GOLD Coast Suns Academy finished the 2026 AFLW Under 16 Championships as joint winners alongside South Australia, having taken care of Vic Country in the first game of a triple-header at a windswept Shepley Oval last Friday. The Suns Academy had a fight on their hands early, before maximising the four-goal breeze to their advantage, piling on 10 of the last 11 goals to win, 10.14 (74) to 2.4 (16).

Realistically had the breeze not reeked havoc on the forwards taking shots – which included 13 behinds between quarters two and four – the Suns would have won by more. Led by one of the best in the draft crop, Lily Moana, the visitors always looked in control, particularly after quarter time. They dominated possession (305-227 disposals) and had more than double the inside 50s (52-24) as part of the victory.

Moana was the standout, though she was not alone, with Harriet Howe, Pippa O’Grady and Tigerlily Nixon all racking up the ball as Ella Ballantyne (four goals) and Lani Minster (two) were the multiple goalkickers. Harper Delamare tried her best for Vic Country in defeat, while Rebels duo Tessa Wilson and Tilly McErlain were also steadfast.

VIC COUNTRY 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 2.4 (16)
SUNS ACADEMY 2.1 | 6.6 | 7.6 | 10.14 (74)

GOALS:
Vic Country: H. Delamare, L. Harvey
Suns Academy: E. Ballantyne 4, L, Minster 2, L. Moana, P. O’Grady, A. McKenzie, B. Edwards

RMC BEST:
Vic Country: H. Delamare, T. McErlain, T. Wilson, L. Harvey, T. Mizzi
Suns Academy: L. Moana, P. O’Grady, H. Howe, E. Ballantyne, T. Nixon

VIC COUNTRY:

#2 Tessa Wilson (GWV Rebels)
Midfielder/Defender | 160cm | 10/06/2010

Stats: 17 disposals, 7 tackles, 5 clearances, 5 rebound 50s

Pops up across the back half of the ground and was able to make a mark both around the ball and in the defensive 50. While only small at 160cm, the Rebels prospect really was determined to win the ball at all costs. Her pressure and mpping up in the defensive 50 stood out, and she got into good positions to find the pill. The execution could be tidied up a little, but everyone gets a pass given the strong gusts. One of the better Country players.

#15 Harper Delamare (Bendigo Pioneers)
Forward/Midfielder | 160cm | 26/10/2010

Stats: 20 disposals, 2 marks, 3 tackles, 3 clearances, 4 inside 50s, 4 rebound 50s, 1 goal, 1 behind

Vic Country’s MVP was a standout in the win, cracking in for a stack of contested possessions and using her body well despite only being 160cm. She is capable of winning one-on-ones through her early positioning and timing, kicking her side’s first after an intercept mark at the top of 50 and then receiving a 50m penalty to kick from point-blank range. Covered the ground well and contributed in each third, backing up a really consistent first match too and was a shining light in Vic Country’s campaign.

#18 Layne Harvey (Geelong Falcons)
Defender/Forward | 172cm | 18/11/2010

Stats: 21 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 1 clearance, 4 rebound 50s, 1 goal

Harvey spent the bulk of the game on the last line in defence, using her booming kick to clear the back 50 and try and desperately repel the Suns Academy’s attack. She got to kick a goal in the third term to keep her involved in the acton, before having a whopping 12-disposal last term, largely due to the amount of behinds the Suns were kicking. Harvey took the kickouts and did her best to deal into the wind.

#19 Tilly McErlain (GWV Rebels)
Midfielder/Defender | 166cm | 11/09/2010

Stats: 16 disposals, 5 marks, 3 tackles, 1 clearance, 1 inside 50, 6 rebound 50s

Alongside Delamare has clearly been Vic Country’ best between the two games, spending a lot of time fighting the tough breeze behind the ball so it was no surprise to see her finding plenty of it when the pressure was red-hot. She loves to run and putting speed in transition helps get her side on the front foot, which was a big tick in what was a heavy defeat. Will be one to watch for the Rebels over the coming years.

