A look back over last weekend’s action in the under-16 to under-18 junior competitions.
Three matches were played in the Under 18 Girls this week with Laurimar having the bye. Diamond Creek Women’s produced a comfortable 66-point victory over Whittlesea at the Whittlesea Showgrounds. The Creekers’ started well, taking a 29-point lead into the first break and never looked back, keeping the Eagles goalless until the last quarter. Ashley Leeson and Josephine Khoury kicked two goals while Emily Wunderlich kicked Whittlesea’s only major of the day. Hannah Ryan performed well for Creekers while Ella Daly was the home side’s best.
Montmorency also produced a large winning margin, defeating South Morang by 81 points at Montmorency Park South Oval. Montmorency shot out of the blocks from the opening siren, scoring 46 points to nil in the first term. They continued their dominance, keeping South Morang goalless until the last quarter, on their way to victory. The Magpies’ Mia Zappulla lead all goal scorers with four majors while teammates Tahlia Plunkett and Kira Lemire had three goals each. Kaitlyn Manzoney was Montmorency’s best, playing a great match, while Imogen Danckert stood tall for the Lions.
In the closest game of the competition, Yarrambat and Eltham faced off at Susan Street with the Bats taking home a 16-point win. Going into the final quarter, Yarrambat held a one-point lead over the Panthers until an impressive last quarter where the visitors kept Eltham scoreless while putting through 2.3 (15) to secure the victory. Zoe Paulo kicked two majors while Phebe D’Arro and Matilda Fitzgerald were Yarrambat’s best, both producing strong efforts. Ava Klaic and Livi Herrick performed well for the Panthers.
Eight teams played in Under 17.5 Blue Boys over the weekend with the first match between West Preston Lakeside and Eltham seeing the Panthers claim a 57-point win at J.E. Moore Park. The Roosters started the game well keeping Eltham scoreless in the first quarter while holding a 10-point lead before Eltham controlled the game on their terms, kicking 14 goals to three after the first change to record a strong win. Jacob Thompson and Matthew Zrna were the visitors’ two best, both getting on the scoresheet, meanwhile Matthew Warren and Benjamin Sauro both had great efforts for West Preston-Lakeside.
Epping and Yarrambat faced off at Epping Recreation Reserve resulting in a big 75-point win for Yarrambat. The Blues kept things tight in the first term, leading by five points at the quarter time, before the Bats piled on 15 goals while conceding just two more majors for the remainder of the match. Logan Martin was outstanding, booting a season-high five goals, while his teammate Kyan Carman also stood out with four majors. Nabil Temssah and Alo Tiatia were solid contributors for the home side.
Diamond Creek Blue proved too strong for Laurimar in their clash at Coventry Oval, as they defeated their opponents by 77 points. The Creekers were in control from the first bounce, with a six-goal to nil first term setting the tone for their impressive victory. Liam Farrar was a strong contributor up forward for the home side, with a season-high four majors with Taj Logan producing an excellent game also. Hayden Trim kicked two majors and was one of the Power’s best while Marcus Velevski also played well.
Montmorency cruised past Whittlesea in their battle at Whittlesea Showgrounds, with the Magpies prevailing by 54 points. The Magpies led at every break to record their fourth win of the 2023 season. Dylan Costantin lead all goal scorers with three goals while teammates Christopher Stingas and Kieran Keating booted two each. Jake Woodward was best on ground for the Magpies and also managed to get on the score sheet. As for the Eagles, Max Hempenstall was adjudged as their best, also going up forward to kick two of his side’s five goals for the game.
Three matches took place in Under 17.5 Red Boys starting with one of the biggest wins of the round as Kilmore defeated Wallan by 98 points at J.J Clancy Reserve. The Blues led by just 12 points at quarter time but were able to quickly settle into the game from there, kicking 14 of the next 15 goals of the match to run out comfortable victors. Kyle McNicholas, Mitchell O’Dwyer and Nicholas Lowry all kicked four goals each for the home side while Benjamin Doyle was their best.
A goal feast took place at Research Park between Research and Diamond Creek Red at Research Park. It was a close affair at quarter time with the Creekers leading by four points, before Research responded and kept Diamond Creek goalless in the second quarter while kicking six goals. 30 goals were kicked between the two teams as Research went on to win by 71 points. Josh Shepherd was enormous for the home side kicking 10 goals and being the clear best on ground. Despite the loss, Bryce Chamberlain kicked five majors for the Creekers.
An absolute thriller went down between Greensborough and South Morang at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. The Boro had trailed by 21 points at half time before kicking five goals to three in the second half, however they just fell short, with the Lions’ kicking 1.1 (7) in the final term to see them win by a single point. Xzavier-Jay Harris kicked three goals while Nicholas Terpou was best on for South Morang. Ethan Edwards played a big role in keeping Greensborough in the contest, ending up with six majors for the afternoon, leading the competition goalkicking as a result.
Six teams competed in Under 16 Girls Blue starting with a 30-point win for Research over Yarrambat at Ben Frilay Oval. Research had control of the game, leading at every break and holding the Bats to just one goal, on their way to remaining unbeaten in the 2023 season. Katelyn Busuttil booted two majors while Alli Allen had a terrific performance, earning her Research’s best player. Holly Kienhuis kicked the home side’s only goal, with Olivia Andreatta putting together her best game of the season.
