Top footballers from Geelong College and Geelong Grammar in 2023 ranked
There was plenty of Geelong talent on show at private school level this year. We have ranked the best of them from Geelong College and Geelong Grammar.
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While both Geelong APS schools didn’t get too many wins on the board in 2023, there is no doubting the talent at their disposal.
Who are the guns who have stood out in the APS competition, Coates Talent League and national level this year?
We have ranked the top 23 footballers from Geelong College and Geelong Grammar, headlined by a host of Geelong Falcons and potential draft prospects for this year and beyond.
TOP 23 GEELONG APS FOOTBALLERS
23. Ted Middleton (Geelong College)
Premier Data ranking points average: 40.6
Has flown under the radar a touch but the reliable wingman is highly rated internally. Middleton is courageous, works hard and can take contested marks.
22. Joe Osbourne (Geelong College)
Osborne had the job on many of the top key forwards in the APS competition and performed well. The key back is quick, can play on talls and smalls and is strong in the contest. He is also a rower at Geelong College.
21. Jack Henderson (Geelong College)
Premier Data ranking points average: 58.6
The smooth mover showed he is a player to watch next year, with the Year 11’s ball-use and marking up forward impressing up against older opposition.
20. Sam de Steiger (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 62.8
Has had a hot finish to the season as an intercept defender, with his Geelong Derby display the highlight, clunking five intercept marks and having 12 one percenters. Did a solid job on dangerous Xavier College forward Miles Enders later in the season as well.
19. Kane Reid (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 58.6
The Geelong College skipper didn’t win a heap of the footy but made his possessions count and led from the front defensively, averaging 6.8 tackles per game. Reid played some key head-to-head roles throughout the year, including on highly-touted 2024 prospect Jagga Smith. Reid has also played three games for the Falcons this season.
18. River Stevens (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 47.5
Comes from strong bloodlines as the son of North Melbourne great Anthony Stevens. The small has speed and is a good decision-maker, having represented Geelong Falcons as a bottom-ager this year. Also played in the U17 trial for Vic Country alongside Ivisic and Penry. One for Roos fans to track in 2024.
17. Geordie Richardson (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 47.7
An eye-catching three goal haul against Geelong College was an exciting glimpse into the future for the Year 10 prospect. The forward is dangerous in the air and at ground level and showed good signs for Vic Country at the U16 national championships, highlighted by a two-goal haul in their first game against Vic Metro.
16. Finn Cornell (Geelong College)
Premier Data ranking points average: 70
Cornell has spent the majority of his first season with the midfield where he impressed with his clearance winning and has also showed promising signs off halfback with his footskills and decision making. Has averaged 16.6 disposals and 70 ranking points per game and has broke into the Geelong Falcons side as a bottom-ager this year.
15. Will Eggins (Geelong College)
Premier Data ranking points average: 67.9
Eggins is an attacking defender who reads the play well and can zone off his opponent to intercept. He averaged the fifth most ranking points per game of any College across the season with 67.9 per game.
14. Ollie Peake (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 59.4
The Victorian state cricketer has sparkled up forward while devoting most of his time to his cricket commitments. Peake has been one of the leading goalkickers for the Geelong Grammar this season and booted 3.2 against Xavier College late in the season. Is highly rated for his football ability.
13. Jack Headon (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 81.4
The combative midfielder has averaged 18.9 disposals – ranked fifth at Grammar – and 81.4 ranking points in a promising season. Had a strong finish to the season, racking up .33 disposals, 26 kicks, eight marks, seven inside 50s and 136 ranking points against Xavier College.
12. Marley McCombe (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 59.4
McCombe was rock-solid as a defender throughout the year, keeping Anastasopoulos goalless in the Geelong school derby. The bottom-ager is on the Falcons list and should get opportunities at Coates Talent League level next year.
11. Archer Hanegraaf (Geelong College)
Premier Data ranking points average: 75.6
Got better as the season went on and was named as Geelong College’s best player in the final round against Haileybury with 23 disposals, 13 contested possessions and 105 ranking points. The strong inside midfielder’s performances belied his age given he is still eligible for Geelong Falcons under-16s, so he has plenty of development left in him. Another who shone brightly in the Geelong derby with two goals.
