SOUTH Australia kicked off its Under 16 National Championship campaign with an imposing 42-point win over Western Australia on Sunday morning, on the back of a balanced performance across each third. The hosts poured on seven goals to one in the first half at Thebarton Oval, and though they conceded 12 scoring shots after the main break, remained well clear of the Black Ducks.

After being dominated for a half, the West Australians came out fighting in term three and booted three of their four goals for the match, but the sting was taken out of the game thereafter as SA coasted to victory.

The Croweaters’ side was bookended by a couple of tall father-son prospects, with forward Tyler Welsh (son of Scott, Adelaide) and defender William McCabe (Luke, Hawthorn) proving prolific aerially, while Dyson Sharp and skipper Sid Draper were also strong contributors for the victors. The latter’s day ended early with a nasty-looking hand injury.

Midfielder Harrison Creighton was solid for Western Australia alongside fellow on-ballers Deian Roberts and Otis Harvey, as the likes of Trent Hiscock and Xavier Walsh went to work in key positions at either end of the ground.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA 5.1 | 7.7 | 9.10 | 11.12 (78)
WESTERN AUSTRALIA 1.1 | 1.3 | 4.6 | 4.12 (36)

GOALS:

SA: T. Welsh 4, L. Montgomery 2, B. Ryan, B. Barrett, K. Herbert, L. Camporeale, P. Carlin
WA: M. Champion, H. Boxshall, T. Lindberg, X. Walsh

RMC BEST:

SA: S. Draper, T. Welsh, D. Sharp, W. McCabe, J. Newton
WA: H. Creighton, D. Roberts, T. Hiscock, X. Walsh, M. Champion

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

#6 Lucas Camporeale (Glenelg)
21/07/2006 | 182cm | 62kg | Wing

One of the many father-son candidates in South Australia’s squad, Camporeale (son of Scott) is a name Carlton fans will be familiar with. He proved the apple has hardly fallen far from the tree, running hard to accumulate possessions off the wing and snapping home a tidy goal in the second quarter. He looked to utilise his classy left-foot, particularly moving forward, and turned out alongside twin brother Ben who featured in defence.

#7 Beau Ryan (Central District)
25/04/2006 | 181cm | 64kg | Small Forward

A crafty small forward with good pace, Ryan was lively inside attacking 50 and a constant threat around goal. He snared two goals, with one coming early in a promising start to proceedings for the Central District product. Looking to get creative in possession, Ryan troubled WA’s defenders with his step and manufactured several scoring opportunities, but could have had a greater impact in that regard with better finishing.

#8 Sid Draper (South Adelaide)
5/07/2006 | 180cm | 65kg | Midfielder

Another familiar name representing the tricolours, Draper is the brother of recent Collingwood draftee, Arlo. The South Adelaide prospect has a similar turn of speed in midfield, able to carve his way out of traffic with great poise and skill. Skipper of his side, the midfielder had little trouble getting his hands on the ball at the contest, but was also productive around the ground with overhead marks and a terrific chase on the wing in term two. He was a touch quieter after half time, and came off with what looked like a thumb injury in the final quarter.

#9 Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier (North Adelaide)
11/04/2007 | 180cm | 72kg | Wing

One of just two bottom-agers afield for either side, Oudshoorn-Bennier looked comfortable playing up and showed some promise on the wing. The smooth moving North Adelaide talent utilised his long kicking and has a good bit of power in his play – especially considering his age. He was not afraid to unleash those kicks and it was hardly a case of blazing away, as Oudshoorn-Bennier also sliced through traffic with composure.

#11 Louie Montgomery (North Adelaide)
24/04/2006 | 183cm | 70kg | Forward

Yet another father-son candidate, Montgomery is tied to Port Adelaide as the son of 2004 premiership player, Brett. He has a bit about him too, displaying exciting athletic traits with his propensity to fly for marks inside attacking 50. While he couldn’t quite hold on to his couple of speccy attempts, Montgomery clunked the more straightforward marks and found space around goal, converting one of his three set shots on goal.

