Southern league: Matt Wetering links with Essendon’s VFL team

Springvale Districts forward Matt Wetering will train at VFL level tonight after a dominating season in the Southern league.

Matt Wetering marking for Springy Districts this season. Pic: SDFNC

Southern league star Matt Wetering is taking his first step towards a move to the VFL.

The 22-year-old Springvale Districts key forward will train with Essendon tonight and is likely to play a match or two for the Dons before the end of the VFL season.

Wetering joined Districts from VAFA club Parkdale Vultures in 2019 and won the league best and fairest.

He’s having an exceptional 2021 season, booting 61 goals from 12 games, including a bag of 10 against Murrumbeena and seven against the strong Caulfield.

Last Saturday he kicked eight against Heatherton.

“I think he could very, very easily play in the VFL. And I actually reckon he’d be good enough to get picked up (by an AFL club),’’ Caulfield coach Chris O’Keefe, who played for strong North Ballarat teams in the VFL, said of Wetering three weeks ago.

“Now I know people might say, ‘Well, it’s only Division 2 footy’, but he could play just as good in the VFL, and he could be anything actually, because he’s a very good player, a very, very good player.

“He’s got the leap, he’s got the quickness, he’s got the hands, he’s got the goalkicking. He’s almost the complete package down there to be honest, especially when he gets up and going like he is at the moment.’’

Springvale Districts coach Kris Thompson and football manager Gregory Scott have quietly been encouraging Wetering to have a dash at the VFL.

Both who were involved at Frankston VFL in 2016 and have a high regard of the right-footer.

Matt Wetering won the Division 2 SFNL medal in 2019.

Thompson said it was “awesome’’ that Essendon was showing interest in Wetering, who was also contacted by Frankston this week.

Essendon is 20th on the VFL ladder with two wins and seven losses.

Last Saturday it lost to Sandringham by 67 points.

VFL assistant and development coach Cam Roberts told the Essendon website the Dons were lacking experience.

“I think the main thing is we’re quite inexperienced, so we have young draftees and NAB leaguers and some guys who are just out of NAB League, so you get a level of inexperience with that,” he said.

“They’re sort of in the early stages of their development, so they’re not across everything. It just takes time – they’ve got to experience this sort of stuff to grow and get better. So hopefully in 12 months’ time with another pre-season in there, they’re in a much better position.”

Former Geelong player Leigh Tudor coaches the Essendon VFL team.