{"id":222884,"date":"2026-09-14T18:16:57","date_gmt":"2026-09-14T08:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/?p=222884"},"modified":"2026-09-14T18:17:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-14T08:17:00","slug":"scouting-notes-gutsy-gippsland-ends-dragons-dynasty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2026\/09\/14\/scouting-notes-gutsy-gippsland-ends-dragons-dynasty\/","title":{"rendered":"Scouting Notes: Gutsy Gippsland ends Dragons&#8217; dynasty"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>GIPPSLAND Power have advanced to their first Talent League decider since 2012 after defeating Sandringham Dragons by two points in a thrilling preliminary final on Sunday. Bottom-ager <a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"210049\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/leo-stephenson\/\" target=\"_blank\">Leo Stephenson<\/a> stepped up to slot the winning goal with two minutes left to play at Mars Stadium.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result sets up an all-Country clash for premiership glory on Saturday afternoon at Whitten Oval, as Dandenong Stingrays also won through in their final four bout. Meanwhile, Sandringham&#8217;s run of four consecutive Grand Final appearances comes to an end, having won three flags in that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Ballarat wind wreaked havoc throughout the day, with both sides failing to capitalise while kicking to the scoring end in a low-scoring opening half. Gippsland led at every break, with an <a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"165023\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/ash-mounsey\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ash Mounsey<\/a> double putting the Power back in front by nine points at three-quarter time &#8211; at the expense of his hamstring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Defending against the breeze in term four, Gippsland twice relinquished the lead via goals to Sandringham forward <a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"184320\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/angus-aujard\/\" target=\"_blank\">Angus Aujard<\/a> before Stephenson dealt the decisive blow. Having won with a kick after the siren last week, the final siren blared amid repeat stoppages in the Dragons&#8217; attacking 50.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS 1.2 | 2.5 | 6.7 | 10.9 (69)<br>GIPPSLAND POWER 2.5 | 4.8 | 7.10 | 10.11 (71)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>GOALS:<br>Sandringham Dragons: <\/strong>A. Aujard 4, G. Teixeira 2, A. Brown, Q. Hofmann, L. Leo, A. MacGowan<strong><br>Gippsland Power: <\/strong>A. Mounsey 3, K. Boi, C. Dent, A. Finsterer, L. Macumber, W. Malady, L. Stephenson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>BEST:<br>Sandringham Dragons: <\/strong>A. MacGowan, T. Bradley, B. Forster, A. Aujard, O. Bartal, J. Lemon<br><strong>Gippsland Power: <\/strong>X. Ladbrook, K. Boi, J. Burgiel, L. Stephenson, A. Mounsey, H. Allsop<\/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'>Sandringham Dragons<\/h5><img src='https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Sandringham-150x150.jpg' \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class='match-result_team'><ul><li class='column-head'><h5 class='heading title h5'>Gippsland Power<\/h5><img src='https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/gippsland-150x150.jpg' \/><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p><strong>SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#4 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"165064\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/arki-butler\/\" target=\"_blank\">Arki Butler<\/a><br><strong>Midfielder\/Forward | 182cm | 23\/04\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>14 disposals, 4 tackles, 5 clearances, 6 inside 50s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Returning for just his second appearance since a collarbone injury sustained during the National Championships, Butler showed some signs of rust, but also his class. The mercurial talent blew out the cobwebs in a quiet first half before collecting 11 of his 14 total disposals thereafter. Among them were five centre clearances, with Butler\u2019s ability to swoop on the loose ball and accelerate helping generate seamless stoppage exits. He was also typically busy running shrewd leading patterns as a forward, both high up the ground and inside 50. Butler couldn\u2019t quite find the goals kicking into a tough wind and was frustrated at times, but used the ball creatively on the fly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#13 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"184372\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/angus-brown\/\" target=\"_blank\">Angus Brown<\/a><br><strong>Small Forward | 175cm | 27\/05\/2009<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>15 disposals, 4 marks, 1 goal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Brown\u2019s ability to connect the final third as a high forward is outstanding, and he did so with plenty of energy on Sunday. The diminutive bottom-ager worked hard to present up the ground and showed unique spring to take clean overhead marks at full tilt. His athleticism was also observed in several agile side-steps, while his elite ground level craft and well-timed handball releases were other standout features. Brown\u2019s bag of tricks saw him become a creative force inside 50 and when joining in at stoppage further afield. He&#8217;s as clever and skilful as they come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#16 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"184704\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/tyson-bradley\/\" target=\"_blank\">Tyson Bradley<\/a><br><strong>Key Defender | 195cm | 16\/09\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>18 disposals, 7 marks, 3 rebound 50s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bradley was once again enormous as the leader of Sandringham\u2019s defence. Having matched up on <strong>Sam Gayfer <\/strong>last week, this time he went about nullifying <strong>Wil Malady<\/strong>\u2019s impact. Bradley shut him down aerially, playing