By Jonty Ralphsmith
Dandenong Stingray Elli Symonds’ meteoric rise in the talent pathway system continued on the weekend in the Vic Country trials.
The bottom-aged ruck burst onto the scene this year with her power and contested marking impressing widely since her debut.
She was able to show those traits to a tee when the quality of opposition went up a level and has done everything in her power to be selected in the final squad.
The game saw the best 50 Vic Country Coates Talent League players play against each other with the final squad to be trimmed to 30.
Symonds was among 13 Stingrays playing in the trial match at Avalon Airport Oval in Werribee on Saturday afternoon, while there was also four Gippsland Power players.
Kayla Dalgleish, Tara Quinn, Brooke Smith, Bianca Lyne, Zoe Besanko and Abbey Tregellis all played on the comfortably-defeated red team with Symonds.
Dalgleish’s addition is a nod to her recent form since the return from community footy
Quinn, who has played most of the season in defence for Dandenong, played her best game of the season last week when she played inside 50.
That’s where she played on the weekend, and she again showed positive signs, lively particularly in the final quarter when the intensity went up a notch.
Smith and Tregellis put forward their cases as 19-year-olds and bottom-ager Besanko is a tall player with good fundamentals who played for Vic Country’s under-16s last year.
Bianca Lyne had glimpses and will be favoured to make the squad, with her height and competitiveness the likeable traits she’s shown in 20 games across three seasons for the Rays.
Powerful forward Sophie Butterworth, meanwhile, was one of five Rays to play for the white team.
She led strongly and was an aerial threat and was unrewarded on the scoreboard before being rested in the last quarter.
She will next Saturday take part in an AFLW under-23 All Stars game.
Meg Robertson played in the forward line and got a lot of the footy, with her unselfishness a feature as she got involved in scoring chains several times without kicking one herself.
Captain Jemma Ramsdale played a lockdown role in defence and was vocal at the breaks, taking a quasi leadership role of the backline for the day.
Ruby Murdoch was lively with her run on the wing, and bottom-ager Jemma Reynolds was clean as always at ground level
Midfielder Mikayla Williamson, meanwhile, had some trademark moments at stoppage and will all but certainly make the final squad.
All the Gippsland players were on the white team.
Highly regarded Ash Centra had a quiet first half, playing halfback in a game where her team dominated territory.
She was moved forward in the second half and took some marks and had some nice moments.
Amber Schutte and bottom-ager Jas Sowden also played in defence, while Indianna Makai’s consistency as a 19-year-old for the Power saw her able to press her case.
Dandenong Stingrays coach Josh Moore led one side, while Gippsland mentor Nathan Boyd was in charge of the other.
The final squad will be selected in due course.
