THE 2023 AFL Under 18 National Championships continue on Sunday, as a double-header hits Adelaide’s Thebarton Oval. Hosts South Australia will be in action a second time, against Vic Metro, while last week’s winners the Allies take on Western Australia.

We take you through all you need to know across the two fixtures; from the players to watch, to the strengths of all four sides and potential lineups. Final 25-man squads have also been named, scroll to see who made the cut.

NEED TO KNOW

Who: South Australia vs. Vic Metro
When: Sunday June 11, 9:45am ACST
Where: Thebarton Oval, Adelaide
How to watch: via AFL website & app

ONES TO WATCH

Naturally, South Australia’s three inclusions are going to come under the microscope. Namely, they are Glenelg swingman Harry Francis, Eagles forward Paddy Toole, and Centrals midfielder-forward Seb Wauer.

In theory, the trio adds flexibility to the Croweaters side which lost to the Allies last time out. The changes should see a creative load lifted off small forward Jack Delean, who booted four goals last week, while bottom-ager Sid Draper will assume even more responsibility in midfield.

Though Vic Metro has some tall forward threats of their own, even without Nate Caddy, watch for South Australia’s key defensive duo of Will McCabe and skipper Will Patton to peel off and provide more offensive drive from the back.

Speaking of Metro, the Vics boast five National Academy members in the wizard Nick Watson, vice-captains Archie Roberts and Nathan Philactides, classy utility Will Lorenz, and ever-improving ruck William Green.

Outside of that group, the likes of Jordan Croft and Ollie Murphy are a couple of rising talls who should be prominent at either end, while potential swingman Logan Morris is hitting good form and skipper Will Brown will be out to impress.

All of the above fall into the top-age category, but there is also a strong bottom-age contingent for the Big V. Among them, midfielder Jagga Smith, Josh Smillie, and Levi Ashcroft are all arguably good enough to start at the centre bounces. Whether that occurs remains to be seen.

>> AFL Draft Power Rankings: May 2023

WHERE IT’S WON

South Australia may again find it tough to match its opponent through midfield, and if that’s the case, the Croweaters’ mix of attacking defenders fall at risk of being exposed. Winning the on-ball battle will be made even more difficult by Green’s form as Metro’s primary ruck.

Despite the absence of Caddy, Metro has a good mix of strong marking forwards who can take full advantage of quick entries too, with Croft, Morris, and Brayden LaPlanche all dangerous in the air or capable of bringing the ball to ground.

After a sketchy effort in front of goal in their trial against the SA U20s, the hosts were much improved in that department last week but will have to lift their overall scoring output to match how Metro can find goals from their mids and small-medium types.

Prediction: Vic Metro by 7.

PREDICTED LINEUPS

SOUTH AUSTRALIA

B: #9 B. Ryan – #17 W. Patton (c) – #14 A. Holt (vc)
HB: #11 L. Evans – #22 W. McCabe – #3 C. Fairall
C: #1 T. Tattoli – #26 K. McAuliffe (dvc) – #13 L. Slade
HF: #8 A. Moir (vc) – #41 P. Weckert (dvc) – #27 D. Dignan
F: #16 L. Rawlinson – #38 T. Goad – #12 J. Delean
FOL: #43 A. van Wyk – #2 S. Draper – #19 A. McShane

INT: #4 P. Toole, #6 S. Wauer, #15 D. Gladigau, #24 H. Francis, #37 L. Fawcett

EMG: #5 K. Herbert, #28 T. Wheaton, #36 T. Luck

IN: H. Francis, P. Toole, S. Wauer
OUT: K. Herbert, O. Talbot, T. Wheaton

VIC METRO

B: #9 N. Philactides (vc) – #32 O. Murphy – #7 C. Nyko
HB: #16 A. Roberts (vc) – #30 H. O’Farrell – #21 W. Lorenz
C: #2 T. O’Leary – #27 W. Brown (c) – #15 C. Windsor
HF: #20 C. Harrop – #25 L. Morris – #18 H. Johnston
F: #3 N. Watson – #33 J. Croft – #10 L. Ashcroft
FOL: #34 W. Green – #28 J. Smillie – #6 J. Smith

