Western Australia’s midfield proved it can stand up against the best the Under-18 National Championships after getting the better of a star-studded Vic Country in a three-point thriller on Saturday.
First-round draft fancies Willem Duursma and Josh Lindsay put on a show in foreign territory but couldn’t get their side over the line in a 12.9 (81) to 11.12 (78) loss at Mineral Resources Park.
And while they had monster numbers with Duursma finishing with 26 disposals and Lindsay a game-high 29 — they didn’t give enough opportunities to their forwards.
Meanwhile, South Fremantle pair Toby Whan and Fred Rodriguez made the most of their touches, combining for 12 of WA’s 46 inside 50s from 18 and 17 disposals respectively.
“They’re serious players out there so it was good to look at them and see how you go against them,” Whan told The West Australian.
“It’s good having Fred in there, we’ve played a lot of footy together. Playing with Huddo (Hudson Walker) and Swads (Sam Swadling) early on which is nice and then (Will) York came through late.
“It’s good to bond with them, see how they play and I’m sure by the end of the championships we’ll understand more about each other.”
Whan is aligned with Fremantle through their Next Generation Academy, meaning the Dockers can match any bid another club puts on the tough midfielder on draft night.
“It’s nice to have but I still get nervous in front at these sorts of things,” Whan said.
“It (playing AFL) is a goal I have in life, so it’s pretty nerve-wracking to go through.
“I am looking to connect with these boys, play consistently good footy and then hopefully have a cracking chance (to be drafted) and have fun doing it.”
Whan has already spent time at Fremantle over the off-season and learnt a lot to take into his draft year.
“We did a little bit of work there for a week and see what they do day-to-day which is really full on during pre-season,” he said.
“It’s lots of meetings, off-field training, doing tough, the gym — so it’s understanding the day-to-day life of them.
“I learnt about honing in on the small craft, they’re always doing simple skills and making sure they’re elite at that which then comes through with clean ground ball.”
