No. 1 pick prospect Willem Duursma, future Blues Harry Dean and Cody Walker shine for Vic Country
Two Blues-linked father-son prospects – one for this year and one for next – starred for Vic Country as a big man pushed his case to be the No.1 pick. See the full ranking points and scouting notes.
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Top draft prospect Willem Duursma has given recruiters a strong reminder of what he is capable of with a best-on-ground performance in one of the biggest games of the year.
Duursma dazzled for Vic Country, helping his side to a 30-point win over Vic Metro in the final match of the under-18 national championships at Moorabbin on Sunday.
After he had spent significant time in defence across the first three games, the 191cm Gippsland Power utility played onball with a few rotations forward.
Duursma was named Vic Country’s MVP after finishing with 27 disposals, six marks, eight score involvements and one goal.
His run and link-up play through the midfield was exceptional, while he also took some big overhead marks and used the ball well by foot to set up plays going forward.
The fourth-quarter goal came after Duursma pounced on a loose ball inside-50 before spinning around and snapping through a major.
While Duursma did the damage in the front half for Vic Country, Carlton father-son prospect Harry Dean was the general in defence as his stocks continue to rise.
Shaping as the best key defender in this year’s draft pool, the 193cm Murray Bushrangers product was particularly impressive in the first half with his intercept marking, sound ball use coming out of the backline and competitiveness to beat opponents one-on-one in the air and apply tackling pressure at ground level.
The son of two-time Blues premiership player Peter, Dean logged 22 disposals, 11 intercept possessions and eight marks.
He spent time on dangerous Vic Metro talls including potential top-five pick Cooper Duff-Tytler.
GWV Rebels small forward Talor Byrne had a breakout performance as he booted five goals for Vic Country, while big-bodied midfielder Ollie Greeves gathered 24 touches on his way to claiming Vic Metro’s MVP award.
SCOUTING NOTES – VIC COUNTRY v VIC METRO
VIC COUNTRY
WILLEM DUURSMA
27 disposals, 6 marks, 7 inside-50s, 2 clearances, 8 score involvements, 1 goal
Versatility is a strength for Duursma, who had been used in defence during Vic Country’s first three games. But he was unleashed into the midfield for the final match and showed that is where he plays his best footy. Duursma drove his side forward with his run, link-up play and penetrating and accurate kick. He also got on the end of a classy goal in the final quarter during a rotation as a deep forward, while he also registered a goal assist in the third quarter after a huge barrel kick forward from the centre square.
HARRY DEAN
22 disposals, 11 intercept possessions, 8 marks, 5 score involvements
The Blues are going to need to pay up to secure this father-son, who looks to be the best key defender in the draft pool. The son of two-time Blues premiership hero Peter, Dean was huge again to cap a big national championships for Vic Country. The 193cm prospect is a fierce competitor who reads the play well, is strong in the air and uses the footy very well by foot coming out of the back half.
CODY WALKER
24 disposals, 7 marks, 8 score involvements, 1 goal
Carlton fans would have been licking their lips at the sight of this 2026 father-son prospect going about his business just days after declaring that he planned to nominate for the Blues next year. He’s still 16 months away from being drafted, but Walker did not look out of place as a bottom-age player during these championships. In fact, he was one of Vic Country’s better players across the four games. He rotated between forward and midfield roles in this match and excited with some of his ball use, including a lovely set shot goal from 40m in the second quarter.
RILEY ONLEY
22 disposals, 5 marks, 6 inside-50s, 5 score involvements
A big-bodied midfielder, Onley perhaps wasn’t at his best in the first half of the year but has built into the season and built into these national championships. His final two games for Vic Country were strong and he showed some run and bounce through the midfield in this match as well as neat ball use to set up teammates for scores inside 50.
TALOR BYRNE
13 disposals, 7 marks, 10 score involvements, 5 goals
A 174cm small from the GWV Rebels, Byrne had kicked just one goal across his first two matches of the championships for Vic Country before this breakout game. He got to good spots and used his body cleverly in marking contests as he grabbed three contested marks. Byrne also kicked the goal of the day from a very tight angle on the boundary line in the forward pocket during the last quarter.
HUGO MIKUNDA
22 disposals, 5 marks, 5 score involvements, 2 goals
A 180cm prospect from the Geelong Falcons, Mikunda posted a second strong game of these championships after also starring in the loss to South Australia. He worked hard to find the footy and made the most of his opportunities forward, kicking a goal from a free kick in the first quarter and cleverly crumbing off a pack and dribbling through another major in the second term.
VIC METRO
OLLIE GREEVES
24 disposals, 4 marks, 4 clearances, 4 score involvements
The 191cm big-bodied midfielder from the Eastern Ranges collected Vic Metro’s MVP award after another strong performance. He worked hard across the day, winning his own footy and doing some nice work around clearances.
JACK DALTON
27 disposals, 5 marks, 6 inside-50s, 8 score involvements, 10 tackles
The toughest player on the field in this match, Dalton recorded a game-high 11 contested possessions as well as a game-high 10 tackles playing onball for Vic Metro. Along with being tough in the contest, the Sandringham Dragons product ran hard and used the ball well going forward to get himself involved in plenty of scoring chains.
ADAM SWEID
24 disposals, 4 marks, 6 clearances, 8 score involvements
While he didn’t hit the scoreboard like he did against the Allies in the previous game, Sweid still showed plenty rotating between the midfield and forward line for Vic Metro. The Essendon NGA prospect is classy around clearances with his agility, contested ball-winning ability and handball game and he went at 83.3 per cent disposal efficiency for the match.
MAX KONDOGIANNIS
22 disposals, 4 marks, 9 intercept possessions
It was another good game down back for Kondogiannis, who has had a good championships campaign. The 190cm Oakleigh Chargers product worked hard to try and counter 55 inside-50s for Vic Country, winning back the footy on many occasions and rebounding it back out of defensive 50.
COOPER DUFF-TYTLER
12 disposals, 5 marks, 6 hit-outs, 5 score involvements, 2 goals
It wasn’t a huge day on the stats sheet for this 200cm big man, but what he did do certainly caught the eye. Rotating between forward and ruck roles, the Calder Cannons product took a strong contested mark in the forward pocket and snapped a nice goal in the opening term.
He also kicked a long goal from 50m after receiving a downfield free kick in the final term. When in the ruck, Duff-Tytler’s follow-up work at ground level was good and he got back to support his defence.
XAVIER TAYLOR
16 disposals, 8 marks, 6 intercept possessions, 5 rebound 50s
There’s a bit to like about this 191cm defender, who was a touch clumsy early in the match but quickly got going. Taylor reads the play so fell down back and took multiple intercept marks across the day. He was also solid one-on-one and didn’t waste the footy when he did win it back.
Originally published as No. 1 pick prospect Willem Duursma, future Blues Harry Dean and Cody Walker shine for Vic Country
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