DAYS after Cody Walker officially nominated Carlton as his club of choice for next year's draft as a father-son, the 17-year-old backed it up with 24 disposals and a goal on Sunday for Vic Country.

But Blues fans won't have to wait until the 2026 draft for Harry Dean, whose top-10 stocks grew again in the final Marsh Under-18 National Championships game when he gathered 22 disposals and eight marks in a commanding performance in Vic Country's five-goal win over Vic Metro.

VIC COUNTRY v VIC METRO Full match coverage and stats

Dean, the son of Blues premiership player Peter, capped a strong carnival with the dominant defensive performance, with the 194cm tall back unpassable for Country as they took control of the game and finished their championships with a second win from four games.

Willem Duursma was close to best afield with 27 disposals and a goal in another display of his versatility, while Hugo Mikunda kicked two goals from 22 disposals in an excellent showing to close out his consistent championships.

Small forward Talor Byrne also booted five goals from 13 disposals, with his craft and creative flair hard to stop for Metro.

Metro had won its previous two games heading into the final clash of this year's championships but struggled to build momentum in the game, despite the efforts of midfield trio Jack Dalton (27 disposals), Adam Sweid and Ollie Greeves (24 each).

Max Kondogiannis was solid in defence with 22 touches, while Cooper Duff-Tytler kicked two goals from 12 disposals switching between the ruck and attack.

Next Generation Academy products Kye Fincher (St Kilda) and Jack Ison (Carlton) were solid, with Fincher collecting 20 disposals and Ison kicking 1.2 from 17 disposals, while Lachy Dovaston kicked two goals to finish his carnival with nine majors across the four games.

VIC COUNTRY    4.4         6.7         9.8         14.10 (94)
VIC METRO         2.2         3.6         6.8         9.10 (64)

GOALS
Vic Country: Byrne 5, Mikunda 2, Pickett 2, Duursma, Mellor, O'Keefe, Scapin, Walker
Vic Metro: Duff-Tytler 2, Dovaston 2, Ainsworth, El Achkar, Emmett, Ison, McCarthy