A look back over last weekend’s action in the under-16 to under-18 junior competitions.
With Laurimar having the bye this week three games took place in Under 18 Girls with the round kicking off on a Saturday night as Yarrambat hosted Eltham at Yarrambat War Memorial Park. The Panthers would still be in the finals hunt with a win while the Bats could pile on more pressure on the top two with a triumph. The Panthers were able to hold their nerve throughout and record an impressive 16-point victory away from home, with Eliza Davis an important contributor, kicking two majors. Jasmine Farrell was a standout for Yarrambat despite the loss.
Fresh off the bye Whittlesea, traveled to Plenty Park Oval to take on Diamond Creek Women’s. The Creekers dominated the match from the outset, with a five goal to one first half setting up a 39-point triumph, all but sealing a top two position. Ashley Leeson moved into the top spot on the competition goalkicking leaderboard after bagging five majors. Charli Collins impressed also for the home side while for the Eagles, Ruby Clancy and Emily Wunderlich stood up, with the latter slotting two goals.
Montmorency made it a 10th straight game without loss after taking the win over South Morang at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. After a goalless first term, the Lions brought the deficit back to eight points at half time before the Magpies ensured their opponents didn’t get any closer, securing a 15-point victory. Shelby Lemire and Mia Zappulla both kicked two for the winning side with Chelsea Harvey having a great game. Zara Locklier meanwhile was named as South Morang’s best.
It was a round of big wins in Under 17.5 Blue with four games taking place on Sunday. It started at Montmorency Park North Oval as Montmorency hosted Whittlesea. The Magpies could sew up a top four spot with a victory and that’s exactly what they did, kicking seven goals to nil in the second half to win by 66 points. Five players kicked multiple goals, with Isaac Pote standing out in a terrific performance. After making his senior debut for the club last week, Jack Morley continued his stellar run of form for the Eagles in what was an excellent performance.
Yarrambat hosted Epping at Yarrambat War Memorial Park, with the Bats aiming to claim a sixth straight game without loss. Yarrambat looked to build some form heading into finals time while Epping looked to cause an upset on the road. A six goal to nil first term got the ball rolling, with the hosts never looking back on the way to a huge 82-point win. Kyan Carman could not be stopped up forward after kicking an equal season-high seven majors. Archer Bigden did what he could for the Blues and kicked three of his side’s six majors for the afternoon.
Diamond Creek Blue aimed to keep their spot-on top of the ladder intact when they faced Laurimar at Laurimar Reserve. The Creekers proved too strong in a brilliant performance away from home, registering 31 scoring shots to prevail by 93 points. Liam Farrar had a great day kicking five majors and was named as his side’s best, while teammate Kade Garraway also kicked four goals. Chad Carmichael played one of his best games of the season for the Power and was a standout despite the loss.
West Preston Lakeside travelled to Eltham Central Park to battle with Eltham. The Panthers had no issues grabbing a ninth consecutive victory in the 2023 season, as despite scores being level at the first change, the home side kicked 15 goals to four in the final three terms to win by 67 points. Jett Williams led all goal scorers with four majors for the winning side with Matthew Zrna earning Eltham’s best for the fifth time this season. Christian Ganino was a standout for the Roosters in a three-goal performance and has been named in his side’s best for an eighth straight game.
A close contest took place between Research and Greensborough at Research Park to kick off Round 12 in Under 17.5 Red. A five-goal second term gave the Boro a 19-point lead at half time and while the Searchers reduced the deficit to nine at three quarter time, they couldn’t surge past their opponents in the final term, with Greensborough winning by 18 points. Three goals from Ethan Edwards helped set up the triumph for the visitors with Jude Benjamin also impressive. Meanwhile Josh Shepherd continued his incredible goalkicking feats with another five goals for the hosts, Tom Dozzi was also superb.
Diamond Creek Red took on Kilmore at Coventry Oval, with the Blues bouncing back from defeat last week to triumph by 93 points. The Blues had 10 individual goalkickers for their 21 majors, with Nicholas Lowry’s six-goal haul a standout. Benjamin Doyle also kicked four and has been named in his side’s best for five successive matches. their best. Despite the heavy loss, the Creekers were led by Bryce Chamberlin who kicked four goals to take his 2023 season tally to 21.
South Morang took one step closer to solidifying the minor premiership after a huge 89-point victory over Wallan at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. An 11-goal to one opening half helped the Lions ease their way to a win, and they still maintain a one game lead on top of the ladder. Arnie Sui had a day out inside 50 with five goals, while teammate Nicholas Terpou continued his solid form with another excellent game. Lachlan Bortolotto and Rhys Calafa produced their best efforts for the Magpies despite the loss.
Then top of the table Research had the bye with two games being played in Under 16 Girls Blue. A Saturday night clash kicked the round off as Yarrambat faced Diamond Creek Women’s at Yarrambat War Memorial Park. The Creekers kicked four goals to nil in the first term and went on with the job to win by 36 points and take top spot on the ladder. Elisha Forlino and Sierra Filippone both had great games and kicked two each for the winning side, Filippone now has 15 majors for the season. Emily Webb’s brilliant patch of form for the Bats continued, as she kicked two goals and was named as her side’s best.
