By Jonty Ralphsmith
The Dandenong Stingrays’ best talent is this week gearing up for the AFL Draft combine, to take place from 4-6 October.
Club interviews will be held at the MCG across Friday and Saturday before players take part in physical testing at Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Centre (MSAC) on Sunday.
Testing will include the vertical jump, running vertical jump, 20-metre sprint, agility test and 2km time trial.
Selection to attend the 2024 Telstra AFL Draft Combine was based on nominations provided by AFL clubs.
It is the prospects’ last chance to physically impress recruiters before the AFL Draft
The Stingrays had its two co-captains from its boys and girls programs, Harvey Langford and Cooper Hynes and Elli Symonds and Zoe Besanko, invited to the national combine, as well as key-position player Noah Mraz.
The following boys were invited to the state combine: Sam Toner, Riak Andrew, Charlie Orchard, Jordan Doherty and Elwood Peckett.
Kayla Dalgleish and Jemma Reynolds were invited to the girls state combine.
The combine will be Noah Mraz’s first time in front of recruiters since April, having sustained a foot injury which has ruled him out for the majority of the season.
The key-position player has impressed recruiters with his attitude to the setback, attending most Stingrays games and helping the coaching staff.
He will be hoping to show the vertical jump which helped put the former basketballer on the map last year.
Langford will be hoping to cap a Larke Medal winning year where he has propelled his name into top-five calculations with strong testing, likely to test well in the vertical jump.
Andrew finished the year with a bang, showing his shutdown capabilities, having consistently shown his athleticism in 2024, so will hope that translates to the testing.
Like Mraz, Toner has also spent time on the sidelines with a wrist injury but is set to test, having been held back from playing in Narre Warren’s premiership to recover fully for the combine.
He burst onto the scene after stunning senior form in the Outer East Football Netball League, playing just four Coates League games but having received plenty of interest with his clean hands and goal sense.
Hynes will be hoping to showcase his fitness rise in the 2km time trial, Doherty will likely test will in the agility and vertical jump and Orchard has shown a handy athletic profile in the backline.
Besanko will be hoping to show her vertical jump and is well-positioned to impress, while Dalgleish will be looking to replicate her preseason Rookie Me testing, completed in March.
A large allotment of top-aged prospects complete the testing, which provides recruiters with a baseline measurement of a player’s athletic profile, with Dalgleish topping the ratings nation-wide among her cohort.
Meanwhile, Dandenong’s two finest under-17s boys footballers got the opportunity to play on AFL grand final day in the under-17s all stars match.
The match brings together 46 of the finest footballers for a camp, culminating in a match on the MCG in the morning of the AFL grand final and helps inform selection of the AFL Academy squad.
Stingrays Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves (Mornington) and Tairon Ah-Mu (Berwick) took part, with Hibbins-Hargreaves showcasing his courageous marking and classy ball use, while Ah-Mu was a key target up forward.
