A SPIRITED final quarter comeback has seen Vic Country take out the opening game of the 2023 AFL Under 16 National Development Championships, after defeating Vic Metro by three points at Trevor Barker Beach Oval on Saturday morning.

Having trailed at every break and by the game’s largest margin (21 points) early in term four, Country piled on four unanswered goals to snatch the match with only a couple of minutes to spare. Midfielder Harry Morphet was his side’s hero, cooly converting the game-winning set shot.

Metro will come away ruing missed chances in the first half, with their best quarter – the third – also proving their most clinical in front of goal. Their handy buffer was quickly diminished when it counted though, in what was a fittingly thrilling finish to open this year’s national carnival.

VIC COUNTRY 1.1 | 4.5 | 6.7 | 10.8 (68)
VIC METRO 2.7 | 4.11 | 8.15 | 8.17 (65)

GOALS:

Vic Country: G. Richardson 2, Z. O’Keefe 2, N. Hibbins-Hargreaves 2, G. Posterino, J. Murray, P. Blake, H. Morphet
Vic Metro: A. Ludowyke 2, T. McGuane, O. Greeves, T. Burton, M. Moate, C. Whitehead, C. Sammartino

RMC BEST:

Vic Country: W. Duursma, J. Lindsay, B. Rongdit, G. Posterino, R. Onley, T. Ah-Mu
Vic Metro: C. Duff-Tytler, X. Bamert, J. Dalton, A. Ludowyke, M. Moate, T. McGuane

VIC COUNTRY:

#2 Josh Lindsay (Geelong Falcons)
07/04/2007 | 182cm | Midfielder

Finishing with 20 touches and five clearances in midfield, Lindsay was among Country’s most prolific players at the coalface. He was clean at the fall of the ball and when not clearing himself, waxed with teammates by hand to find exits out of the middle. Lindsay was one of many Geelong Falcons prospects to impress.

#4 Giuseppe Posterino (Geelong Falcons)
12/02/2007 | 175cm | Small Forward

An electric small forward with serious speed, Posterino only conjured 1.2 in the way of his own scores, but was involved in many others. He worked high up the ground and used his pace to gain separation from his direct opponent, also proving strong overhead on the end of his venturing leads. Posterino struck a straight set shot in term two for his lone major, which was earned through terrific defensive pressure to lock up a Metro opponent.

#15 Ben Rongdit (Geelong Falcons)
10/05/2007 | 183cm | Defender

Rongdit is a player with raw potential and while he may have some filling out to do, the bare bones of a prospect are certainly there. The Geelong Next Generation Academy talent was a mainstay in defence, where he competed well with seven tackles to compliment his promising attacking game. In the latter sense, Rongdit put himself in good positions to intercept and while clean marks evaded him at times, a blend of athleticism and vigour saw him follow up quickly.

#16 Geordie Richardson (Geelong Falcons)
01/05/2007 | 188cm | Forward

Finishing as one of three multiple goal kickers for Vic Country, Richardson got on the board early with his side’s first and only opening term major. At 188cm, he generally plays tall and troubled his opponents by reading the ball better one-on-one, while also proving mobile enough to snap a classy goal in term three – arguably his best quarter for the day. He did most of his work inside 50 and should be an asset there for Country with the right supply.

#23 Willem Duursma (Gippsland Power)
21/06/2007 | 189cm | Defender

In arguably a best afield performance, Duursma was all class down back. The 189cm prospect – already taller than his three elder footballing siblings – is a smooth mover who assesses his options well, and isn’t afraid to either take opponents on or absorb pressure to find the best option. While his execution by foot was not always on point, Duursma’s blend of athleticism and composure often got him out of trouble, as did his clean handling. He was balanced with ball in hand and even showed his aerial range, no less with an intercept mark before assisting Morphet’s game-winner.

