A look back over last weekend’s action in the under-16 to under-18 junior competitions.
With Yarrambat having the bye this week, we saw three games take place in the Under 18 Girls. The round opened with Laurimar taking on Whittlesea at Laurimar Reserve. After having the bye last week, the Power was keen to get their first win of the season and was able to put on a dominant display. The game was close at half time with the Eagles only trailing by a point, but the hosts came out of the half strong, going on to win 31 points. Ava Caruso led all goal-kickers with three majors while Mia Caruso was best for Laurimar in a great game that included a goal. Despite the defeat, Ruby Clancy played well for the visitors.
At Mill Park Lakes Reserve, South Morang bounced back from defeat last week to get on top of Eltham by 56 points. The Lions were in control throughout the entire afternoon, leading at every break while holding the Panthers to one behind for the entire match, to claim their fourth win of the season. Amina Keegan was the star of the show up forward, kicking a season high five goals for the home side. Zara Locklier also continued her great season with another strong performance while Poppy Toth stood out for the visitors.
Top of the table Montmorency continued their winning streak in the competition, with a comfortable 68-point triumph over Diamond Creek Women’s at Montmorency Park South Oval. The Magpies took a quarter to get into the game but quickly took a hold of the contest, registering 23 scoring shots to secure victory. Kira Lemire made it four consecutive weeks of multiple goals, producing a season high of four for the Magpies, while Mia Zappulla’s three majors and Kaitlyn Manzoney’s efforts also contributed to the win. Layne Purcell gave her all for the Creekers.
Under 17.5 Blue had four games take place with Montmorency and Laurimar kicking things off at Montmorency Park North Oval. The Magpies led by five points at quarter time before a massive six-goal to one second term broke the game open. It was enough to maintain for the home side as they finished 53-point winners. Jaxon Riley was excellent for Montmorency, finishing with six of his side’s 13 majors while teammate Dylan Constantin also played an exceptional game. Marcus Velevski and Tyler Simpson-Thomas both stood out for Power.
An unbeaten Diamond Creek Blue side took on Whittlesea at Coventry Oval in what resulted in another a big victory for the competition leaders. The Creekers kicked 15 goals for the match, keeping the Eagles to just one major in the process, on their way to a 94-point triumph. Trent Gipp and Kade Garraway slotted home three goals each for the home side, with Jett McLaughlan making it a third straight week in being named in his side’s best for the match. The heavy loss didn’t stop Jack Morley from continuing his good form for the Eagles.
A closer affair took place at Epping Recreation Reserve between Epping and West Preston-Lakeside. The Blues led at every break, holding a 17-point lead going into the final term, and despite a five-goal quarter by the Roosters, the home side still produced eight scoring shots in the term to claim a 15-point victory. Mitchell Moate and Emerson Ollvo both booted three majors each while Massimo Capitanio was named as the Blues’ best. Rhylan Johnson kept the visitors in the game with an impressive four-goal effort.
Yarrambat and Eltham faced off at Yarrambat War Memorial Park, with the Panthers taking home a 29-point win. The Bats started hot early, taking a 19-point lead into the first break while keeping the visitors goalless, however Eltham soon turned things around, kicking seven goals in the second term to lead by eight at half time. The hosts got within 10 points in the third term, but the Panthers secured victory with a four-goal to one last quarter. Matthew Zrna was a standout for the Panthers, with a season-high of four majors. Yarrambat’s Alessi Flasco also kicked four goals while competition leading goalkicker Kyan Carman finished with three.
Three matches took place in Under 17.5 Red with a thrilling contest being played out between Greensborough and Diamond Creek Red at Coventy Oval. After a tough one-point loss last week, the Boro looked to bounce back but struggled to maintain a lead, as the Creekers led by six at the final change. The visitors looked the better of the two teams in the final quarter, registering eight scoring shots to three to prevail by just four points. Jake Bohan kicked two goals while Mitchell McMaster-Smith was Greensborough’s best for the second time in four games. The hosts were led by Hamish Smith with two goals as well as a strong performance by Devan Borg.
J.J Clancy Reserve hosted top of the table Kilmore in their clash with South Morang who were fresh off a one-point win last week. The Blues looked to have made it a second straight win at quarter time, after sailing out to an 18-point lead, but the Lions produced an impressive response, keeping the home side to only one further goal for the rest of the game while turning their goalless first term into a nine-goal performance, winning by 32-points as a result. Jesse John Christidis kicked three goals while Kyle Mann performed best for South Morang. Thomas Wardley was brilliant once again for Kilmore.
Research made it two consecutive victories after coming down from Under 17 Blue, this time defeating Wallan by 59 points at Wallan Recreational Reserve. It was another strong display from the Searchers, who registered 28 scoring shots for the match to pick up the four points. Eight of their 15 goals came from one of the most in form players of the competition in Josh Shepherd. He’s now had eight and 10 goal games in the last fortnight. James Shadbolt also played well for the visitors while Thomas Repic was a strong contributor for the Magpies.
Three games took place in Under 16 Girls Blue, the first game of the round being at Plenty Park Oval for the clash between Diamond Creek and Research at Plenty Park Oval. The Searchers were unbeaten heading into this game while the Creekers were looking for three straight wins. The game was tight throughout the afternoon, with Research just gaining a four-point advantage at half time. The home side would then kick two goals to one in the second half to grab a nail-biting four-point win. Elisha Folino made it four straight games with a goal and was one of her side’s three goal scorers. Katelyn Busuttil was again superb for Research.
