THE 2011 NAB AFL Under-16 Championships came to a thrilling climax when the World XVIII took on the South Pacific representative team at Blacktown in western Sydney. 

The World team, made up of players living in Australia and abroad, and the South Pacific side raised eyebrows when they defeated the Northern Territory and Tasmania respectively in their first matches of the carnival.

And, when the ethnically diverse teams faced off in the last game of the championships, they put on a show that won't soon be forgotten.

"It was something special," AFL national talent manager Kevin Sheehan said of the World XVIII's eight point win.

"It really deserved to be on an AFL stage with a large crowd watching. It was one of the most brilliant, seesawing underage matches you could imagine.

"It was the last of 17 games for the championships and it was probably the best, not just because of the closeness of it, but also because of the glimpse into the future it provided.

"There were 19 countries represented in the game. Seven nations made up the South Pacific team and the World team had 12 nationalities represented. It was just a fantastic spectacle."

Players from five countries playing for the World XVIII - Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, the USA and Canada - were flown in for the tournament by their respective local associations.

The action started before a ball was bounced, with the South Pacific team performing a modified version of the famous Maori Haka and the boys from the World team countering with a stirring battle song of their own making.
 
Former Brisbane Lion Chris Johnson and Sandringham assistant Michael Ablett guided the World XVIII that came together just a week before the carnival started, with Mt Gravatt coach David Lake and AFL Asia Pacific manager Andrew Cadzow overseeing the South Pacific campaign.