WESTERN Australia closed out its AFL Under 16 Championships with a win, defeating Vic Country by 25 points to deny its opponents the title.

Though coming into the game the Black Ducks knew they could not win the overall trophy, they still fought to the very end, answering numerous Vic Country challenges and kicking the last three goals of the match to win 14.14 (98) to 11.7 (73).

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 3.1 | 6.5 | 10.9 |14.14 (98)
VIC COUNTRY 2.4 | 6.6 | 10.6 | 11.7 (73)

GOALS:
Western Australia: D. Montgomery 6, H. Heaton 3, B. Hart 2, M. Cassidy, B. Kelly, M. Skerritt
Vic Country: C. McKinnon 4, P. Blake, H. Hicks, J. Murray, Z. O’Keefe, G. Posterino, G. Richardson, J. Scapin

RMC BEST:
Western Australia: D. Montgomery, B. Kelly, T. Longmuir, K. Gerreyn M. Becker
Vic Country: W. Duursma, R. Only, Z. O’Keefe, N. Hibbins-Hargreaves, T. Ah-Mu

WESTERN AUSTRALIA:

#1 William York (Peel Thunder)
Midfielder | 172cm | 15/04/2007

For a 172cm player, York packs a punch. Early on in the game he was able to bounce off an opponent who tried to tackle him, and still centre a kick well to a forward. His work rate and nice burst speed from the contest was a feature of his game, and he set up a vital goal in the final term with great vision and kick placement into the corridor.

#5 Jadd Hill (Perth)
Midfielder | 176cm | 27/01/2007

Hill cracked in through the midfield across the four quarters and though could be hit or miss with his execution by foot, stepped up when the game was to be won. The hard-working midfielder racked up a whopping 13 disposals in the final quarter, to overtake everyone else on the field and finish with 26 for the game. He won the ball in each third of the ground and is capable of sidestepping an opponent. Willed his side to victory.

#9 Taj Longmuir (South Fremantle)
Defender | 179cm | 04/06/2007

The son of Troy was again solid across the board, but found the ball higher up the field at times too. A kick-first player, his competitiveness both in the air and at ground level shone through. He has super quick hands, and generally used it well. He was often the distributor from the back half of the ground and had the smarts to get into the right positions.

#10 Blake Kelly (Swan Districts)
Midfielder | 180cm | 03/01/2007

Arguably Western Australia’s best four-quarter performer, Kelly was able to play a role on-ball throughout the entire game and had three clearances and five inside 50s to go with his 23 touches. His quick hands in close and link-up play was his go-to, with his short neat passes particularly effective in transition to open up angles for his teammates.

#12 Darcy Montgomery (Subiaco)
Forward | 180cm | 27/04/2007

It was a dominant display from the forward who plays much taller than his 180cm might suggest, clunking a whopping seven marks from 12 disposals and causing all sorts of headaches for the defence. He finished with six goals, including three in the final term to really spearhead the Sandgroper attack. Four of his six goals came from traditional set shots, with his other two coming from general play including one on the run and a soccer off the deck. His leading patterns and ability to pick the space early was what lead to him controlling the airways.

#20 Basil Hart (Peel Thunder)
Forward | 183cm | 18/01/2007

Western Australia’s MVP for the carnival is not a high production player, but kicked two goals from six disposals, including what was ultimately the game sealer in the 20th minute of the match. He can take a strong mark and uses the ball well when he does win it, with that consistency the next step as high ability is evident, and his performance against South Australia the standout.

#22 Marcus Cassidy (East Perth)
Midfielder | 186cm | 05/01/2007

Had a say through the midfield for Western Australia, working around the ground to drop back into defence or be an attacking opening. In the third term, Cassidy kicked a terrific running goal from long-range and used it well by foot. A consistent ball-winner for the Sandgropers who had the 16 touches, four marks, three clearances, four inside 50s and a goal.

