NAB League Boys: Sandringham Dragons defeat Oakleigh Chargers at Moorabbin

Former Beaumaris junior Jacob Edwards caught eyes with his debut for Sandringham Dragons in NAB League Boys.

Jacob Edwards of the Dragons celebrates a goal during the NAB League Boys match between the Sandringham Dragons and the Oakleigh Chargers at Moorabbin. Photo: Cameron Grimes/AFL Photos.

The Dragons have become the land of the giants.

“They’re not short on talls here, put it that way,’’ an AFL recruiter said with a laugh as he watched the Sandringham Dragons warm up ahead of the NAB League Boys match against Oakleigh Chargers at Moorabbin on Monday.

The host team went in with three players more than 200cm: 204cm Max Heath, 202cm Jacob Edwards and 201cm Dante Visentini.

Over-age player Felix Flockart, 202cm, sat it out, as did 199cm Joe Nowell.

The Dragons also have 197cm Ben Andrews and 196cm Jesse Castan and 196cm Caleb Lewis on their books this year.

The performance of Edwards was one of the talking points of Monday’s match.

Wearing No 70, the left-footer kicked two goals, had 11 possessions and picked up 13 hit-outs for the Dragons.

One scout was so impressed he said he thought Edwards was a mid-season draft candidate.

“He certainly stood up against a quality team,’’ coach Jackson Kornberg said of his newcomer.

“His ruck work was good but the thing that impressed me most about Jacob was his impact in the air, then his follow up work when the ball hit the ground. For a 201, 202cm kid, he almost acts as an extra midfielder.

“He took a great mark forward and kicked a lovely goal from 40m out … he’s got a nice left-foot kick on him … he’s just burst on to the scene really.’’

Kornberg added: “It’s exciting to see a big bloke who has been so underexposed from a NAB League point of view come in and interest a few onlookers.’’

Jacob Edwards warms up for his NAB League Boys debut.

Dragons region manager Mark Wheeler said he first noticed Edwards when he was playing Division 3 junior football at Beaumaris.

Wheeler said the club had “invested’’ in the Mentone Grammar Year 12 student and he was flourishing.

That said, five weeks ago Edwards was told he wouldn’t be playing in Round 1.

“In the practice games you could see he was saying, ‘I’m playing Round 1’. He really responded when we put the acid on him,’’ Wheeler said, adding that Edwards had been with the Dragons since the start of 2019.

“We knew he wasn’t going to be ready in 2019 or 2020. This was the year we thought he was going to be ready. And he’s ready.’’

SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS DEFEAT OAKLEIGH CHARGERS IN THRILLER AT MOORABBIN

The match promised a lot, and, in the assessment of one recruiter, delivered it and then some.

The Sandringham Dragons won it, coming from behind to defeat region rival Oakleigh Chargers by 16 points in their season-starting NAB League Boys match at Moorabbin today.

The Dragons hit the front for the first time late in the last quarter after energetic small forward Eren Soylemez caught Chargers defender Scott Beilby, who had played on from the kick-out.

The clever Soylemez nailed the set-shot, to the delight of the Dragons supporters thumping the advertising signs on the fence.

Ruckman Jacob Edwards took a strong mark in front and added another to extend the advantage to 11 points.

And the final margin was increased to 11.16 (82) to 10.6 (66) after the final siren, when Tom Blamires put through a long shot.

Teammates swamped him; there had been some heat in the match, and not only because of the warm weather, and the Dragons were chuffed to get the better of an opponent powered by Nick Daicos.

One NAB League watcher appraised the crowd as the biggest he’d seen in the competition outside of a grand final, and many in it were Collingwood supporters who had come to run an eye over Daicos, son of legendary Magpie Peter.

Dragons coach Jackson Kornberg (right) takes a few breaths after the match.

They would have left Moorabbin chuffed with what they saw from the No 3; he cruised around the ground collecting possessions, using them with sure touch and kicking three goals.

What a prospect.

On the Dragons side, Josh Sinn, Campbell Chesser, Blake Howes and Finn Callaghan, all highly rated, had plenty of good moments.

Sinn, Callaghan and Howe were named in the best, alongside Lachlan Riley (son of Bomber), Charlie McKay (son of Andrew) and Dingley’s Lachie Benton.

Callaghan, a left-footer and the son of former Australian Commonwealth Games athlete Brett, was one of the players who gave the Dragons a spark when they needed it.

Kicking with a breeze to the South Rd end, the Chargers slipped away to a four-goal lead in the first quarter, with smooth-mover Lachlan Rankin kicking the first two goals of the game.

Recruiters converged on Moorabbin for the match.

Youseph Dib, given a 50m penalty, and Daicos, from a set-shot, followed up for the Oakleigh team.

Former WA Colts star Logan Young got the Dragons on the board, but Patrick Voss, floating across the goalsquare to mark, answered it, and at quarter time the Chargers enjoyed a 22-point break.

But the Dragons got busy when they had the breeze, Soylemez, Howes and Bentleigh boy Luke Nankervis goaling to all but tie it up at half time.

The third quarter was like the first, the Chargers having the better of it with four goals to two.

But their lead at the last change wasn’t enough, with the Sandringham side rattling home with five goals, Soylemez finishing with three.

Coach Jackson Kornberg told his players after the game that they’d showed “grit’’ and been “ruthless’’ to overhaul an accomplished opponent.

“Boys, we were under siege,’’ he said.

“Cramps left, right and centre, hot day, down by three goals at three-quarter time … to grind it out and to get a result, it’s super, something you should all be proud of.

“As a playing group, to know that we don’t have to win pretty, we can win dirty as well … it’s a great win, boys.’’

Rankin, red of hair and sharp of skill, kicked three goals for the Chargers before limping off in the last quarter.

The match attracted dozens of recruiters, who set up camp on the outer wing with their fold-up chairs and binoculars, pens at the ready.

One of the scouts said at least 15 players involved in the game could be drafted.

Sandringham Dragons 1.3, 4.7, 6.10, 11.16 (82)

Oakleigh Chargers 5.1, 5.3, 9.4, 10.6 (66)

Dragons goals: E. Soylemez 3, L. Young 2, J. Edwards 2, B. Howes, L. Nankervis, J. Sinn, T. Blamires. Best: L. Riley, J. Sinn, C. Mckay, F. Callaghan, L. Benton, B. Howes

Chargers goals: L. Rankin 3, N. Daicos 3, T. Silvagni, L. Kelvie, P. Voss, Y. Dib. Best: S. Beilby, L. Jenkins, E. Moyle, N. Daicos, L. Rankin, P. Voss