10. Joel Grigsby (Geelong College)
Premier Data ranking points average: 88.3
Grisby’s follow up work and involvement around the ground has stood out as Geelong College’s No. 1 ruckman. His performance up against potential draft prospect Vigo Visentini was perhaps the highlight of his season. Averaged the most ranking points of any Geelong College player with 88.3 per game.
9. Josh Lindsay (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 80
Lindsay has won a stack of the footy in defence for Grammar, averaging 25.9 disposals per game and 80 ranking points – not bad for a kid who is just 16. The young gun also represented Vic Country at the under-16 championships, where he averaged 14.7 disposals and 96 SuperCoach points. Lindsay creates drive off halfback and has stood out with his creative footskills.
8. John Pring (Geelong College)
Premier Data ranking points average: 47.9
Another College product who took part on the big stage for the APS representative side, Pring is a tough, uncompromising defender who led the league for defensive 50 tackles.
7. Flynn Penry (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 102.1
A strong tap ruckman who works hard around the ground, Penry has impressed at school level against some tough opponents and has played four Coates Talent League matches alongside Lalor for GWV Rebels this season. The bottom-ager is the third ranked player at Geelong Grammar according to Premier Data, averaging 102.1 points as well as 14 disposals, 37.8 hit-outs and 12.4 hit-outs to advantage. He also took part in the U17 trial for Vic Country last weekend.
6. Henry Melville (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 89
Melville hasn’t had his full focus on footy due his to state cricket commitments for Victoria, and he has shown he isn’t just a talented cricketer. Playing as a defender, Melville has shone with his competitiveness and decision making, averaging 89 ranking points per game. Would likely be higher if his season wasn’t cut short by injury.
5. Tom Gorell (Geelong College)
Premier Data ranking points average: 53.9
Was among the leading goalkickers in the competition with 27 for the season, including a six-goal haul against Carey and four majors the following round in the Geelong school derby. Selection in the APS representative side that faced AGSV last weekend was reward for effort for a strong year from the forward, and he managed to hit the scoreboard with two goals.
4. Reef Page (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 44.5
Page has been a focal point for Geelong Grammar up forward, earning selection in the APS representative side after a strong season. He has also had some high-end games for the Falcons this year, posting 100-plus SuperCoach points in his last two Coates Talent League games. Page capped his APS season with 2.2, 11 disposals, six marks and 110 SuperCoach points in the private school showcase match against AGSV.
3. Xavier Ivisic (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 107.5
Ivisic stepped into the Falcons during the APS break and made an immediate impact as a midfielder, averaging 17 disposals and 89 SuperCoach points. At APS level the bullocking midfielder hasn’t been far behind Lalor, winning the fourth-most disposals and averaging 107.5 Premier Data ranking points. Over the weekend he underlined his class in the U17 showcase game for Vic Country as his side’s top-ranked performer with 28 disposals, six clearances and 123 SuperCoach points. Another player we will be hearing more about next year.
2. Sam Lalor (Geelong Grammar)
Premier Data ranking points average: 116.8
Lalor has had an exceptional bottom-age season for Geelong Grammar and GWV Rebels and Vic Country, with his 17 disposals and eight clearances against Western Australia one of the biggest highlights. Lalor scored 150 SuperCoach points in his first Coates Talent League game for the season and his form at school level has been superb, finishing the APS year as the ninth ranked player in the competition according to Premier Data. The Bacchus Marsh product is strong at the contest, averaging 25 disposals and eight clearances for Grammar, and uses the ball well. Going to be exciting to watch in his draft year.
1. Tom Anastasopoulos (Geelong College)
Premier Data ranking points average: 82.1
The only realistic 2023 draft chance is the standout player from both schools. Burst onto the scene with an eye-catching start to the year where he booted 12 goals in his first five games in the Coates Talent League for Geelong Falcons and a bag of six in round one of the APS season. The creative forward has slowed up since then but his national championships display in Vic Country’s final game was a reminder of his talents, earning him a state combine invite.
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Originally published as Top footballers from Geelong College and Geelong Grammar in 2023 ranked
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