THE ALLIES notched a historic victory over Vic Metro at Brighton Homes Arena on Sunday afternoon, moving to 3-0 in this year’s AFL Under 18 National Championships. We noted some of the top performers from either side, including an emerging pick one contender.

>> Match Report: Incredible Allies maul Metro

ALLIES:

#1 Ryley Sanders (Sandringham Dragons/Tasmania)
Midfielder | 186cm | 85kg | 21/01/2005

A proven accumulator, Sanders continued on his merry way up draft boards with another 33 disposals against many of his Sandringham Dragons teammates. He racked up possessions with ease, proving clean on the inside and resolute when keeping the play moving forward. The Allies dominated in midfield and Sanders was a large part of that once again, capping off his game with a goal in the final quarter.

#3 Caiden Cleary (Swans Academy/NSW)
Midfielder | 182cm | 81kg | 05/03/2005

The Allies contingency has been high on Cleary’s overall improvement, but the Swans Academy standout leant on his strengths during Sunday’s victory. He was prominent in the opening exchanges, burrowing in at the contest and cleanly extracting the ball before dishing it out with proficiency. Waxing nicely with Jake Rogers at centre bounces, Cleary ended with 29 disposals and five clearances.

#9 Jake Rogers (Suns Academy/Queensland)
Midfielder | 171cm | 68kg | 02/03/2005

Each cog in the Allies’ midfield works so nicely together, and Rogers was a great beneficiary of his side’s inside bulls on Sunday. He did the hard work himself too, notching seven clearances among his 25 disposals across a busy outing in his home state. Much of the Allies’ midfield drive came through Rogers and his ability to escape to the outside, though he was just as capable in the clinches with strong showings of core strength and clean fundamental skills.

#13 Jack Callinan (Clarence/Tasmania Devils)
Small Forward | 179cm | 77kg | 10/07/2005

A real ‘moments’ kind of player, Callinan produced plenty of them in good variation against Vic Metro. The Tasmanian’s first big act was a crunching tackle to catch Kynan Brown cold, and he popped up with a classy left-footed finish in the second quarter. Another outstanding feature of Callinan’s game was his overhead marking, which held up incredibly well for a player his size. He was clean, active, and a headache for opposition defenders.

#22 Colby McKercher (Launceston/Tasmania Devils)
Midfielder | 181cm | 73kg | 4/12/2005

A player seemingly in perennial motion, McKercher got after it on Sunday in another prolific performance. He racked up 31 disposals in typical fashion, wheeling away from congestion and weaving his way forward with chains of possessions. His work rate was outstanding in the Allies’ attacking phases as he constantly demanded the ball back while running in waves with teammates. He also spent time forward in term four and snared a goal.

#25 Jed Walter (Suns Academy/Queensland)
Key Forward | 195cm | 90kg | 08/06/2005

The talk of the Brighton Homes Arena stands on Sunday was that there may be a new number one prospect in this year’s draft crop. Recruiters could only chuckle at some of Walter’s play, as he hunted opponents with menacing defensive pressure and flew for marks with utter authority. It culminated in a return of 15 disposals, five marks and three goals – all kicked in the opening term. He was a touch overzealous at times and can work on consistency in his set shots and four-quarter impact, but is a pure powerhouse who you can never count out of a contest.

#27 Heath Ollington (North Launceston/Tasmania Devils)
Forward | 190cm | 81kg | 12/10/2004

The Allies side bats deep and that was again proven on Sunday as Ollington emerged as a surprise packet in his first outing of the carnival. He featured up forward with 21 disposals and seven marks, forming a tough matchup at 190cm with his aerial strength and ability to work over opponents up the ground. There were some classy moments with ball in hand, including a heck of a finish for his lone goal of the game, and a couple of moments where he lowered his eyes going inside 50.

#39 Ethan Read (Suns Academy/Queensland)
Ruck | 202cm | 87kg | 07/08/2005

It was another imperious outing from Read in the ruck, collecting 25 disposals, nine marks and 15 hitouts amid an intriguing battle with Will Green. The Suns Academy star spread typically well behind the ball, imposing himself with a serious of strong intercept grabs. He also showcased serious touch around the ground, using the ball with a great deal of composure and combining with his midfielders as if he were their size. He’s a rare breed at 202cm.

VIC METRO:

#10 Levi Ashcroft (Sandringham Dragons)
Midfielder | 179cm | 75kg | 18/12/2006

Industrious as ever, Ashcroft put in a shift at the facilities he looks set to call home after next year’s draft. He did so with big brother Will watching on, standing tall in the loss with 21 disposals and six inside 50s from midfield. Though he uncharacteristically sent a set shot out on the full, the bottom-ager was generally one of Metro’s better decision makers between the arcs and he even bounced back with a well weighted pass inside 50 during the same term.

#16 Archie Roberts (Sandringham Dragons)
Defender | 184cm | 77kg | 18/11/2005

Another Sandringham product who didn’t lower his colours against the irresistible Allies tide, Roberts was productive for his 21 touches and six rebound 50s. He was often sighted streaming past teammates on overlap runs, but also generated momentum with his willingness to snatch metres from the kick-ins. Roberts’ kicking was also sharp as usual on a day where the ball seemed to keep pinging back his way.

#21 Will Lorenz (Oakleigh Chargers)
Midfielder | 186cm | 70kg | 19/02/2005

Recapturing some of the form which had him so highly touted last year, Lorenz was back near his classy and composed best on Sunday. He started out on the wing but it didn’t take long for the top-ager to rotate on-ball after some handy moments. The Oakleigh Chargers talent was most prominent with small showings of evasiveness and a cool head in crises, figuring ways out of trouble in the face of smothering Allies pressure.

#34 Will Green (Northern Knights)
Ruck | 204cm | 89kg | 08/09/2005

Going head-to-head against a different type of ruck prospect in Ethan Read, Green displayed class in his craft with 30 hitouts. Not many would have had Green catching Colby McKercher holding-the-ball on the bingo sheet, but it happened, with the 204cm big man proving clean and competitive in much of his play. His production level is slowly rising to compliment what is already a strong ruck base, and he fared well with essentially solo duties.

#36 Will Elliott (Oakleigh Chargers)
Key Forward/Ruck | 200cm | 90kg | 11/06/2004

An addition to Vic Metro’s winning side in the over-age category, Elliott showed more glimpses of promise in his primary post up forward. He leapt at the ball nicely and clunked clean marks inside 50, before converting two set shot goals in the first half. He then provided a chop-out in the ruck in a quieter second half.