A look back over last weekend’s action in the Under-16 to Under-18 junior competitions.
Beginning with the Under 18 Girls competition, three games took place in the opening round. Eltham hosted Diamond Creek Women’s at Susan Street Reserve with the match looking to be a close one in the early stages. The Panthers then took control in the second quarter to lead by 12 at half time. That margin extended out to 21 points at the final change, before the Creekers kept the home side scoreless in the final term, however it wasn’t enough to prevent Eltham from running out seven-point victors. Eliza Davis led the scoring with three goals for the Panthers while Elisha Folino booted two majors for Diamond Creek Women’s.
Research got their 2024 season off to a flyer at Montmorency Park South Oval, as they faced Montmorency. Just eight points separated the two sides at quarter time before the Searchers piled on the scoreboard pressure and never looked, back, registering 23 scoring shots to run out 68-point winners. Alli Allen was her side’s best during the afternoon with teammates Abigail Fendley and Ally Piakis slotting home three goals each. Indra Lambeth impressed for the Magpies, while Matilde Warrillow kicked two of her team’s four goals for the match.
The final game of the round took place at Whittlesea Showgrounds in a clash between Yarrambat and Whittlesea. A close contest in the first half was eventually broken up by the Bats in the second half, who kicked four goals to one in the final two terms to claim a 30-point triumph away from home. Holly Kanderoviskis had a great impact on the match alongside Emma Hendrie and Emily Pannam who each featured in their side’s best while also kicking two goals each. Ruby Clancy and Eden Attard stood out for the Eagles.
Three games were played in the Under 17.5 (1) competition, starting off with a battle between South Morang Blue and Eltham Black at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. The game was controlled by the Panthers from the start of the afternoon, as they managed to grow their lead at each quarter break on their way to an impressive 37-point victory. Luca Klaic had an outstanding game, kicking five goals for the match. Nate McCurdy was also solid while for the Lions, Marcus Catajar produced a great effort, and was his side’s only multiple goalkicker.
Research hosted Yarrambat at Research Park and after a blistering four-goal to one opening quarter from the Searchers, it looked as though they were going to break the game open even more. However, the Bats responded with a brilliant seven-goal second term to gain all the ascendancy in the match. They never looked back after half time, going on to prevail by 23 points. Luke Cassar and Archer Harvey were excellent for Yarrambat, with the latter kicking six majors for the afternoon. Charlie Klaster was a key contributor for Research despite the defeat.
Montmorency made the trip to the Showgrounds to take on Whittlesea for the opening round of the year. The Magpies burst out of the gate with a powerful start, kicking eight goals to one in the first two terms to lead by 46 points at half time. The Eagles didn’t let their opposition have a similar half following the main break and showed some good signs, particularly in the final term, despite still going down by 38 points. Jake Boyne started his season strongly for Montmorency, as did duo Nash Dyer and Aston Locklier who both kicked three goals each. Noah Lamperd played well for the Eagles.
We also saw three games get played in the Under 17.5 (2) competition to begin the 2024 campaign. Mernda began their season by hosting South Morang at Waterview Recreation Reserve and after a five-goal to nil first term, the Demons had gained control of the contest right throughout the match, ultimately winning by 62 points to start their year on the right track. Mernda had four individual goalkickers for the game with Darcy Kinash leading the way inside 50 with four majors. Aidan Schwabl was also brilliant for the home side while George Thalasinos stood out for the Lions in defeat.
A high scoring encounter took place between Epping and Eltham Red at Epping Recreation Reserve. It was a match that had multiple lead changes right throughout the afternoon, as the Panthers led by 14 points at the main break before a four-goal third term put the Blues seven points to the good at the final change. In an electric final quarter, a six-goal effort from the visitors saw them claim a 17-point win. Angus Pinder finished as Eltham’s best while teammates Mithcell Clements and Luke Zahra kicked three each. Dominic Galati was a superb contributor for Epping with Micheal Zigomanis having a good day up forward with four goals.
The later game of the round saw Kilmore and Laurimar face off at J.J Clancy Reserve. The Blues held a narrow three-point lead at quarter time before the Power would have the advantage at each quarter break for the remainder of the game, holding on for a nine-point triumph away from home. Lachlan Rumley produced a strong effort for the visitors while four goals from Aston Carrick helped his side maintain their lead throughout. Jack Gibson kept the scoreboard ticking for Kilmore with four goals of his own while Matthew Repic also impressed.
Five games were played in the Under 16 Girls competition with Eltham having the opening round bye. Starting with a tight contest between Montmorency and Research at Montmorency Park South Oval where no more than two points separated the two sides at any quarter break. Both teams kicked their only goals of the match in the first quarter, but it was the Magpies who were able to get over the line by two points to start their season with a win. Alyssa Wearne kicked Montmorency’s only goal of the match while the Searchers’ Sienna Bandera was judged as her side’s best player for the afternoon.
