringing the ball to ground, applying pressure and laying tackles to prevent easy scores. He can continue to work on ironing out his foot skills, but definitely has some exciting traits on the defensive end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#1 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"165034\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/jack-surkitt\/\" target=\"_blank\">Jack Surkitt<\/a><br><strong>Small Forward | 177cm | 13\/08\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>22 disposals, 9 tackles, 4 clearances, 1 goal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After an injury-ravaged 2025, Surkitt is quickly coming back up to speed. The clever and evasive forward worked hard up the ground and regularly connected the lines with his creative ball use. While doing so was difficult under pressure at times, Surkitt was prepared to roll his sleeves up and tackle hard when the ball turned over. He was particularly prominent in the third quarter with his clean work at forward 50 stoppages and found reward with a set shot goal in term four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#2 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"184375\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/archie-bakoulas\/\" target=\"_blank\">Archie Bakoulas<\/a><br><strong>Tall Defender | 191cm | 05\/02\/2009<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>21 disposals, 7 marks, 7 rebound 50s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bakoulas had a case for being best on ground with his combined intercept and rebound work down back. The bottom-ager positioned well behind the ball, adopting a high line to help lock the play in Sandringham\u2019s front half. He attacked the aerial ball hard and used his momentum to instantly switch into attack mode. Bakoulas competed well and showcased his distributive skills throughout the day, proving a dynamic and versatile athlete at all of 191cm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#5 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"143627\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/ricky-theodoropoulas\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ricky Theodoropoulos<\/a><br><strong>Small Forward | 171cm | 05\/04\/2007<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>17 disposals, 3 inside 50s, 1 goal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another player who continues to work back into top form after an injury-impacted 2025, Theodoropoulos remains a ground level threat up forward. He was his menacing self on Sunday, applying pressure and hunting the loose ball inside 50. His wicked turn of speed caught the eye as he wheeled around to get a look at the big sticks, although the over-ager\u2019s lone goal came from a sensational set shot from the boundary in term four. Theodoropoulos also got on his bike to have an impact up the ground and has potential to pinch-hit in midfield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#24 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"210842\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/alex-dreaver\/\" target=\"_blank\">Alex Dreaver<\/a><br><strong>Ruck | 201cm | 24\/05\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>15 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 28 hitouts<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An imposing figure in the ruck, Dreaver was turning out in just his second Talent League game for the Dragons. Also plying his trade for St Kevin&#8217;s in the APS, he was out of action last year due to an ACL tear. The 201cm big man played the basics well all day, getting busy both at stoppage and around the ground. He handled the ball cleanly in-tight and as a marking target, absorbing physical pressure to bring his teammates into the game. Importantly, he also dominated the hitout count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#70 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"184385\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/kayne-watt\/\" target=\"_blank\">Kayne Watt<\/a><br><strong>Key Forward\/Ruck | 203cm | 30\/01\/2007<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>12 disposals, 5 marks, 8 hitouts, 3 goals<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watt continues to show his upside and slotted a hat-trick of handy goals to help seal the result. The nimble tall converted a pair of set shots, and after robbing himself of an opportunity by playing on late in the game, quickly made amends to snap his third. His athletic leap and mobility made him a frequent target for quick forward-50 entries, while he also chopped out as a secondary ruck.<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\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\/levi-west\/\">Levi West<\/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\/koby-bewick\/\">Koby Bewick<\/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\/moustafa-darwish\/\">Moustafa Darwish<\/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-robbins\/\">Charlie Robbins<\/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\/jackson-watkins-2\/\">Jackson Watkins<\/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\/nicholas-staropoli\/\">Nicholas Staropoli<\/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\/jack-surkitt\/\">Jack Surkitt<\/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\/archie-bakoulas\/\">Archie Bakoulas<\/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\/ricky-theodoropoulas\/\">Ricky Theodoropoulos<\/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\/alex-dreaver\/\">Alex Dreaver<\/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\/kayne-watt\/\">Kayne Watt<\/a><\/div><\/li><li class=\"object-mention_single\"><div class=\"tag tag--is-clickable\"><a class=\"tag-text _dc_mention_e\" href=\"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/event\/calder-cannons-vs-sandringham-dragons-2\/\">Calder Cannons vs Sandringham Dragons<\/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>SANDRINGHAM Dragons snapped a four-game losing streak by defeating the Calder Cannons by seven points in Craigieburn on Sunday. The Round 15 clash was tightly contested from go to woah, and the Dragons were made to withstand Calder&#8217;s fourth quarter push to get back on the winners list. Prospects from every age group shone for [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":211866,"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":[18050,11587,8,11596,11,20172,3134],"tags":[22351,23337,18891,23325,20999,22267,22416,22914,21051,22932,23336,22528],"class_list":["post-218217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-afl-draft","category-calder-cannons","category-news","category-sandringham-dragons","category-scouting-notes","category-talent-league","category-victoria","tag-alex-dreaver","tag-archie-bakoulas","tag-calder-cannons-vs-sandringham-dragons","tag-charlie-robbins","tag-jack-surkitt","tag-jackson-watkins","tag-kayne-watt","tag-koby-bewick","tag-levi-west","tag-moustafa-darwish","tag-nicholas-staropoli","tag-ricky-theodoropoulos"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218217","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=218217"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":218238,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218217\/revisions\/218238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/211866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218217"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218217"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}