VIC COUNTRY held on to secure a two-point victory over the Allies in Sunday’s AFL Under 18 National Championships clash at Brighton Homes Arena. The visitors came up trumps in a second half shootout to keep their title hopes alive, while the reigning champions played their final fixture for the year.

>> Match report: Country comes up clutch in Springfield shootout

ALLIES:

#2 Zeke Uwland (Suns Academy)
Wing/Defender | 178cm | 24/04/2007

Stats: 22 disposals, 6 marks, 8 rebound 50s

After a quiet first half, Uwland ran out the game strongly to post 17 of his 22 disposals after the main break. He showcased his agility and running capacity, shifting onto either side but favouring his damaging left boot. Having started on the wing, the bottom-ager was most productive when moved to defence where he could set up the play aggressively – despite a couple of rare errors.

#8 Leonardo Lombard (Suns Academy)
Midfielder | 178cm | 05/10/2006

Stats: 28 disposals, 5 clearances, 1 goal

Lombard rounded out his carnival with another strong performance, taking out the Allies’ MVP award as a result. He was powerful as ever in midfield, exemplified by his double fend-off through the corridor before hitting a target inside 50. There were great moments where he locked horns with fellow National Academy star Sam Lalor at the centre bounces, and he fittingly slotted a goal with the final kick of the game. His energy and run gave the Allies’ ball movement some impetus.

#16 Samuel Marshall (Lions Academy)
Midfielder | 185cm | 19/01/2006

Stats: 27 disposals, 7 marks, 3 clearances

Marshall often takes over late in games and while he consistently found the ball on Sunday, provided a lift when the result was up for grabs. He caught the eye most when powering away from the stoppage, showcasing a sharp turn of speed as the receiver. While he had a few clangers by hand, the Lions Academy prospect was strong and balanced at the contest and worked hard all game, providing productive overlap run around the ground.

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

Stats: 17 disposals, 5 inside 50s, 1 goal

Usually a real competitor at stoppages, Annable used his energy and effort in a slightly different way. The bottom-ager had less impact at the contest but was a handy connection piece between the arcs and going inside 50. His work rate and clean handling allowed the Allies to transition in waves, and he capped off his workmanlike game with a clutch snap goal in term four.

#28 Joel Cochran (Swans Academy)
Key Defender | 195cm | 28/03/2006

Stats: 16 disposals, 8 marks, 4 tackles

Cochran found his groove in game four, impacting with a series of intercept marks as a pillar of the Allies’ defence. He read the play well and backed himself to win the aerial battle against some game opposition, plucking the ball cleanly out of the air. That part of his game, and athleticism were quite prominent, though his kicking was a little wayward when exiting the backline.

#32 Jobe Shanahan (Bendigo Pioneers)
Key Forward | 194cm | 02/08/2006

Stats: 17 disposals, 9 marks, 3 goals

Only a few weeks removed from his five-goal haul at Coates Talent League level, Shanahan faced similar opposition on Sunday and was dominant once again. He presented up the ground relentlessly, showcasing his mobility and clean set of hands on the lead. The forward was unfazed by body contact and clunked the ball in flight, judging it better than anyone. Importantly, Shanahan also hit the scoreboard with three classy goals and was unselfish enough to give a couple off.

#37 Joshua Murphy (Murray Bushrangers)
Forward | 190cm | 28/11/2006

Stats: 11 disposals, 5 marks, 2 goals

Finishing the championships as his side’s leading goalkicker (seven in four games), Murphy bagged another two majors on Sunday – including the first of the game. While frustrated by a lack of quick and direct delivery at times, he was a key link in the chain and often marked down the line from Shanahan. His leading patterns and strong hands were key features, rewarded in the way of scores.

#43 Ty Gallop (Lions Academy)
Key Forward | 194cm | 09/02/2006

Stats: 9 disposals, 2 marks, 3 goals

Gallop enjoyed a fruitful return to the side in what was a good day for key forwards. The Lions Academy tall displayed his strength inside 50 with some brutal crashing of packs and strong marking. Gallop bagged three goals; with the first being a snap after recovering a marking contest, while another saw him slam home a 50m set shot. He made for like a difficult matchup close to goal.

