Corey Rich making his name at Frankston Dolphins to be one of the VFL club’s brightest prospects

THE move from Sandringham to Frankston is paying off for Corey Rich, who has 22 goals from eight VFL games this season to be one of the Dolphins’ brightest prospects.

Corey Rich collects the ball for Frankston. Picture: Graham Denholm/AFL Media/Getty Images

IN the Country box, the coaching staff quickly formed an opinion of Corey Rich.

He could really play.

In the end they were calling him “the difference’’.

The Country team was playing City in the second AFL Victoria Young Guns game at North Port Oval, and Rich was best-afield with six goals for the victorious City side.

That was no surprise. The Frankston Dolphin went into the match as the VFL’s leading goalkicker, with 18 after six outings. He added four last Sunday against Port Melbourne, giving him 22 from eight games, good going for a small forward.

“We just couldn’t control him at all,’’ Scotty McDougal, one of the Country coaches, said of Rich, 21.

“He was really good to watch, because he’s very good at his craft, being able to hit up and get back at the footy and hurt you. He hurts you with every touch. Good player. Speed and clean. He’s got the speed to get to the ball and he’s clean when he gets it. It gives him an extra half a second to do the right thing.’’

The Dolphins are in their first season back in the VFL, and Rich has emerged as one of their best contributors and brightest prospects.

He joined Frankston from Sandringham, where in two seasons he managed six senior games after graduating from the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup.

Frankston coach Adam Skrobalak. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Injuries cut into his 2016 and he played a lot more Development League than senior football last year.

He did, however, give a glimpse of his ability with 10 goals in four games late in the season, including four against Box Hill Hawks.

Still, he knew there would be more opportunities at Frankston as the stand-alone club rebuilt after 12 months on the sidelines.

“That’s been the nicest bit about Frankston, having 22 spots available every week,’’ Rich said.

“At Sandy, admittedly I didn’t play terrific football all the time and probably didn’t warrant a spot, but there were some weeks last year when there were only two or three spots.

“It makes it difficult to get any consistency into your football. It was a little bit frustrating, just knowing that no matter how well you played you’d still struggle getting into the best 22 because of the St Kilda blokes.

“The team wasn’t picked on form, whereas at Frankston the best 22 play every week. If you’re good enough you’ll play. It’s a fair commitment to play VFL — you train three times a week and play on the weekend — and you want to play. At the end of the day I thought I was better off elsewhere. Frankston was the most logical option.’’

Meetings with Dolphins GM Gary Buckenara and coach Adam Skrobalak convinced him he was making the right move.

Five goals in a Round 3 upset victory over North Melbourne and a bag of six against Coburg in Round 6 got him a few mentions around the grounds.

With Frankston having the bye in Round 8, Rich was available to play in the Young Guns game at North Port Oval.

He took it “very seriously’’, because it was his first taste of representative football.

“It was a good chance to show myself at another level,’’ he said.

A six-goal bag did just that.

But Rich is out to spread his wings in the second half of the season. That is, he’d like to spend some time on the wing and through the midfield.

“It would just add a couple more strings to my bow,’’ he said.

“I’ve got a few things to work on — my field kicking and some of my defensive efforts. I’d love to get my tackles numbers up.’’

Besides playing for the Dolphins, Rich is studying commerce at Melbourne University and working part-time as a labourer and in hospitality.

“I like to stay busy,’’ he said.

Don’t backmen know it?

DOLLIES COACH ADAM SKROBALAK ON COREY RICH

“I saw him go into the Sandy side late last season and kick goals. He’s got a knack for it. When we caught up after I got the coaching role, we spoke about opportunity and where he saw himself and where I saw him as a footballer. My thoughts were that he had all the attributes and he just needed to keep working hard and to get some results. He’s an elite runner. Once he gets up and going his high-end running speed is elite. He reads the game really well and he’s really strong in contests, marking or ground ball or even stoppage. He’s a competitive, strong young fella of exceptional character.’’

FACT

Corey Rich is yet another good footballer to emerge from East Sandringham Junior Football Club, home of Brownlow medallist Chris Judd, Essendon champion Jobe Watson and countless other AFL players. In 2013 Rich kicked 10 goals in a match at Under 16 level.

*This Sunday Frankston and Sandringham play at the Trevor Barker Beach Oval in a Pride Cup match.

The Sandy players will wear specially designed rainbow-coloured jumpers, and St Kilda player Sam Gilbert, Victorian Commissioner for Gender and Sexuality Ro Allen, LGBTI+ advocates Hannah Mouncey and Tynan Winmar, and James Lolicato from Pride Cup Australia will be guest speakers the lunch.

“The Sandringham Football Club embraces diversity and inclusion, where everyone who is involved with the club, either as a player, official, administrator or fan, is free and able to do regardless of their sexuality,” Zebras CEO David Cannizzo said.