Yarrambat made the trip to Plenty Park Oval to face Diamond Creek Women’s 1 in their Round 1 match up. The Bats led by eight points at half time and after kicking 0.5 in the first two quarters, the Creekers responded with a two-goal to one third term to trail by just one-point heading into the last quarter. The momentum built by the home side continued into the last quarter, as they kicked the only goal of the term to win by four points. Multiple Diamond Creek Women’s players had a role in their side’s win, with Skyla Cartwright, Jayda Cooney and Adele Coppola all kicking goals for the team. Charli-Jordan Forde was brilliant for the Bats.
It was a big result for Kilmore in their first game of the season as they played host to Mernda at J.J. Clancy Reserve. The Blues were able to maintain control of the game from the opening bounce and while they were inaccurate in front of goal early, the home side settled into the match well, keeping the Demons to five scoring shots on their way to a 66-point win. Chiara Amoroso had a great performance and led the goal scoring for her side with three majors, while Olivia Whittaker contributed well for Mernda.
Plenty Park Oval hosted the battle between Diamond Creek Women’s 2 and South Morang. Only four points separated the two sides at the main break, with the Lions holding a narrow lead. The visitors then went to the next level, kicking four goals to nil in the second half to finish 29-point winners away from home. Natasha Penn was impactful inside 50, finishing with three of the winning side’s five goals for the afternoon, meanwhile Jerzie Bishop and Hunter Herni played well for the Creekers.
The clash between Whittlesea and Darebin at A.F. Walker Reserve concluded the opening round in the competition. A strong start to the Eagles in the first quarter held them in good stead to lead throughout the rest of the match, eventually running out 21-point victors at full time. Kiah McKinnon started her season well by finishing as Whittlesea’s best, while teammate Jamie Robinson slotted through two majors. Zoe Colosimo stood out for the Falcons in the loss with Alexandre Ware producing the side’s only goal of the afternoon.
Three games were played in Under 16 Boys (1) with the round opening at Mill Park Lakes Reserve as South Morang faced Montmorency Black. The Magpies were on song from the first siren and held the Lions goalless for the entire contest on their way to a strong 98-point win. Montmorency’s 14 goals were kicked by five individual goalkickers, with Joshua Galloway scoring six majors. Chas Woodward continued his great 2023 form with another solid performance for the visitors.
Mill Park travelled to Eltham Central Park to take on Eltham Black. The Parkers started the game well with a seven-goal to three first half, which proved to be the catalyst towards their 56-point triumph away from home. Jai Bartzis had a brilliant match inside 50 and finished the game with seven of his side’s 14 goals. Dean Talarico also impressed for the visitors alongside Luca Caridi, while Harvie Cooke and Anthony Streat were some of the Panthers’ better contributors.
Yarrambat hosted Diamond Creek at Yarrambat War Memorial Park to close out the round. With the game close early, it was the Bats who would break the contest right open in the second quarter with a five-goal to nil term. A nine goal second half sealed a big triumph for Yarrambat, running out 76-point winners. The Bats shared the ball around, with the winning side having 11 individual goalkickers, led by Jayce Callegari with four majors. Ben Hoffman did all he could for the Creekers as did Jack Morgan and Lennox Thomson who each booted two goals.
Laurimar had the bye as three games were played to start the 2024 Under 16 (2) competition. Whittlesea and Mernda began proceedings with their battle at the Whittlesea Showgrounds. The Eagles were able to hold an advantage throughout the match, but after leading by 23 points at half time, they were kept to 1.6 for the rest of the game by a determined Demons outfit. However, the home side held their nerve to prevail by 16 points. Jack Wunderlich was brilliant for Whittlesea while Justin Spadorcia finished as Mernda’s best, kicking three goals.
Anthony Beale Reserve hosted the match between Greensborough and Montmorency White. The Boro did the damage in the opening three quarters, managing to get out to a lead of 80 points by three quarter time. The margin didn’t stop the Magpies from giving up the contest, as they booted seven final term goals, showing great resolve despite falling 59 points short. The home side boasted 12 individual goalkickers for the afternoon, four of those being multiple goalkickers, while Patrick Johnston put together a solid display for the Magpies.
Wallan and Eltham Red did battle to close the round at Greenhill Reserve. The Magpies had complete control of the contest from the start, kicking six first quarter majors before finishing with 34 scoring shots on their way to an impressive 88-point victory. Jack Brundell had an excellent afternoon for the winning side and was one of 11 goalkickers for the hosts. Meanwhile Liam Craft produced both of the Panthers’ majors for the match.
