Luke Jackson was the standout in Fremantle’s intra-club clash, which got feisty at various stages.
Plus three young Saints star as the two SA teams hold internal trials.
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TEMPERS FLARE IN ‘HEATED’ FREO CLASH
Tempers flared several times during an intense and fiery Fremantle intra-club clash on Friday, which saw ruck Luke Jackson produce a dominant display close to goal.
Several scuffles broke out between the two evenly-matched Dockers teams across the two-hour match, leading to an array of free kicks and 50m penalties.
One involved star midfield duo Nat Fyfe and Andy Brayshaw, who reacted to some high contact from the dual Brownlow Medallist. Jordan Clark also took umbrage with Caleb Serong and charged in at him after the latter gave away a free kick and 50m penalty for collecting Hayden Young high.
“We came with a real intensity from the first bounce,” Brayshaw told the club’s website.
“It’s been a really tough pre-season … we are really excited to play real opposition.
“We were pretty heated out there today and have been getting on each other’s nerves. So it’ll be good to be able to channel that frustration at times into opposition and be able to really tackle strong and work hard against real opposition, which will be nice.”
Away from the scraps, the Dockers’ key forwards stood out with Jackson and Jye Amiss both finishing with four goals each, while Josh Treacy added three of his own.
Jackson, in particular, had a significant influence on the game, making the most of his opportunities close to goal while also impressing with his run and follow-up work when playing around the ball.
“He’s been massive,” Brayshaw said.
“His ability to go forward, impact the scoreboard, impact in the air, he takes a lot of grabs and always follows up real strong like a midfielder.”
Rebounding defender Brandon Walker, whose pre-season has been hampered by a knee injury, drew a warm round of applause when he came on for the second half of the game and moved well.
Young defender Ollie Murphy injured his ankle in the first quarter and didn’t take any further part in the game.
SAINTS SPEEDSTERS SIZZLE
Some of St Kilda’s young speedsters continued their excellent summers while Mattaes Phillipou showed why he’s an emerging star during a Saints intra-club,
Phillipou, who played every game in his debut season, spent time on the ball but also pushed forward to kick three goals.
Key forward Max King, who appears to be back to full fitness post-shoulder reconstruction, finished with four majors.
But it was Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera and Liam Henry that stood out. Wanganeen-Milera was dominant off half-back as he showed off his power running, while Henry also spent time as a forward and inside midfielder, despite being earmarked as a wing.
All-Australian Jack Sinclair was left out of Friday’s hut-out due to a calf issue, which could also sideline him for the Saints’ two practice matches. But the club is confident he’ll be fit for Round 1.
Paddy Dow (bruised knee) completed recovery alongside Sinclair, while Dan Butler (ankle), Jack Hayes (knee) and Hunter Clark (concussion, eye socket) ran laps.
RAYNER MAKES MOST OF MID MINUTES
By Callum Dick
The footy was far from pretty for Brisbane’s intra-club on Friday as the rain tumbled down at Springfield, but a handful of players still managed to stand out.
With a host of big-name midfielders absent, Cam Rayner started through the middle before moving forward and was close to best afield with two goals.
He threw his body around at stoppage and got the blue side up and running early, finding plenty of footy before playing out of the goalsquare where he kicked a classy goal off the left in the second term and another late.
Whether Rayner can expect more midfield minutes this season remains to be seen, though the former No. 1 pick proved he is more than capable of longer stints in the engine room.
Zac Bailey and Josh Dunkley found plenty of the footy between the arcs, while Brandon Starcevich had leather poisoning to half-time before swapping teams.
Joe Daniher was the pick of the forwards with three goals to his name, while off-season recruit Brandon Ryan bagged two.
Lincoln McCarthy looked sharp inside 50 and put his name on the scoresheet, while Kai Lohmann again put his hand up for an early season start with a classy display forward of centre.
Brisbane kept some of its big guns on ice for Friday’s wet weather intra-club match at Springfield but it was all according to plan
Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale was held out for another week as a precautionary measure as he recovers from minor groin surgery but is expected to suit up against Gold Coast in next Thursday’s practice match, while fellow midfielder Hugh McCluggage also sat out with a corked quad.
“Lachie is a seasoned campaigner now,” Brisbane football boss Danny Daly said. “He doesn’t need too many games to get going so we figured if we got him through the Gold Coast game – and obviously the Sydney game (the following week) it would be enough preparation for him, so we just felt it wasn’t worth the risk of getting him out there today.”
ALL-AUS STAR SHINES IN CROWS HIT-OUT
It seems Jordan Dawson this year has picked up from where he left off in 2023, with the Adelaide skipper and All-Australian a standout during the Crows’ final intra-club of the pre-season.
The Crows on Friday ventured to Port Lincoln’s Centenary Oval for four 25-minute quarters, with a ‘yellow team’ and ‘blue team’ going at it.
Dawson’s clean hands in congestion then accurate left-foot kicking when in space stood out during the internal trial.
“‘Daws’ started this year where he left off, which was really pleasing to see,” Crows assistant coach Nathan van Berlo told the club’s website.
“His ability to drive the ball into our forward half was really strong today.
“He’s an elite performer and a strong leader and he’s had a really strong pre-season.”
Other standout players included Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele, who impressed in their midfield stints while also kicking two goals each, while Riley Thilthorpe played with great presence to kick three goals.
“Riley is another one who has had an outstanding pre-season and it’s no surprise when guys have had continuity and strong summers that they set themselves up to perform really well,” van Berlo said.
“He’s certainly done that, in the last couple of weeks in particular in our match play and today he showed that when he gets a chance to jump at the footy ahead of the ball and follow up and compete in the midfield, he’s certainly a very talented player for us.
“There’s some really pleasing signs for him.”
The Crows reported no player picked up an injury during the game.
Jordon Butts and Wayne Milera (hamstring), Darcy Fogarty (quad soreness), Rory Laird (wedding), Rory Sloane (eye) and Jake Soligo (ankle) all didn’t take part in the game, while Harry Schoenberg (Achilles) and Nick Murray (knee) continue their recovery from their respective injuries.
LUCKLESS POWER FORWARD’S PROMISING STEP
Key forward Mitch Georgiades has taken a significant step in his bid to feature in Port Adelaide’s Round 1 side, impressing in the club’s internal trial.
The Power opted to field two evenly-matched teams for the clash at Alberton Oval, meaning Connor Rozee and Zak Butters went head-to-head in the middle and Esava Ratugolea lined up on Charlie Dixon.
In his first minutes since completing his rehabilitation from an ACL rupture, Georgiades received a big cheer when he received a dribbled pass from Dixon and nailed a goal from close range.
Georgiades, who started the game opposed to Ryan Burton, ran out the match.
Other young players to push their Round 1 cases included Jase Burgoyne and Josh Sinn, with the latter showing explosive run from the back half and winning ample disposals.
Rozee, Butters and Jason Horne-Francis all had plenty of standout moments during the game. While Horne-Francis spent much of the game in the midfield, he also looked dangerous at times near the goalsquare.
Recruit Ivan Soldo also looks a certainty to be the Power’s No. 1 ruck for Round 1, shining against fellow recruit Jordon Sweet and Vigo Visentini.
Key-position trio Aliir Aliir (back), Trent McKenzie (hamstring) and Jeremy Finlayson (shin) are all expected to be available to face Adelaide in a match simulation at Alberton Oval next week.
Source Agencies
