THE ALLIES are on the board at this year’s AFL Under 18 National Championships after a thrilling five-point win over Western Australia on Sunday. First round talent Max King slotted the winning goal with under three minutes left to play after his side trailed for much of the second half at Marvel Stadium.

A final scoreline of 10.19 (79) meant the Allies very nearly kicked themselves out of the contest. King had 1.3 to his name before lining up for the deciding set shot, which was put on a platter for him via Dylan Patterson‘s daring surge through the corridor. The cream rose to the top when it mattered.

ALLIES 3.7 | 5.10 | 8.13 | 10.19 (79)
WESTERN AUSTRALIA 4.1 | 7.3 | 11.5 | 11.8 (74)

GOALS:
Allies: M. King 2, D. Annable, T. Prindable, B. Kane, R. Hamilton, J. Miller, L. Wootton, T. McMillan, K. White
WA: L. Hallett 3, W. Walley 2, S. Swadling, B. Kelly, T. Williams, T. Phillips, T. Whan, R. Luke

BEST:
Allies: L. Carmichael, D. Patterson, K. Coulson, D. Annable, T. Prindable, J. Miller
WA: J. Farrow, D. Sutherland, T. Williams, L. Hallett, R. Luke, S. Swadling

ALLIES:

#4 Jack Miller (North Hobart/TAS)
Small Forward | 181cm | 13/04/2007

Stats: 13 disposals, 3 marks, 1 goal

Miller was a lively member of the Allies’ forward group, working into all the right spots as a creative and connective figure. His front-and-centre positioning and ability to work up the ground made him a threat when the ball was in motion, while also becoming dangerous deep inside attacking 50. Miller’s timing on the lead led to several shots on goal, though he ended up nabbing his only major on the run to compliment eight score involvements. His craft is terrific.

#6 Tyan Prindable (Lions Academy/QLD)
Midfielder/Forward | 181cm | 25/01/2007

Stats: 18 disposals, 5 tackles, 1 goal

An inclusion from outside the game one squad, Prindable proved a capable straight swap for Beau Addinsall in the midfield rotation. He provided reliable ball-winning efforts at the contest while being effective in his time up forward, booting a set shot goal in the second quarter. The left-footed Lions Academy talent also handled the ball cleanly and delivered it with composure heading forward.

#7 Dylan Patterson (Suns Academy/QLD)
Wing/Defender | 183cm | 01/09/2007

Stats: 20 disposals, 6 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s

While a couple of poor moments proved costly earlier in the day, Patterson put them behind him to produce the game-winning passage. As he had throughout the four quarters, the Suns Academy speedster backed his pace to burn past multiple opponents before delivering a terrific pass inside 50 for King. That kind of transitional play saw Patterson carry the ball into launch zones, albeit if he couldn’t always hit the final kick. While inconsistent, his bullet kicks and carving runs caught the eye each time, and he was a crucial spark in the Allies’ comeback feats.

#8 Koby Coulson (Suns Academy/QLD)
Midfielder | 180cm | 31/07/2007

Stats: 27 disposals, 5 tackles, 5 clearances

With fellow Sun Addinsall out of the lineup, Coulson continued on his merry way with an equal-team high disposal tally of 27. He also led all comers with 14 contested possessions, willing his way to winning loose balls and burrowing under packs as usual. Coulson’s ability to then connect by hand and help his teammates find effective stoppage exits allowed the Allies to enter the attacking phase.

#10 Lachlan Carmichael (Swans Academy/NSW)
Defender | 183cm | 27/08/2007

Stats: 27 disposals, 4 tackles, 5 rebound 50s

Running at 93 per cent disposal efficiency from an equal team-high 27 touches, Carmichael was integral to the Allies’ ball movement out of defence. He racked up 22 uncontested possessions, either chaining up in transition or changing the angles with effective, rangy switch kicks. He was aggressive when overlapping up the ground and would continue his runs throughout the attacking phase, providing supportive runs to keep his side moving forward.

#20 Daniel Annable (Lions Academy/QLD)
Midfielder | 183cm | 04/05/2007

Stats: 25 disposals, 6 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 1 goal

With the Allies trailing, Annable seemed to lift his level after the main break after posting just nine touches to half time. Much of his early work consisted of rushed clearing kicks as the Queenslander competed hard in the contest. He became more expansive in the second half, rotating forward for a third quarter goal and chaining up a game-high nine score involvements. Annable was seen intercepting a WA kick-in, hitting smart inboard kicks, and running hard on the outside – essentially doing everything he could to get the Allies home. His efforts proved fruitful in the end.

#21 Caleb Nancarrow (Suns Academy/QLD)
Tall Defender | 191cm | 31/05/2006

Stats: 18 disposals, 3 marks, 3 rebound 50s

Along with the likes of Carmichael and Patterson, Nancarrow was involved in plenty of the Allies’ defensive transitions. He showed great athleticism and versatility at 191cm to take on taller opponents before getting to work on the rebound. The over-ager wasn’t afraid to carry the ball and share with teammates by hand, producing a strong first half. He picked up 14 of his 18 possessions before the main break, though struggled to have the same attacking impact thereafter.