#26 Tairon Ah-Mu (Dandenong Stingrays)
06/06/2007 | 199cm | Ruck

A physical presence in the ruck, Ah-Mu popped up with a series of strong marks around the ground. Many of them proved important as Vic Country piled on pressure in the dying stages, with the 199cm tall rising for intercepts which locked the ball in his side’s attacking half. Arguably his best grabs came in term two though, taking a speccy at half-back, and later marking in a forward 50 pack but missing his set shot.

#28 Jack Murray (GWV Rebels)
05/04/2007 | 199cm | Ruck

Rotating through the ruck alongside Ah-Mu, Murray was another who produced some of his best moments with the game on the line. Both of his best plays came in term four; first by sharking the ball inside 50 and snapping a terrific goal from the pocket, and then clunking a clutch intercept mark going back with the flight on defensive wing to help ice the game.

VIC METRO:

#5 Thomas McGuane (Western Jets)
27/08/2007 | 176cm | Midfielder/Forward

A lively small who started forward before spending plenty of time in midfield, McGuane snared the game’s opening goal. His smarts and forward craft were on show in the early stages, earning a high free kick to convert his major, and then cutting inboard nicely to assist Archie Ludowyke. While not overly prolific thereafter, McGuane showcased agility and evasiveness in a couple of nice moments, but arguably did his best work inside 50.

#7 Jack Dalton (Sandringham Dragons)
05/04/2007 | 176cm | Midfielder

A player who seemed to lift when his side was under immense pressure, Dalton showed a strong sense of urgency in the dying stages. He also pushed the ledger in term three as Metro streamed ahead, albeit if he put wide a couple of long-range shots on goal. Even earlier, Dalton’s clean hands and sharp left-foot delivery came to the fore when connecting between the arcs.

#9 Mitchell Moate (Northern Knights)
04/09/2007 | 180cm | Midfielder/Forward

Moate was one of Metro’s better players in the second half and particularly in term three. The Northern Knights product steadied nicely for a goal in said period and showed good composure on one instance when kicking inside 50. He also got his chance through midfield after half time and was relatively strong at the contest while applying himself defensively, too.

#16 Xavier Bamert (Sandringham Dragons)
29/01/2007 | 184cm | Midfielder

Another strong accumulator through midfield, Bamert took over in the Metro engine room once Oliver Greeves went down. A decent size at 184cm, he was clean and solid at the contest, and worked hard on the spread to generate some flow on the attack. Bamert proved largely effective even if some of his disposal was a touch scrappy in the thick of the action.

#23 Oliver Greeves (Eastern Ranges)
07/02/2007 | 190cm | Midfielder

Failing to make it through the warm up after half time, Greeves’ day ended early but not before showcasing some of his potential. The 190cm midfielder had little trouble getting his hands on the ball and was hardly fazed by pressure or contact, often stepping past or brushing off opponents. Greeves was clean in his handling and distributed the ball with penetrative kicks, capping off a strong first half by slotting a goal over the mark from 35 out.

#26 Archie Ludowyke (Sandringham Dragons)
19/11/2007 | 193cm | Tall Forward

Arguably the most effective tall forward afield, Ludowyke was Metro’s lone multiple goal kicker and a reliable target inside 50. Though he slotted a nice snap in term one and converted a set shot in the third, the 193cm talent missed his chance to seal the game with another relatively straightforward attempt over the mark. Nonetheless, he he moved fluently for a tall and marked the ball cleanly, showcasing terrific skills and nice upside should he grow to be true key position height.

#28 Cooper Duff-Tytler (Woodend)
22/08/2007 | 198cm | Ruck

A player who could end up being one of the finds of the carnival, Duff-Tytler is not yet assigned to a Talent League region but has serious potential as a mobile ruck. The 198cm prospect plays state basketball and may well have a tough choice to make down the line, but impressed with his athleticism and fundamental base on Saturday. His mechanics were fluent and he showed good ruck craft when directing his taps, but perhaps more impressively got involved on the follow-up and hardly looked out of place with ball in hand.