Young guns shine under pressure

Dandenong and Vic Country wingman Matt Shaw missed last week’s final round of the National Under-18 Championships with the flu, but has attracted the attention of Gold Coast recruiters. 32743 Picture: Luke Plummer

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG and Vic Metro captain Tom Scully continues to tick all the boxes with AFL recruiters.
The gun midfielder has long been touted as a likely number one pick in this year’s draft, and he justified those raps with another impressive performance in the final round of the National Under-18 Championships last week.
Scully collected 27 possessions and kicked a brilliant hard-running goal in Metro’s 12-point loss to South Australia at the Docklands, putting an exclamation point on another dominant carnival.
Not surprisingly, the 18-year-old Berwick resident was named as Metro’s MVP for the championships and secured All-Australian selection for the second consecutive year. He was also runner-up to West Australian David Wallow and Vic Country’s Andrew Hooper in the Larke Medal – awarded to the best player of the carnival.
Dandenong region manager – and Vic Country assistant coach – Darren Flanigan said Scully has taken the intense scrutiny in his stride.
“I think he’s handled the hype and all the media attention that’s come his way really well,” Flanigan said.
“I don’t think Tom worries too much about anything. He just continues to perform, gets his own footy and works hard for his team.”
Flanigan reckons Scully’s fellow Stingrays skipper Ryan Bastinac was a bit stiff to miss out on All-Australian honours.
Bastinac was named among Vic Country’s best players again – the fourth time in five games – in last week’s 48-point loss to unbeaten champion Western Australia.
“You can’t ask for much more than that,” Flanigan said of the classy midfielder’s consistent carnival.
“He’s certainly put his hand up as a capable player at a higher level.”
Bastinac and James Hallahan were the only Stingrays to suit up for Vic Country in the final round. Hallahan received a late call-up for his tournament debut and acquitted himself reasonably well in just over three quarters of game time.
He became the sixth Dandenong player to see action during the carnival, with Matt Shaw, Corey Millard and Mitch Hallahan – James’ younger brother – turning out for Country in the earlier rounds.
Shaw, a smooth-moving 17-year-old wingman who missed the WA game with the flu, looks likely to be targeted by the new Gold Coast franchise at the end of the year.
Mitch Hallahan, still just 16, showed enough in his two games to suggest that he will be a key player for Vic Country at next year’s carnival, while Millard struggled with the increase in tempo from school footy with Haileybury College.
Vic Country won three of their five matches for the carnival, while Vic Metro finished with two wins and three losses.