PORT Adelaide father-son prospect Louie Montgomery helped spark North Adelaide’s third win by under a goal on the SANFL Under 18s season, as the Roosters held on to beat Sturt by two points on Saturday. The defender’s pair of second half goals saw his side hit the front early in term four.

Montgomery’s speed and dynamism saw him break the game open on numerous occasions, proving especially crucial to end a third quarter stalemate. Having recently spent time training at Alberton with other Port Adelaide-tied players, the top-ager is our SANFL Player Focus for Round 5.

>> FULL SQUAD: 2024 South Australia Under 18s

North Adelaide, South AustraliaDefender

Louie Montgomery

Height: 184cm

Weight: -

DOB: 24-04-2006

PLAYER FOCUS

2024 SANFL Under 18s: Round 5
Sturt 10.8 (68) def. by North Adelaide 10.10 (70)

#18 Louie Montgomery (North Adelaide)
Stats: 24 disposals, 5 marks, 6 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s, 2 goals, 3 behinds

FIRST QUARTER

Montgomery made a strong start to proceedings, leading all comers with seven disposals to quarter time. Posted down back, he created plenty of overlap run with thanks to his speed and powerful side-step.

The defender also got going with a terrific intercept mark early in the piece, beating Sturt big man Sam Waltham to the punch with a lovely leap at the ball. He looked to score too, breaking forward and letting fly with a shot which went wide.

One of Montgomery’s areas for improvement came to the fore in that instance, with his kicking on the run requiring some polish. Still, he proved dangerous in full flight and generated plenty of drive with ball in hand.

SECOND QUARTER

The second was a slightly less prolific quarter for Montgomery, though his power and agility were still on show. He continued to float through the corridor, looking for handball receives off centre bounce breaks to help launch North Adelaide into attack.

His best moment came late in the term, as he shrugged off an opponent and notched up a running bounce through the guts. That passage, and his willingness to take the game on led to a Roosters score after the siren.

Montgomery perhaps could have timed his overlap runs better, though, as he sometimes got ahead of the play while streaming past unmanned. He also jumped under a couple of intercept marking attempts while sitting in the hole, which is usually a strength.

THIRD QUARTER

The third quarter was an absolute armwrestle, seeing just two goals kicked after a first half which yielded 13 between the two sides. Montgomery snared one of them, straightening up on the run after playing on from a super overhead mark at half-forward.

That major brought North back to within a kick at three-quarter time and proved Montgomery’s game-winning ability. He only needs a moment or fraction of space to make an impact, and did so in term three.

While other North Adelaide defenders kicked the ball back and across, Montgomery looked to drive his legs and go forward. He ended up with 15 possessions and a goal heading into the last break, with plenty more to come.

FOURTH QUARTER

After finding the big sticks late in term three, Montgomery’s second major at the start of the fourth quarter saw North take the lead. While his other four scoring shots were completed on the run, this was a 40m set shot, converted coolly.

Montgomery would run out the game with plenty of touches in the defensive half, boosting his stats with a few kick-ins as the Roosters looked to milk the clock. Barring a poor turnover under pressure at half-back, he was efficient in the short range.

One of Montgomery’s best plays in the final quarter saw him play on from the kick-in, baulk an opponent and launch the ball past the halfway mark – snatching 100m in a flash and not allowing Sturt to hem the Roosters in.

Those kinds of plays were exemplary of Montgomery’s ability to carve up the opposition with his run and athleticism. He took on the big moments and stood up when it counted on Saturday, helping his side snatch another thrilling victory.

CLOSING THOUGHTS…

Having played plenty of junior footy as a forward, it has been no real surprise to see Montgomery attack so prominently as a defender. He averages more inside 50s than rebound 50s and has a clear eye for goal, though could straighten up some of his kicking on the run.

What will excite Port Adelaide fans about Montgomery is his ability to break lines and open the game up, displaying a wicked turn of speed and attacking instincts. His leap and sound reading of the play make him a likely interceptor too, lending to a high level of versatility.

Having hardly had a preseason over the last three campaigns, and suffering hamstring and hip flexor issues this year, Montgomery’s development could accelerate with a clean run at it. The son of Brett is a Giants fan and says he’s happy to go anywhere, but should be firmly on the Power’s radar.