Sandringham Dragons 12.13 (85) defeated Murray Bushrangers 9.14 (68)

Michael Alvaro’s scouting notes:

Sandringham Dragons:

#5 Andrew McGrath – Was quiet early but came to life in the third term with a move to half back, racking up the disposals to finish with 38 – including 8 clearances. Has done his No.1 draft pick chances no harm with his best afield performance, showing he can lead from the front when he is needed. Well and truly bossed the game after half time, not much more to say – the kid is simply brilliant.

#7 Corey Lyons – Was patchy today but stood up when his side needed him. Proved to be dangerous going forward and showed some class when he was thrust into the middle. Models his game on Nat Fyfe’s ability to impact games in both positions – that showed today.

#8 Tim Taranto – The second Dragon to hit the 30 disposal mark, Taranto was everywhere. His impact on the contest was outstanding, with 11 tackles and 7 marks in all areas of the ground. With such a solid build, Taranto stood out in the clinches, which is so important in finals games.

#10 Jack Scrimshaw – By no means had his best game but showed glimpses of his class. Got a bit carried away with his decision making by foot, opting for low percentage targets with darting left-foot passes regularly. He hit a few, but also turned it over. His weaves through traffic are elite and the move up forward in the second half was good. Overall solid with 24 disposals, played his role and will come under consideration due to his unique style and shape.

#11 Hamish Brayshaw – The skipper really took charge today and bobbed up when his side was looking to wrestle back momentum. Ever the workhorse, he even did well to hit the scoreboard going forward, putting through a crucial captain’s goal. Doing well to break the tag of just being ‘Angus’ brother’ collecting 12 disposal, six marks and four inside 50s.

#13 Oliver Florent – This kid oozes class. In a stacked Sandy midfield, he still managed to contribute with some deft touches and classy plays. Did well to combat Brodie’s influence in the midfield alongside Taranto in the second half as McGrath went down back. Kicked a nice goal too, very could be one of five Sandringham first rounders.

#61 Hayden McLean – This kid may well be one to watch next year. A bottom ager with a mature frame, McLean’s marking and work rate stood out as he charged around the ground and drifted forward to provide a solid target. Has nice hands and looks reasonably athletic for a big man booting a goal and clunking six marks.

Murray Bushrangers:

#5 Fletcher Carroll – This kid can play. Was close to Murray’s best today with 18 disposals and fought hard throughout the contest. Obvious knock on him is his size at just 175cm, but he makes up for it with heart and class. Moves well, and was one of the few Bushrangers able to combat Sandringham’s pace on the outside.

#6 Charlie Spargo – Another member of the mosquito fleet, Spargo provided some much-needed spark and energy for his side. His pace is noticeable, and he also did well to keep up with the pace of his opponents, especially in the first half where he had 15 of his 24 disposals.

#7 Will Brodie – Was so important for the Bushrangers in the first half, not only busting his way through clearances, but also moving well laterally to burn opponents. Will be a clearance machine at the next level, but that added agility and smoothness gave him an edge in the first half. Was slowed down after that and missed a couple of good set shot chances, but will be nothing but an asset to any club with a top 10 pick. Biggest lowlight for him was being cleaned up by the umpire. Finished the day with 22 disposals and seven clearances.

#13 Lachlan Tiziani – Livewire Tiziani came into the game in red hot form, proving to be a menace up forward. Sandy clearly noted his potential, and did well to thwart him in the first half, which allowed Nicholas Richards to become the main danger at ground level. Still got plenty of it inside-50 during a third quarter charge where he had five disposals, but a few crucial misses meant that Murray couldn’t get further ahead. A quiet day with just nine disposals.

#25 Ryan Garthwaite – Somewhere between a Dustin Fletcher and Jack Frost in stature and appearance, Garthwaite is a real goer. Reading of the play in the back half is second to none, and was sparingly beaten in the contest. Has an interesting kicking action, but with some work and improvement can become a valuable key defender. 14 of his 17 kicks still hit the target despite his awkward kicking style.

#33 James Cousins – Had a really consistent TAC Cup season, so I was expecting a little more from him. Was still solid throughout the game with 20 disposals & eight inside 50s and gave a helping hand to Will Brodie in the midfield, working well to keep his side in the game. Seems to be a more quiet accumulator

#40 Todd Marshall – Was really disappointing in the first half, but slotted a goal with his first kick of the game. Went on to kick another but his influence was sparse, an he hardly looked like impacting the game with an outstanding job from Ari Sakeson on him. While he looked to be trying, he just couldn’t get himself into the game and was void of confidence at ground level. Was helped a little when Ratugolea moved forward.