VFL coach Wayne Cripps says a host of GIANTS are ‘banging the door down’ for an AFL call-up following an impressive run of form.
On Friday the GIANTS VFL side won their third game in a row with a gritty 27-point victory over North Melbourne as several AFL-listed GIANTS shone to press their claims for a senior call up.
Dynamic medium forward Conor Stone (17 disposals, three goals, six clearances), veteran defender Nick Haynes (36 disposals, 17 marks), and Toby McMullin (20 disposals, six tackles, three clearances) all starred at Blacktown International Sportspark.
As did Harry Rowston (25 disposals, one goal, seven tackles) and Ryan Angwin (18 disposals, four marks, five clearances) who continue to dominate at VFL level, while Lachlan Keeffe (12 disposals, four goals, seven marks) and untried forward Max Gruzewski (three goals) also performed strongly once again as they wait in the wings for a potential AFL call-up.
With preparing players for AFL football his main focus in his role, Cripps says the GIANTS’ VFL side is filled with talent ready to make their mark when given the opportunity.
“Absolutely [there’s a number of guys who are AFL-ready],” Cripps said on Tuesday.
“You only had to see on the weekend with a guy like Darcy Jones, he played some really good VFL footy, and he got a chance with the AFL side and he had an immediate impact.
“We’ve definitely got a lot of guys in the side at the moment who are playing really good footy. Fortunately the AFL side is winning lots of games at the moment so selection is always going to be hard - but we feel we have a lot of guys banging the door down.”
Another GIANT pressing his claims for AFL selection is young ruckman Nick Madden, who over the past two week has posted video game - like numbers in a pair of dominant outings.
After registering 21 touches, two goals, 31 hit-outs and seven marks in the win over Werribee a fortnight ago, the 204cm 19-year-old backed it up on the weekend with another monster performance - fishing with 31 disposals, 14 clearances, seven tackles, eight marks and 33 hit-outs in another best on ground display.
In just his second season at the club, Cripps said Madden was starting to find his feet and become aware of what he’s capable of.
“He’s had a big two weeks, and he had an incredible stat line [in Friday’s game].
“He really dominated the ruck, but then around the ground he’s really learning that real big traditional big man craft. When the ball is live he’s becoming another midfielder which is what we expect from our ruckman, and the last two weeks he’s really shown that.
“Sometimes you need that break out game for your confidence and he had that a couple of weeks ago where he really took the game by the scruff of the neck.
“For all young and developing ruckmen it just takes time. Sometimes you’re going up against real experienced AFL ruckman and sometimes you’re not, and that can be a challenge, but what he’s done in the last couple of weeks has been a sign he’s trending in the right direction.”
Turning his attention to his side’s upcoming game against the Swans on Saturday – which will be played as a curtain closer to the clubs’ AFL clash at the SCG - Cripps said a pair of hit-outs with the crosstown rival already this year has given him specific areas of focus for this weekend.
“It’s always a game we certainly look forward to,” Cripps said.
“We played them in a couple of practice matches and they’ve got a hold of us and played some really good and exciting footy.
“Our ability to stop the way they want to move the ball more than anything will be key. We weren’t able to control that how we would have liked in those games and then in the second game we didn’t defend the way we liked on the day - so that’ll be the main area we’d like to tidy up.”
The GIANTS and the Swans will clash at 5:15pm at the SCG on Saturday following the AFL clash between the sides at 1:45pm.
Cripps also shared his assessment on the 13 AFL-listed GIANTS who appeared in Friday’s win over the ‘Roos.
AFL-listed GIANTS:
9. Ryan Angwin
18 disposals, four marks, five clearances
“’Ryno’ had a good day. He spent a bit of time on the wing and inside. He’s hard, he’s tough and he’s a great leader. It was one of those days where we played a little bit skinny and straight at times which didn’t help him out on the wing. But once again, he played his role and he’s really starting to get a lot of the footy.”
13. Isaac Cumming
21 disposals, eight marks, two clearances
“It was great to see him come back and play some good footy. He had an immediate impact. What stood out the most with him was his composure. He made some really good decisions and then more than anything he was just a great teammate. He just celebrated everything he possibly could about his teammates on the day and they’re the sort of blokes you love having out there.”
18. Conor Stone
17 disposals, three goals, six clearances
“’Stoney’ is one of these guys we speak about banging the door down. He’s consistently hitting the scoreboard and showing that speed and power he possesses. His defensive pressure has gone to another level, which in fairness it probably needed to, but he’s worked really hard on that. He’s knocking the door down for when an opportunity comes at some stage.”
19. Nick Haynes
36 disposals, 17 marks
“Haynesy’ is a very good player as we well know. It’s great having his leadership down there, he defends really well, and he gets guys set up. Since he’s been playing some VFL footy his offense has really stood out and his ability to get out and get us going in our system and make really good decisions has been a standout.
24. Harry Rowston
25 disposals, one goal, seven tackles
“It was a good game from ‘Rowsto’. We are used to him being a competitive beast around stoppages and on the inside, but he got a lot of his ball on the outside which was great to see him show a bit more of his speed and power.”
25. Lachlan Keeffe
12 disposals, four goals, seven marks
“It was great to see him finally get a lick of the ice cream. He’s such a good team player and he’s helping Max [Gruzewski] become a better player, but it was also good to see him get rewarded with some goals he deserves- I'm really pleased with ‘Keeffey’.”
31. Toby McMullin
20 disposals, six tackles, three clearances
“We’ve played him as a midfielder the last couple of weeks so he’s learning a new role in there. He’s so clean and he’s great and getting himself out of congestion and he’ll continue in that role while having a great impact.”
34. Josh Fahey
39 disposals, 10 marks, five tackles
“The defensive side of his game was strong, probably the strongest it’s been this year. He found a lot of footy and him and ‘Haynesy’ were the two guys that really got out offense going from the back half. He got a lot of the footy and defended really well.”
35. Max Gruzewski
11 disposals, three goals, four marks
“Max was really good once again. He kicked three goals and he missed a couple of opportunities that he would normally take. He’s a young key forward who is playing consistent footy week in and week out. Last year he was probably having some good games and some quieter games but this year he’s a really reliable key forward who gives us a great target and has a real impact on games.”
37. Joe Fonti
12 disposals, four marks, six tackles
“Joe was good. We gave him some time as the deepest defender on Jaidyn Stephenson to get him some experience on an AFL quality forward and I thought he had some really good moments, Not only did he have some good defensive moments but when he wins the ball back he takes the game on and it’s great to see the confidence he plays with and that’s only going to get better with the more experience he gets.”
41. Nick Madden
31 disposals, 14 clearances, eight marks, eight tackles, 33 hit-outs
“His ability to compete and then follow up after that is at a high level and hopefully we continue seeing that.”
43. Cooper Hamilton
13 disposals, eight marks, four tackles
“Cooper was good. It was good to see ‘Coop’ really get involved in our offense on the weekend and support the chain for a lot longer. He’s growing in confidence and prob the best game he’s played so far.”
45. Wade Derksen
23 disposals, 13 marks, three tackles
“His best game of the year I think. He really showed he’s learning his craft and he shows great coachability with how he defended and how he won the ball back. He made some really smart decisions with ball in hand too.”
VFL Player Shoutout: Joel Rush
Four disposals, one goal
“Obviously with ‘Preussy’ [Braydon Preuss] going down pre-game, we had Joel in the stands so for him to come out and play a really important role in helping with our rotations was great and he hit the scoreboard too. It’s guys like that we are extremely grateful for, and he came out and had a real impact which was the most pleasing part.”
