WESTERN Australia is searching for redemption from its first two matches at the AFL Women’s Under 18 Championships, and has a way to find it when it hosts Vic Metro at Shark Park tomorrow. The Sandgropers went down on the siren to Queensland and lead throughout the first half before fading against South Australia and sit at 0-2, while Metro’s only game saw it triumph over the Croweaters by less than a kick.

NEED TO KNOW

Date: Sunday, July 6
Venue: The Good Grocer Park (Shark Park), East Fremantle
Time: 9:30am AWST (11:30am AEST)
Live stream: AFL.com.au or the AFL app

PREDICTED LINEUPS

Western Australia:

B: Marie Polimeno – Ava Stewart – Sienna Timmermans
HB: Maya Louvel-Finn – Olivia Crane – Mia Carlshausen
C: Lexi Strachan – Renee Morgan – Sunni-Quay Peters
HF: Layla Quinn-Schofield – Olivia Wolmarans – Lucy Greenwood
F: Alicia Blizard – Mel Grage – Alira Fotu
R: Cara Dziegielewski – Carys D’Addario – Juliet Kelly
INT: Heidi Ireland – Avuya Nomlatyu – Mia Russo – Charli Bassett – Ella Gilbey

Vic Metro:

B: Chloe Thorn – Zara Neuwirth – Issy Creaton
HB: Jordyn Allen – Alex McBride-Loane – Brylee Anderson
C: Asher Fearn-Wannan – Tayla McMillan – Scarlett Johnson
HF: Marlo Graham – Josie Bamford – Sienna Sharp
F: Zoe Vozzo – Bailee Martin – Zoe Wilkinson
R: Isobella Hishongwa-Gibb – Chloe Bown – Chloe Baker-West
INT: Olivia Gorman – Bree Horne – Teagan Murtic – Amy Smith – Macy Watkins

CHANGES

Western Australia:
IN: No change
OUT: No change

Vic Metro:
IN: Marlo Graham. Chloe Baker-West, Bree Horne
OUT: Phoebe Hargreaves, Olivia Jesser, Kiara Boyd

ANALYSIS

On paper, Western Australia has been good enough to beat its first two opponents but just hasn’t, while Vic Metro was missing a number of its top-end stars against South Australia but still got the job done. While Jade McLay (shoulder) was never going to feature for the ‘Big V’, the visitors regain her Calder teammate and top 10 talent Chloe Baker-West as well as equally hard-running accumulator Marlo Graham.

Adding that extra punch to the lineup will only make Metro quicker, and more challenging in the forward half. Up the other end, the coaching panel recognised Western Australia’s athletic height and have brought in Bree Horne (178cm) to accompany Zara Neuwirth (183cm) and Alex McBride-Loane (174cm) who are all ultra-athletic and take on the talls.

The big advantage Western Australia has over its opponents at this carnival is its inside ball-winning capabilities and athletic key forwards, but on paper, Metro has the players to match in that regard. Baker-West, Chloe Bown and Tayla McMillan as an on-ball division is as good as it gets. The question will be if those three are lining up together, which of the National Academy members will be that first possession winner off the deck? They all win it off hands well and are competitive defensively, but love to get the ball and go. That will be where the likes of Olivia Gorman and Teagan Murtic will further complement the on-ball group.

That is where the Sandgropers flourish because all of Carys D’Addario, Juliet Kelly and Renee Morgan will be that first possession winner when required. However the knock with the trio is generating speed out of the middle, with Bown having that powerful burst, and both McMillan and Baker-West very evasive as well. Expect Mia Russo and Lucy Greenwood to go inside at times, as well as potentially bottom-aged Lexi Strachan as all three have a nasty turn of pace that had devastate the opposition.

Last week the Sandgropers blew a lot of chances in front of goal, but a week is a long time in football and if the delivery inside 50 works out then Olivia Wolmarans, Alicia Blizard and Alira Fotu will cause all sorts of problems. West Perth youngster Cara Dziegielewski can work over her Metro opponents who are great as number one rucks, but still learning the forward or behind the ball craft, so if she can slip forward then potentially be a target as well.

The key to the match truly will be in the midfield, with Vic Metro in particular able to get a lot more hazard balls in and make it work. Potential top pick in the 2026 AFLW Draft Bailee Martin missed out on getting off the mark in game one so will be hungry to put a few through the big sticks, while Sienna Sharp and the resting ruck – likely to be Bamford to start with – are the three talls in the attack. The balance between talls and smalls is good, with Zoe Vozzo (three goals game one), Marlo Graham and Zoe Wilkinson all able to rotate through the midfield too.

Metro does not really have a dedicated small forward, but Eastern wing/forward Vozzo made it work against the Croweaters and showed the players willingness to star in different positions. Western Australia on the other hand has the likes of Greenwood, Mel Grage, Charli Bassett and Ella Gilbey, while Blizard is more of a small in a tall’s body with her athleticism and defensive pressure.

Western Australia simply must make the most of any chances it gets because Vic Metro look like a side that will get plenty so first stopping it at the source, then when inside 50 putting on scoreboard pressure is key. For Metro, playing to their strengths will be good enough, but still need to win the midfield battle in order to give their forwards first chance.

PREDICTION

Vic Metro’s top-end midfield talent is sublime and hard to look past in this one, especially when they closed out the game so well against South Australia when challenged, while the Sandgropers admitted they let at least one of their first two slip. The midfield battle will decide the game, when it is that high volume offensive running up against the contested ball-winning bullocking styles.

I’ve tipped Western Australia in both of its losses, so we’ll go the other way and select Vic Metro – which form suggests as it is – by 17 points. It could go either way, but Metro just have plenty of layers and can swing to Plan B, C or D if the Sandgropers get on top given their midfield depth.

It is also worth nothing that Vic Metro and fellow undefeated side Queensland do not face off this championships, so if both go through unbeaten, it will come down to percentage.