CENTRAL District notched its first win of the new SANFL Under 18s season, holding off Sturt by the barest of margins at X Convenience Oval on Sunday. The Bulldogs made a hot start with five goals to one in the opening term, but were soon reigned back and held their nerve during the tense closing stages.

A terrific 12 state squad members took the field between the two sides, and we took note of how each of them fared.

>> ROUND 2: Unbeaten Redlegs stand alone atop ladder

CENTRAL DISTRICT:

#16 Joshua Reichelt | Defender
Stats: 34 disposals, 13 marks, 7 rebound 50s

Reichelt led all comers with over 30 touches for the second game running, racking up possessions at will across half-back. He played with great freedom in the first half to roam up the ground and back his ball use with an attacking mindset. The top-ager matched up on Harley Barker when the Sturt skipper rotated forward and was often dragged up to the back of stoppages. Reichelt even ventured as high up the ground as his own forward 50, taking an uncontested mark and slotting a 50m set shot goal in the opening quarter.

#27 Jack Gordon | Midfielder/Defender
Stats: 22 disposals, 9 marks, 3 tackles

A talented bottom-ager in Centrals’ ranks, Gordon steadily accumulated possessions across the day. He did so mostly in slow play with kicks and marks, but came to life with some eye-catching passages. Gordon showcased his powerful turn of speed in the final quarter where he accelerated forward and hit up a target inside 50. His game awareness also came to the fore as he essentially tackled a teammate over the line to rush a behind under pressure and seal the win for his side.

#30 Douglas Cochrane | Midfielder/Forward
Stats: 26 disposals, 9 marks, 1 goal

Already a well known quantity in the bottom-age category, Cochrane put all of his potential on show in Round 2. The dynamic tall featured as a key connection piece up forward while also roaming through midfield, making an impact with his marking presence around the ground. He seemed untouchable at times and showcased vast improvements in his field kicking with a good combination of weight and direction over long distances. Cochrane also hit the scoreboard with a booming 55m set shot goal in the opening quarter, adding to an all-round performance.

#32 Matthew LeRay | Midfielder
Stats: 21 disposals, 7 marks, 5 inside 50s

AFL Academy

It has been a steady start to the season for LeRay but he got better as the game wore on against Sturt. The Centrals skipper began to find easier possessions more freely after quarter time, while also using his clean hands and size to greater advantage at the contest. He finished the game strongly with glimpses of his high upside, including a strong overhead mark, and an excellent kick across his body to find Kaleb White inside 50.

#34 Cameron Nairn | Forward
Stats: 11 disposals, 6 marks, 1 goal

The stats are perhaps a little unkind to Nairn, who was made to work incredibly hard to impact from up forward. After a quiet opening term, he began to search for the ball high up the ground and managed to get his hands on it. He showed his class with a one-handed mark in term two and followed up with a classy snap goal after half time. His ability to provide an outlet between the arcs made moving the ball forward easier for Central District.

#39 Aidan Schubert | Key Forward/Ruck
Stats: 20 disposals, 9 marks, 3 goals

Schubert earned the Round 2 MVP nod for his performance on Sunday. He covered the ground smoothly and stuffed the stats sheet with contributions as a marking target both up the ground and inside 50, as a rotational ruck, and a mobile tall utility. The top-ager booted Centrals’ opening major and was their only multiple goalkicker, showing improvement in his conversion barring a couple of blemishes. His checkside finish from about 40m in the third quarter was a particular highlight.

STURT:

#26 Noah Roberts-Thomson | Midfielder
Stats: 27 disposals, 10 marks, 5 inside 50s

Continuing his strong start to the season, Roberts-Thomson impressed as Sturt’s most prolific player afield on Sunday. The midfielder showcased his sharp left-foot kicking throughout the day, often complimenting little bursts of speed to jet into space. Roberts-Thomson again impacted forward of centre with decisive hit-up kicks towards attack 50 and a pair of key goal assists in the second half – including one for Barker which cut the margin to two points.

#30 Louis Kellaway | Midfielder
Stats: 22 disposals, 5 tackles, 9 clearances

Richmond F/S

Kellaway was again prominent at the coalface for Sturt, gathering nine clearances and showing good urgency to surge the ball forward. The main knock on his play would have to be his kicking on the run, with the Richmond father-son candidate a little awkward by foot. Still, he was clean in the clinches and burst away from stoppages with power, also proving a hard worker away from them.

#36 Harley Barker | Midfielder/Forward
Stats: 23 disposals, 9 marks, 1 goal

AFL Academy

Starting forward for the Double Blues, Barker notched the first score of the day with a set shot miss. He would later split the big sticks when it mattered most, backing his speed to drive inside 50 onto his right foot and drag his side back to within a goal in the dying minutes. While that effort was in vain, the Sturt skipper set up play well with his efficient hands and raking long kicks. His ability to break into dangerous space was felt in the second half as he got his running game going.

#40 Jett Dahlitz | Defender
Stats: 20 disposals, 3 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s

After filling his boots in Round 1, Dahlitz was a little quieter on Sunday but still played to his strengths. With Centrals set up well, he was made to be more creative with his ball use and kicked efficiently coming out of defence, even featuring up on a wing. Dahlitz got into good positions to receive and run further afield, including in the final quarter where he slammed the ball inside 50 to assist Ivan Wilkinson.

#41 Kale Matthews-Hampton | Defender
Stats: 15 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles

While often lauded for his ball use and work on the rebound, Matthews-Hampton popped up with some terrific defensive acts against Centrals. The bottom-ager laid a couple of strong holding-the-ball tackles in the first half to compliment his kicking ability, making for a well-rounded game. It was a shock to see him eventually scuff a pass, though he possessed the ball in dangerous areas to launch attacks and often did so with high efficiency.

#45 Blake Thredgold | Tall Defender
Stats: 7 disposals, 3 marks, 4 hitouts

Thredgold may not have stuffed the stats sheet but he made his impact felt. The defender took on tough matchups against Nairn and Schubert, attacking the aerial ball with vigour to either crash packs, intercept or complete spoils. He was once again thrown forward late in the game and even rucked at a centre bounce, proving why he’s such a reliable figure for the Double Blues.

CENTRALS 5.1 | 5.3 | 8.4 | 10.5 (65)
STURT 1.2 | 4.5 | 6.7 | 9.10 (64)

GOALS:
Centrals: A. Schubert 3, K. White, C. Nairn, D. Cochrane, D. Geister, J. Pasin, J. Reichelt, C. Semmler
Sturt: I. Wilkinson 6, H. Barker, B. Beaven, B. McArthur

BEST:
Centrals: J. Reichelt, D. Cochrane, A. Schubert, J. Gordon, H. Henke
Sturt: I. Wilkinson, K. Matthews-Hampton, N. Roberts-Thomson, S. White, H. Jaeschke

>> Player Focus: Taj Murray (North Adelaide)