Happened to see a bit of ND playing for Carey seniors v Haileybury seniors earlier this yr.
Ben King played that day but it was very windy so better for someone like ND. Carey won, which was Haileybury's only lost in 2 years. The standard's very good with Hail having 6 draftees last yr & the 2 Kings this yr.
Didn't initially know it was ND yet noticed he looked dangerous for someone under av height. Bit of an opportunist, calm and confident. He basically looked like a solid member of a good team.
The exciting part for me was seeing a player turning 15 playing 3 yrs above his level (Yr 9A) in such a high standard and not looking out of place. My son is a yr older and had 2 guys from his level (Yr 10A) playing, but we've never heard of a Yr 9er playing senior.
On a passing look, ND wasn't in the team due to pace, height, strength or a 100cm vertical. So it had to be more skills, balance, reading the game, etc - like Daics himself. But plenty of promise just to get a game at that standard.
FYI, this is a screen grab from ~4 weeks before that match:
Carey Grammar (CY)
R1: lost to Melbourne Grammar by 32 points
R2: defeated Geelong Grammar by 38 points
R3: lost to St Kevin’s by 48 points
R4: defeated Brighton by nine points
R5: defeated Wesley by six points
R6: defeated Xavier by one point
Summary: A strong Carey team is sitting third on the APS ladder and this is largely due to its midfield strength. Bottom-agers
Matthew Rowell and
Noah Anderson already project as top 10 prospects for next year’s AFL National Draft, with the duo combining as Carey’s best on ground on multiple occasions this year. Despite his size, Rowell competes with the stronger inside midfielders in the draft pool with his quick hands on the inside a key trait – while Anderson is a big ball winner and can hurt you with his disposal. Young
Nick Daicos is a while away from his draft year, but has booted some goals throughout the year. Midfielder
Oliver Simpson and school captain
Bailey Wraith have also had some good moments throughout the season. A one-point win over the previously undefeated Xavier was a massive result, with losses to Melbourne Grammar and St Kevin’s earlier in the season the only two defeats.