WESTERN Australia hosts Vic Country in what is poised to be a closely contested AFL Under 18 National Championships clash at the WACA tonight. Top pick contender Harley Reid will audition in the home town of West Coast, with his travelling side keen to get on the board in this year’s carnival.

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NEED TO KNOW

Who: Western Australia vs. Vic Country
When: Friday June 30, 6:00pm AWST
Where: WACA Ground (WA)
How to watch: via AFL website & app

TEAM NEWS

There will be a raft of changes for either side, with Western Australia making four and Vic Country swinging five. The home side welcomes two debutants to the fold in Austin Van Der Stuyf and Zane Zakostelsky, who come in alongside returning tall Evan Smith and midfielder Kai Dehavilland.

With the excitement of newly blooded talent comes exclusions on the other side of the coin. Tall defender Elijah Scoble, and forwards Luker Kentfield and Joe Matthews have been left out, while Presley Campbell misses with a knee injury.

Headlining Vic Country’s inclusions is a trio of bottom-age talent. Finn O’Sullivan, the best player in last year’s Under 16 National Championships, earns a berth alongside Bendigo mid-forward Archer Day-Wicks and GWV Rebels inside bull Sam Lalor.

The travelling team has also called upon marking forward Jacob Grant and Lachlan Smith, with Geelong Falcons key defensive duo Hamish Pierson and Tom Peirce making way. Forwards Oskar Smartt and Thomas Anastasopoulos also rotate out of the game one squad, along with the injured Cooper Simpson.

ONES TO WATCH

With a couple of games under their belt, the Black Ducks are beginning to take shape in this year’s carnival. Clay Hall has been a star turn in midfield and was joined by Daniel Curtin last week, though the latter may yet revert to a more conventional defensive role.

Mitchell Edwards may fancy himself in this week’s ruck battle, while the likes of Koltyn Tholstrup, Koen Sanchez, and Aiden O’Driscoll have proven crucial with their hard-running effort games up forward. On the same line, watch for some potential x-factor from Lance Collard.

The star power is more apparent in Vic Country’ squad, which will be better for its single championships game to date, albeit a loss. Potential West Coast selection Harley Reid has already attracted attention upon landing in Perth, and is set to yield more midfield minutes this week.

Team balance will be important for the Victorians, and there are plenty of ways the pieces can fit the puzzle. The exclusions point towards George Stevens potentially spending time in defence, while Zane Duursma, Darcy Wilson, and Joel Freijah are capable of rolling through midfield or up forward.

The bottom-age additions – O’Sullivan, Day-Wicks, and Lalor – are other options to consider in the engine room, though they may be required in other roles to begin with as priority remains with the top-agers.

SQUADS

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

#2 Aiden O’Driscoll
#5 Koen Sanchez
#7 Luke Kelly
#8 Oscar Hine-Baston
#9 Lance Collard
#10 Austin van der Struyf
#11 Riley Wills
#12 Kai Dehavilland
#15 Reece Torrent
#16 Ashton Ferreira
#17 Riley Hardeman
#18 Tyler Lindberg
#22 Bo Allan
#23 Koltyn Tholstrup
#28 Samuel van Rooyen
#30 Daniel Curtin
#31 Mitchell Edwards
#32 Evan Smith
#34 Joe Fonti
#35 Clay Hall
#37 Coen Livingstone
#38 Lucas Kemp
#39 Zane Zakostelsky

VIC COUNTRY

#2 Lachlan Charleson
#4 Darcy Wilson
#5 Harley Reid
#6 Luamon Lual
#7 Joel Freijah
#9 Zane Duursma
#10 Kade De La Rue
#11 Billy Wilson
#13 Coby James
#14 Kobe Shipp
#15 Oscar Ryan
#16 Harry Demattia
#17 Archer Day-Wicks
#18 Sam Lalor
#19 Angus Hastie
#20 Finn O’Sullivan
#21 Jacob Grant
#22 Archer Reid
#23 George Stevens
#25 Michael Rudd
#35 Wil Dawson
#39 Joe Pike
#40 Lachlan Smith

PREDICTION

This one is tough to call. On one hand, Western Australia is playing at home having just picked up a breakthrough win, and the Black Ducks have spent more time playing together. On the other hand, Vic Country underperformed in its game one loss and has arguably more star power.

There has been a trend in this year’s championships of teams getting better in their second and third games, and bottom-agers have also had a major say in proceedings. With that in mind, we’re taking Vic Country by 5 points in a thriller.

REMAINING 2023 AFL U18s FIXTURE