IN THE first round of last year's NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, Northern Territory shocked Vic Metro with a surprise win.

Resting a number of its senior players, Metro suffered its first ever loss to the division-two Northern Territory side.  

This year, the championships will kick-off at TIO Stadium, with the Territorians this time hosting Vic Country.

The national carnival is perhaps the best opportunity for draft hopefuls to push their case: to perform with and against the best players their age, in front of recruiters, and dealing with the pressures of expectation.

The 2013 NAB AFL Under-18 Champions will be played over five rounds, in seven states and territories, and with two prizes up for grabs: the division one, and division two, titles.

The first two rounds of the competition sees the second division teams (NT, NSW/ACT, Queensland and Tasmania) cross over and face the division one sides (Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia, Western Australia.)