Speaking on Weekend Rewind, Prescott said he is excited about the futures of these two debutants and hopes they repeat their efforts in weeks to come.
“Zaharakis had a tremendous first game and showed a lot of composure with the football. What I really like about him, is his hardness at the ball, that he stays low and takes the tackles, some of those kicks inside 50's were fantastic too,” Prescott said.
“It probably wasn’t a huge surprise because he has a lot of composure and a lot of time for the ball. I felt that he was always going to make the adjustment from VFL to AFL because he doesn’t get ahead of himself and as we said he has so much composure.
“Michael Quinn took the game on, that’s for sure, after Matthew Knights last week spoke about taking a risk on the field. He said to the coaches that we should not be afraid to promote some of these young players that deserve the opportunity.
“I think with Michael, he’s such a blank sheet, he has no expectations, no pressure so he’s just a sponge and he learns everything - that’s why he has advanced and performed the way he did.”
To watch the Weekend Rewind click here
Another positive that Prescott has taken from the game, is the return to form of Jason Winderlich. The 24-year-old - who gathered 27-possessions for the match and kicked two crucial goals - is returning to the game after recovering from a back injury that limited him to just nine games in 2008.
“We’re thrilled with his performance but also his leadership. He really marshalled the younger players, whether that was in defence, the midfield or even forward. He was setting up our structures out there,” Prescott said.
“Jason is an A-grade player, but his body has probably been C-grade, it hasn’t been able to stand up. It looks like he is starting to hit that conditioning , he’s got his speed back but more importantly he is pulling up really well after the game which allows him to train during the week.”
Every week, Prescott is asked a number of questions from the fans. This week they include questions about Michael Hurley and Mark McVeigh’s injuries and which players performing in the VFL are applying selection pressure.
