Dandenong Stingrays co-captain Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves and top Gippsland prospect Willem Duursma were the stars of the show for Vic Country in its first game of the Under-18s National Championships.
Vic Country lost with the last kick of the game as WA’s Hudson Walker converted a set shot from 40 metres out on a slight angle to give the Sandgropers a 12.9 81 to 11.12 78 victory.
But Hibbins-Hargreaves was the player who gave Vic Country a sniff of causing an upset over their highly fancied opponents, kicking back-to-back goals in the last quarter.
His first was from 40 metres out deep in the pocket and second came from a coolly converted set shot from a similar distance.
It continues a trend of Hibbins-Hargreaves kicking clutch goals across the past 18 months, always standing up for the Stingrays at their time of need, most recently by kicking the sealer last week.
The smooth-moving, strong-marking forward finished with a game-high four goals, particularly influential in the second half.
Duursma, meanwhile, was influential through the midfield, finishing with 26 disposals, four tackles and four clearances.
Other strong players for Vic Country were top-five prospect Josh Lindsay (Geelong Falcons) and Carlton father-son prospect Harry Dean, an intercept defender from Murray Bushrangers.
Hibbins-Hargreaves headlined 12 locals in action for Vic Country.
Below is a player-by-player breakdown.
Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves: Has well and truly put his name on the map as a bona fide top-20 prospect. His four goals all came in different ways and showcased various skills, including his brave marking, opportunism at stoppage, clean hands, forward craft and most tellingly, his clutch finishing. He’s laid the platform for an excellent championships.
Zach O’Keefe: The utility finished with 12 disposals and four tackles, and he was particularly prominent early, with his clean ball-handling, attack on the footy and kicking efficiency impressive. Nearly kicked a critical goal from the arc in the last quarter, but it was touched on the line.
Willem Duursma: Worked hard and showed his toughness and aerial capacity at various stages, with a 50-metre darting pass inside 50 to set up a Jesse Mellor shot on goal highlighting an exceptional third quarter. As well as his flashiness in open play, he showed off elements of his game that have been questioned.
Marlon Neocleous: The bottom-aged small forward who played in Traralgon’s 2024 premiership was promoted to the squad following injuries/illness to teammate Tom Matthews and GWV’s Harley Hicks. Finished with 1.1 from eight disposals and had some dangerous moments when the ball hit the deck inside 50 and worked up the ground to be a link player.
Toby Sinnema: The Melbourne Next Generation Academy winger from Devon Meadows was a touch quieter but still ran his lanes well on the wing, getting forward to have a shot on goal and providing an option in transition play, to finish with 10 disposals.
Jobe Scapin: The slightly-built Gippslander played well above his weight class, finishing with a game-high six tackles, five of which came in the first half. Threw his weight around against bigger bodies and got rewarded by effecting some turnovers. Only found the 10 disposals but felt far more influential.
Mitch Stevens: The Adelaide father-son prospect won most of his 19 disposals in the first half, providing run and getting some overlap handballs, while taking some intercept marks. Always looked to set the game up with his kicking and pressured a WA opponent late in the game to save a crucial goal to keep his side in front.
Darcy Szerszyn: The bottom-aged Dandenong defender showed some glimpses which franked his selection in the squad. Took a huge intercept mark in the middle of the ground in the third quarter and had composure against a WA forward line which applied pressure throughout.
Callum Smith: After a strong month of footy leading Dandenong’s midfield, Smith was one of Vic Country’s best, getting an opportunity in the engine room and taking it with both hands. Finished with a team-high five clearances, with his contested ball-winning a feature. Like many on the day, 14 disposals belied his impact, with his morning highlighted by a terrific running goal from 45.
Max Lee: The Dandenong co-captain had a huge first quarter, playing his preferred halfback position, which helped Vic Country counterattack and set up a quarter time lead. Was quieter as the game went on but a huge spoil in the dying stages prevented a WA shot on goal.
Wil Malady: Was the star of the show early, with two goals in the first quarter and causing real problems for the WA defence with his contested marking. Would only kick one more behind for the rest of the day, and finished with just six disposals, but all of those were marks and he was never outmarked.
Tairon Ah-Mu: The strong Dandenong key forward took a big mark and kicked a critical goal midway through the fourth quarter to get Vic Country back within touching distance. That was one of two goals he kicked, but, like Malady, he threatened all day and anchored the forward line with his strength. Also played the second ruck role well, finishing with seven hitouts and looking dangerous when he took it out of the ruck on multiple occasions.
