A look back over last weekend’s Grand Finals in our Under-16 to Under-18 junior competitions.
Ben Frilay Oval hosted the Under 18 Girls decider between Research and Eltham. The top two sides of the competition were separated by 16 points in their semi-final meeting, but it was the Searchers who looked to break the match open early, after they jumped out to a massive 30-point quarter time lead, keeping the Panthers scoreless in the process. Research would remain in control despite kicking just one goal in total during the next two terms, before a they closed out the contest with a three-goal final quarter to earn the title of premiers with a 53-point triumph. Katelyn Busuttil and Scarlett Hall were some of the star players for the victorious side throughout the afternoon, while Ally Pilakis top scored with two goals. Abbey Vaughan was a standout for Eltham and ended her terrific individual season on a high.
Eltham Black and Yarrambat battled it out for the Under 17.5 Boys (1) flag at Coventry Oval. Despite the Panthers holding the lead throughout the opening three quarters, the margin didn’t reach greater than 15 points, with the Bats right up to the task and only chasing a 14-point deficit approaching the last quarter. But Eltham Black would put on the afterburners during the final term, and pile on five majors while keeping the Bats to just two behinds on their way to premiership success, finishing 47-point victors. Henry Kilby and Luke Zahra led from the front in the attacking 50 and kicked three majors apiece. Others such as Zain Andreetta also performed well for the winning side, while Bryce Arthur and Archer Harvey were solid contributors for Yarrambat.
A second meeting in three weeks for Kilmore and Mernda helped decide the winner of the Under 17.5 (2) Boys Grand Final at Eltham Central Park. It was the Blues who began the game the better of the two sides, kicking four of the first five majors of the game to lead by 16 points at the first change. Kilmore’s attacking efforts continued in the second and despite going into half time with two less scoring shots, accuracy in front of the goal saw them ahead of the Demons by 23 points. It was enough of a buffer to help the Blues see out a spirited fightback from Mernda, as the minor premiers claimed silverware with a 15-point victory. Jackson Mansfield was excellent in the win, with teammate Harly Lisle booting a season-high three goals. Aidan Burich played a great game for Mernda.
Diamond Creek Women’s 1 were looking to complete the perfect 2024 season when they faced Yarrambat for the Under 16 Girls (1) premiership. The Bats were the only team this year to get within 40 points of the Creekers, and whilst there were some promising signs early, the Bats started to drift further away from their opposition as the game wore on. Diamond Creek Women’s managed 17 scoring shots to six on their way to celebrating a 36-point victory and a terrific, unbeaten campaign. Multiple stars helped the Creekers earn premiership success, headlined by Adele Coppola who kicked three goals for the second straight week to be a standout for her team. Skyla Cartwright, Grace Farah and Nakita Parker were others from the victorious outfit to hit the scoreboard while Charli-Jordan Ford was admirable in defeat for Yarrambat and kicked all three of her team’s goals.
The Grand Final clash for Under 16 Girls (2) took place at Redleap Reserve as Research clashed with Diamond Creek Womens 2. The Searchers, who had up 16 points in total throughout their last five matches, opened the decider with a nine-point quarter time lead over the Creekers, who were looking to keep up the minor premiers. But Research would continue to increase their advantage as the match went on; after registering five majors by three quarter time, a three-goal last term cued the celebrations in a 59-point victory. Sienna Bandera played another excellent game for Research, booting three majors to end the 2024 campaign on a five-game streak of games when she has kicked multiple goals. Jordyn McClure stood tall for Diamond Creek Women’s despite the loss.
Coventry Oval was the setting for the Under 16 Boys (1) Grand Final between Eltham Black and Mill Park. The beginning of this clash was almost identical to the start of the second semi-final between these two teams a fortnight earlier, with the Panthers nailing four of the first five goals of the match to lead by 20 points at quarter time. The Parkers stemmed the bleeding and managed to pull back the margin to 13 points at the main break before a huge eight-goal to one second half made it 12 consecutive wins for the Panthers, but more importantly, earnt the side the title of premiers. Axton West illustrated some individual brilliance with four goals for the winning team, while Lucas Torzillo was a standout for Mill Park.
In the Under 16 Boys (2) Grand Final, second placed Wallan and third placed Greensborough faced off at Eltham Central Park. In a low scoring opening term, both sides managed just one goal apiece by quarter time with the Boro holding a narrow three-point lead, which extended only slightly to five points at the main break. The Magpies were still right in the hunt during the third term despite the deficit increasing to seven points by the final change, but Greensborough would produce a three-goal last term to secure a 12-point premiership victory. It was Ashton Flottl’s four-goal performance that helped the Boro get over the line in what was a season-best effort from the captain.
