St Kilda defender Liam Stocker has been incredibly impressed by the work of draftee Darcy Wilson in his first pre-season at Moorabbin.
The smooth-moving midfielder was drafted out of the Murray Bushrangers with pick No. 18 in last year’s draft and it didn’t take him long to make an immediate impact, winning the club’s 3km time trial on the first day of pre-season for the entire group.
That summer effort was backed up by his performance in St Kilda’s scratch match win over Essendon last Friday as he used his speed to get free on the outside and used the footy well once he got it in his hands.
Stocker says that Wilson is embracing the outside role that he’s been given and even went as far as to say that he has never seen a draftee come in with the skills and athleticism that the 18-year-old possesses.
“I'm pretty sure it was his first day and he won our 3km time trial and he won it pretty easily,” Stocker told SEN Breakfast.
“So, he's been pretty impressive since he got here.
“He was a little softly spoken when he first got in, but the confidence has just gone to another level now and I really think he's starting to embrace the role that he's been given.
“He's starting to ask questions and be really curious and I think that can only stand you in really good stead as a young player.
“But, I mean, skill-wise and his athletic capabilities are pretty much unlike anything I've ever seen before.
“He's lightning fast and he can run all day.”
Wilson is only one of a handful of young Saints that are appearing to make their mark this pre-season with Mitch Owens, Marcus Windhager, Mattaes Phillipou and Liam Henry among others attracting headlines.
Stocker has seen up close how the younger cohort are pushing the entire group to improve and he expects the team to improve as that group progresses across 2024.
“It's been fantastic,” Stocker said.
“I think the best part about it is when you get a younger group driving the older boys, it keeps the older boys a bit fresh because they're not doing a heap of that workload.
“Whilst we've got really strong leaders, most of your, your growth and your improvement - particularly when you get to the finals - is coming out of those 20 to 24-year-olds who really take the limelight.
“I think we saw that with Mitch Owens last year. I'm pretty sure we'll see it from Marcus Windhager this year.
“It's awesome fun having those younger guys really push the standards.
“But at the end of the day, it's great for team success as well.”
St Kilda get one final tune-up when they face North Melbourne in a Community Series clash at Moorabbin on Sunday before their Round 1 game against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday, March 16.
