A shoulder injury to young gun Riley Booker was the only sour note in Myrtleford's victory over Bright in their pre-season clash at Myrtleford on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Booker dislocated his shoulder after landing awkwardly and is set to have scans to determine the extent of the damage.
The talented teenager is also part of the Murray Bushrangers squad this season.
The Saints who won by more than six goals opted for a youthful line-up with the side comprising under-23 players.
Liam Hood was among the standouts for the home side and provided plenty of rebound from across half-back.
IN OTHER NEWS
Saints onballer Marcus La Spina provided plenty of grunt in the midfield while Liam Byrne was lively across half-forward and hit the scoreboard several times throughout the match.
Will Shem and Darcy Chellew were also solid contributors.
Coach Jake Sharp said it was exciting to see the development of several of the Saints youngsters.
"It was good to get a look at some of the younger guys and see who is in the mix to play seniors in the opening round," Sharp said.
"I think everyone was a bit too eager at the start of the match after not having played for so long.
"But by the end of the match it was a lot more structured and we were able to control the football a lot better.
"Probably the most important thing was to see the players grow in confidence as the match wore on."
Myrtleford are set to host defending premier Lavington this weekend.
Sharp said several of the Saints' high-profile players including assistant coach Dawson Simpson, Taylor Hunt and Matt Munro will play against the Panthers.
Meanwhile Albury co-coach Anthony Miles played several quarters on Saturday for the O&M powerhouse in its practice match against metro club Norwood at Wodonga Secondary College.
The Tigers won the clash and had a squad of 45-players which they rotated heavily during the six-quarter match.
Griffith recruits Jacob and Lucas Conlan impressed in their first match.
While premiership stars Brayden O'Hara and Jake Gaynor showed their class.
Miles said it was pleasing to see several of the Tigers' youngsters contribute.
"We basically had two sides that swapped over after three quarters," Miles said.
"Some of the kids who have been going really well on the track were able to show some form which is pleasing from a coaching perspective."
Wangaratta Rovers scored a narrow win over Mooroopna at Shepparton.
Michael Clark, Alex Marklew and Tyler Cornish were among the Hawks' better players.
