By Jonty Ralphsmith
As Dandenong’s Ziggy Toledo-Glasman parked at Shepley Oval for Thursday night training last week, his phone rang.
On the other end of the line was Casey coach Taylor Whitford telling him he was making his VFL debut.
The teenager raced inside, told his ‘Rays coach Nick Cox, and was off to Casey Fields within 30 seconds of arriving.
The marking forward shared a brief moment of joy with Cox, who has seen him kick 28 goals in 17 Talent League games, before mentally preparing to play in a cut-throat game against VFL flag threat Brisbane.
For the reigning premiers, the proposition was win and they’ll get a week off, or lose and play a do-or-die final.
Toledo-Glasman’s selection followed consecutive four goal outings in Division 1 of the MPFNL from the wing.
He’s also been important as a marking presence inside 50 for the Stingrays, and he had a best-on-ground performance for the Young Guns earlier this year, a team made up of 2004-born draft prospects.
“My marking and contested marking has improved so much in the last four to six weeks because I’ve been playing on these unreal Casey defenders like Tom Freeman and Rhys Galvin,” Toledo Glasman said, speaking to Star News ahead of his debut.
“Competing with them pushes you to be better.
“I’ve now got the confidence to jump at everything and I’ve been able to pull a few down at local (level) and hopefully it can translate into this week.”
Toledo Glasman kicked 2.1, including one with his first possession, and took a big contested mark in the fourth quarter on AFL-listed Jaxon Prior in a promising first outing.
The teenager stood between Casey teammate George Grey and All Australian Brodie Grundy as Mitch White addressed the group pre-game during his jumper presentation.
The draft hopeful is content with his progress, having trained in different positions for Whitford’s side.
“This is the best my mindset has been in terms of footy,” he added.
“I’m not stressed about getting drafted as such, I’m more smelling the roses and enjoying it, so mindset’s good and I’m feeling confident.
“My intent is to get into good spots and pop up and help out where I can, but I’m not so much focussed on a standout game, I’m more focussed on feeding our system.”
The Dees lost by two points and will face North Melbourne in wildcard round this weekend.
