With inspirational skipper Brett Mahoney sitting on the sidelines, and classy operators Shaun Atley and Chris Jansen lining up in the opposition’s midfield, Mansfield needed an on-baller to step up in its clash against Rochester at Moon Oval.
And while he might fly under the radar among the wider Goulburn Valley League fraternity, Patrick Marks showed why he is deemed the future of the Mansfield Football Netball Club, producing a midfield masterpiece as his Eagles triumphed by 52 points at Moon Oval.
So through the power of GVL Data, let’s delve a little deeper into the numbers behind what was a complete performance by the 23-year-old.
Renowned for his silky skills and ability to break the lines, Marks was at his damaging best on Saturday, collecting a season-high 35 disposals while going at an outstanding 76 per cent by foot.
With every touch seemingly turning to gold, the young gun particularly hurt Rochester on the spread, picking up 17 uncontested possessions, taking 10 marks, cruising past for seven handball receives, while sending the Eagles inside 50 on five occasions and rebounding out of its defence nine times.
But it wasn’t just on the outside of the contest where Marks had an impact.
At a glance Patrick Marks v Rochester, round 13
Disposals: 35
Marks: 10
Tackles: 6
Clearances: 11
Rebound-50s: 9
Inside-50s: 5
Handball receives: 7
Ground ball gets: 15
Score assists: 2
In what is a growing area of his game, the young gun showed his ability to win the ball at the coal-face, recording 19 contested possessions, 15 ground ball gets, 11 clearances and laying six tackles.
He would cap off the match with two score assists, paving the way for power forward Cam Arnold to boot five goals.
Continuing what has been a standout season, Marks has been a model of consistency for the Eagles, averaging 23.5 disposals, 6.1 marks and 5.7 clearances a game as he transitions from the wing to a full-time midfield role.