Delisted Darren Minchington

[saintsrfreak]

DARREN MINCHINGTON
Age: 18
Height: 179cm
Weight: 80kg
From: Dandenong Stingrays
Position: Forward/Midfield
Quick small forward who made an impact in the TAC Cup late in the year. Saints say he is strong in close, a sharp decision maker and good around goals.

 

[Millington Magic]

Re: Darren Minchington

Played cricket agaisnt him a few years back and he was a darn good cricketer aswell. I know a lot of people that know him and from what I heard he's worked his backside off to get where he is now. I didn't expect him to get rookied at all, obviously he only came into the stingrays team halfway through the season, but must of shown enough in the games he did play.

 

[Kildonan]

Re: Darren Minchington

http://www.peninsulaweekly.com.au/n...stingray-hopeful-of-draft-pickup/2365243.aspx

A year ago, Darren Minchington's draft prospects were a pipe dream.

The tough midfielder-forward had missed the cut at TAC Cup club Dandenong Stingrays and was playing with MPNFL Nepean League team Dromana.

Minchington, 17, was invited to join the Stingrays mid-season but he suffered an injury setback which kept him out of action for a month.

Stingrays coach Graeme Yeats said the Safety Beach resident's form for Dromana had been too good to ignore.

Minchington closed the season strongly with the Stingrays, finishing with 34 best and fairest votes in eight games. His strong body has him primed to make an instant impact if an AFL club picks him up.

Yeats "He has good pace, good awareness and is a good chance at the national draft,"

Local kid living the dream

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

Re: Darren Minchington

Played cricket agaisnt him a few years back and he was a darn good cricketer aswell. I know a lot of people that know him and from what I heard he's worked his backside off to get where he is now. I didn't expect him to get rookied at all, obviously he only came into the stingrays team halfway through the season, but must of shown enough in the games he did play.

Spot on. Quite the handy batsman.

 

[Squizz]

DARREN MINCHINGTON

VFL Senior Games: 9
VFL Senior Goals: 8
VFL Senior Averages: 9.44 disposals, 2.22 marks and 1.66 tackles

VFL Dev Squad Games: 2
VFL Dev Squad Goals: 3

Darren Minchington has great goal sense and can also move into midfield when needed. He started the season on fire, kicking 8 goals in couple preseason games and continued that good form in his 9 senior appearances for Sandringham. His year was unfortunately cut short due to season ending hip injury.

Watters rates Minchy highly and have no doubt he will feature prominently next year and if he builds on his performances from 2012 there’s no reason he couldn’t find himself promoted. More realistically he is 12-24 months away, but will be perfect replacement for Stephen Milne when he eventually retires.

Photo appears with approval and courtesy of Dave Savell.

 

[aussierulesrules]

Found this when I was having a look through Snoopy's 2011 mock draft :

# 96 GWS - Darren Mitchington (Dandenong / 181 / 76 / 93)

Came onto the scene late in the year for the Rays after having performed well at the local level. In fact he ended up playing 8 games for them and was named in the bests 5 times when he was predominantly used as a small fwd. He is absolutely electric to watch and has a knack for doing things that have a touch of class about them. Will start out as a small fwd I would think and will take some time as hasn’t really ever done a proper preseason and it might be this that gets him landed on a rookie list instead but for mine he is showing that he has huge scope for improvement. If he doesn’t go I suspect Rays will have him back as the development is huge and he didn’t do the preseason with them.

and here is what Raymann had to say about him:

Darren Minchington – Dandenong Stingrays (181cm/76kg/1993)

Has plenty of ‘X – Factor’ explosive pace with good skills and knows where the goals are!

Just found his way onto the Stingrays list without completing a TAC preseason due to strong performances at senior level in the VCFL. The thing I like the most about Darren is his thirst for the contest, hits the packs hard, chases hard does the 1% all day.

