A look back over the Round 6 action in the under-16 to under-18 junior competitions.
In the Under-18 Girls, undefeated Montmorency had a comfortable win over Northcote at McDonnell Park. Gemma Morganti had an exceptional four-quarters of football for the Magpies and finished with a goal, while teammate Ebony Harris booted a game-high three goals. Charlotte James performed best for Northcate, with Lulu Beatty kicking their only goal.
Diamond Creek Women’s enjoyed a runaway win over Laurimar at Plenty Park Oval. Diamond Creek erased a seven-point first quarter deficit, before finishing with the last nine goals of the game. Lauren Durante booting four majors, while Gemma Spencer and Brooke Jones booted two each. Kiera Hunter tried valiantly for the Power, with the help of Amber Doutch who kicked the game’s first major.
Eltham secured a nine-point win over Research at Montmorency Park South Oval. The Searchers led for the first three terms, before the Panthers finished strongly with three unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Lily Bailey and Molly Karslake led the way for the Panthers, while Poppy Larsson booted two important majors. Jamieson Weddle was best for Research, while Milla Fereday kicked two of her side’s three goals.
Rounding out the weekend’s matches was Darebin producing a big win over Whittlesea Panton Hill at A.H Capp Reserve. The Falcons booted six goals in the first quarter and continued their great form throughout the game. Tilly Hansen produced a superb performance, while Stephanie Elarmaly booted a game-high six majors and was one of five multiple goal kickers.
Four games were played in the Under-17 Boys, which included ladder-leader Research registering its fifth win by downing South Morang at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. The Searchers kicked 11 majors in each half and finished with 11 separate goal kickers. Riki Kusaka had an outstanding game and finished with three goals, while teammate Joshua Yoannidis booted a team-high four majors. South Morang certainly showed tremendous spirit in the second half, with Alexander Aleksovski named best for the Lions, while Levi Rowe kicked four majors.
Diamond Creek secured a 15-point win over Yarrambat at Coventry Oval. The Creekers led by only two points heading into the fourth term, but then kicked 2.8 to 1.1 in the last stanza to claim the victory. Alasdair Page had a superb game, while Jaspa Gook and Zack Ferguson booted two majors each. Ned Welsh had a solid four-quarter performance for the Bats, alongside Nicholas Green who kicked three goals.
Kilmore had a closely contested match against Montmorency at J.J Clancy Reserve, with the Blues prevailing by just seven points. Kilmore raced to a 28-point lead at quarter time and still led by 23 at half time. However, the Magpies kept the Blues to just six behinds in the second half and nearly secured a come-from-behind win. Angus Hart and Kye Maher were best for the victors, while Bailey Derrick booted two majors. Bronson Hill played well for Montmorency, while William Richardson kicked a game-high three goals.
Eltham maintained its place in the top-four by beating West Preston-Lakeside at J.E Moore Park. After a close first quarter, the Panthers were able to gradually break away. Harrison Middleton was named best in the victory and booted a major, while Tom Allin finished with seven goals. Hussein El Haouli was great for West Preston-Lakeside, while teammates Charbel Khoury and Lukas Moris booted three majors each.
In the Under-16 Blue, three games were played with Yarrambat still on top after putting in another strong performance against Mernda at Waterview Recreation Reserve. Yarrambat led comfortably throughout, with the help of Brodie Nugent and Cooper Bugeja finding plenty of the ball and Ross Hatzis and Anthony O’Sullivan combining for nine goals. Blake Anderson was best for Mernda and Luke Jeffs kicked two goals.
Greensborough scored a hard-fought win over Laurimar by 12 points at Anthony Beale Reserve. The Boro erased a nine-point half time deficit by keeping the Power scoreless in the third quarter, before closing things out in the last term. Benjamin Fisher had an exceptional game for Greensborough and kicked a goal, while teammates Ethan Robertson and Ashton Togni kicked two majors each. Cameron Selvaggio was the best player for the Power, while Andre Ialongo’s three majors were the most of any player on the ground.
Montmorency had a closely contested win over West Preston-Lakeside at J.E Moore Park. Montmorency led by seven points heading into three quarter time and kept the Roosters scoreless in the final term to win by 14 points. Joa Page produced a strong four-quarter display and kicked a major, while Brock Binion an Grayson LeGassick also played well. Jake Pulice and James Elezovic were admirable for the Roosters.