the back shoulder expertly with his physicality and reading of the play. When unable to clunk an intercept mark, he split the contest and followed up to recover at ground level, fighting out of tackles or locking the ball up. The rising defender reeled in four contested grabs and also found some easier ball when joining the attack, showing great composure in each phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#32 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"210016\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/ben-forster\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ben Forster<\/a><br><strong>Wing | 189cm | 22\/05\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>17 disposals, 6 marks, 6 inside 50s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Forster is a name which has snuck onto the radar of late, and he ended his season with another strong performance on the wing. The hard-running prospect consistently provided an outlet for his defenders to kick to coming out of the back 50, utilising his strong frame to compete aerially before taking off on the attack. He&#8217;s a powerful unit, capable of bursting through tackles and taking ground in a hurry. Forster&#8217;s foot skills were unconventional at times and drew some errors, but he did his best to play at a high consistency and surge the ball forward at all costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#35 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"165067\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/albert-macgowan\/\" target=\"_blank\">Albert MacGowan<\/a><br><strong>Midfielder | 187cm | 27\/07\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>26 disposals, 6 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 1 goal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having won a holding the ball free kick to boot the game-winning goal last week, MacGowan was once again lurking in a similar situation on Sunday. While a repeat feat wasn\u2019t to be, he was arguably the best player afield to cap off a remarkably consistent season. The midfielder was supremely clean all day, firing out accurate handballs and cutting through the wind with his foot skills. MacGowan\u2019s vision and smarts were evident as he not only hunted the ball in all areas of the ground, but also made good use of it. He was the player Sandringham sought to feed as much as possible, even as he pushed forward hard for running shots on goal. His lone major came on the end of a set shot after marking strongly deep inside 50. He couldn&#8217;t have done much more to press his case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#57 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"210019\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/oliver-bartal\/\" target=\"_blank\">Oliver Bartal<\/a><br><strong>Tall Defender | 190cm | 04\/03\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>18 disposals, 4 marks, 6 rebound 50s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bartal competed typically hard in defence and made an impact going both ways. He spent time on the likes of Malady and <strong>Augustus Finsterer<\/strong>, looking to match them for athleticism while holding his own with several intercept marks. His ability to hold a high line and load up on counterattacks was aided by his penetrative kicking, although a few errors lingered in his game. Bartal\u2019s pressure and ability to recover the loose ball saw him contribute to turnovers, which played into his metres-gained style on the rebound. His back-end of the year for Sandringham has been superb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>GIPPSLAND POWER:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#6 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"184102\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/judd-burgiel\/\" target=\"_blank\">Judd Burgiel<\/a><br><strong>Midfielder | 179cm | 04\/06\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>23 disposals, 5 marks, 4 clearances, 6 inside 50s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Burgiel\u2019s grunt work helped put Gippsland on the front foot despite going on to lose the clearance battle. His ability to exit out the front of stoppages made him a threat, especially during the first half, where he drove his legs to launch several deep attacks. The midfielder\u2019s lateral movement was as eye-catching as his straight-line speed, while a few fend-offs were also thrown into the mix. He was relatively quiet coming out of the main break but finished strongly and helped his side control possession to see out a tense final term. He had a case for being Gippsland&#8217;s best once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#7 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"189382\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/keenan-boi\/\" target=\"_blank\">Keenan Boi<\/a> <strong>(Hawthorn NGA)<\/strong><br><strong>Small Forward\/Midfielder | 177cm | 03\/11\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>13 disposals, 7 tackles, 2 goals<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Having strayed with 0.5 last week, Boi straightened up with a more clinical outing on Sunday. The lively small showed his crumbing ability with two stoppage goals in the first half, snapping the ball home under duress. He applied plenty of pressure of his own, chasing hard and locking up opponents or smothering their disposals before mopping up the loose ball. Boi was just as menacing in possession, often connecting high up the ground where he could turn and use his speed heading back to goal. He was incredibly clean at ground level and difficult to contain one-on-one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#17 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"210049\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/leo-stephenson\/\" target=\"_blank\">Leo Stephenson<\/a><br><strong>Wing | 183cm | 08\/07\/2009<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>15 disposals, 4 marks, 4 inside 50s, 1 goal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The emergence of bottom-agers like Stephenson highlights Gippsland\u2019s continual squad depth year-on-year. He ended up being the hero, marking a high ball close