Giant’s GFL days numbered
AFTER helping steer the Giants to a famous win against Colac, Noah Gribble’s time in the GFL may be running out.
The 19-year-old midfield sensation, who is on the VFL list at Werribee, was a key component in Geelong West’s first victory in 13 attempts against the premiershipcontending Tigers.
Pairing with ball magnet Baxter Mensch, Gribble has formed a deadly Giants onetwo punch in the past three weeks.
It has been a bonus for the Giants, given coach Greg Mellor said the teen had been “above the level” and he feared he would lose his services.
Mellor expects him to return to Werribee and stay put.
“He’s been really good, I’m expecting we won’t have him for much longer, if at all,” he said.
“I imagine the next time he goes up (to play VFL), he’ll stay there, but he’s made an outstanding contribution to our club in the short time that he’s been in our senior program.”
The midfielder has played four VFL games for Werribee this season, averaging 16.8 disposals, 4.3 marks and 2.3 tackles a game.
At the Giants for the past three games, he has averaged 34.3 disposals (13 contested), 8.3 marks, 4.7 inside 50s, 4.3 clearances and 3.7 tackles.
In that stretch, Geelong West won two games, and now sits sixth on the GFL ladder, outside the five on percentage.
In Saturday’s one-point upset win over Colac, Gribble helped himself to 32 disposals, of which 27 were effective, five inside-50s and a goal.
His running mate Mensch picked up 36 touches of his own to continue his outstanding ball-gathering form.
Mellor said Gribble’s skill level on the field was fantastic, but what separated him from others were his mental attributes.
“He’s clearly above the level consistently, he can find the ball easily and he uses it really well,” Mellor said. “But he’s so smart with it, and for a 19-yearold he shows and displays really strong leadership skills, which is important for us.
“We’re a really young group across the board, so to have that extra leader is really important for our team.”