NEW South Wales/Australian Capital Territory (NSW/ACT) and Queensland had strong wins to see out the Under 16 Division 2 National Championships, with plenty of eye-catching individual performances. We cast an eye over both game to provide opinion-based notes on the outstanding players across the final two fixtures.

NSW/ACT vs. Tasmania
By: Michael Alvaro

NSW/ACT:

#5 Euriah Hollard (Lavington/Geelong Grammar)

Is interestingly the only Rams player in the squad not tied to a Sydney-based academy, but Hollard showed he has plenty of talent. The Geelong Grammarian was busy from the get-go, earning a couple of free kicks inside 50 and dishing off to give teammates goal scoring opportunities. Made good from a very tough chance on goal of his own in the first term, gathering under heavy pressure in the pocket and snapping a miraculous goal, prompting a choice “you’re taking the…” comment from his teammate. He would go on to add another goal in a strong third term, marking from behind in a one-on-one duel and kicking truly. Hollard’s smarts and deceptive strength were key features, and he was one of NSW/ACT’s more dangerous small forwards.

#9 Ed Ogilvy (Sydney Swans Academy/St Ives)

While Ogilvy did not win a heap of the ball (10 disposals), he was impressive with each touch in the back half and provided a cool head on the last line when the ball hit the deck. He delivered a couple of really composed kicks out of defensive 50 and into the corridor during an influential second term, making good decisions on the ball and hardly putting a put wrong close to his own goal. A solid day, and one who is very neat by foot.

#14 Toby Alker (Sydney Swans Academy/Maroubra Saints)

Part of a pretty strong Rams midfield core, much of Alker’s work had to be watched closely as he impacted the contest at stoppages. He finished with 17 disposals, six tackles and three clearances, looking strong in tackles to get kicks away and flick out handballs from congestion. Alker also had a nice moment on the outside in the third term as he stopped, propped, and delivered a risky kick into the corridor to spark the chain for Euriah Hollands’ second goal.

#22 Joshua Fahey (GWS Giants Academy/Queanbeyan Tigers)

Was the Rams’ leading disposal getter with 24 from defence and through midfield, providing an enormous amount of run and meterage by foot. Was clearly the designated kicker out of defence given his booming left boot, taking the kick-ins and pumping it out long in general play for a massive 10 rebounds. He also managed to breach the attacking 50 too, running hard up the ground and getting in position to let fly on goal, but missing the two opportunities he set sail for. Fahey showed a good combination of remaining calm but also providing urgency, and was vocal throughout – most noticeably when he asked his opponent if he “had a left foot” before he snapped home a left footed goal. Is a character, but can play.

#23 Matthew McKenzie (Sydney Swans Academy/St Ives)

Was influential around the ground as one who rotated between midfield and the forward line, racking up 23 disposals (17 kicks), six marks, four clearances, and nine inside 50s. His clearance on the bounce in the first term led to an early Kai Watts goal, and McKenzie’s five-step burst from congestion proved damaging. He often finished his runs with a long kick when going through the midfield, but showed good ability to lower his eyes further afield. His errand set shot fell short in the final term to provide another goal assist, and McKenzie was busy in his added forward minutes over the second half, adding a goal to his stat line in the third term from a loose ball close to goal.

#24 Kai Watts (GWS Giants Academy/Inner West Magpies)

Named NSW/ACT’s MVP and put in another solid shift to return an impactful 13 disposals, three inside 50s and 1.3. Watts was another who rotated between the midfield and forward half, starting inside attacking 50 and often joining in on the stoppages during general play. He was the benefactor of a searing Matthew McKenzie clearance early on as he marked and goaled in the first term, going on to miss another shot shortly after and a snap in the second quarter. Is a little smaller than some of his midfield mates but is strong, and uses his frame to position best at the fall of the ball.

#25 Sam Stening (GWS Giants Academy/Wagga Swans)

Stening put to bed some of the issues he had in front of goal in NSW/ACT’s previous game, slotting 3.0 from 14 disposals and and equal team-high six marks. The lightly built forward rotated between being the deepest Rams player and positioning at centre half-forward, making good plays in both roles. When closer to home, Stening popped through two of his three goals in open play and stood up in contests from high balls in. When pushing further afield, the Wagga product got good separation from his direct opponent and showed off his sticky hands at full stretch to pull in some nice overhead marks. Is a raw kind of prospect but has a good base to build on and certainly impacts games.

#29 Will Edwards (Sydney Swans Academy/Manly Bombers)

The Rams tall played his role in the ruck well, but it was his follow-up work that was most impressive. Edwards managed to win the ball around the ground by providing a target in the air and collected 14 disposals to go with his 17 hitouts. Also kicked a nice goal on the run in the final term to cap off a decent game.

