Wangaratta Rovers' Jack Gerrish stars in first game against Panthers

The 21-year-old produced the moment of the match at the 10-minute mark of the final quarter against Lavington on Sunday.

The game was in the balance as Rovers held an eight-point lead when the speedster beat three opponents around the 50m mark and then used his pace to break clear and send a looping handball to Alessandro Belci, who ran into an open goal.

Gerrish spoke in the pre-season about trying to play with more composure and he showed in that moment, along with a couple of other instances, he's a more mature player than 2019.

"100 percent, I'm just learning when to go quick and when to go slow, I suppose, probably two years ago, I was all guns blazing," he offered.

There might be better players in the league, but Gerrish would be a candidate for the most exciting.

"He's coming along in leaps and bounds and he's been one of our best performers over the pre-season, he and Ed Dayman have really grown," co-coach Daryn Cresswell revealed.

"He (Gerrish) showed his toughness and class and when we switched him to half-back at half-time, I thought he was excellent."

Gerrish also played a role in Tyler Roos' first goal for the club after his handball allowed the latter space for a running goal.

Roos' father Paul, Australian Football Hall of Famer and Sydney Swans premiership coach, was in the Hawks' dressing rooms after the win.

Roos was named in the best, along with fellow newcomer Matt Jones, who played 61 games at Melbourne from 2013-2016.

Meanwhile, Cresswell confirmed star recruit Todd Grayson will play reserves at home against Albury in Saturday's twilight match.

Grayson broke his ankle in 2019, while he's also had a recent hamstring complaint.

And fellow Gold Coast product Tom Thynne is also expected to play seniors.

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"I'm confident Thynne will be back and will give us a bit more zip around the footy."

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