Really wanted to get his name out there, most likely a rookie chance, but you never know. Is a December birthday so would likely be a 19 yr old selection for the stingrays next year if he doesn’t get picked up in the AFL

And here is an article on him from the HS: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/afl/localfooty/saint-flies-high/story-fn53klg1-1226349030842

PICTURE: JILL MITCHELL LEADER

​

Interesting to also note that Darren was born in December 1993, which means he is close to a year younger than some of those drafted is his year and makes him only a month or so older than the likes of Jimmy Toumpas and Dayle Garlett, who were so highly rated in this year's draft. If Darren had been born a month later and had played U18's footy for all of this year, I dare say he would have been drafted relatively highly this year, at least compared to being picked up in the rookie draft last year.

 

[aussierulesrules]

According to that article I posted in the post above, he wanted to add to his 77kg frame when he was drafted and it looks as though he has very much done that (he's now listed at 82kg, just 14 months later). I've seen him up very close a couple of times this year now and he has a seriously big upper body for someone who has only just turned 19 (he's only 6 weeks older than Murdoch and two months older than Wright, having been born in Dec. 1993) and I don't reckon he would necessarily need to get any bigger at all now. You can see what a barrel-chest he has in this photo here: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...50989438183.486184.79666748182&type=1&theater

Seems like a ripper young guy, too, having spoken to him very briefly after the intra-club game. Really looking forward to seeing how he progresses over the next couple of years, as he seems to have a lot of the necessary "ingredients" to be very successful at senior AFL level- a great work ethic, strong body, genuine speed, good skills and "x-factor", if the above reports are on the money.

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Minchington to debut against the Hawks Round 20 2013.

http://www.saints.com.au/news/2013-08-08/minchington-to-debut

St Kilda has made five changes ahead of its game against Hawthorn on Friday night. Highly skilled half-forward Darren Minchington will become the Saints' eighth debutant for the season, while James Blake, James Gwilt, Jack Newnes and Brodie Murdoch round out the five inclusions.

Minchington was taken with pick 65 in the 2012 AFL Rookie Draft and has been in impressive form in recent weeks for the Sandringham Zebras.
The 19-year-old was elevated to the senior list this week after a spate of season ending injuries.

Minchington Elevated: http://www.saints.com.au/news/2013-08-08/minchington-elevated-

 

[Armitage2Riewoldt]

Minchi's Debut:

http://www.saints.com.au/video/2013-08-19/exclusive-darren-minchingtons-debut

 

[Squizz]

#41 Darren Minchington

If someone had said that Minchi would have yet more significant injuries during 2013 and make his AFL debut I might have been a bit GTFO.

After having had hip surgery in the off-season he played just 3 VFL matches (playing quite well in one game with 17 possessions, 2 goals, and 6 tackles), before tearing a hammy and missing two months of footy.

He returned at the end of June with a game in the development team. His first senior game saw 16 possessions, 1 goal and 3 tackles, and then 20 possessions and 3.2 against the winless Bendigo. A very quiet game against Geelong followed, then 2 goals and 5 tackles against Essendon (along with some other high impact touches/assists).

Notwithstanding his obvious talent (and our season being shot), I was surprised that he was given an AFL call-up.

Minchi kicked a nice running goal against the Hawks after an early miss. Unsurprisingly he blew up a bit and wasn’t able to get near the ball in the last quarter, but the club gave him another game despite having just the 8 touches.

This was another heavy loss, this time to Sydney. Minchi again slotted a goal, but wasn’t overly prominent again with 9 possessions.

But I’d have to admit his elevation was not in vain. He lifted his game to another level on return to the VFL, the final match of the season, kicking 3.3 and having 20 possessions (plus 6 marks and 6 tackles). He was very influential and his field kicking was a feature.

Tony Micale “With Milney retiring, he will be looking to make that small forward spot his own next year. He’s got great speed, is hard at it and has terrific skills, so he has all the attributes. He just needs to build his physicality and endurance up, so pre-season is critical.”

 

[Periphery]

Here's what the 2015 Champion Data Prospectus had to say about Minchington:

In the VFL in 2014 he averaged 18 disposals, and ranked 4th for contested possessions (I assume they are talking about Sandy and not he league).

Booted at least 1 goal in each of his AFL games and ranked equal 3rd for score involvements in that time.