Tasmania:

#2 Baynen Lowe (Devonport)

Another busy performance from the Tasmanian trier, with his game-high 27 disposals, five marks, seven tackles, seven clearances and four inside 50s helping him earn his side’s MVP award. Lowe was a constant through midfield, gaining meterage for his side from stoppages as he zipped around them and threw the ball onto his boot in quick time. He worked as hard as anyone to will his way to the ball, providing grit and zip in the same package against slightly bigger NSW/ACT opponents. While he does sometimes have the tendency to blaze away, Lowe’s work rate was immense and he fully deserved the plaudits he received.

#3 Darcy Gardner (Clarence)

Similar to Baynen Lowe, Gardner was a slick mover around the contest and worked hard to break free from congestion to send Tasmania forward. He looked particularly dangerous in the forward half after the main break, starting with a strong overhead mark just beyond the arc and kicking well to find Noah Holmes further afield. He would also go inside 50 on two occasions in the same term and provided an option to link during Tasmanian attacks. Gardner finished with 14 disposals, five marks, six tackles and two inside 50s.

#5 George McLeod (North Hobart)

McLeod was one who had a good balance between inside and outside work, collecting 23 disposals, 11 marks, seven inside 50s and 2.1 in a tireless display. He is a strong accumulator, but also had some high-impact touches – setting up teammates twice for goal opportunities through the middle part of the game and snaring two of his own. The first was a clever snap after getting on the end of a handball in the third term, and the second came on the end of a neat passage of kicking play with a set shot conversion. Had a few errand kicks but was otherwise very solid all-round.

#9 Sam Sherriff (Launceston)

By no means had a massive game (13 disposals, four inside 50s) but was influential in the final term with some good work forward of centre. Sherriff got involved in possession and through his tackling around the arc, with one kick across the 50 as he wheeled around particularly good. He got amongst a couple more kicking chains and proved a key member of the forward set-up late on.

#10 Samuel Banks (Clarence)

The 2019 Alan McLean medallist (Division 2 MVP) again showed his class to cap off a high quality carnival, collecting 25 disposals, 10 marks, four inside 50s and five rebounds through midfield and later off half-back. His best attribute is undoubtedly his booming right foot, and Banks used it well when placed behind the ball to set up Tasmanian forward forays. He attempted and made a wealth of attacking kicks into the corridor to put his side into dangerous positions, finding both distance and a direct target. Banks did purely go for distance on perhaps too many occasions though coming out of defence, compensating for accuracy with one kick and letting out an “oh no”. Like some of the better half-backs in this year’s draft crop, Banks showed his ability to read the play and intercept aerially with a couple of nice marks floating in from the side. Has obvious class and should build on having already being selected to play in the U18 NAB League squad, something 2018 draftee Tarryn Thomas also did as a 15-year-old.

#16 Dominic White (North Hobart)

It was another solid game from White in the back half, going about his business unassumingly to have 19 disposals, six marks and a couple of clearances. It was a relatively no frills kind of performance, providing a cool head off half back with neat short kicks and competing in the air. Hardly put a foot wrong and also found a bit of ball up the ground to get involved in the contest further.

#29 Noah Holmes (Clarence)

Holmes was again the primary target for Tasmania inside 50 and had a good game without entirely ripping it apart. He started with a couple of strong plays in one-on-one contests and showed good combativeness to win a holding the ball free kick before missing a rushed shot on goal. Holmes continued in the same vain with his tackling in the second term, while providing a good lead up target with strong hands overhead. Missed another set shot in the third quarter after marking well, but finally got on the board in the following term after another nice mark – this time over his shoulder in the face of an oncoming opponent deep in the 50.

Queensland vs. Northern Territory
By: Peter Williams

Queensland:

#3 Daniel Lanthois

The pocket rocket caused some excitement throughout the game running through the midfield and able to hit targets by hand or foot. He booted a terrific goal from the pocket in the second term which was Queensland’s seventh goal for the game, and then the next term got cleaned up after kicking out of defence but bounced back bravely. He was prominent around the stoppages and able to move the ball quickly going forward in transition.

#5 Glen Saniong

An exciting talent who zipped around the field, Saniong was particularly prominent in the opening half with clean hands in the air or at ground level, and some exciting athletic traits that caught the eye. He took a huge mark on the wing early on, and then had a full speed pick-up off the ground and burst away, leaping up whenever he could. He was favouring his dominant right side, kicking on the outside of his boot when going forward to avoid using his non-preferred, but still made it effective by hitting up Noah McFadyen late in quarter two for his fifth goal. He was quieter in the second half but still had a number of exciting moments and looked dangerous whenever he went near it.

#6 Austin Harris

Harris was busy around the stoppages and always working hard, getting to the pill at both ends. Early in the game he saved a goal by punching the ball across the line under pressure in defence, then ran in and kicked a goal before being knocked over. He used it well off his left coming off half-back and was able to dish off cleanly to teammates.

