Dandenong Stingrays midfielder Gus Kennedy and Gippsland forward-midfielder Cody Templeton have put their best foot forward to play in the AFL’s annual Under-17s Futures game on the MCG on AFL Grand Final day.
Kennedy was one six Stingrays in action for Vic Country against NSW/ACT in an under-17s trial game at Casey Fields on Saturday morning, while there were also six Gippslanders playing.
Kennedy’s selection for the representative game follows 12 Dandenong Stingrays games in 2025 where he has averaged 17 disposals and five tackles, being a key member of the midfield group.
He has particularly stepped up through the middle portion of the season with top-aged midfielder Jack Lawrence and Louis Hodder missing for Dandenong to school football commitments.
Templeton, meanwhile, continued his meteoric rise during 2025.
Having started the season with a widespread awareness of his midfield talent, but question marks over his versatility, he has well and truly proven his capabilities as a forward.
Playing predominantly in attack on Saturday, he kicked two goals and directly set up three other scores, with his kicking inside 50 elite to complement his marking and sidestep.
His Gippsland teammates Marlon Neocleous and Wil Malady also looked dangerous in attack.
Neocleous, a small forward who won the Gippsland League senior grand final with Traralgon last season, kicked two front and centre goals and ran through the midfield.
Malady took a massive screamer in the third quarter, and split his time between attack and the wing.
Jackson Phillips, Wil Antrobus, Marcus Prasad, Bentley Avenell and Noah Bevis were the other Stingrays in action, while Tom McMillan, Clancy Snell and Xavier Ladbrook were the other Power representatives.
Phillips got some midfield minutes and had a busy third quarter, prominent in the forward half setting the game up by foot, while he won a handful of clearances to show his burst.
Antrobus applied pressure in defensive 50, halving some crucial contests in the second quarter, while Bevis competed well throughout the match in the ruck.
Avenell was selected despite having just one Coates League game under his belt, a three goal outing against Oakleigh.
At 198cm, his height is enticing and he looked a dangerous forward presence at times, winning a free kick and slotting a set shot goal in the second quarter.
Prasad, a Melbourne Next Generation Academy member, was quieter, but has shown his traits as a front and centre forward who applies pressure and kicks goals consistently through the Talent League, which led to a call up for a Vic Country game.
McMillan played off halfback, while Snell and Ladbrook are both tall prospects who played at both ends throughout the game, with Ladbrook’s forward presence particularly influential in the third quarter.
Athletic defender Darcy Szerszyn was rested for the clash, having proven his capabilities as a versatile defender in a trio of Vic Country under-18s games.