Whittlesea remains top of the Under-16 Red ladder after overcoming a strong challenge from Wallan at Whittlesea Showgrounds. The Eagles broke the game open with a six-goal third term, but all over quarters were closely contested. Harry Beatie played a great game for the Eagles, alongside Harrison Draper and Jack Taylor who shared eight goals.. Wallan’s Callum Birch was best for his side, while Dylan Harris and Brandyn Macdougall booted two majors each.
Diamond Creek scored a thrilling five-point win over Bundoora Park at Bundoora Park Oval. The Thunderbolts trailed by 23 points going into the fourth term, before keeping the Creekers scoreless in an intense last quarter. James Rowley performed superbly for Diamond Creek, while Andrew Elward and Samuel Shears each kicked three goals. The Thunderbolts were well served by Max Reid, who kicked three goals.
Kilmore had a comfortable win over Mill Park at J.J Clancy Reserve to stay inside the top-four. Corey Dennehy had an outstanding game and kicked seven majors, while fellow Blues Jett Ladewig (four goals) and Jamie Burrows also excelled. Mill Park fought the game out well and booted three goals in the last quarter.
Eltham rounded out the winners but beating Hurstbridge at Eltham Central Park. Joshua Colledge and Kai Rubini Porter led the way in their side’s fourth win of 2019, while trio Riley Holt, Max Andreetta and Alexander Butterfield-Tucker all booted two majors each. Jack Butterfield and JyePeacock performed best for Hurstbridge, while Cooper Beauchamp led the team’s scoring with two goals.
In the Under-16 Girls Blue, four games were played with the top three sides Research, Greensborough and Yarrambat all on the same points on the ladder and separated only by percentage after six rounds.
Research had a high-scoring win over Northcote at McDonnell Park. The Searchers stretched their lead at every stage, with Monique Ramsay putting in a superb four-quarter display and kicking two goals. Teammate Sheridan Blizzard booted three goals, while Jasmyn Kernaghan and Tarrah Delgado booted two goals each. Northcote’s Kayla Papadimitriou had an exceptional game, while Christina Papadimitriou and Chloe Williams booted two majors each.
Diamond Creek Women’s Red defeated Greensborough by 26 points at Anthony Beale Reserve. The Boro started out strong, kicking 3.6 to nothing in the first term. Diamond Creek Women’s then kept the Boro to one point for the rest of the game, while they made their run to victory. Poppy Strickland booted a game-high four majors for the victors, while the Boro’s three goals were shared by Victoria Lawrence, Georgia Phelan and Rachel Mostafa.
Yarrambat scored a seven-point win over Wallan at Wallan Recreational Reserve. Wallan led by two points heading into the fourth quarter, however Brooke Plummer kicked Yarrambat’s only goal for the game in the last term to get her side across the line. Ashtyn Wharton played an outstanding game for the victors, while Macey Kubeil was best for the Magpies.
Kilmore had a runaway win over Montmorency at Montmorency Park South Oval. The Blues booted four unanswered goals in the second half to join the Magpies on three wins for the season. Ella Stewart and Chloe Huy were fantastic for the Blues, while Mia Tolson kicked a game-high three goals. Clare Moody and Brydie Canavan never gave up for Montmorency.
The Under-16 Girls Red had three games played, with Whittlesea remaining on top of the ladder after a gripping two-point win over a gallant Mill Park at Kelynack Recreation Reserve. The Eagles led by 21 points at three quarter time before the Stallions finished with the last three goals. Mia Daly was named best for Whittlesea, while Jade Ventura also excelled and booted three majors. Ella Bourne played exceptionally well for Mill Park, alongside Darci Locklier who booted a game-high four majors.
Diamond Creek Women’s Blue had a comfortable win over Darebin at A.H Capp Reserve. The Creekers started out strongly in the first quarter and kept that pressure on for the whole game. Blayde Ah-Kiau who had an outstanding game and finished with a goal. She had great support from Imogen Hammon, who led all scorers with four goals. Tahlee Thompson played well for the Falcons, alongside Mia Beki and Mia Haas, who kicked two majors each.
Eltham rounded out the victors with a 34-point win over South Morang at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. The Panthers kicked four goals in the first term and were able to hold sway for the rest of the game. Emily Cottier was named the Panthers best player, while Remi Stickland and Mia Smale combined for five goals. Kelsea Bannan led the way for South Morang, with the trio of Mikayla Gioskos, Amber Polgar and Naomi Terpou all kicked a goal.
