A STANDOUT performance from Tasmanian forward Brody Mihocek has led his team to a solid 33-point victory over the Northern Territory in round four of the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships on Saturday.

The 18-year-old, who hails from Burnie in the Apple Isle, collected 17 possessions (10 contested) along with five inside 50s in his side’s 10.9 (69) to 5.6 (36) win at Visy Park.

Mihocek looks a likely prospect with a hunger to win his own contested ball complemented by some strong aerial features in his game.

He also has an Essendon connection with his father Jack having played 13 games for the club in the 1970s.

Earlier, a goalless second term highlighted the closeness of the contest, as both sides fought hard to contain the opposition’s scoring.

Tasmania held a slim four-point lead at half-time, but neither team held any real ascendancy.

Despite the lack of scoring, it was a fierce contest with players from both teams working hard to win their own contested ball.

The critical first goal of the third quarter went to Julian Dobosz after six minutes of game time.

Dobosz kicked a game-high three goals and took four contested marks to improve his standing after a terrific run of games in the championships.

And when Jesse Lonergan, nephew of Essendon’s Sam, followed with another goal, just minutes later, it looked ominous for the Territory.

However, they hung in by keeping the ball locked in their forward line and did not allow Tasmania to move the ball freely forward.

They were rewarded when Anthony Tipungwuti sidestepped through oncoming traffic and kicked a magical goal.

Tipungwuti created excitement in the forward line with two terrific goals, which capped off his strong tackling exploits (seven).

Kelvin Williams was unyielding in the back half for the Territory, exhibiting strong defensive skills and displaying an ability to repel forward movements with 16 possessions and four rebound 50s.

Tasmania kicked five goals to one in the last quarter, to take control of the contest and they eventually extended the lead to five goals at the conclusion of the game.


Tasmania                       3.4    3.6    5.7    10.9 (69)
Northern Territory        3.1    3.2    4.4     5.6 (36)

GOALS
Tasmania:
Dobosz 3, Joseph 2, Allison, McCulloch,  Lonergan, Mihocek, McKenzie
Northern Territory: Tipungwuti 2, M.Smith, Collinson, Turner

BEST
Tasmania:
McKenzie, Mihocek, Lonergan, Joseph, Jeffery, Blight
Northern Territory: Neade, McLean, Wilson, Rioli, K.Williams, Miles