#24 Max King (Swans Academy/NSW)
Tall Forward | 191cm | 09/01/2007

Stats: 8 disposals, 5 marks, 2 goals

While his radar was off for much of the day, King came up clutch to slot the winning goal with under three minutes left to play. He had threatened to be the difference beforehand, crash-landing in term one with a huge speccy and going on to kick 0.3 for the first half. He finally got on the board with a snap from the pocket in term three and was difficult to contain with his speed on the lead. As proven by his recent VFL debut, King has match-winning traits and they came to the fore once again.

#40 Isaac Waller (Lions Academy/QLD)
Ruck | 202cm | 03/03/2007

Stats: 9 disposals, 4 tackles, 18 hitouts, 3 clearances

Sharing the ruck duties with fellow Queenslander Kalani White, Waller showed plenty of promise. He had the leap advantage at centre bounces against an equally tall opponent, while following up at ground level and standing up as marking contests formed. Waller looked the goods when able to leap and extend at the ball overhead, as he did with an intercept mark in term four. He very nearly had a goal too, but his close-range set shot was touched en route to splitting the big sticks.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA:

#3 Tylah Williams (Swan Districts)
Small Forward | 175cm | 22/02/2007

Stats: 12 disposals, 5 marks, 1 goal

Williams was energetic as ever across Western Australia’s half-forward line, providing moments of creativity with his dancing feet. There was substance to match the flair as he presented hard up the ground, but also proved evasive when taking the game and opponents on. Williams got on the board with a left-foot snap goal in the opening quarter and was difficult to contain in his spurts thereafter.

#6 Hudson Walker (Subiaco)
Midfielder/Forward | 179cm | 06/09/2007

Stats: 14 disposals, 6 tackles, 3 inside 50s

Part of WA’s starting midfield mix, Walker was one of his side’s most effective extractors and provided great physicality at the contest. His closing speed asked questions of the Allies’ ball winners, though Walker had some queries on his own disposal on the run or under pressure. He laid an equal game-high six tackles to compound his impact out of possession in a solid outing.

#11 Dale Sutherland (Perth)
Defender | 184cm | 10/01/2007

Stats: 20 disposals, 4 tackles, 6 rebound 50s

Having been a consistent rebounder for WA across the first two games, Sutherland produced arguably his best outing against the Allies. He led the game for intercept possessions with eight, helping win the ball back for his side and sparking transitional play. Sutherland had a couple of important moments late in the day; rising for a spring-heeled intercept mark inside defensive 50, and moving forward with intent to have a last-gasp attempt on goal – albeit to no avail.

#12 Wesley Walley (Subiaco)
Forward | 182cm | 29/11/2007

Stats: 10 disposals, 5 marks, 2 goals

An out-and-out ‘moments’ player, Walley produced several of them on Sunday. His first was a cracking contested mark tracking up the ground in term one, which he followed up with a speccy in term three. The latter leap yielded his second goal, with Walley inconsistent in the way of finishing but constantly in the right spots. His desperate follow-up efforts at ground level were also felt, along with punishing pressure to help lock the ball in WA’s front half.

#15 Luke Hallett (East Perth)
Forward | 185cm | 06/07/2007

Stats: 9 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles, 3 goals

Hallett backed up his two goals on debut last time out with a game-high three heap scoreboard pressure on the inaccurate Allies. He nabbed one over the back in term one and was the beneficiary of a downfield free kick in term two, taking both opportunities nicely. Hallett’s punchy kicking was on display with a pair of bullet passes inside 50, though his best moment was a powerful wheeling goal from long-range during the third quarter.

#17 Sam Swadling (West Perth)
Forward/Midfielder | 187cm | 16/01/2007

Stats: 23 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles, 1 goal

It’s not unusual to see Swadling finish among his side’s leading disposal getters, even if he started off the game up forward. The prolific West Perth product would join in at stoppage and help his side connect forward by hand, digging out of the contest to release teammates into space. His efficiency rating was high this time out and he slotted a set shot goal in the third quarter.

#24 Jacob Farrow (West Perth)
Defender | 188cm | 21/09/2007

Stats: 29 disposals, 9 marks, 7 rebound 50s

Arguably Western Australia’s best in a losing cause, Farrow provided plenty of bounce out of the backline with a whopping 803 metres gained. His penetrative left-foot kicking was a particular weapon, with 24 of his 29 disposals being kicks, as Farrow looked to distribute the ball with purpose and directness. He also showcased some of his intercept mark qualities, able to take the ball cleanly overhead on several occasions. Farrow snuck forward at the death in search of a game-winning score, but couldn’t quite get enough purchase on his hand-off from beyond 50 metres.

#25 Ryda Luke (South Fremantle)
Forward | 185cm | 19/09/2007

Stats: 9 disposals, 4 marks, 4 inside 50s, 1 goal

A prospect with plenty of eyes on him due to rare feats in the Colts competition and club-tied status, Luke made an impact in his state 18s debut. He had a key hand in several scores, including two in the opening quarter as he pressured Patterson into a turnover, and went on to assist Blake Kelly‘s goal by hand. Luke’s clean handling and bullet pass also provided a major for Walley in the second quarter, and he nabbed one of his own on the end of a 50-metre penalty in term three. He only had nine touches but made most of them count.

#38 Benji van Rooyen (Claremont)
Ruck | 202cm | 17/09/2008

Stats: 6 disposals, 18 hitouts

Rucking against an athletic pair of top-agers, van Rooyen notched an equal game-high 18 hitouts and did his best to compete throughout the day. He showcased the ability to grab and go in ruck battles, while also clunking a strong contested mark in the third quarter to impact outside the stoppage.