NAB League: the East Sandringham Rovers team produces 13 NAB League players this year

They’ve produced two Brownlow medallists, a long list of AFL players and scores of under-18 talent between them. So what makes East Sandringham and Hampton Rovers junior football clubs so successful?

Top 10: the 2019 Dragons from East Sandringham Rovers.

East Sandringham long ago made its name as one of the most successful and respected clubs in Victorian junior football.

Great recognition came to the Zebbies when Chris Judd won the Brownlow Medal, and when Jobe Watson did the same.

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Well before then the list of league footballers who made their start in the game at East Sandy was as long as Beach Rd.

Talent continues to come out of Chisholm Reserve.

This year the Zebbies, affiliated with the South Metro Junior Football League, have had 13 boys jumpered by three different NAB League under-18 clubs.

Tom Grant, Tom Blamires, Tom McPhee, Darby Hipwell, Lachlan Riley, Paddy McPhee, Archie Perkins, Lachlan Carrigan, Jacob Grey and Josh Duscher are all with the Sandringham Dragons.

The East Sandringham Rovers under-16 flag team.

Kieran Dyer was injured before the trial games in early March and will come again after completing some of the Dragons’ pre-season.

Daniel Bourke, who moved to Phillip Island in 2018, has earned a Gippsland Power listing.

And Ross Sklavenitis and Sam Seach are on the Oakleigh Chargers’ books.

Unsurprisingly, the East Sandringham Rovers under-16 team won the premiership last year, defeating a strong East Brighton Vampires (the Zebbies and Rovers merge at under 15-17 level under the East Sandringham Rovers banner).

Parent Paul Carrigan said the 2018 squad “has produced a resilient bunch, great stock with a will to learn and work hard’’ and had “tasted plenty of success along the way’’.

“They had many great coaches and an environment that was fun yet challenging. Nick Murray, Greg Hipwell, David Grant, Mark Riley, Greg Miller, Simon McPhee and Brett Williams are all great coaches with elite AFL coaching/playing experience that the boys were lucky enough to have at the club,’’ he said.

“In 2017 the boys travelled to a remote Aboriginal community at Ali Curung, 400km north of Alice Springs and played the NT AFL academy.

“Thirteen lads from one team is unheard of. They all love the sport and were lucky enough to have played with Will Murray, who is doing a great job as a member of the coaching staff at Dragons.’’

Chris Judd and Liam Stocker after last year’s AFL national draft.

Star junior footballer Will is assisting Dragons coach Josh Bourke.

Bourke coached Will when he made the Victorian under-12 schoolboys team.

*East Sandringham and Hampton Rovers are looking at record membership numbers with a big increase in the girls ranks girls taking female registrations past 100.

*East Sandy had another of their products progress to an AFL list last year when Liam Stocker was drafted by Carlton.

In his role as a Blues director, Judd presented a Carlton jumper to Stocker.

Ironically, three years earlier Stocker had won East Sandringham’s Chris Judd Perpetutal Trophy, which recognises the “most outstanding junior achievement’’.

Between East Sandringham and Hampton Rovers can almost raise a starting 18 of AFL players this year: the Brayshaw, Maynard and King brothers, Jack Watts, Stocker, Nathan Murphy, Charlie Constable, Jayden Hunt, Will Walker, Christian Salem, Karl Amon, Harry Reynolds and Austin Bradke.