A look back over last weekend’s action in the Under-16 to Under-18 junior competitions.
Three games took place in Under 18 Girls as the round kicked off with a clash between Diamond Creek Women’s and Whittlesea at Plenty Park Oval. The Creekers started the game well and were able to keep the away side to just 1.2 in the first half while building a comfortable lead. That continued into the final two quarters on their way to a 57-point victory, their first of the season. Elisha Folino, Holly Mason and Zoe Ricardo were all great in front of goal, kicking two each for the hosts. Ella Moore put together another solid performance for the Eagles.
Yarrambat played host to Montmorency at Yarrambat War Memorial Park and both sides produced a tight contest. Just four points separated the two teams at half time before the Bats assumed control of the match, turning their four-point half time deficit into a 15-point win. Brooke Makin finished as her side’s best player for the afternoon with an excellent display for the home side alongside Lilly Tebbatt, while the Magpies were led by Ciara Marino.
Eltham travelled down to Research Park to take on Research. The Searchers dominated early in the match, leading by 34 at quarter time and 50 points at the main break. The Panthers didn’t give up on the contest in the second half, outscoring the hosts in the third term, however Research did the damage in the first two quarters to prevail by 47 points. Scarlett Fitzpatrick impressed for the home side and was one of three multiple goalscorers for the match. Eleri McCausland stood out for the Panthers.
Three games were played in Under 17.5 (1) as South Morang Blue took on Research at Mill Park Lakes Reserve to open the round. The game was tight early, with the Lions holding on to a narrow four-point advantage at half time despite some inaccuracy. However, they put together an excellent second half, kicking nine majors and keeping Research to just two goals on their way to a 48-point win. Lions duo Seth Hudson-Joseph and Jake Kenovski were the most influential players on the ground and finished with three goals apiece for the home side, while the Searchers saw great efforts from Tom Dozzi and Riley Kerr.
A great battle took place at Yarramabat War Memorial Park as Monmorency took on Yarrambat. The Bats threatened to break the game open by half time, as they held a 13-point advantage, before a six-goal third term put the Magpies right back in the contest, leading by six with a quarter to play. The visitors then held on for a thrilling finish, claiming a nine-point triumph to make it two wins from two. Harry Prior stood tall for Montmorency when required, with teammates Sebastian Murphy and Callum Smith booting three goals each. Three goals were also kicked by Luke Cassar and Archer Harvey for the Bats.
Eltham Black clashed with Whittlesea at Eltham Central Park to conclude Round 2 in the competition. The Panthers were able to gain control of the contest from the opening siren, kicking at least three majors in each quarter to end the contest 62-point winners. Few have had a hotter start to the season than Luca Klaic who produced another five-goal haul to make it 10 majors in two games for Eltham. Zain Andreetta also impressed for the hosts while Koby Meyer contributed well for the Eagles despite the defeat.
The Under 17.5 (2) competition saw three games played in Round 2, beginning at Epping Recreation Reserve, which played host to a tight contest between Kilmore and Epping. Kilmore looked the stronger of the two sides by the half time break, having registered 13 scoring shots to seven, however they only led by six points, allowing Epping to stay in the game. The margin reduced to four by three quarter time with the visitors still holding a narrow advantage, however a two-goal to one final term from Epping saw them claim a nail-biting two-point victory. Two majors and an excellent performance from Mohamed Anabtawi helped the home side prevail, while six goals combined from Ryan Knight and Daniel Quinn kept the scoreboard ticking for Kilmore.
Mernda headed to Eltham Central Park to take on Eltham Red in what ended up being a big win for the away side. The Demons led by 16 points at the first break before kicking 14 goals to two in the remaining three quarters to finish 99-point victors and produce two impressive wins to start the 2024 season. On a day of many goal kickers for the winning side, Darcy Kinash and Edmond Saikaly both led the way with five majors apiece. William Murray finished as the Panthers’ best.
The round closed at Laurimar Reserve as Laurimar hosted South Morang Gold. It was a powerful first half that helped set up the home side’s 59-point victory, as they kicked seven goals to one in the opening two quarters. William Nyman finished as the Power’s best player and their leading goalkicker for the afternoon with three majors. Thomas De Maria also played a great match for Laurimar meanwhile the Lions saw solid efforts from Ethan Krstanovski and Cooper Butler.
South Morang were dealt the bye in Round 2 as five games took place in Under 16 Girls. The day started with Diamond Creek Women’s 2 facing Montmorency at Plenty Park Oval. The Magpies had all the answers throughout the contest, keeping the Creekers goalless on their way to a 39-point triumph. The visitors had five individual goalkickers for the match, with Aysha Aksoyoglu being the only multiple goalscorer. Gizelle San Martin was a standout for Diamond Creek Women’s despite the defeat.