 

[Kildonan]

Under the radar is hardly stating how quiet the club and media have been about my man Darren, but finally he gets a mention

Darren Minchington has been named in the 29 man squad to face Essendon

ST KILDA: Tom Hickey, 3. Jack Steven, 4. Eli Templeton, 6. Seb Ross, 7. Luke Dunstan, 8. Blake Acres, 9. Tommy Lee, 11. Leigh Montagna, 14. Jarryn Geary, 16. Jack Newnes,18. Billy Longer, 20. David Armitage, 21. Luke Delaney, 24. Sean Dempster, 25. Sam Fisher, 26. Tom Curren, 27. Josh Bruce, 28. Tim Membrey, 32. Paddy McCartin, 33. Hugh Goddard, 34. Nathan Wright, 35. Josh Saunders, 37. Jack Lonie, 38. Ahmed Saad, 39. Cameron Shenton, 40. Jack Sinclair, 41. Darren Minchington, 44. Maverick Weller, 45. Jason Holmes

ST KILDA has made four changes to the squad, welcoming back Tom Hickey and Luke Dunstan from injury, and including Nathan Wright and Darren Minchington. Each of the four omissions are forced, with Jack Billings, Dylan Roberton, Farren Ray and Shane Savage all sustaining hamstring injuries last weekend against Brisbane.

Hugh Goddard and rookie Jack Sinclair have been named in the squad for the second straight week. Neither played against the Lions last week but are both chances to be included for their St Kilda debuts.

A squad of 29 players will travel to Morwell on Saturday, before the list is shaved to 27 (including one sub) 45 minutes prior to the game against Essendon.

 

[Kildonan]

St Kilda Saints: 15.11.101
#    Player           DT    SC   Kk    Hb    Mk   Tk   HO   FK    G.B    CP   Cl  Clg  DE(%) ToG(%) AF   SC  
11    Leigh Montagna   85    -    10    17    3    3                           6         92    88   85   110
 3    Jack Steven      78    -    15     7    1    2        2/0    1.0    12   7    2    63    56   79   124
14    Jarryn Geary     73    -    12    11    5    1        1/2    0.1    5         3    73    92   72    79
16    Jack Newnes      73    -    14     7    6    1        1/2           2         2    90    83   73    81
 6    Seb Ross         73    -     8     6    6    4        0/1    1.0    4    4    2    85    45   73    88
35    Josh Saunders    70    -     7    10    4    3        1/1    1.1    8    1    2    70    68   70    86
 7    Luke Dunstan     67    -     6     9    6    3               0.1    5    3    1    86    54   69    75
44    Maverick Weller  64    -     6    12    2    3     3         0.1    7    2         72    71   64    79
39    Cameron Shenton  64    -    10     7    3    1        1/0    1.0    2    1    3    70    92   69    83
41  Darren Minchington 64    -     6     5    4    3               2.0    4    2    1    72    74   61    61
37    Jack Lonie       63    -     9     8    3    1        1/0    1.0    5              82    75   67   105
20    David Armitage   57    -     8     8    1    4        1/1           8    6    4    75    74   57    72
27    Josh Bruce       53    -     4     4    6    1        0/1    2.2    3         1    75    82   53    56
28    Tim Membrey      53    -     9     1    4    1               1.2    5    1    2    60    80   53    72
38    Ahmed Saad       52    -     5     5    2    4        0/1    1.2    5         1    60    80   52    72
 4    Eli Templeton    51    -     7     4    3    3        1/0           2    1    2    81    75   51    46
34    Nathan Wright    46    -    10     3    1    2        2/1           4         1    84    82   46    66
 8    Blake Acres      45    -    11     4    4             1/5    1.0    4    3    7    66    72   48    46
21    Luke Delaney     43    -     3     4    3    4        1/0           3              85    91   43    60
 1    Tom Hickey       43    -     4     2    3    2    13  0/1           3    1    1    50    37   43    33
24    Sean Dempster    42    -     7     4    1    2        2/0           3             100    40   42    70
18    Billy Longer     39    -     5     2    2    1    10                5    2    2    42    60   39    32
33    Hugh Goddard     39    -     5     4    5          1                1             100    86   39    56
40    Jack Sinclair    33    -     5     3        3         0/2   1.0     4    2    2    75    39   37    47
45    Jason Holmes     31    -     2     1    2         10  1/0    1.0    1    1         66    20   31    40
32    Paddy McCartin   21    -     4          2             0/1   1.0     1         1    75    83   21    25

 

[Kildonan]

My man Darren was very good yesterday. Playing as a small forward with a few rotations through the midfield he demonstrated his ability to extract the ball from the centre bounce with 2 classy clearances, he showed his excellent skills by foot, and his reliability in front of goal.

