A 10-goal rampage in the second half has seen Woodville-West Torrens secure its third consecutive SANFL Under 18s victory, downing Sturt by 73 points on Saturday.

Conditions were hardly ideal at Wigan Oval, but the Eagles peppered the sticks and eventually broke through after half time, kicking away to an emphatic 17.14 (116) to 6.7 (43) road win.

There were six state Under 18 squad members afield – five for the Eagles alone – who make up the majority of our Scouting Notes in the Round 7 featured match.

>> Full Squad: South Australia Under 18s

SCOUTING NOTES

STURT:

#17 Declan Gladigau
WING | 180cm | 71kg | 24/08/2005

Sturt’s lone state squad member to take the field on Saturday, Gladigau reprised his usual role on the wing and was productive with ball in hand, notching 18 disposals and five marks. He also snuck inside 50 to prize the Double Blues’ lone goal in the second half, kicking truly after a solid overhead mark in the pocket. He looked most lively when bursting away in straight lines and booming the ball forward by foot, with 14 of his touches being kicks. While sometimes he blazed away, Gladigau was largely effective as a metres gained player who operated on the outside.

#42 George Pope
MID | 187cm | 83kg | 22/03/2005

An explosive unit in midfield, Pope was everywhere in the opening exchanges and even blasted home the game’s first goal. It was a superb effort over the mark from 50 metres, and the top-ager continued to showcase his power with a fend-off at the next centre bounce. Aside from another freakish long-range goal, the main component which let Pope down was his kicking. He marked strongly, laid 14 tackles and won 19 disposals, but just lacked a touch of polish around the ground.

#60 Fraser Greaves
RUCK | 197cm | 90kg | 17/01/2005

Sturt’s primary ruck, Greaves fared well in a rather even battle between the big men, winning 15 hitouts and three clearances. The muddy centre circle made it difficult to leap fluently at restarts, but Greaves still managed to split plenty of duels and held his own in that regard. He can look to develop his impact around the ground though, after a positive return to the Double Blues’ side.

Others…

Sturt’s defence saw plenty of ball, so it was no surprise to see that Lachlan Boscence topped his side’s disposal charts. Taking plenty of kick-ins, he managed 20 disposals and eight rebound 50s. It was a rather dour day otherwise as Sturt had only four goal kickers with singles outside of Pope (two).

WOODVILLE-WEST TORRENS:

#8 Callum Fairall
MID/DEF | 187cm | 71kg | 27/08/2005

Fairall made a handy start to proceedings with the opening centre clearance, and used his size to stay upright at the contest. He played the conditions with strength around the ball and quick kicks out of congestion, placing trust in his long and strong boot. Of his 24 disposals, 22 were kicks, with Fairall also registering seven tackles, five clearances and five inside 50s in a solid outing.

#11 Kade Herbert
MID | 183cm | 76kg | 03/04/2006

Despite his bottom-age status, Herbert led all comers with 25 disposals, eight marks and nine tackles on Saturday. The left-footer had little trouble accumulating possessions and supplying others, eventually providing some run as the game opened up. A strong overhead mark in the pouring rain almost got Herbert a goal in term three, before he made good on the missed opportunity moments later in what was a key breakthrough for the Eagles.

#18 Patrick Toole
MID/FWD | 182cm | 77kg | 05/04/2005

Toole started like a house on fire, producing a scintillating opening quarter with three of the Eagles’ four goals. All three were converted over the mark, with Toole rising for clean clunks inside 50 and finishing with aplomb. He also showcased his lateral movement on the sodden turf and despite moving through midfield for 21 touches, looked arguably most dangerous in attack.

#25 Tom Luck
RUCK | 194cm | 85kg | 06/04/2006

Though the ruck battle was rather even, Luck still topped the hitout count with 17 and displayed more authority around the ground than any tall he opposed. The bottom-ager was typically prolific, collecting 16 disposals and seven marks, while also booting 2.2 in his time resting forward. Once he worked in the game, Luck was a reliable marker and leant on his mobility to not only contribute aerially between the arcs, but also once the ball hit the deck close to goal.

#29 Patrick Weckert
FWD | 191cm | 93kg | 23/01/2005

Returning to the Under 18s for a second time after three games at League level, Weckert spearheaded the Eagles’ effort with four goals. Three of them came in the second half, including two in term three as his side began to kick away. He proved difficult to stop in front position and generally read the ball well in flight, even if it was tough to reel in with one grab. A 50-metre set shot with the wet ball was arguably his best finish, but Weckert also snapped nicely on two occasions and worked up the ground more as the game wore on.

Others…

Eagles wingman Archer Charles was prolific for 24 disposals and seven inside 50s, while the likes of Jedd Thomson and Brody Mair also ticked over 20 touches. Up forward, Zac Schwarz did some nice things en route to two goals, and rotating ruck Isaac Nieman also snared a couple of majors in a decent shift.

AROUND THE GROUNDS

Saturday’s second game was also a one-sided affair, as South Adelaide thumped an undermanned Glenelg by 121 points. The Bays were kept goalless in the first half and conceded 13 in the second, en route to the 21.13 (139) to 2.6 (18) result.

Bottom-agers Sid Draper (27 disposals, seven clearances) and Phoenix Hargrave (26 disposals, eight tackles) led the way in midfield, while classy top-age goal sneak Jack Delean cashed in with seven goals. Bowen Payne notched 21 touches for Glenelg, and Izayah Kean was one of just two goal kickers.

On Sunday, Norwood bounced back from consecutive losses with a 13-point win over North Adelaide at Prospect Oval. The Redlegs stormed ahead with four unanswered goals in term two and never looked back against the inaccurate Roosters, getting up 8.5 (53) to 5.10 (40) on the road.

Jacob Jones had a game-high 34 touches and eight clearances for the victors, while Will Rowlands was a welcome inclusion for his 22 disposals and two goals. Caleb Barton chimed in with three, while Tom Stevens (32 disposals, nine marks, eight clearances) had a huge day for North.

Over at Hisense Stadium, Central District capped off the round with a 96-point defeat of West Adelaide. The ladder leading Bulldogs booted 10 goals in either half and restricted Westies to just three behinds after the main break to win 20.9 (129) to 4.9 (33).

Centrals forward Liam Fawcett cashed in with six goals from 22 touches, as fellow tall Charlie Nicholls booted three alongside Nate Oldman. Meanwhile, Sebastian Wauer notched 33 touches, 10 marks and a goal.

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