#12 James Packer

Had a few settling moments in defence, taking a goal-saving mark on the last line early in the second germ, and winning a fair bit of the ball in the back half. He charges out of defence taking the game on, and was neat with his disposal, creating plays up the field.

#13 Lochlan Harrop

Aside from McFayden’s eight-goal haul, Harrop’s efforts across the ground were up there with the best moments. He kicked an early goal by soccering it home from the goalsquare, and then kicked a goal playing out of full-forward in the final term, leading out and marking 30m out and slotting the goal on a 45-degree angle. He had another couple of changes, but passed the ball when he should have backed himself to have the shot, then the next time he rushed the shot and missed when he should have gone back and slotted it. Overall though he showed some good defensive traits and was neat with his disposal.

#28 Jye Lockett

Was one of the damaging three strong trio in the Queensland forward line and booted a couple of goals either end of the game. His first came in the goalsquare where he positioned himself well, took the mark and turned around to kick the goal from a metre out. The hands looked to be in the back of his opponent, but his body positioning was good and he had a number of other chances after that. He took a strong pack mark out 30m on an angle not long after his first goal but it drifted to the left for a behind, and then pushed up the ground at times to win some touches at half-forward. At one stage he applied a fend-off in midfield and got clear to kick forward, before then going deeper later on to mark the ball going back with the flight and put it through the middle of the big sticks midway through the last term.

#32 Noah McFadyen

The goal-scoring machine finished with eight goals from 10 chances in what was a massive day out for him. He was simply too big and too strong for any opponent that came his way, particularly given most gave him up to 10cm and 10-15kg for the 186cm, 89kg forward. He had five goals in the first half and another three by the end of the game, with most coming from one-on-one isolated contests deep in the forward 50. Every one of his eight goals came from marks (or in one case a free kick from a marking contest), and his set shot accuracy was on point. He did miss one which was a rushed snap and then he eyed off a big tally after the fast start and tried to kick an impossible goal off the ground near the behind post when he probably should have handballed it back to a teammate. Overall though he provided a great target up forward and worked his opponent over both on the lead and in arm-wrestles which he was always going to win once he planted the feet and used his body to hold off his defender.

#37 Will Bella

Bella might not have kicked a goal on the day, but the big forward provided a presence and also worked up the ground to win some ball on the wing and at half-forward. Like Lockett and McFadyen he was too strong for his opponent and had a long kick that helped his teammates get on the end of a few. He kept presenting throughout and when in the ruck easily won clean taps to his midfielders nearby.

Northern Territory:

#5 Ariki Lowe

The talented midfielder showed some nice traits with a clean turn and spin out of the middle and able to use the ball by hand or foot going forward. He added a nice touch to the midfield and had some speed from which he used to try and break the lines. Did get caught once trying to take an opponent on, but had a few solid runs during the game.

#11 Mark White

Caused a bit of a ruckus in the final term when he bumped an opponent late and a mini melee ensued. He kicked a great goal after that, and across the four quarters was one of Northern Territory’s best. He constantly looked to take an opponent on, and more often than not when going for goal looked to run in, then sidestep one way, sell candy and go the other way. He won a free kick late in the game for a great technical tackle by locking the arms, but then when he tried to sidestep the man on the mark and go for goal with the outside of his boot it went out on the full. He used the ball well when in field and was solid across the game.

#15 Preyben Tipiloura

Northern Territory’s best on the day, Tipiloura has some serious talent and X-factor. Every time he went near the ball you knew something was going to happen, with electrifying pace and clean hands, he seems to have the skill to break games open if given time and space. He is raw, but talented and had a shot for goal in the second term that wobbled in but was marked by Tom King who kicked the goal. Tipiloura also went to tap the ball in front of himself and run around an opponent tight on the line but the ball bounced out, but got busy as the game went on kicking two great goals on the run in the second half. For his first he received the ball just inside 50, burst away and kicked the goal at full speed, then for the second he burst away with a bounce, headed inboard and moved onto his preferred side to put it straight through the middle.

#24 Jason Baird

Had a strong game particularly in the first half, where he had a quick snap off the boot to get it forward, and then used precise kicking skills in the defence to move the ball across the ground well. He provided some run and carry and was willing to be daring with his passing, and one of a number of players who stood up when the heat was on.

#28 Brodie Lake

Played at both ends and kicked a goal in the third term after marking 50m out, passing to a teammate deep in the pocket, then receiving it 20m closer to goal. He put it straight through the middle and was involved a fair bit after that, winning a number of touches in quick succession across the ground. He almost had a goal in the second term with a clean pick-up but his shot on goal 20m running in on an angle hit the post.

#48 Tom King

The forward presented well and laid a great tackle close to goal applying defensive pressure to the opposition defence. He booted Northern Territory’s first goal of the game, standing in the front position and marking a wobbly ball into goal, booting it from a few metres out. He had another shot early in the fourth term, but it fell short, and a third attempt was cut off when he tried to pass in-board. He continued to work hard throughout the four quarters.