Vic Country made it two wins from two games with a strong victory over the Allies at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships on Sunday, while Vic Metro suffered consecutive defeats in losing to Western Australia on Saturday.

Country backed up a 13-point triumph over Metro at the MCG the previous weekend with a 97-point defeat of the Allies at University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston.

 

* See match details and key player stats for the week two NAB AFL Under-18 Championships games further down the page.

 

Head coach Leigh Brown’s Country outfit was dominant from the outset, with the first of Dandenong Stingrays forward Cody Weightman’s four goals after two minutes of play giving the team a lead it never lost.

Country took a 52-point lead into half time and only conceded its first goal to the Luke Power-coached Allies shortly after the resumption of play.

A defensive unit led by co-captain Lachlan Ash (Murray Bushrangers) and Brodie Kemp (Bendigo Pioneers) proved close to impassable for the Allies, while Ash’s fellow Country skipper Caleb Serong (Gippsland Power) and Riley Baldi (Gippsland) starred through the middle of the ground. Tasmania Devils ball-winner Mitch O’Neill was among the Allies’ best players in defeat.

 

The previous day, Metro lost to Western Australia for the first time at the Under-18 Championships since 2015, falling 17 points short of their hosts at Lathlain Park in Perth.

Five straight goals in the first 17 minutes of the third term set up WA’s victory, turning a four-point half-time lead into a 36-point advantage that Metro head coach Brett Allison’s team couldn’t overturn.

Versatile Sandringham Dragons tall Josh Worrell provided a bright spot though, starring with four goals as Metro’s key target inside 50. Daniel Mott (Calder Cannons) and Matthew Rowell (Oakleigh Chargers) won their fair share of the ball at stoppages, but WA was more consistently able to generate scoring opportunities with ball in hand.

 

Metro will seek its first win of the Championships when it travels to face South Australia at Alberton Oval in its next match on Saturday June 22, with Country enjoying two weeks off before meeting SA at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong on Friday June 28.

 

 

ALLIES   0.2   0.4   1.6   2.7 (19)

VIC COUNTRY   4.1   9.2   12.4   18.8 (116)

 

Goals

Allies: J. Barling (Sydney Academy), N. Cumberland (Brisbane Academy)

Vic Country: C. Weightman (Dandenong) 4, C. Serong (Gippsland) 3, M. Martin (GWV) 3, J. Rantall (GWV) 2, T. Dow (Bendigo), L. Williams (Dandenong), N. Cahill (Dandenong), J. Smith (Gippsland), C. Wild (Murray), R. Sparkes (Gippsland)

 

Best

Allies: M. O’Neill (Tasmania), N. Murray (GWS Academy), T. Green (GWS Academy), T. Griffiths (Brisbane Academy), C. Budarick (Gold Coast Academy)

Vic Country: C. Serong, B. Kemp (Bendigo), L. Ash (Murray), R. Baldi (Gippsland), H. Young (Dandenong), C. Weightman, J. Clark (Geelong)

 

Key stats-getters

Allies:

  • M. O’Neill: 26 disposals, eight marks, four rebound-50s
  • T. Griffiths: 21 disposals, seven marks
  • T. Green: 18 disposals, nine clearances
  • W. Martyn (Brisbane Academy): 16 disposals, five tackles, five clearances
  • C. Budarick: 15 disposals, five tackles
  • E. Gulden (Sydney Academy): 12 disposals, five inside-50s
  • N. Murray: 12 disposals, five rebound-50s
  • N. Cumberland: 10 disposals, five clearances

 

Vic Country:

  • L. Ash: 29 disposals, seven marks, six rebound-50s
  • R. Baldi: 29 disposals, 13 marks, eight tackles, seven clearances
  • C. Serong: 22 disposals, seven marks, six tackles
  • B. Kemp: 20 disposals, 10 marks
  • L. Williams: 20 disposals, four inside-50s
  • H. Young: 18 disposals, seven marks
  • J. Rantall: 18 disposals, four inside-50s
  • B. Rowles (Bendigo): 17 disposals, six rebound-50s
  • S. Flanders (Gippsland): 17 disposals, five clearances
  • C. Wild: 16 disposals, seven marks, four inside-50s
  • E. Hollands (Murray): 15 disposals, seven inside-50s, six tackles
  • J. Smith: 13 disposals, 10 hitouts, seven tackles

 

 

WESTERN AUSTRALIA   2.6   4.9   9.12   12.14 (86)

VIC METRO   2.2   4.5   5.7   10.9 (69)

 

Goals

Vic Metro: J. Worrell (Sandringham) 4, H. Jones (Calder) 2, M. Rowell (Oakleigh), C. Dean (Sandringham), J. Honey (Western), T. Bianco (Oakleigh)

 

Best

Vic Metro: J. Worrell, M. Rowell, D. Mott (Calder), R. Sturgess (Northern), L. Butler (Sandringham - pictured), F. McAsey (Sandringham)

 

Key stats-getters

Vic Metro:

  • D. Mott: 24 disposals, seven marks, eight clearances
  • M. Rowell: 24 disposals, eight clearances, six inside-50s
  • L. Butler: 23 disposals, seven rebound-50s
  • J. Worrell: 18 disposals, six marks
  • T. Bianco: 17 disposals, six rebound-50s
  • F. Maginness (Sandringham): 17 disposals, five tackles, five inside-50s
  • R. Sturgess: 17 disposals, seven marks, five rebound-50s
  • N. Anderson (Oakleigh): 16 disposals, seven clearances
  • M. Bergman (Sandringham): 13 disposals, six marks, five rebound-50s
  • M. Mellis (Eastern): 13 disposals, seven tackles