Connor Menadue looked a cut above the level in the practice match at PRO before our season opener against Carlton. I followed the flag down to the G at 3/4 time, but he was BOG at that point IMO. There was a little bit of swagger about his performance, like he knew that he was better than the grade. He certainly wasn’t afraid to take one step too many with ball in hand and this struck me as audacious after an interrupted preseason. But time and time again, his arrogance was justified. Connor had more time than any other player on the ground and he knew it. I haven’t seen him play like this at VFL level before so his performance was very pleasing. He’s playing off half back as Fly’s designated kicker and the performance gave me confidence that he’s ready to enter the selection mix. Not a moment too soon either, he is out of contract and as a fourth year player and second round draft pick, it’s time for him to show us what we paid for.
In perfect conditions at PRO on Good Friday, Menadue started well against Box Hill. He racked up 6 touches off half back and distributed the ball to Richmond teammates effortlessly. He was in second gear, but was conspicuous enough for Box Hill to at least make some sort of effort to get a bloke on him late in Q1. This is when Connor provided one of the highlights of the day. He marched into heavy congestion at half back with his direct opponent hot on his hammer, beat a Box Hill player directly opposite to a 50/50 ball, managed to do a 360 degree spin after bending down to acquire the hard ball and then came up in open air with a paddock in front of him on centre wing. He was brave as well as clean inside. Lightning fast while displaying perfect balance. And he did it all while breaking the line in traffic. After the superstar spin shimmy, Menadue checked his adrenaline and causally released a handball into the corridor to a teammate with momentum. It’s officially the best thing I’ve ever seen Menadue do. Scintillating stuff.
In Q2, Menadue made a rare mistake off half back. While under no pressure in defensive 50, he managed to shank a kick straight to a Box Hill bloke on his own who was lurking 60 metres out. Connor’s workrate and determination to fix this mistake immediately was eye catching. Somehow, when the ball came back inside defensive 50 he got the crumb and cleared the ball legally out of bounds. This is after he followed up the errant kick to pressure the intercepter. Connor’s got standards, he doesn’t tolerate unforced errors. He also plucked 2/3 hospital ball marks. The one that he missed may well be the last mark he drops at VFL level. After doing great work to get into position to intercept, Menadue had a crisis of confidence at the moment of reckoning, causing him to fumble and spill the ball out of bounds. He punched the ground in disgust and surely enough swallowed the next hospital ball he had to sit under with ease. Connor’s got standards.
It’s worth noting that Menadue also took a heavy hit after getting a quick kick away at the top of forward 50 early in Q3. I couldn’t quite pick up who jobbed him, but ex Tiger Andrew Moore was in the thick of the melee that started up afterwards. Menadue stayed down for a long time after the hit and it was hard to pinpoint if this was the reason why he wasn’t as busy in the second half. In any case, Menadue did manage to run the game out and showcased his composure and maturity in the dying seconds of Q4, when instead of panicking and bombing long, he took the grass in front of him on centre wing and had a bounce, waiting for someone to present inside forward 50. When nobody did, he spotted Mabior Chol bludging 40 out in the corridor and called on him to present. Chol obliged and Menadue delivered in style. Lace out.
Menadue took a huge knock and pushed through the pain to stay relevant in the second half. He wasn’t as dominant as he was against Carlton, but despite that there was still plenty to love about his performance. He showcased his elite speed and his emerging self belief and maturity. He was one of three players on the day to consistently exhibit AFL qualities, along with Nathan Broad and Dion Prestia. Given his interrupted preseason, he might need another run or two under his belt before he is seriously considered by the match committee, but it will be interesting to see if his form is rewarded with an emergency selection against Hawthorn.
