Sandringham Dragons Talent Manager Mark Wheeler gives his thoughts on the club’s upcoming NAB League Boys season.
2018 FINISH: 4th (11-7 record)
2018 MORRISH MEDAL: Liam Stocker
2018 BEST AND FAIREST: 1. Corey Watts / 2. Liam Stocker / 3. Ryan Byrnes
2018 TEAM OF THE YEAR SELECTIONS: Ben King, Bailey Smith, Liam Stocker
2018 AFL DRAFTEES: Max King (St Kilda), Ben King (Gold Coast), Bailey Smith (Western Bulldogs), Liam Stocker (Carlton), Joel Crocker (North Melbourne), Harry Reynolds* (Sydney)
OTHER FORMER PLAYERS ON AFL LISTS:
- Selected in 2006: Josh Kennedy (Hawthorn/Sydney) 13/214 games, Tom Hawkins (Geelong) 232
- 2008: Jack Watts (Melbourne/Port Adelaide) 153/19, Tom Lynch (St Kilda/Adelaide) 6/117
- 2009: Jack Gunston (Adelaide/Hawthorn) 14/158, Max Gawn (Melbourne) 99, Tom Nicholls (Gold Coast) 45
- 2010: Ben Jacobs (Port Adelaide/North Melbourne) 26/64, Jarryd Lyons (Adelaide/Gold Coast/Brisbane) 55/37/0
- 2011: Fletcher Roberts (Western Bulldogs) 49, Sam Frost* (GWS/Melbourne) 21/48
- 2012: James Stewart (GWS/Essendon) 18/27
- 2013: Josh Kelly (GWS) 100, Christian Salem (Melbourne) 70, Zach Merrett (Essendon) 103, Tom Langdon (Collingwood) 80, Karl Amon (Port Adelaide) 42
- 2014: Angus Brayshaw (Melbourne) 58, Brayden Maynard (Collingwood) 73, Ed Vickers-Willis (North Melbourne) 14, Ed Langdon (Fremantle) 46
- 2016: Andrew McGrath (Essendon) 41, Tim Taranto (GWS) 37, Will Setterfield (GWS/Carlton) 2/0, Jack Scrimshaw (Gold Coast/Hawthorn) 4/0, Oliver Florent (Sydney) 32, Cameron Polson (Carlton) 13, Corey Lyons (Brisbane) 0
- 2017: Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle) 17, Will Walker (North Melbourne) 4, Charlie Constable (Geelong) 0, Nathan Murphy (Collingwood) 2, Hamish Brayshaw (West Coast) 0, Joel Amartey* (Sydney) 0
2019 AFL ACADEMY:
- Level 2 (18yo): Jack Bell, Miles Bergman, Darcy Chirgwin, Andrew Courtney, Charlie Dean, Jack Mahony, Fischer McAsey, Hugo Ralphsmith, Joshua Worrell
- Level 1 (17yo): Roman Anastasios, Jake Bowey
2019 HEAD COACH: Josh Bourke (first season)
2019 SEASON START: vs Calder Cannons @ RSEA Park, Sunday March 24 (CLICK HERE for full fixture)
TOP 2019 AFL DRAFT PROSPECTS
Jack Mahony (local club – St Kevin’s): “Jack played some really good games as a bottom-ager last year. He’ll stand out as a small/medium player who finds the ball and kicks it really well. He’s probably one of the elite midfielders we have this year.”
Hugo Ralphsmith (East Brighton): “Athletically, Hugo is probably in the top 10 players across the competition with his speed and power. He can play behind the ball and also through the midfield. He should use his endurance to go to the next level this year.”
Andrew Courtney (Beaumaris): “Andrew is a 200cm big-bodied ruckman who might spend time as a forward or defender this year. He has really good hands above his head and is naturally aggressive. Athletically, he covers the ground really well and has great speed for a big bloke.”
Joshua Worrell (Bentleigh): “Josh is a super athlete and really talented. His skills are at an elite level, he trains with good intent and he’s a natural competitor. He had some grounding playing in defence last year, but we think he may be a taller inside midfielder.”
Charlie Dean (Collegians): “Charlie is another taller midfielder who could play in a key position at either end of the ground. He’s elite in his application to training. He’s also a cricketer who’s been playing in the firsts for Wesley College over the summer.”
Finn Maginness (East Brighton): “Finn is elite in his running and he could probably break the 2km time trial record if he put his mind to it. He played as a third tall with limited opportunities last year, but we see him as potentially being a big-bodied midfielder.”
Corey Watts (Beaumaris): “Corey might get pushed up into the Vic Metro Academy pretty early this season. He won the best-and-fairest last year but has really transformed his body this pre-season and looks lean and aggressive. He’ll play further up the ground after being a key defender in 2018.”
Angus Hanrahan (19yo in 2019, St Kevin’s): “From what I’ve seen, Angus is the best forward-half ball-user we have. He’ll play as a medium-sized forward with the ability to play significant game time in the midfield. He’s doing everything he needs to do as an over-age player.”
Riley Bowman (19yo, Crib Point): “I brought Riley with me from the Dandenong Stingrays this year. He’s 200cm tall and an elite kick on both feet. He probably didn’t have the season he should’ve had last year, but he’ll get more time as a forward here while playing the majority of time as our ruck.”
LEADERSHIP MATERIAL
“Our players have picked Ryan Byrnes (18yo, Beaumaris) to be our captain this year, supported by Finn Maginness (see above) and Corey Watts (see above) as vice-captains.”
Sandringham Dragons@Sandy_DragonsCAPTAINS | Ryan Byrnes has been named captain of the Sandringham Dragons U18 Boys team for season 2019, with Finn Maginness & Corey Watts supporting our new skipper as vice-captains
FAMOUS FOOTBALL RELATIONS
Tyson Milne (18yo, Parkdale): Son of former AFL player Stephen Milne – 275 games for St Kilda.
Charlie McKay (17yo, Prahran): Son of former AFL player Andrew McKay – 244 games for Carlton – and sister of 2018 Carlton AFL Women’s draftee Abbie McKay.
Tom Grant (17yo, East Sandringham): Son of former AFL player David Grant – 191 games for St Kilda/seven for Melbourne.
Jackson Voss (18yo, Beaumaris): Son of former AFL player Brett Voss – 35 games for Brisbane/135 for St Kilda.
Finn Maginness (see above): Son of former AFL player Scott Maginness – 131 games for Hawthorn.
Jai Florent (18yo, Old Mentonians): Brother of current AFL player Oliver Florent – 31 games for Sydney.
Jeremy Goddard (18yo, Geelong Amateur): Brother of current AFL player Hugh Goddard – 10 games for St Kilda/now at Carlton.
TEAM STRENGTHS
“We have an even balance of talent and a lot of depth of midfielders and key-position players. Our speed and the versatility of our players will definitely be our biggest strengths, but the biggest issue is going to be getting our best team on the park consistently due to a lot of boys’ private-school football commitments. The first three rounds – when we have those players available – are going to mean a lot.”