INT: #4 J. Dattoli, #8 K. Brown, #22 M. Carroll, #23 B. LaPlanche, #35 V. Visentini

EMG: #5 J. Docking, #13 M. Taha, #36 W. Elliott

NEED TO KNOW

Who: Allies vs. Western Australia
When: Sunday June 11, 12:05pm ACST
Where: Thebarton Oval, Adelaide
How to watch: via AFL website & app

ONES TO WATCH

Akin to South Australia, the Allies have made three changes with journeyed bottom-agers Clay Shadforth and Sam Marshall coming in alongside Swans Academy over-ager Tye Gander. They all offer something unique, and far from weaken last week’s victorious Allies side.

The 1-0 outfit will only be better for having played a full game together, and their top-end stars are set to shine even brighter. First round fancies Ryley Sanders, Colby McKercher, and Jake Rogers will roll through midfield, while Jed Walter, Ethan Read, and Connor O’Sullivan are strong key position pillars.

There are some prospects in Western Australia’s side too, also within the key position realm. Ruck Mitchell Edwards should have a great battle with Read, while Daniel Curtin should settle in nicely down back, and Sam van Rooyen is an emerging talent in attack.

The Black Ducks will be without Koltyn Tholstrup, but fellow national academy member Riley Hardeman has been named among a dynamic defensive group. Others to watch include mercurial small forward Lance Collard and classy midfielder Koen Sanchez.

>> AFL Draft Power Rankings: May 2023

WHERE IT’S WON

The midfield battle will be paramount in deciding this game, largely because it is one of the Allies’ strongest lines, and potentially Western Australia’s weakest. Last week, the Allies quickly got on top in that department and Walter took the game away from SA with such dominance at the source.

Another area the Allies will back themselves in is team balance. They have an incredibly strong spine with genuine stars in the key position posts, while their midfield is ridiculously deep and boasts serious top-end talent. Then, there’s handy role players at either end of the ground.

Western Australia has its own unique balance, laying claim to its patented pace and a good mix of tall options. The Black Ducks may trouble their opponents up forward with sheer height, and if the ball is brought to ground, their smalls can do plenty of damage.

There’s some good running power in the WA lineup, so if they can work hard on the outside and quickly transition into to their marking forwards, they could be in for a good day. Two big trial game victories will put them in good stead, but there is an element of unknown in their first competitive outing.

Prediction: Allies by 10.

PREDICTED LINEUPS

ALLIES

B: #7 L. Cabor – #38 P. Snell – #28 N. Williams
HB: #2 H. Thomas – #41 C. O’Sullivan – #15 J. Leake
C: #9 J. Rogers – #3 C. Cleary – #14 I. Kirk
HF: #18 M. Rider – #25 J. Walter – #11 P. Gothard
F: #29 T. Gander – #30 C. McCormack – #13 J. Callinan
FOL: #39 E. Read – #1 R. Sanders – #5 C. McKercher

INT: #12 W. Rowlands, #17 C. Shadforth, #24 S. Marshall, #26 W. Graham, #44 C. May

IN: C. Shadforth, S. Marshall, T. Gander
OUT: T. Beaumont, L. Lombard, O. Turner

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

B: #6 P. Campbell – #38 L. Kemp – #26 E. Scoble
HB: #8 O. Hine-Baston – #30 D. Curtin – #17 R. Hardeman
C: #35 C. Hall – #7 L. Kelly – #16 A. Ferreira
HF: #25 J. Matthews – #36 X. Walsh – #2 A. O’Driscoll
F: #9 L. Collard – #29 L. Kentfield – #28 S. van Rooyen
FOL: #31 M. Edwards – #12 K. Dehavilland – #5 K. Sanchez

INT: #14 O. Harvey, #15 R. Torrent, #18 T. Lindberg, #22 B. Allan, #32 E. Smith

EMG: #13 D. Roberts