Scully shines but Vics go down

By Paul Pickering
ANOTHER 30-possession outing from Dandenong’s Tom Scully was a rare highlight for the Vics in round three of National Under-18 Championships.
Scully was Vic Metro’s best player in a 63-point thrashing at the hands of Western Australia on Saturday.
His impressive performance – which included eight clearances and six tackles – all but secured another All-Australian berth, but did little to stop the rampaging tournament favourites on their home turf.
Meanwhile, fellow Stingrays captain Ryan Bastinac was one of few Vic Country players to pull their weight in Sunday’s 51-point loss to South Australia at AAMI Stadium.
Vic Country assistant coach – and Dandenong region manager – Darren Flanigan said Bastinac was workmanlike in a variety of roles for the visitors.
“Ryan was one of our stronger performers,” he said. “We didn’t have too many winners on the day, but he was one who probably broke even.”
Dandenong winger Matt Shaw made a solid championships debut, while bottom-age midfielder Mitch Hallahan showed some promise before leaving the field with bruised ribs in the third quarter.
Meanwhile, key defender Corey Millard had an afternoon he would rather forget.
“Corey started in the back pocket, got led to the footy a couple of times and spent the second quarter on the bench, so it wasn’t one of his better games,” Flanigan explained.
Both Victorian sides will be looking to bounce back against less-fancied opponents when the carnival comes to Cranbourne’s Casey Fields on Saturday 27 June. Vic Country will play the Northern Territory from 11am, before Vic Metro clashes with Queensland at 1pm.