Dream team: Dandenong Stingrays’ best team, top 50
From the likes of Fev to present-day stars like Tom Lynch and Adam Treloar, NAB League Under-18 club Dandenong Stingrays has produced a stack of stars since 1992. Coach Nick Cox has helped select a team of their best — and it would take some beating.
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Dandenong Stingrays coach Nick Cox achieved many honours during his long playing career.
He turned out in the VFA/VFL for Dandenong and Frankston. He won three best-and-fairest medals in the Eastern league. He was player-coach at a number of clubs.
But there was one thing he didn’t do: play for the club he’s now coaching. It’s a regret.
Cox was on the Stingrays list when the Under 18 competition was launched in 1992, but he tore a quad before the first practice match.
Peter Russo was coach, Steve “Spider’’ Kennedy the region manager and the Stingrays played their home games at Mordialloc.
“Underneath the old grandstand there, I can smell it still, walking in there,’’ Cox said.
That year, four Stingrays were drafted to the AFL: Darren King, Danny Winkel, Kane Batzloff and Justin Leppitsch.
“He would take one Jesaulenko mark every single week … he used to sit on heads. Gee he was a good player,’’ Cox said of Leppitsch.
Almost three decades on, the Rays have had close to 150 players drafted.
As a south-east resident with a long involvement with the football scene, Cox has always followed the Stingrays’ fortunes, more so when his son Mitch played at Shepley.
He is, then, the ideal chairman of selectors as we name the Dandenong Stingrays’ best team — with a long interchange bench.
BACKLINE
Matthew Boyd (Western Bulldogs): Narre Warren junior who went from the Stingrays to Frankston, played a season with the Dolphins’ reserves, and was drafted to the Western Bulldogs as a rookie in 2001. He became an outstanding league player, totting up 292 matches, winning three best-and-fairests, captaining the Doggies and figuring in the stirring 2016 premiership.
Trent Croad (Hawthorn/Fremantle): another Stingrays product who went on to be a premiership player, grand final triumph coming to the dashing key defender with Hawthorn in 2008. Croad was taken at No 3 in the 1997 national draft, going on to 222 games (184 with the Hawks, 38 with Fremantle) and an All-Australian jumper in 2005.
Nick Haynes (GWS): the Frankston Bombers junior was an outstanding prospect at the Stingrays — he won the best-and-fairest in 2011 — and it was no surprise the Giants claimed him at No 7 in the national draft. Now one of the most reliable and enterprising defenders in the land.
HALF BACK LINE
Chris Newman (Richmond): what a bargain: the Tigers nabbed Newman at No 55 in 2000 — Stingrays teammates Laurence Angwin, Ryan Lonie, Michael Handy and Adam McPhee all went ahead of him. He went on to captain Richmond and play 268 AFL games, his left-foot kicking stylish and a source of countless attacks.
Justin Leppitsch (Brisbane): “Leppa’’ was the first player drafted from the Stingrays, in 1992, claimed by Brisbane at No 4 after winning the best and fairest and gaining a high finish in the Morrish Medal. He was aged 17 and seemed to have the whole town of Berwick behind him as he headed north. Powerful and poised at centre half-back, Leppitsch was an essential element of the Lions’ rise to three premierships. He also won a best-and-fairest and was an All-Australian selection three times.
Lachie Whitfield (GWS): as smooth as liquid in whatever he did, the Mt Martha junior was the No 1 selection in the 2012 national draft. The way coach Graeme Yeats saw it, no other player could possibly have gone ahead of him. Whitfield has 134 games and a best-and-fairest behind him, but at 25 his best is to come.
CENTRELINE
Tom Scully (Melbourne/GWS/Hawthorn): all through the 2009 season, speedster Scully was talked up as the No 1 pick — “He’s not just a wonderful player, he’s a back-to-back All Australian, so his performance on the board at the best level available, which is our national 18s, is first class,’’ AFL recruiting guru “Shifter’’ Sheehan said at one stage — and the Demons duly selected him with the first call. But Dees supporters saw less of him than they hoped: after two years he took off to GWS, and now’s he back in Melbourne with Hawthorn.
Luke Parker (Sydney Swans): the Langwarrin lad stormed to the Stingrays’ best and fairest as a bottom-age player in 2009 and backed it up by averaging 23 touches per game in 2010, showing buckets of bravery, leadership and an ability to kick goals. Drafted at No 40, he’s pretty much done the same for the Swans in a mighty career that has taken in 195 games, the 2012 premiership and two best and fairests. Parker can captain this team.
Austinn “Aussie’’ Jones (St Kilda): the ex-Narre Warren junior could have been mistaken for a little leaguer when he started with the Saints. But the skinny little fellow developed into a fine player, making 226 appearances and winning two All-Australian jumpers. The Saints got him cheaply at No 48 in the 1994 national draft. That year he’d won the Stingrays’ best and fairest.
HALF FORWARD LINE
James Harmes (Melbourne): another rookie-list success story. The Devon Meadows junior plugged away in the VFL before being elevated and earning senior stripes in 2015. He’s a committed and courageous player.
Tom Lynch (Gold Coast/Richmond): anyone who saw the Sorrento product coming through at the Stingrays knew he was ticketed for a long and decorated AFL career. His sure marking and running and presenting led to comparisons with Nick Riewoldt. Lynch was among a ripper Rays draft haul in 2010 — he was pick 11 — and in the decade since he’s been among the AFL’s best key forwards, captaining Gold Coast, twice winning its best-and-fairest, and figuring in Richmond’s premiership last year.
