AFL Draft 2025: Coates Talent League Grand Final scouting notes
Eastern Ranges ended Sandringham Dragons’ premiership dynasty in Saturday’s Coates League Grand Final. Chris Cavanagh examines the performances of 14 draft hopefuls.
Eastern Ranges pair Xavier Taylor and Sullivan Robey elevated their standings inside the first round of November’s AFL national draft as they played key roles in helping their side to a Coates Talent League premiership on Saturday.
The Ranges defeated the Sandringham Dragons by 15 points in a tight affair at Ikon Park, denying the Dragons what would have been a fourth successive premiership.
Taylor claimed the best on ground medal for his performance in defence, with the 191cm interceptor controlling the air in the back half as he racked up 15 marks and 25 disposals.
Robney – a huge draft bolter over the past two months – also turned heads as he gathered 13 disposals and booted four goals playing a mix of forward and midfield roles.
Taylor shapes as a top-15 pick in this year’s draft, with Sullivan now firmly in top-10 calculations despite playing only nine games in the talent pathways after joining the Ranges mid-season.
Wingman Blake Chambers (29 disposals), midfielder Josiah Landy (25 disposals, 1 goal) and small forward Lachy Dovaston (24 disposals, two goals) also had good games for the Ranges.
Captain Ollie Greeves finished with 24 disposals and a goal mixing his time between midfield and forward roles.
Willis Reidy kicked a season-high four goals for the Dragons, while Jack Dalton (23 disposals), Kye Fincher (22 disposals, one goal) and Xavier Bamert (18 disposals) players key roles through the midfield.
The Eastern Ranges also won the Coates Talent League girls premiership with a 38-point victory over the Dandenong Stingrays.
Tayla McMillan collected 29 disposals to be named best on ground.
GRAND FINAL SCOUTING NOTES
EASTERN RANGES
XAVIER TAYLOR
25 disposals, 15 marks, 4 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s
A 191cm interceptor who shapes as a top-15 pick in this year’s draft, Taylor patrolled the back half for the Ranges and controlled the air throughout the match. A fierce competitor – who also likes to get under the skin of opponents – he’s rarely beaten one-on-one and reads the play well to consistently intercept the footy. Taylor also shows compose with ball in hand and generally distributes it well by foot.
SULLIVAN ROBEY
13 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles, 4 goals
A huge draft bolter over the past two months, Robey stamped himself as a genuine top-10 draft prospect with his Grand Final performance. The 192cm prospect started forward and kicked two of the first four goals of the match, including one from a tight angle. He went on to have some rotations in the midfield, where he covered the ground well and was clean below his knees at ground level. Robey went on to boot two more goals in the second half, showing himself to be a beautiful set shot kick.
JOSIAH LANDY
25 disposals, 3 marks, 8 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 1 goal
An important cog through the midfield all day, Landy featured as a primary onballer and was hard-at-it around contest. He showed clean hands, provided good tackling pressure and did a double spin out of trouble at one point during the third quarter. Landy also got on the end of one goal out of heavy congestion in the final quarter.
OSKAR TAYLOR
19 disposals, 4 marks, 2 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50
A 182cm rebounding defender, Taylor was particularly prolific in the first half of the match. He pushed up the ground aggressively from halfback, showed good leg speed, composure with ball in hand and a nice left-foot kick. He also bounced back to his feet quickly after being knocked over on a couple of occasions. Taylor had 13 disposals to half-time, but was a little quieter after that. He has emerged as a first-round draft prospect despite being overlooked for Vic Metro during the under-18 national championships mid-season.
LACHY DOVASTON
24 disposals, 3 marks, 5 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 2 goals
A talented 177cm small forward who has a little bit of Nick Watson about him, Dovaston continually worked high up the ground to find the footy and be a connector for his team going forward. The high workrate is matched by strong agility and smarts around goal. He kicked his two majors during the second quarter, the first of which came from a high tackle free kick and the second from a mark inside 50. A first-round draft prospect, Dovaston finished the season as the second-highest goalkicker in the competition with 38 goals from 16 games.
OLLIE GREEVES
24 disposals, 4 marks, 5 inside 50s, 1 goal
The Ranges captain and first-round draft prospect worked hard through the midfield and was able to hit the scoreboard during one of his rotations forward. He dribbled through a nice goal from the forward pocket in the second quarter, during which he also flew for a pack mark that he couldn’t quite hold on to. Greeves was caught holding the ball on a couple of occasions, though, and a few of his kicks missed the mark.
BLAKE CHAMBERS
29 disposals, 7 marks, 2 tackles, 6 inside 50s
A smooth-moving wingman, Chambers worked hard up and down the ground and found himself where the ball was more often than not as he finished as the leading disposal winner on the ground. He missed one early set shot for goal in the first quarter, but otherwise used the ball well and provided some run and carry going forward.
SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS
JACK DALTON
23 disposals, 6 marks, 9 tackles, 6 inside 50s
An aerobic beast, the 177cm midfielder got around the ground to try and get his side over the line. Dalton provided some run and overlap and used the footy well as he rotated between onball and half-forward roles. His tackling was also a feature as he finished as the leading tackle winner on the ground. It has been some comeback for Dalton, who missed the first half of the season after breaking both wrists in a freak gym accident in March.
XAVIER BAMERT
18 disposals, 5 marks, 3 inside 50s, 3 tackles
A 186cm midfielder who is tough in the contest and puts his head over the footy, Bamert played a key role onball for the Dragons. He recorded two goal assists with good ball use going inside-50, while another highlight was a crunching run down tackle on an opponent in the opening quarter which created a turnover for the Dragons.
KYE FINCHER
22 disposals, 5 marks, 4 inside 50s, 1 goal
A St Kilda NGA prospect who has risen draft rankings across the second half of the season, it wasn’t Fincher’s best game but he still contributed. The 185cm prospect featured primarily through the midfield and pushed forward to kick a lovely goal from just inside the 50m arc in the first quarter. He showed some good clearance work in the middle, but also had some turnovers by foot.
WILLIS REIDY
9 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 4 goals
A 170cm small forward, Reidy left his best until last as he booted a season-high four goals in his biggest game of the year. Reidy opened his account with the first goal of the game before adding three more in a third-quarter purple patch. His fourth goal was an absolute beauty, dribbling through a miracle major from deep in the forward pocket.
SACH LEVINE
15 disposals, 1 mark, 7 tackles, 2 inside 50s
A taller midfielder at 188cm, Levine has been a little more under the radar this year but has shown some good development. He’s got good balance in his game and has gone more inside this season, starting onball in the Grand Final. While he would have liked to have won a little more of the footy, Levine used it well and his tackling pressure was a feature of his game.
RORY WRIGHT
22 disposals, 7 marks, 6 rebound 50s, 3 tackles
A 184cm half-back, Wright provided some good rebound from defensive 50 for the Dragons. He also rotated through the midfield and showed clean hands and an ability to extract the footy from contest and hit targets going forward with his lovely left foot. Wright also took an early intercept mark, which has been an area he has improved on in the back half of this year.
JULIAN GALBALLY
13 disposals, 17 hitouts, 1 tackle, 1 goal
A 202cm mobile ruckman who returned to the Dragons as a 19-year-old this year, Galbally led the way in the ruck battle as he worked hard to give his midfielders first use of the footy. He was also rotated forward and got on the end of a soccer goal in the goalsquare during the third quarter.