 

[Kildonan]

The official AFL website is currently doing a series where they give a short precis on the players of each club grouped into Forwards, Defenders and Midfielders. I bring your attention to a mention of my man Minch in the Part 2 of the Forwards section of this series:

ST KILDA

Josh Bruce: Will play as a forward after spending time in attack in the VFL last year. Was on crutches for six weeks after surgery to correct compartment syndrome in both legs after round 20 last year. Has impressed in his recovery and the Saints will look to exploit his aerobic capacity as a forward who can rotate through the ruck.

Tom Curren: One of a few players competing for a small forward role, with Maverick Weller the preferred tagger last year. Super professional and diligent when it comes to training, has embraced his need to work on the defensive side of his game and there are hopes he'll become a Paul Puopolo-type player.

Tom Lee: Still building his upper body strength and confidence after surgery to remove screws from his shoulders late last season. Has had a good six months since the operation and while he didn't star in the first NAB Challenge match, there are hopes this will be the year he starts to make an impact.

Jack Lonie: Recent draftee competing for that small forward spot vacated by Stephen Milne over a year ago and has impressed since arriving last November. Is benefitting from being mentored by Adam Schneider and brings with him a nice left foot and plenty of pace.

Daniel Markworth: Is now officially considered one of the unluckiest players to be on a list in recent years. Will likely miss this season after dislocating his shoulder last week, which means he won't have played any seniors in his four years at the club after knee and hamstring problems. Is out of contract this year.

Paddy McCartin: Looks the goods so far from the tiny sample of two NAB Challenge games. Presented strongly in both and the wraps on his kicking look justified. Was quiet in Morwell as the Saints put the Dons to bed but given Christian Petracca's knee injury, the club is probably just thrilled McCartin is available for selection. Being mentored by the best in Nick Riewoldt, with a view to a smooth transition up forward in coming years.

Tim Membrey: Has fitted in well since crossing from the Sydney Swans and has impressed with his attitude and professionalism. Is a hard worker and will be called upon for leadership given the number of young players on the list. Hasn't missed a session and there are hopes he'll make an immediate impact.

Darren Minchington: The former rookie has worked extremely hard on his fitness since the end of last season. Missed about four weeks with a soft tissue injury but has been back training for a month. Played through the midfield with Sandringham last season and could be used in a variety of roles this year.

Brenton Payne: High marking forward picked up as a rookie. Has shown he has the nous to run into good positions and competes well, and has a good attitude, but needs to put weight onto his 193cm/80kg frame.

Nick Riewoldt: We already know what to expect from the club captain this season. Provides invaluable leadership and is in a good space physically after finding a pre-season routine that keeps his knee under control. Will captain the club for a record 10th year but the recent tragic loss of his sister Madeleine has cast a pall over the whole club.

Ahmed Saad has been given a new chance by the Saints. Picture: AFL Media

Ahmed Saad: Given another chance at St Kilda – this time as a rookie – after serving his 18-month ban for taking a banned substance. Has trained well and shown strong dedication since returning to the club in January. Will compete for that small forward role if he shows consistency with defensive pressure.

Josh Saunders: Can also go through the midfield given his running ability but has good goal sense as well. Will get a chance to add to the 10 games he played in 2014 at some stage.

Adam Schneider: The veteran left-footer has had a decent pre-season since he tweaked a calf before Christmas. Has been mentoring younger players and will give the Saints depth as an experienced small forward. There should be scope to elevate a rookie early on given the injuries to Markworth and Siposs, and he could present as an option.

Arryn Siposs: Had a setback with his reconstructed shoulder late last year in New Zealand and is looking at a mid-season return. Like Markworth, has been cruelled by injuries but will get his chance at some stage this year if his recovery goes right. Has shown promise but is out of contract this year.