VIC COUNTRY:

#5 Finn O’Sullivan (Oakleigh Chargers)
Midfielder | 182cm | 30/05/2006

Stats: 16 disposals, 3 tackles, 5 inside 50s

Making his first appearance at this year’s championships, O’Sullivan left his best moments until late and many were crucial to the result. The pick one contender started on the wing and took some time to get up to speed, but adjusted and fared well when shifted on-ball. He got into the game with tough contested efforts and work rate to find space in attacking phases. O’Sullivan’s class shone through with his late score involvements, proving creative and unselfish in equal measures.

#13 Tobie Travaglia (Bendigo Pioneers)
Utility | 187cm | 26/10/2006

Stats: 18 disposals, 5 marks, 1 goal

As he has done throughout the season, Travaglia was used on every line having started on the wing, before shifting back and even contributing up forward with a clutch fourth quarter goal. Much of his best work was done on the outside, where he ran opponents ragged through sheer work rate. Travaglia’s pace was also a factor – like when he took four running bounces in term three – and he was constantly there to either mop up loose balls or support teammates as an outlet.

#14 Sam Lalor (GWV Rebels)
Midfielder/Forward | 187cm | 30/08/2006

Stats: 16 disposals, 5 marks, 3 goals

As any top 10 prospect should, Lalor stepped up in key moments throughout the match. Most importantly, he bagged the sealing goal to put Vic Country seven points ahead with only a couple of minutes left to play. He spent plenty of time forward where his strong overhead marking came to the fore, and that same trait carried over to his midfield craft. While he is yet to have a big disposal haul, Lalor’s versatility shone through and he hit the scoreboard when it mattered.

#15 Xavier Ivisic (Geelong Falcons)
Midfielder | 180cm | 01/06/2006

Stats: 23 disposals, 4 tackles, 3 clearances

Somewhat of a quiet achiever in Vic Country’s engine room, Ivisic kept his consistent carnival ticking over with another 23 touches – including 13 contested possessions. The prolific midfielder was typically slick by hand and brought others into the game that way, before becoming more impactful with dynamic kicking after half time. He simply made few errors or fumbles.

#16 Lachie Jaques (Geelong Falcons)
Defender | 184cm | 01/06/2006

Stats: 22 disposals, 9 marks, 4 inside 50s

Jaques has had an excellent carnival in Vic Country’s backline and was again reliable in each phase of play. He showed good spring when leaping for intercept marks and competed hard in one-on-one situations, while also tracking back to support deep inside defensive 50. Jacques then brought his typically aggressive overlap run and neatly hit targets by foot from his 16 uncontested possessions.

#22 Harvey Langford (Dandenong Stingrays)
Midfielder | 190cm | 15/03/2006

Stats: 30 disposals, 9 clearances, 9 inside 50s

Langford’s phenomenal carnival continued with a game-high 30 disposals, collected both on the inside and outside. He was clean and composed in tight spots, and followed up his stoppage contributions with smart running on the spread. Langford worked into dangerous launch zones but his usually reliable left-foot kicking was hit or miss – particularly on the run. Still, it was arguably a third-straight best afield performance from the midfield mainstay and rising prospect.

#24 Matt Whitlock (Murray Bushrangers)
Key Forward | 199cm | 16/05/2006

Stats: 15 disposals, 6 marks, 2 goals

Shifted forward this week where he has thrived at Coates Talent League level recently, Whitlock proved to be a dynamic and mobile tall target. The 199cm swingman covered good ground on the lead and got separation from his direct opponent when presenting up to the wing. He found the goals in different ways though; intercepting an Allies kick in term two, and staying down to crumb a contest in the goalsquare during the fourth quarter.

#25 Riley Onley (Murray Bushrangers)
Midfielder | 194cm | 30/03/2007

Stats: 20 disposals, 7 clearances, 6 inside 50s

After being rotated out of the side, Onley took his recall with both hands and was afforded plenty of midfield exposure. The tall onballer was strong in the clinches, recording 13 contested possessions and seven clearances – including five at the centre bounces. His neat stoppage craft saw him stand up in tackles or calmly step through them before dishing the ball off.

#38 Jonty Faull (GWV Rebels)
Key Forward | 195cm | 01/02/2006

Stats: 9 disposals, 5 marks, 3 goals

Faull was a constant thorn in the Allies’ side, booting goals in each of the first three terms and causing headaches with his marking inside 50. He began to work further afield as the game wore on and applied handy defensive effort to add more elements to his game than strong grabs and clinical conversion. Faull also bounced back from a couple of hard knocks, including one with the post.