Laurimar overcame a slow start to produce a strong 59-point triumph over Montmorency Black at Laurimar Reserve. The Power kicked three behinds while keeping the Magpies scoreless at quarter time, before the home side registered 18 scoring shots to two after the first break to claim victory. Jemma Buckingham and Sierra Rogers kicked two goals each while Tess Gillson put together a great game for Laurimar. Sienna Di Carlo’s first major of the season was Montmorency’s only goal of the game.
Diamond Creek Women’s made it two wins on the trot following a 75-point victory over Whittlesea at Plenty Park Oval. The game started close with the Creekers leading by eight points at quarter time, before piling on 12 goals to one for the remainder of the game. In her first game for the Creekers this season, Grace Farah kicked four goals in a brilliant performance, while Emma Pyle was Whittlesea’s most influential player, she ended up kicking her side’s only goal of the game.
Three matches took place in Under 16 Girls Red kicking off with Montmorency White taking on Darebin at Montmorency Park North Oval. The Falcons six-point lead at quarter time was the closest the Magpies would get for the remainder of the match, as Darebin were kept scoreless after quarter time while the home side registered 11 more scoring shots themselves to produce a 19-point win. Alexandra Ware had a great game kicking two majors while Claire Stephens was named as the visitors’ best. Emma Halliwell kicked the Magpies only major, while Isabel Anthony-Harvey-Beavis produced a great game for the Magpies.
Eltham claimed their third win of the season after defeating Diamond Creek Women’s 2 by 64 points at Plenty Park Oval. It was another match where scores were close at quarter time, with the Panthers leading by three points at the first change. But the visitors would finish strong, with a 10 goal to one final three quarters solidifying their victory. Scarlett Johnson produced a season high four majors, with Riley Park earning a fourth consecutive appearance in the Panthers’ best. Mikayla Anderson and Matilda Pinn kicked both of Diamond Creek Women’s goals.
A close game took place at Wallan Recreational Reserve between Mernda and Wallan. It was tight all afternoon, with the Demons coming back from a 13-point deficit at half time to lead by a point at three quarter time. The Magpies then stormed home in the final term to win by 11 points. Wallan had four individual goal scorers for their four majors, with Brook King producing another brilliant display. Sierra Te’o kicked two goals for the visitors with Olivia Whittaker having a strong impact on the match.
Six teams competed in the Under 16 Boys Blue competition with Whittlesea having the bye. South Morang put on a strong performance over Mernda, claiming a 66-point win at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. 11 points was the difference between the two sides at the first break, before the Lions produced an impressive final three quarter, finishing with 34 scoring shots in the win. Seth Hudson-Joseph, Marcus Cutajar and Malik Keegan all booted two goals each while Sukri Arifoski made it back to back week’s in the best with a brilliant effort. Liam Michael booted two goals for the Demons and Harrison Hegarty was named as the side’s best.
In a high scoring game at Yarrambat War Memorial Park, Montmorency claimed a 37-point win over Yarrambat. After an 11-point quarter time advantage, the Magpies got out to as much as a 52-point lead at three quarter time and despite a gallant effort from the home side in the last, the visitors were too strong. Nick Canavan was again terrific up forward, kicking six majors to take his tally to 18 goals for the season. Bryce Arthur and Archer Harvey kicked three goals apiece while Ryan Baynes stood out with a solid performance.
Eltham Black were dominant from start to finish in a 127-point win over Kilmore Blue at Eltham Central Park. The Panthers piled on 25 goals and 38 scoring shots in total to ounce back from their draw with Whittlesea last week. Henry Kilby kicked six goals in a great performance, with the home side having 11 individual goalkickers in total. Despite the defeat, Riley Callaghan had a great game for the Blues and finished his good work with three majors.
Three games took place in Under 16 Boys Red kicking off with Epping’s trip to Research at Research Park. After a fairly tight opening quarter, the Searchers took control of the contest, kicking away to a 38-point triumph to remain unbeaten in the 2023 season. After six goals last week, Charlie Klaster continued his brilliant goalkicking form with five majors while Nathan Bradshaw was Research’s top performer with a great game. River Walker kicked three goals in the loss while Joshua Bawden was the Blues best.
Eltham Central Park hosted a great battle between Kilmore White and Eltham Red. The game was close throughout with the Blues holding a 10-point leading at three quarter time before keeping the Panthers at arm’s reach throughout the final term to win by 11 points. Jake Laws was the visitors’ only multiple goal scorer with two goals, he was also Kilmore’s best. Meanwhile Jack Hartney finished with three majors for Eltham with the team’s best going William Walkley who is having a great campaign.
Laurimar and South Morang Gold rounded out Round 5 in the competition, as they clashed at Laurimar Reserve. The Lions took an early six-point lead into quarter time before the Power quickly found their groove, with a seven-goal second term paving the way for a 36-point victory. Aston Carrick produced his second four-goal haul of the season with a great effort inside 50 while Kyan Rowe was named as the home side’s best player. Joshua Evans kicked two goals for South Morang with Jarrod Mirra putting in a solid performance despite the defeat.