Spencer White: Made his debut late last season and earned another year. Showed commitment over the break by embarking on a training camp overseas while on his end of season holiday. Has struggled with asthma throughout his career and will need to keep working on his intensity and consistency this season. - Jennifer Phelan



This "soft tissue injury" setback explains why someone with such an hyperabundance of talent could slip ever so quietly under the radar (despite avid fans scrutinising all facets of the media for any mention of this superstar-in-waiting). Even Hawthorn have been stressing about this, sending over one of their drones to spy on Minch's progress...

It also makes one wonder if the hamstring issues we are currently being scrutinised for started earlier than first thought....?

 

[Barrels]

There's a yellow Jeld-Wen trainings top signed by Minch at the club store at Moorabbin if anyone's keen...

 

[Kildonan]

Open training at TBBO 18/03/15

Armo, Holmes, Geary, Savage, Simpkin, Webster, Sippo, Billings and JBT all milling around on the boundary kicking balls at bins and chatting.

Must be the hospital corps.

Sadly, Minch is wandering around with that lot too...

NOOOOOOoooooooooooo

 

[Kildonan]

Minchy boots four in Sandringham win
Justin Cooper April 11, 2015 6:26 PM

SANDRINGHAM has emphatically defeated Frankston by 80 points the last practice match before round one. The first half produced plenty of attacking footy as both sides put through a combined 19 goals. The Zebras led at every change, Paul Hudson’s men eventually overwhelming the Dolphins with their pure class and variety of goal-kicking options.

Perhaps the only sour point for the afternoon was St Kilda forward Spencer White’s suspected ankle injury. He limped off in the first term and didn’t return to the field. Paddy McCartin and Darren Minchington (four goals apiece) made it difficult for the Frankston defence, with Josh Saunders (26 disposals) and Eli Templeton (three goals, 29 disposals) dominating proceedings further afield.

St Kilda Development Coach and Sandringham Coach Paul Hudson was pleased with the win and the individual performances of his charges’. "They all contributed really well which was the most pleasing aspect,” Hudson told SAINTS.com.au. “Frankston really challenged us and gave us their best in the first half but to regroup at the break and run out the game full of momentum is terrific heading into round one."

The Zebras will host Essendon in round one of the home and away season next week.

SANDRINGHAM 7.4 12.8 15.12 25.15 (165)
FRANKSTON 5.1 7.4 11.6 13.7 (85)

GOALS: Brown 6, McCartin 4, Minchington 4, Templeton 3, Dennis-Lane 3, Lee, McKenzie, Acres, Payne

BEST: Brown, McCartin, Minchington, Jones, Templeton, Goddard

 

[Kildonan]

Sandringham rallies late but falls to Blues
Justin Cooper May 4, 2015 10:20 AM

SANDRINGHAM went down by six points to the Northern Blues on Sunday afternoon.
In sunny conditions at Trevor Barker Beach Oval, both sides battled out in a tough contest where accuracy on the scoreboard proved pivotal.

Stats
Minchington had 18 possessions including 5 clearances and 9 inside 50's and a goal, also Minchy made 5 tackles

Huddo's VFL review

Darren looked really dangerous when he got on the move. He had a couple of shots in the last quarter and missed, but had 18 disposals and also applied some defensive pressure. He was one of our better players along with Eli.

 

[Kildonan]

VFL STATS (might not be 100% accurate but wouldn't be far off if they aren't accurate)

Tom Curren: 31 disposals, 9 marks, 5 tackles, 1 goal, 1 behind
Blake Acres: 30 disposals, 8 marks, 1 tackle, 2 goals
Farren Ray: 24 disposals, 6 marks, 2 tackles
Ahmed Saad: 20 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 4 goals, 1 behind
Darren Minchington: 20 disposals, 3 marks, 13 tackles, 2 goals
Tom Lee: 19 disposals, 10 marks, 2 goals, 2 behinds
Tom Simpkin: 17 disposals, 2 marks, 2 tackles
Jason Holmes: 14 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 39 hitouts, 1 goal, 1 behind
Spencer White: 12 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles
Brodie Murdoch: 10 disposals, 4 marks, 3 tackles
Nathan Wright: 10 disposals, 2 tackles, 6 tackles
Tim Membrey: 9 disposals, 5 marks, 3 goals
Lewis Pierce: 8 disposals, 1 mark, 1 tackle, 31 hitouts

 

[Kildonan]

Huddo's VFL review: Round 7

Tom Morris June 3, 2015 10:26 AM

Darren Minchington

Darren was another one who we played through the forward-line and not as much through the midfield. He had 19 touches and eight tackles. He was pretty good in the clearances and looked really dangerous when he was on the move in our forward 50.