SUNS ACADEMY:

#1 Ally McKenzie (Southport Sharks)
Forward | 156cm | 27/05/2010

Stats: 17 disposals, 2 marks, 8 tackles, 1 clearance, 5 inside 50s, 1 goal

A really lively small who brings a two-way ability to the position, with McKenzie a natural around the big sticks, but also bringing the required defensive pressure which is so key in the moddern game. While not quite booting the remarkable five goals of game one, McKenzie was still a busy bee, kicking a goal and providing important ground level support to the talls who stood up.

#4 Pippa O’Grady (Tweed-Coolangatta)
Midfielder/Forward | 159cm | 28/06/2011

Stats: 26 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles, 4 clearances, 5 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 1 goal

Also hitting the scoreboard with a nice finish late in the game, O’Grady was not afraid to get her hands dirty around the contest, feeding the ball out to teammates and really scrapping at ground level. Her work rate between the arcs really stood out, and it was ability to link up by hand that helped build transitional plays from defence to offence. Did a little bit of everything and looks a handy player.

#9 Lily Moana (Burleigh Bombers)
Midfielder | 167cm | 23/03/2010

Stats: 27 disposals, 1 mark, 12 tackles, 7 clearances, 12 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 1 goal, 2 behinds

A genuine superstar of the future, Moana impressed last year as a bottom-ager but has gone to another level in 2026. She just takes the game by the horns and rips it away from the opposition with her clearance work, ability to hit the scoreboard both directly and indirectly, and her natural athletic gifts as well. The way she burst out of the centre square and launched a 50-metre bomb to get the Suns up and about to start the second term was an example, but she did it several times and could have finished with a few goals. Ridiculous numbers and looked that class above in a game that was not short on quality.

#11 Harriet Howe (Southport Sharks)
Midfielder | 163cm | 11/01/2010

Stats: 24 disposals, 1 mark, 7 tackles, 5 clearances, 1 inside 50, 1 behind

A crucial member of the midfield group, Howe was your first possession winner more often than not, feeding it out to teammates and throwing herself at every contest. The bulk of her work was done at the coalface, and her hands were clean. Without the ball she showed a strong desire to win it back, and behind Moana, was the next highest clearance winner for the Suns. Really nice release by hand.

#21 Lani Minster (Eastern Swans)
Tall Forward | 176cm | 19/04/2010

Stats: 19 disposals, 1 mark, 1 hitout, 1 clearance, 2 inside 50s, 2 goals, 2 behinds

The Mackay prospect provided a strong target inside 50 even if the conditions were horrible for talls. She only finished with the one mark , but her awareness inside 50 caught the eye. One such moment was the game-changer late in the first term where the Vic Country defence opted to keep the ball in on the goalline and instead a mistake saw Minster pounce for her first. Kicked two and should have had more, but the wind made for tricky set shots.

#25 Tigerlily Nixon (Palm Beach Currumbin)
Midfielder/Forward | 169cm | 21/12/2010

Stats: 21 disposals, 2 marks, 5 tackles, 4 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 1 rebound 50, 1 behind

Amongst a stacked midfield group, Nixon showed her ability to still win the ball, and then impact when rolling forward. Her quick hands around the ground and ability to get into ball-winning positions was particularly important, with a booming kick that given the conditions, was a key trait. The Suns Academy looked to get it into her hands where possible, and overall she was effective with ball in hand.

#31 Ella Ballantyne (Broadbeach Cats)
Tall Forward | 173cm | 21/04/2010

Stats: 10 disposals, 1 mark, 4 tackles, 4 goals, 2 behinds

Made the best of tricky conditions with her forward smarts and craft, having six scoring shots and a game-high – or really day-high – four goals. Six disposals and two goals in the second term really broke the game open for her side, and she had a lot of chances in the last 25 minutes or so looking like threatening the scoreboard consistently. While having such a breeze made life difficult when against it, Ballantyne also brought the defensive pressure to show she was not a one-trick pony.