to goal before coolly slotting the winning goal. While his big moment came late in the piece, Stephenson\u2019s best work was done early on as he connected the lines out on a wing. He sprung up to compete in the air and was evasive with twists and turns as the ball hit the deck, often becoming a launch player heading into attack. With a touch more composure on those long kicks, he could have done some serious damage. Stephenson ended up getting a brief run in midfield before sneaking forward at the death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#33 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"165019\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/wil-malady\/\" target=\"_blank\">Wil Malady<\/a><br><strong>Tall Forward | 190cm | 12\/10\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>10 disposals, 4 marks, 1 goal<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Faced with arguably the toughest one-on-one matchup in the competition, Malady had to work and compete hard to make an impact. He was beaten when engaging in aerial jostles, so used his speed and reach to mark on the lead, while pressuring and following up when the ball hit the deck. Malady\u2019s tenacity was matched by his outstanding mobility, which allowed him to find space and get creative with ball in hand. He unselfishly set up others, with his multiple score assists compounding the impact of his single-goal return. There&#8217;s serious starpower at his fingertips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#40 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"184107\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/xavier-ladbrook-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">Xavier Ladbrook<\/a><br><strong>Key Defender | 201cm | 16\/10\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>17 disposals, 4 marks, 4 rebound 50s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ladbrook\u2019s athleticism and reading of the play were outstanding on Sunday. The mobile key defender made early reads and put himself in positions to act on them, arriving with effortless speed to reel in several intercepts. His long reach helped to impact aerially, but Ladbrook also showed a great willingness to apply tackle pressure and mop up at ground level. As usual, he was a threat in transition with a combination of smooth movement and foot skills, distributing the ball effectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>#41 <\/strong><a data-type=\"player\" data-id=\"184096\" class=\"_dc_spo\" href=\"\/afl\/player\/clancy-snell\/\" target=\"_blank\">Clancy Snell<\/a><br><strong>Key Defender | 196cm | 21\/08\/2008<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Stats: <\/strong>10 disposals, 6 marks, 4 rebound 50s<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Ladbrook took centre stage as the number one interceptor, Snell played an important role deep in defence. He shut down Sandringham\u2019s in-form talls, using his considerable aerial range and closing speed to chime in with several spoils. The high-upside defender competed and put his body on the line across the back half, but was just as willing to spread ahead of the ball and become an outlet target as his side exited defensive 50. He&#8217;s a real all-rounder.<\/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\/leo-stephenson\/\">Leo Stephenson<\/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\/ash-mounsey\/\">Ash Mounsey<\/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-aujard\/\">Angus Aujard<\/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\/angus-brown\/\">Angus Brown<\/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\/tyson-bradley\/\">Tyson Bradley<\/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\/ben-forster\/\">Ben Forster<\/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\/albert-macgowan\/\">Albert MacGowan<\/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\/oliver-bartal\/\">Oliver Bartal<\/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\/judd-burgiel\/\">Judd Burgiel<\/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\/keenan-boi\/\">Keenan Boi<\/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\/wil-malady\/\">Wil Malady<\/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\/xavier-ladbrook-2\/\">Xavier Ladbrook<\/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\/clancy-snell\/\">Clancy Snell<\/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\/sandringham-dragons-vs-gippsland-power-2\/\">Sandringham Dragons vs Gippsland Power<\/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>GIPPSLAND Power have advanced to their first Talent League decider since 2012 after defeating Sandringham Dragons by two points in a thrilling preliminary final on Sunday. Bottom-ager Leo Stephenson stepped up to slot the winning goal with two minutes left to play at Mars Stadium. The result sets up an all-Country clash for premiership glory [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":210350,"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":[18050,11591,8,11596,11,20172,3134],"tags":[22355,23736,23326,21836,22938,23737,22919,23085,22840,23342,23677,23738,22352,21829,22098],"class_list":["post-222884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-afl-draft","category-gippsland-power","category-news","category-sandringham-dragons","category-scouting-notes","category-talent-league","category-victoria","tag-albert-macgowan","tag-angus-aujard","tag-angus-brown","tag-arki-butler","tag-ash-mounsey","tag-ben-forster","tag-clancy-snell","tag-judd-burgiel","tag-keenan-boi","tag-leo-stephenson","tag-oliver-bartal","tag-sandringham-dragons-vs-gippsland-power","tag-tyson-bradley","tag-wil-malady","tag-xavier-ladbrook"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222884","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=222884"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222884\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":222914,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/222884\/revisions\/222914"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=222884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=222884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=222884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}