#14 Jacob Newton (Norwood)
20/03/2006 | 176cm | 81kg | Midfielder

Bringing a hard edge to South Australia’s midfield brigade, Newton had a real crack at the contest. He was not afraid to throw his 81kg frame around and went blow for blow with WA on-baller Harrison Creighton throughout the match, seen either tackling or being tackled by his tough counterpart. Newton also looked to drive forward at every opportunity, playing on quickly and snatching meterage when possible.

#15 Benny Barrett (South Adelaide)
1/05/2006 | 174cm | 68kg | Small Forward

Barrett was another lively member of South Australia’s forward line, making his impact at ground level with good speed and clean hands. He hit up at the ball around the attacking arc and pushed further afield as the game wore on, constantly wheeling back towards goal and proving unafraid to take opponents on – even if he was caught a couple of times. He hit the scoreboard early with a handy pick-up and dribble finish in the first quarter.

#17 Dyson Sharp (Central District)
23/05/2007 | 184cm | 77kg | Defender

The second of South Australia’s bottom-agers, Sharp was an important figure in his side’s defence with his intercept and rebound game. He was kept particularly busy during the third term as Western Australia made a run, popping up across the defensive 50 with a series of strong marks. Sharp also took on the kick-in duties and ran the ball out with fluency, proving quite polished for a 15-year-old.

#18 Harry Dodd (Woodville-West Torrens)
5/02/2006 | 183cm | 78kg | Defender

Another defender who stood tall under pressure, Dodd was prominent after half time alongside Sharp. The Eagles prospect did the basics well in defensive 50 with his share of spoils, looking strong in contested situations and eventually gaining the confidence to mark on the intercept. His kicks invited pressure at times, but were ultimately safe enough coming out of the last line.

#20 Phoenix Hargrave (South Adelaide)
15/09/2006 | 181cm | 81kg | Midfielder

Hard to miss in his bright boots, Hargrave added a bit of style to South Australia’s onball mix. Relatively well developed size-wise, the South Adelaide midfielder utilised punchy passes going inside 50 and was able to slip out of congestion to create those forward passages. He also provided some handy pressure and physicality around the ball, while ending up with 15 touches of his own.

#25 William McCabe (Central District)
29/09/2005 | 196cm | 75kg | Tall Defender

The standout South Australian tall in defence, McCabe showcased serious athletic ability on Sunday. Joining the strong contingent of father-sons, McCabe is one for Hawthorn fans to keep tabs on as the son of Luke. While a touch raw and skinny, he popped up with some eye-catching aerial efforts in the first half, rising high to get his hands on the ball – albeit without holding many of the intercepts he competed for. One mark he managed to clunk was an absolute ripper, reeled in on his chest going back with the flight Jonathan Brown-style in the first term.

#28 Tyler Welsh (Woodville-West Torrens)
15/08/2006 | 189cm | 83kg | Tall Forward

Another Croweater, another club-tied talent – this time for Adelaide as the son of Scott. Akin to his father, Welsh is a goalkicker and finished with a game-high four majors on Sunday, proving the opposite bookend to McCabe. Just as impressive aerially, he pulled down 11 marks as an unstoppable target inside 50, possessing a strong set of hands and the courage to fly at full stretch. He could have ended up with an even bigger bag with more accurate set shot conversion, but was clearly the dominant key position player afield – albeit at 189cm.

#28 Tom Luck (Woodville-West Torrens)
6/04/2006 | 196cm | 80kg | Ruck

One more important piece of South Australia’s spine, Luck was his side’s primary ruck. The Eagles prospect did a great job to not only get his hands on the ball aerially, but to also follow up at the contest and work around the ground to extend his impact. He looks a mobile piece at 196cm, not limited in his craft.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA:

#3 Malakai Champion (Subiaco)
17/05/2006 | 170cm | 64kg | Small Forward

A prospect with one of the more memorable unique names to jot down, Champion let his football do the talking too with some nice moments on Sunday. He snared his side’s first goal of the game after SA had put four on the board, popping up like a cork in the ocean to snap home out of a goal line scramble. Like any good small forward, he carved through traffic nicely and even got his chance up on the wing in the second half.

