WOODVILLE-WEST Torrens has strengthened its standing atop the SANFL Under 18s ladder after holding on to beat Sturt by nine points on Tuesday night. The Eagles burst out of the gates with five goals to one in the opening quarter and held on in the face of Sturt’s repeat challenges.

In the end, the 12.4 (76) to 9.13 (67) result sees the ladder leaders remain a win clear on top with just two regular season rounds to play. There were eight South Australian Under 18 squad members afield, and we noted how each of them fared in our Round 16 featured match.

WOODVILLE-WEST TORRENS:

#9 Callum Fairall
Midfielder | 187cm | 71kg | 27/08/2005

Stats: 36 disposals, 9 marks, 6 clearances

Leading all comers in a productive outing through midfield, Fairall was classy and composed as ever. The smooth mover showcased his poise in tough spots, not possessing great speed but proving fleet of thought with his decision making by hand and foot. He use the ball efficiently and was the player his side wanted to be distributing it to the outside, even absorbing tackles well and always getting a disposal out. The only significant blemish on his game was an unfortunate falcon in the final quarter which Sturt pounced on to score.

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

Stats: 13 disposals, 5 marks, 1 goal

It was by no means a massive game from Toole, though he managed to produce some moments of class throughout. Stationed on the wing, his most exciting passage was a burst of speed through the corridor, albeit ending in a poor forward 50 entry. Otherwise, Toole tracked up and back and was quite clean below his knees, also using his nifty side-step to manufacture extra time in possession. He managed to snare a goal too, kicking truly over the mark late in term three.

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

Stats: 16 disposals, 5 marks, 16 hitouts, 5 inside 50s

An interesting study for next year given his status as an undersized ruck, Luck continued to prove his value in the role. The bottom-ager plays like somewhat of a fourth midfielder around the contest, able to follow up at ground level and feed others or clear the ball himself. Luck lost the hitout battle but beat his opponent around the ground, always popping up as a marking outlet between the arcs and backing his kicking skills both short and long.

#26 Tyler Welsh (ADE F/S)
Tall Forward | 190cm | 89kg | 16/08/2006

Stats: 10 disposals, 2 marks, 3 goals

One of the Eagles’ two big marking targets up forward, Welsh helped his side get off to a hot start with two first quarter goals. He ended up with three in the opening half, thriving off quick and constant forward 50 entries. Welsh also worked up the ground and looked to showcase his pace on the way back, proving he could outmuscle opponents one-on-one or beat them across the ground. He faded out of the game but made his presence felt, and may be a similar prospect next year to Nate Caddy this year, in that he’s an undersized marking forward with good strength and speed.

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

Stats: 15 disposals, 6 marks (4 contested), 2 goals

The Eagles’ other marking target in attack, Weckert complimented his partner in crime nicely and helped get others into the game. Holding his ground strongly and clunking a couple of nice grabs overhead, Weckert was a viable avenue to goal and ended up with two himself. He was a little more sloppy at ground level but provided consistent effort and presented strongly up the ground to help link Woodville-West Torrens inside forward 50.

STURT:

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

Stats: 22 disposals, 9 marks, 4 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s

Gladigau was particularly prominent in the middle stages of the game, helping open it up with his outside run and driving possessions. He progressively worked into increasingly dangerous launch zones during Sturt’s attacking phases, receiving the ball uncontested and taking the ground in front of him before sending a kick forward. He is very much an outside player though and would perhaps like a few of his contested efforts back.

#25 Loch Rawlinson
Small Forward | 177cm | 71kg | 01/06/2005

Stats: 23 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 2 goals

Finishing as Sturt’s sole multiple goal kicker, Rawlinson was credited with five scoring shots but had many more attempts on goal. The busy small forward worked himself into the game through a balance of smarts and effort, reading the play well before running into the right spots. He was constantly dangerous at ground level and both his majors came via quick checkside finishes, which could have been added to with a bit of luck. Rawlinson also earned a late run in midfield and had little trouble getting his hands on the ball.

#30 Luca Slade
Midfielder/Forward | 181cm | 72kg | 11/03/2005

Stats: 22 disposals, 5 marks, 4 inside 50s

Slade offered his usual inside-outside balance in Sturt’s midfield rotation; he was tough at the coalface with repeat efforts, and drove his legs once on the outer. The top-aged state representative went mostly by hand and tried to make good decisions under pressure, flicking the ball out in all kinds of directions, but mostly forward. He showed his strength with a big tackle on Welsh in term four and was also productive as a high forward when shifted out of the middle.

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AROUND THE GROUNDS

Glenelg ensured its safety in the top for four another week after defeating North Adelaide by 43 points to kick off Wednesday night’s action. The Bays led at every break and perfectly doubled the Roosters’ score, coming away 12.14 (86) to 6.7 (43) victors.

The Camporeale twins – Ben and Lucas – led Glenelg’s disposal count with 28 and 26 respectively. North star Kane McAuliffe fared well back at Under 18s level to also notch 28 touches and seven clearances, while Zac Earl popped up with a game-high four majors for the victors.

South Adelaide bagged a 29-point road win over the bottom-placed West Adelaide to all but confirm its place in the postseason. The Panthers were pegged back after booting five unanswered goals in the first quarter, but ran the game out strongly to get up 13.10 (88) to 9.5 (59).

Fresh off two League games, Sid Draper (25 disposals) waxed well with state Under 18 teammates Tom Wheaton (30) and Phoenix Hargrave (28) in midfield. Meanwhile, bottom-aged livewire Clay Shadforth snared five goals and Max McKenzie managed four for the struggling Westies.

Central District’s 28-point victory over Norwood also went a long way to solidifying the Bulldogs’ finals spot. Having trailed at the first two breaks, Centrals poured on seven goals to the Redlegs’ one after half time to set up the 10.8 (68) to 6.4 (40) home win.

State Under 16 MVP Dyson Sharp was outstanding in the victors’ engine room, leading all comers with 32 disposals and 12 clearances. Jacob Newton also cracked 30 touches for Norwood, while bottom-aged father-son prospect Jack Michalanney clunked 10 marks in defence.

The next and penultimate round of SANFL Under 18s action gets underway on Saturday August 12, with the tight race for fourth spot set to go down to the wire. Glenelg currently occupies the place, but Sturt has eyes on it and the two sides will face off in the final regular season round.