QBE Sydney Swans Academy player Nick Blakey bagged seven goals to lead the side to a 23-point win over the GWS Giants in the 2018 Academy Series on Saturday.
The 18-year-old kicked five goals against the Brisbane Lions the week prior and was at his scintillating best in Blacktown on the weekend in a 12.13 (85) to 8.15 (63) victory.
Head coach Jared Crouch praised Blakey’s performance but said the midfield’s influence was massive.
“A lot has been written about Nick Blakey and he kicked seven goals up forward and played everywhere,” Crouch said.
“But you don’t get the opportunity to kick that many goals if your midfield isn’t playing well. Sam Wicks, Josh Stern, Harry Parker and Kyle McKellar working with our ruckmen Zac Cameron and Christian Loome – they were all outstanding.
“Matty Kannon, who’s an underage player, also gave us a lot of drive off half-back.
“Joey Reinhard is someone who gets thrown everywhere. He’s getting the balance of his footy right. He’s having a presence in contests offensively with taking marks and creating contests. Then when the ball hits the ground, for a player of his size he is very agile and chases and harasses the opposition and lays plenty of tackles. It’s the real balance of his game that I’m really liking.”
The Swans sit atop the ladder after beating the Giants on the weekend and the Lions in a 49-point win in their championship-opener the Saturday prior.
They burst out of the blocks to boot six goals to the Giants’ one in the first quarter on Saturday.
But GWS responded with six of its own across the second and third terms to trail by just nine points at three-quarter time, before the Swans kicked three majors to the Giants’ one in the final stanza to motor away for the win.
Crouch said he was rapt with the Swans’ response.
“The message at quarter-time was to maintain what we were doing,” Crouch said.
“We knew the Giants would respond and that we had to respond to their challenge.
“The Giants came with some really good pressure and managed to start winning some centre clearances and a few clearances around the stoppages and got the ball up forward. They’ve got some handy players up forward that took some good marks and kicked some good goals.”
Every player who will be 18 years of age by December 31 will be eligible for the National and Rookie Drafts in November.
Blakey will be able to sign with the Swans due to his Academy allegiance but will also be able to opt with North Melbourne or Brisbane under the father-son agreement because his dad John played for the Kangaroos and Fitzroy.
Blakey complemented his seven-goal tirade with 20 disposals in the win over the Giants, while Stern and Wicks found 18 touches of their own.
Sydney is now set for a clash with the Northern Territory in Alice Springs on Saturday and Crouch said a tough test awaited.
“A lot of resources have been put in their program and you can see them improving every year,” Crouch said.
“They’ll be fast, they’ll be furious and we’ll have to be at our best.
“The Academy is about footy education but it’s also about real-life experiences. For a lot of these boys they wouldn’t have visited the Top End, so to get up there and experience life in Alice Springs will be a great learning curve for them.”