Ben Frilay Oval was the setting for Yarrambat and Kilmore’s meeting, with the Bats in control in a one-sided affair. Their first win of the 2024 season, the Bats had multiple contributors in their 63-point victory, headlined by Zara Capp, who was excellent in her first game of the season, and Charli-Jordan Ford, who backed up some strong efforts last week with a three-goal afternoon. Madison Pike performed well for the Blues, while Vivian Mele kicked the side’s only goal of the game.
A massive win took place at Research Park as Research played host to Diamond Creek Women’s 1. The match was played on the Creekers’ terms all afternoon, producing two separate seven-goal quarters on their way to a huge 142-point victory away from home. The visitors had 12 individual goalkickers, with Milica Tanic leading the way with four goals and Maddison Meagher was a class above following her time representing Vic Metro in the Under 16’s Championships. Alice Welburn was one of the Searchers’ better contributors.
Darebin took on Eltham at A.H. Capp Reserve in a lower scoring contest compared to the other matches of the round. The Panthers led by eight points at half time but despite the Falcons having yet registered a score by that stage, the game could have gone either way. The hosts outscored Eltham in the second half but were unable to get ahead of their opponents, going down by six points. Miranda Pryor kicked the only goal of the game with Addision Fitzpatrick starting her season well for Eltham. Vieda Simons-Moemai finished as Darebin’s best for the afternoon.
The round closed out at Waterview Recreation Reserve as Mernda looked to get their first win of the season when they took on Whittlesea. But it was the Eagles who had all the answers throughout the afternoon, finishing with 18 scoring shots on their way to a 46-point win, their second straight triumph. Kiah McKinnon-Rowe made it four goals for the season after booting three for the winning side, with Lana Carroll also having a strong contribution. The Demons best efforts came from Haylie Brooks.
We saw three games played in Under 16 (1) starting out at Redleap Reserve as Mill Park faced off against Yarrambat. The two sides that had big opening round victories kept it close by the main break, with the Parkers leading by two straight kicks and by 17 points at three quarter time, before they broke the game open in the final term, kicking five goals to one to prevail by 44 points. Four players kicked three majors for the home side, with Dean Talarico the most impressive of the quartet. Jayce Callegari played well for Yarrambat kicking two goals.
Monmorency Black played host to Eltham Black at Montomrency Park for their Round 2 battle. The game was close from the start, and was a a back and forth contest, with the home side holding just a six-point lead at the half. The Panthers had more scoring chances in ther third but couldn’t convert, allowing the Magpies to hold their advantage for the rest of the game to win by 10 points. Dylan Keating had a brilliant game for Montmorency with Joshua Galloway keeping up his great form up forward kicking four goals. Oliver Gale was best for the away side in a performance which included two goals.
Coventry Oval saw a strong effort from Diamond Creek when they took on South Morang. The Creekers were at their dominant best for all four quarters, keeping the Lions to two goals while registering 22 scoring shots themselves on their way to an 81-point triumph. Ryan Kruger headlined the goalscorers with four, while one of the goalkickers in Ethan Hardman had a super match. Jordan Cummins was standout for the Lions in defeat.
With Wallan having a bye, three games took place in Under 16 (2). It kicked off with Whittlesea travelling to Monmorency Park to take on Montmorency White. Following their tight win in Round 1, the Eagles were in complete control against the Magpies, scoring eight goals to nil in the opening term and never looking back, surging past the home side to record an 88-point win. The afternoon was highlighted by a magical performance from Whittlesea’s from Isaac Daniel, who slotted 10 majors in the victory. Patrick Johnston finished as the Magpies’ best.
Susan Street Reserve was the location for the Round 2 match between Eltham Red and Laurimar. The two sides played out a great opening term, kicking four goals apiece, before the Power broke open the match, kicking 10 goals to three for the rest of the contest to finish 52 points to the good. Kai Egan was the best on for the winning side while teammate Matthew Mirra stood out with four goals. Angus Marks performed solidly for the Panthers despite the loss.
Ending Sunday’s action in the competition was the Mernda and Greensborough clash at Waterview Recreation Reserve. A strong four-goal to one opening term from the Boro was reduced to just six points by three quarter time thanks to a determined Demons outfit. However the visitors had another gear left in them, kicking two goals to nil in the final term to win by 17 points. Kobi Gibson was outstanding for Greensborough in a game which included three goals. A terrific match from Ethan Athanasiou saw him finish as Mernda’s best.