#30 Harrison Heaton (South Fremantle)
Forward | 190cm | 09/03/2007

It was a tale of two almost halves, with the first 50 minutes of the match seeing Heaton boot three goals from three kicks. They were all from set shots of differing difficulties, with his first a tight angle set shot in the last minute of the opening quarter. For some reason once he came up for his fourth kick, his accuracy abandoned him, spraying one out on the full – albeit from an equally tough angle as his first – then also sprayed another two set shots well wide. Still, he provided three goals and was a reliable target through that first half.

#37 Kayle Gerreyn (West Perth)
Ruck/Forward | 198cm | 05/10/2006

The over-age captain was an exciting player who caught the eye whenever he went into the ruck. He often grabbed it out of the air, played on and either kicked long or distributed to a running teammate. It was the equivalent of poetry in motion, and though he did miss a couple of chances on goal while under pressure, his ability to cover the ground, and obvious athleticism, was a highlight for the Falcons youngster.

VIC COUNTRY:

#7 Zachary O’Keefe (Gippsland Power)
Midfielder | 176cm | 22/03/2007

Though only small, O’Keefe is another talented player who just does a lot right. He won the ball consistently, and always looked to put pressure on the opposition defence, getting it inside 50 time and time again. Strong overhead for his size, he moved well and was even able to hit the scoreboard, kicking an impressive set shot goal from the boundary in the third term to cut the deficit to two points. Defensively he also caught the eye with a timely spoil at half-back in the second term.

#8 Jobe Scapin (Gippsland Power)
Defender/Forward | 186cm | 01/05/2007

One of those players who does not need a lot of it to have an influence. He only had the 10 disposals, but looked composed in defence and generally made the right decisions. His one mark was a terrific intercept grab one-on-one, and then later in the match was thrown up the other end and converted a set shot goal.

#10 Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves (Dandenong Stingrays)
Midfielder | 185cm | 16/11/2007

Like many of the Vic Country players, he had his moments, quite often winning it at half-back or through the middle. His release timing on his handballs was particularly effective, and then he pushed forward when his team was running in transition. At one point he even had a set shot from just inside 50 but it fell short. Luckily it was marked by a teammate who finished off the job.

#13 Patrick Blake (Bendigo Pioneers)
Midfielder/Forward | 182cm | 27/12/2007

One of the more prolific midfielders around the stoppages, Blake cracked in for an equal game-high five clearances and also hit the scoreboard. He kicked his goal after a downfield free kick, and has the potential by foot to deliver a piercing pass inside 50. A lot of his touches came at the coalface so was often under pressure, but he held his own, and is only five days off being an under-ager in the Under 16s competition.

#21 Charlie McKinnon(GWV Rebels)
Forward | 188cm | 25/10/2007

The main target inside 50 for Country early in the game, McKinnon kicked his side’s first two goals in the opening term, one from a set shot after a good mark, and another from something out of nothing in general play. He would kick two more goals for the game, and though he only had the five kicks for the match, a return of 4.1 is a near perfect result from a deep forward.

#22 Riley Onley (Murray Bushrangers)
Forward | 194cm | 30/03/2007

For a long period of time, Onley was leading all-comers on the ground in terms of disposals with a dominant first term and a pretty solid second quarter to head into the main break with 14 disposals to his name. He would only finish with the 18 in the end, but his work rate up the ground and ability to even attend stoppages was impressive. He finished with five clearances to go with 18 disposals, five tackles and four inside 50s, often doing his best work at ground level and getting involved.

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

The Vic Country MVP was never in doubt as Duursma cruised his way to another best-on performance for the ‘Big V’. He finished with a team-high 21 disposals, took six marks and had nine rebound 50s, also taking the kickouts near the end of the match. He pulled out a massive torpedo at the end of the game, and while he ultimately suffered defeat, was a standout. His game sense, combination of aerial ability and ground work was superb, and he looked to link up with teammates further afield, showcasing a high running capacity.

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

The strong tall was able to influence the game around the stoppages, not only winning clearances, but also taking it out of the ruck at times. Though he failed to hit the scoreboard in the match, he was a strong mark at both ends of the field. There was one instant where he took it out of the ruck, charged forward and bombed it forward, which somehow landed in the arms of a teammate. One who could play multiple roles.