BOOTING the last three goals of the game saw Team McKenzie take home the chocolates against Team Fleming in the 2026 National Futures Under 17s Girls match at Windy Hill yesterday. After only holding the lead midway through the first term, the side named after Richmond’s Ellie McKenzie finished with a flurry, turning an 11-point deficit into a seven-point win in the space of 14 minutes.

The match was never completely in control of either side, though Team Fleming – after Hawthorn’s Jasmine Fleming – held the lead for the bulk of the match, especially after three unanswered goals to close out the first half. After Claudia Collins kicked the first of the match inside the first 90 seconds, McKenzie responded with back-to-back majors through South Australian Madeline Nuss and Dandenong tall Amelia Hamod giving the green side a seven-point lead.

A classy goal reading the ball off hands to star talent Matilda Lange wrestled back the lead for Team Fleming, with her eighth disposal of the opening term providing six points for her side. The stats across the board were fairly even, though South Australian Caitlin Hardin was an eye-catcher behind the ball for Team McKenzie, while ruck Cleo Barbakas was dominating the hitouts with Shiloh Little.

Blasting out of the blocks early, Peel Thunder dynamo Tiama Collard kicked back-to-back majors, including one from a free kick that unfortunately denied Sandringham Dragons’ tall Maya Duane one of the best junior marks of the year. The quarter was a stalemate as the Fleming defence held up exceptionally well despite McKenzie continually peppering the forward 50.

Evie Henley had some sort of quarter, with the Allies representative notching up 12 disposals, two marks and four rebound 50s in the term, providing support alongside Emma McCallum (10 disposals, five rebound 50s) and Tara Nieass (11 disposals, two marks and three rebound 50s) both ended the first half with some great numbers. The one-two punch of Peggy Rock and Lani Cocks got McKenzie on top around hte ball as the side had second straight quarter of seven clearances to four, but also 13 inside 50s to seven.

Still, McKenzie couldn’t score, and even in the third quarter, booted a frustrating 1.7. The sole goal came from a clever Rock major six minutes into the match, and despite keeping the ball camped in the front half for most of the term, only generated behinds. A whopping 12 inside 50s to three told the story of the term, and realistically the “away” side deserved to be in front.

It looked to be all in vain to kick off the fourth quarter as Fleming raced it out of the first centre bounce and lead to a goal to Scarlett Bown – their first since the fourth minute of the second term – to extend the lead out to 10, which was made 11 by a Collard miss five minutes after. However McKenzie never stopped coming and the tide was soon to turn.

Having a personal cheersquad at ground level and a local club just down the road, Calder Cannons’ Holly Clough produced a big fourth term to first set up Nuss for a second goal then boot one of her own midway through the quarter. Those involvements came either side of an Annie Clish goal out of nothing from close range as the breeze bent her sky ball around the post perfectly.

Despite both teams having some chances late, ultimately McKenzie was more direct with ball in hand, had more inside 50s and largely controlled the clearances, though Fleming won those 11-5 in the last 20 minutes. The match – which was ultimately an exhibition for AFLW recruiters looking ahead to 2027 as well as aiding in National Academy selection – finished off with a 6.8 (44) to 5.7 (37) victory in the way of Team McKenzie.

It was a balanced performance from McKenzie, with Suns Academy utility Asia Single impressing out of the back half and finishing with 18 disposals, two clearances, two inside 50s and three rebound 50s), while Olivia Holmes got better as the game went on and crashed and bashed her way to 18 disposals, four clearances and six inside 50s.

Cocks (15 disposals, four tackles, five clearances and six inside 50s) and Rock (15 disposals, five marks, eight tackles, two inside 50s and a goal) were both busy, as was Duane (14 disposals, four marks, three inside 50s and three rebound 50s) out of defence and Barbakas (17 dusposals, three marks, four tackles, eight hitouts and six inside 50s) through the ruck. The latter won her side’s MVP for the clash.

Fleming was the undersized of the two teams, and the task at stoppages was made even more tough when April Dye had to come off in the first half, leaving Tasmanian Imogen Verdouw as the sole recognised ruck. Little (20 hitouts) was dominant for McKenzie, though the pairing of Lange (23 disposals, four marks, eight tackles, four clearances, five inside 50s, four rebound 50s) and a goal) and Henley (27 disposals, three marks, five tackles, five clearances and six rebound 50s) – who won the side’s MVP – were the two best on the ground.

Hard-running left-footer Lily Whiteman was busy on the outside, with Nieass, McCallum and Luella Hall all finding plenty of the ball. Collard’s two majors made her the most damaging forward on the ground, with South Australian Nuss matching her pair of goals for the opposition.

TEAM FLEMING 2.3 | 4.5 | 4.7 | 5.8 (38)
TEAM MCKENZIE 2.1 | 2.1 | 3.8 | 6.8 (44)

GOALS:
Team Fleming: T. Collard 2, M. Lange, C. Collins, S. Bown
Team McKenzie: M. Nuss 2, P. Rock, A. Clish, H. Clough, A. Hamod

RMC BEST:
Team Fleming: E. Henley, M. Lange, T. Collard, T. Nieass, L. Whiteman
Team McKenzie: C. Barbakas, A. Single, O. Holmes, L. Cocks, P. Rock