 

[Kildonan]

Zebras too strong in Ballarat

Tom Morris June 9, 2015 11:18 AM

SANDRINGHAM withstood a rampant North Ballarat outfit on Sunday to win its second consecutive game.

Darren Minchington (18 disposals) was influential across half-forward and through the midfield, while Nathan Wright (20 disposals) provided terrific rebound from defence and shut down the dangerous Lachlan George in the process.

Ahmed Saad and Tim Membrey both kicked two goals in the 27-point victory that lifted Sandringham to equal fourth on the ladder, while Tom Lee had the better of dangerous North Melbourne forward Aaron Black.

The Zebras led by as much as 39 points early in the third term, only to see their lead reduced to just nine points midway through the final quarter at Eureka Stadium.

It was Minchington who steadied the ship, before Elliot Le Grice put the result beyond doubt with his first major for the afternoon

Sandringham: 4.7 7.10 8.12 11.15 (81)

North Ballarat: 1.1 3.2 5.5 8.6 (54)

Goal kickers: Membrey 2, Saad 2, Jones, Murdoch, Minchington, Le Grice, Neiwand, Pierce, Templeton

Best players: Minchington, Brown, Wright, Jones, Gilbert

 

[Kildonan]

Changes for the St Kilda squad:

In: Sam Gilbert, Tim Membrey, Luke Dunstan, Hugh Goddard, Daniel McKenzie, Maverick Weller

Out: Adam Schneider (Omitted), Tom Hickey (Omitted), Jack Sinclair (Omitted)

New: Hugh Goddard

Last week Darren was selected in the squad but named emergency, this week with the influx of injured players returning (Ray, Ross and Savage - last week and Gilbert, Dunstan and Weller - this week), he wasn't even named in the squad despite BOG performance in the VFL. It has been unfortunate for him the timing here, but if his form in the VFL holds, he will eventually be given a go to prove himself. The main thing he can do is to continue working hard - improve his tank and take his chance with both hands when it comes

 

[Kildonan]

Woohoo

The Minchman has been given a go
He is in the team to play Melbourne

Go you good thing

 

[Kildonan]

St Kilda forward Darren Minchington a cooked 'Meatball' made by Aaron Hamill
Date June 15, 2015 - 5:44PM
Daniel Cherny

How long does it take to prepare a meatball fit for dinner?

At St Kilda the answer is about three and a half years.

Fleet of foot and stocky, Minchington, 21 - known around Seaford as "Meatball" - pounced on his Demon opponents more like he had been fired from an exhaust pipe than blown away by a sneeze from the top of spaghetti pile.

He had seven tackles to go with nine disposals, which included a couple of kicks at goal among the glut of wasted chances at either end in the final stanza. But the pressure Minchington and his fellow forwards applied in those helter-skelter last 25 minutes was a key reason that the Saints had two more crucial behinds than the Demons when the final siren sounded.

Minchington spoke of Hamill's influence.

"Sammy's been awesome. He's always got faith me, he's always riding me, but we get along great," he said.

"Just to make sure I'm always at the front of the contest, it just keeps my head in the game."

There's a similar message from Richardson, who sticks to a simple message with the goalsneak.

"Keep playing my role, keep getting to the front, roving the packs, just pretty much have a crack, have a bit of energy around the stoppages."

"We've got a strong belief in our group, we've done it time and time again," Minchington said.

"We don't like to get in that position in the first place, but we've got confidence that we can run over teams now. Our fitness levels have gone through the roof this year."

"I've come a long way. Richo's been awesome for me. He's set some challenges for me and I think I've worked through them. I know I can play at AFL level now."