Travis Johnstone (Melbourne/Brisbane): the onballer and half-forward with the sweet skills became the Stingrays’ second No 1 draft pick when Melbourne took him in 1997. He could be a tease to Dees supporters but his best lifted him to the top bracket of AFL players. Saw out his career in Brisbane and finished with 209 games. More recently he returned to the club to run messages for coach Craig Black.
FORWARDS
Stephen Milne (St Kilda): as a top-age Stingray in 1998 the cheeky little fellow from Hampton Park Secondary College listed his strengths as “goalkicking, baulking and crumbing off the packs’’. Coach Robert Dean held him up as a draft prospect but Milne had to spend time on Essendon’s supp list before getting on AFL books. St Kilda rookie-listed him at the end of 1999, and the brilliant small forward with the bulging bag of tricks rewarded the Saints with 574 goals over 275 games.
Brendan Fevola (Carlton/Brisbane): by the time he’d played the last of his 204 AFL games Fevola had 623 goals and two Coleman Medals to his name. He also led Carlton’s goalkicking seven times. “Fev’’ first topped goalkicking charts with the Stingrays in 1998, bagging 63, despite also spending time at half-back that season. “It’s good, it gets you going a bit. People are watching and tooting their horns and cheering for you and it gets the whole team going,” Fevola said. “I love kicking the goals.” The Blues drafted him at No 38 in 1998.
Nathan Jones (Melbourne): from Mt Eliza, the hard-running Jones was getting good notices at the Stingrays as an Under-16 state representative in 2004. The following year he was an All Australian Under-18 selection – as a bottom-age player. And in 2006 he was making his debut for Melbourne. Three best-and-fairests and a long run as captain mark him out as one of the Demons’ best players in the past 20 years.
FOLLOWERS
Jeff White (Fremantle/Melbourne): in 1994 the lanky lad from Frankston Rovers was the No 1 draft pick, the first Stingray to have his name called out first. He had 32 games with Freo before returning to Melbourne and playing 236 matches for the Dees, his best-and-fairest year of 2004 also leading to All-Australian honours. He’d made the TAC Cup team of the year in 1994.
Adam Treloar (GWS/Collingwood): living at North Dandenong and playing for Noble Park, Treloar zoomed through junior football, played in the Stingrays’ 2009 grand final side as a 16-year-old and had an outstanding season as a 17-year-old. GWS claimed him with an under-age concession pick as it set down roots in the AFL, and Treloar has had an honour-filled career since. He’s now at Collingwood. But he’s also still at Noble Park, helping coach juniors.
Dylan Shiel (GWS/Essendon): the left-footer from Edithvale-Aspendale shared his journey to AFL ranks with his mate and teammate Treloar: inclusion in the AFL/AIS Academy program, star Stingrays as bottom-age players and snapped up by Giants.
INTERCHANGE
Adam Ramanauskas (Essendon): No 12 the 1998 national draft. Played 134 games, including the Dons’ 2000 premiership team.
Jake Batchelor (Richmond): No 30 in 2010 draft. Won the Rays’ best-and-fairest in 2010.
Jacob Weitering (Carlton): No 1 selection in 2015.
Adam McPhee (Fremantle/Essendon): No 39 in 2000. Played 223 AFL games.
Hunter Clark (St Kilda): No 7 in 2017.
Chad Morrison (West Coast Eagles/Collingwood): compensatory pick in 1995 pre-season draft.
David Hille (Essendon): No 40 in 1999. Essendon best-and-fairest in 2008, 197 AFL games
Shane Savage (Hawthorn/St Kilda): No 75 in 2008. Has played 163 AFL games.
Shane Tuck (Richmond): No 24 in 2000 rookie draft (Hawthorn), No 73 2003 national draft (Richmond). Played 173 games for the Tigers.
Toby Thurstans (Port Adelaide): No 39 in 1998. Played in Port Adelaide’s 2004 premiership.
Ryan Lonie (Collingwood): No 34 in 2000. Played 123 AFL games.
Nathan Lonie (Hawthorn/Port Adelaide): No 58 in 2000. Played 104 AFL games.
Jack Lonie (St Kilda): No 41 in 2014.
Ryan Bastinac (North Melbourne/Brisbane): No 21 in 2009. Stingrays co-captain in 2009. Played 164 AFL games.
Steve Salopek (Port Adelaide): No 6 in 2002. Had 121 AFL games.
Kris Massie (Carlton/Adelaide): No 7 in 1997. Played 43 games for the Blues and 88 for the Crows.
Andrew Williams (West Coast Eagles/Collingwood): No 34 in 1997.
Darren Hulme (Carlton): No 8 in 1997 pre-season draft.
Jarred Moore (Sydney): No 31 in 2004.
Andrejs Everitt (Western Bulldogs/Sydney/Carlton): No 11 in 2006. Played 131 AFL games.
Dylan Roberton (Fremantle/St Kilda): No 49 in 2000 draft.
Jarrad Grant (Western Bulldogs/Gold Coast): No 5 in 2007 draft.
Levi Casboult (Carlton): No 44 in 2010 rookie draft.
Zak Jones (Sydney/St Kilda): No 15 in 2013 draft.
Bailey Dale (Western Bulldogs): No 45 in 2014 draft.
Matthew Buntine (GWS): No 5 in 2011 draft.
Josh Battle (St Kilda): No 39 in 2016 draft.
Aaron Edwards (West Coast/North Melbourne/Richmond): No 9, 2002 rookie draft.
Taylor Garner (North Melbourne): No 15 in 2012 draft.
Billy Hartung (Hawthorn/North Melbourne): No 24 in 2013 draft.
Ashley Smith (West Coast): No 36 in 2008 draft.
Paul Johnson (West Coast/Melbourne/Hawthorn): No 24 in 2002 draft. Won the 2005 JJ Liston Trophy.
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