In what could be a potential finals preview, Whittlesea took on Laurimar at A.F Walker Recreation Reserve. The Power had already booked a finals spot, while the Eagles would receive a big boost to their top four chances with the four points. In an entertaining contest, scores were level at three quarter time, before the home side found a third major for the game while keeping the Power scoreless to win by seven points. Dayna Kelly was excellent for the Eagles as was Emma Pyle who kicked two goals. Lily Bondrov was Laurimar’s best in the tight loss.
Three games took place in Under 16 Girls Red with the round kicking off on a Friday night as Mernda faced Eltham at Waterview Recreation Reserve. The winless Demons got within six points of the Panthers when these two sides last met in Round 7, but Eltham proved too strong this time around, keeping the hosts scoreless until half time and finishing with 14 scoring shots to record a 38-point victory. Charlotte Laszczuk and Yuriko Johnstone both kicked two goals each for Eltham, with the latter being named as her side’s best. Emma Davis was terrific for Mernda.
A massive game in the context of the season was played at RMIT Sports Oval Bundoora with Montmorency taking on Wallan. Just two points separated the two sides heading into the clash, with Montmorency holding fourth spot over Wallan. The game was tight throughout, with Wallan leading by a goal at three quarter time, before Montmorency secured the win in the final term, prevailing by just one point almost solidify a top four spot. Sienna Di Carlo was huge in the Montmorency comeback win, having a great impact. Ella Maree Pipe meanwhile played brilliantly on a day where her side just fell short.
Top of the table Darebin headed to Plenty Park Oval to take on Diamond Creek Women’s 2. The Falcons were looking to avoid back-to-back losses while the Creekers eager to claim back-to-back wins having already secured a finals spot. The Falcons led up until three quarter time, but the home side powered through in the final quarter with a three goal to nil term, finishing as 12-point winners. Gemma Herbert kicked two crucial goals for Diamond Creek Women’s while Alexandra Ware slotted all three of the visitors’ majors for the match.
With Whittlesea having a bye this week three games took place in Under 16 Blue with the round opening at Eltham Central Park as Eltham Black hosted Montmorency. With top spot on the line, both sides saw this as a crucial clash in the lead up to finals. The Panthers led by 12 points at half time, but the Magpies fired back in the second half, kicking 10.6 in the final two quarters to defeat the hosts by 22 points. Nash Dyer kicked three majors, while Montmorency teammate Callum Smith produced a strong effort. Thomas Bell and Nicholas Driscoll both stood out for Eltham.
Mernda hosted South Morang Blue at Waterview Recreation Reserve. Both sides were looking to keep their finals hope alive. The Lions dominated early with a 40-point half time lead that could have been more if it weren’t for inaccuracy. A five-goal third term brought the Demons back in the contest, but the visitors secured the 42-point win after keeping Mernda to two points in the last quarter. Thomas Hewson, Lucas Yacoub and Malik Keegan all kicked two each for South Morang while Liam Michael kicked a season-high of four majors for the home side.
Kilmore Blue had the tough task of travelling to Yarrambat War Memorial Park to take on the inform Yarrambat. The Bats would move into equal second with a victory while a triumph for the Blues would be their first of the season. The home side looked the stronger side from the outset, with a big nine goal to nil first half setting up a 91-point victory over the Blues. Yarrambat had nine individual goalkickers for their 16 total goals, with four majors from Bryce Arthur making it 18 goals for him in 2023. Daniel Quinn was a standout for Kilmore.
Friday night lights kicked off Round 12 in Under 16 Red, as Kilmore White hosted South Morang Gold at J.J. Clancy Reserve. The Lions turned a two-point half time advantage into a 14-point full time victory to move into outright third and bounce back from last week’s defeat. Christian De Nittis again was one of the bets players for the match and has been an important contributor for the Lions throughout the season. Meanwhile Mitchell Browne was brilliant for Kilmore and did what he could to keep his side in the contest.
Research was looking to go one step closer to securing the minor premiership when they travelled to Eltham Central Park to face Eltham Red. The Searchers put together a strong four-quarter performance to win by 134 points and maintain a one-game gap on top of the ladder. Angus Whitford kicked six majors and was one of 10 individual goalkickers for the visitors. Nathan Bradshaw again performed well and continued his streak of being named in his side’s best in every game he’s played in 2023. Ethan Allen produced a solid effort for the Panthers.
Epping travelled to Laurimar Reserve to face Laurimar and wit both sides set to be playing finals this season, each team looked to grab a late season win. The Power had a 14-point lead at half time, with the Blues keeping up with their opponents. But the home side put the foot down in the second half, kicking eight goals to two to prevail by 47 points. Mitchell Holland kicked four majors for the afternoon while Bailey Rowe kept up his recent form with another terrific outing. Joshua Bawden made it a ninth straight appearance in Epping’s best in 2023.