#5 Anthony Hansen (Swan Districts)
26/02/2006 | 172cm | 61kg | Small Forward

Limited opportunities presented for Western Australia’s forwards, but Hansen produced a couple of useful plays in the front half despite not seeing as much of the ball as others. Though small, he was not afraid to compete against bigger opponents and did so when chasing a loose ball in the first term. He ended up winning a free kick while jostling with SA tall PJ Carlin in that play, shortly after flying for an overhead mark. Hansen also provided a goal assist for Tyler Lindberg in the third quarter, breaking into space and scrubbing the ball forward for his teammate to run onto.

#14 Harry Jones (Swan Districts)
1/09/2006 | 181cm | 68kg | Defender

Sporting a headband, Jones caught the eye in Western Australia’s backline as one of the more stylish movers of the ball. He positioned well to intercept and broke away with pace on the rebound, also utilising that closing speed to hunt South Australia’s forwards with a couple of terrific holding the ball tackles. With plenty to do down back, Jones balanced his attacking and defensive play well.

#15 Harrison Creighton (Swan Districts)
1/01/2006 | 182cm | 77kg | Midfielder

Arguably best afield for the Black Ducks, Creighton was a mainstay in midfield and easy to spot under his helmet. One of a several outstanding Swan Districts products, the hardened on-baller competed well at the contest and produced a two-way kind of game. Whether it was tackling with intent or ripping the ball away for his side, Creighton did a bit of everything against pretty stiff opposition.

#16 Deian Roberts (Peel Thunder)
24/07/2006 | 183cm | 77kg | Midfielder

A sweeper in the midfield, Roberts tracked back and drove forward with a touch of flair for Western Australia. The Peel Thunder prospect featured at the centre bounces all game but was often sighted streaming out of the back half, driving his legs and snatching metres on the outside. He also contributed on the inside during term three, rounding out a balanced performance and taking a brave intercept mark in said period.

#18 Otis Harvey (Swan Districts)
17/01/2006 | 183cm | 83kg | Midfielder

Another midfield mainstay alongside the likes of Creighton, Roberts, and Jaxon Douglas, Harvey was relatively clean at the contest. While perhaps not as prolific as others, the Swan Districts on-baller had his moments – one being a desperate defensive effort in the final term where Harvey looked beaten but lunged to lay a hand on his opponent and win a holding the ball free kick.

#27 Thomas Cathcart (Swan Districts)
28/05/2006 | 189cm | 78kg | Tall Defender

A key distributor across the backline, Cathcart’s kicking was the standout feature of his game. He took on plenty of the kick-in duties and used the ball well on most occasions, picking out short and long passes to clear the last line. He found more of the ball more after half time and got involved defensively, though Cathcart’s best moment was a bullet kick inside 50 to the leading Thomas MacGillivray, on the end of a handball receive in the corridor.

#28 Trent Hiscock (West Perth)
23/03/2006 | 190cm | 83kg | Tall Defender

Working well in tandem with Cathcart, Hiscock was often the interceptor while his partner-in-crime sought to rebound the ball. There weren’t as many frills to his game as others, but the West Perth defender stood up under pressure to split important contests and cut off several South Australian attacks. Proving relatively reliable throughout four quarters, Hiscock was a key man for the besieged Black Ducks.

#31 Xavier Walsh (East Perth)
6/09/2005 | 194cm | 84kg | Tall Forward

It was a tough day for Western Australia’s forwards, but Walsh was a strong tall target to kick to. He repeatedly hit up at the ball and showed a strong set of hands whenever the opportunity presented. After putting a couple of attempts wide in the first half, Walsh eventually bagged a goal in term three with a nice stoppage snap around the body.

#37 Lucas Ravenhill (Claremont)
13/04/2006 | 198cm | 88kg | Ruck

Another mobile ruck with some promise, Ravenhill started well and had an impact in the aerial contest. He used a slight reach advantage to get his hand on the ball in the ruck, but also worked well behind the ball to stand up in packs and leap at long kicks which came his way. After a couple of handy hits to advantage, Ravenhill was quieter in the second half but popped up for an overhead mark in the final term.