A.E. Cracknell Reserve hosted the clash between Yarrambat and Laurimar, with Power remaining undefeated thanks a nine-point win. The Power led at all three-quarter breaks, although the Bats kept up with them the whole way through, with the deficit not reaching greater than 10 points. However the visitors were too strong in the end, with their move up in grade clearly not effecting their performances to date. Rylee Mountney was terrific yet again for Laurimar alongside teammate Alannah Telford. Isabel Becker was the Bats’ best with Charlotte Caddy also a solid contributor.
The round concluded with Whittlesea hosting Montmorency Black at A.F. Walker Recreation Reserve. Both teams were looking to bounce back after heavy defeats last week, but it was the Eagles who came out of the blocks and never looked back, securing a 79-point victory. The home side had seven individual goalkickers for their 11 majors, with Lana Carroll standing out with a superb performance around the ground, also kicking two majors. It’s now Whittlesea’s second win over Montmorency Black in the 2023 season.
Under 16 Girls Red saw three great games take place, starting off with Mernda taking on Montmorency White on Sunday morning at Waterview Recreation Reserve. The Magpies began the game well and carried that momentum throughout the whole match, being able to hold off a determined Demons outfit to claim a 23-point victory. Aysha Aksoyoglu and Chloe Hicks kicked two goals apiece while Kara Lascaris produced one of her best games of the season for the visitors. Payton Guy was impressive for the home side with Ava Jacobs also standing out.
Diamond Creek Women’s 2 made the trip to Wallan Recreational reserve to face Wallan, with the Creekers returning with a victory. It was a fast start to the contest, with their being five goals kicked between both teams in the opening quarter, as the visitors established a 20-point advantage. Diamond Creek Women’s 2 would only score one major for the remainder of the game but were able to hold off the Magpies to be 18-point victors. Madeline Toone made it seven majors for the season with a two-goal haul for the Creekers, while for Wallan, Zali Poorter was named as their best.
An incredibly close contest was played between Eltham and Darebin at Susan Street Reserve, with the Falcons just holding on to claim their fifth win of the 2023 campaign. The visitors led by 21 points at half time following a strong second term and maintained a 19-point advantage at three quarter time. But after kicking 1.6 up to that point, the Panthers turned their luck around, kicking 2.3 while holding Darebin to just one behind. However, it wasn’t enough for the hosts, as the Falcons claimed a five-point triumph. Luella Napolitano kicked two crucial goals for Darebin while Scarlett Johnson had another terrific game.
With Yarrambat having the bye, Under 16 Blue saw three games take place. The undefeated Whittlesea took on South Morang at Whittlesea Showgrounds and fresh off a bye, the Eagles extended their unbeaten start to the season. The home side scored at least two goals in each quarter, limiting the Lions to 5.7 in the process, to secure a 31-point victory. Charlie Parks led the scoring for Whittlesea with three majors while Henry Davis delivered a best on ground performance. Adam Milathianakis and Marcus Cutajar both produced great efforts for the visitors despite the loss.
Montmorency proved to be too strong for Kilmore Blue in their battle at J.J. Clancy Reserve, with the Magpies prevailing by 98 points. The visitors’ eight goal to nil first half set the tone, as they conceded only nine total points for the entire afternoon. Sebastian Murphy’s four majors took his season tally to nine while Zachary Broadbent made it five appearances in his side’s best in six matches. Liam Ottema continued his impressive form for Kilmore Blue with another solid performance.
Eltham Black have made it three straight games unbeaten after a comfortable victory over Mernda at Waterview Recreation Reserve. The Panthers looked in control from start to finish and would go on to register 28 scoring shots to claim a 61-point victory and finish the round in the top four. Despite the loss, Darcy Kinash put on a great individual performance for the Demons, kicking five of his side’s seven goals. Eltham meanwhile had nine individual goalkickers, with Thomas Bell’s three goal effort naming him as his side’s best.
Things got underway in Under 16 Red at J.J. Clancy Reserve, with top of the table Research facing Kilmore White. A six-goal to nil first term was all the Searchers needed to take control of the game, maintaining their dominance for the remainder of the match, despite a more competitive performance from the Blues in the final term, to finish 59-point winners and remain undefeated. Angus Robinson led all goal scorers with four majors while teammate Billy Johnson had a brilliant outing, kicking two goals and earning Research’s best as a result. Jake Laws meanwhile had a strong match, with three goals for the home side.
Laurimar had a resounding triumph when they hosted Eltham Red at Laurimar Reserve, securing a brilliant 116-point victory. It was a similar scoreline to the clash these two sides had in Round 1 and is the Power’s highest score of the season. The home side had 10 individual goalkickers for their 21 majors, with Aston Carrick and Joshua Nikolakis leading the way with four goals each. Although it was a heavy defeat, the Panthers’ William Walkley continued what hass been a great purple patch, producing another terrific effort for his side.
A tighter game played out at Mill Park Lakes Reserve, as South Morang Gold held on for an entertaining four-point triumph over Epping. The Lions came from nine points down at half time to lead by 15 points at three quarter time, before the Blues mounted a strong attempt at a comeback. They registered seven scoring shots to one, but only managed 2.5 in the last quarter to taste defeat. Joshua Evans kicked three goals in the win for South Morang, making it 11 goals now for the season, while Marcus Rousalis stood up for Epping and was a strong contributor in the last term surge.
