THE SECOND match of Sunday’s Under 18 National Championships double-header sees the Allies and Western Australia lock horns at Marvel Stadium. Both sides will be keen to bounce back from respective losses to South Australia, with the Allies yet to get on the board after their game one defeat.

NEED TO KNOW

WHO: Allies vs. Western Australia
WHEN: Sunday June 29, 1:45pm AEST
WHERE: Marvel Stadium
WATCH: Live stream via AFL website & app

PREDICTED LINEUPS

ALLIES:

B: 19. H. Wilson – 37. J. Hay – 33. A. Thomas
HB: 10. L. Carmichael – 21. C. Nancarrow – 12. B. Kane
C: 7. D. Patterson – 20. D. Annable – 30. N. Chamberlain
HF: 24. M. King – 41. T. Murray – 26. C. Collins
F: 4. J. Miller – 38. K. White – 28. R. Hamilton
FOL: 40. I. Waller – 6. T. Prindable, 8. K. Coulson

INT: 9. L. Wootton, 11. K. McNamara, 29. R. Corrigan, 32. H. Kyle, 39. J. Houston

IN: C. Collins, B. Kane, T. Prindable, A. Thomas
OUT: B. Addinsall, H. Bridge, T. Callow, G. Turner

The Allies have made four changes to the side which went down to South Australia in game one. Three of the inclusions have come from outside the initial squad, with only Suns Academy forward Cooper Collins earning a conventional promotion. The defence has been bolstered by Avery Thomas, along with aggressive rebounder Brody Kane, while Tyan Prindable is a straight replacement for Beau Addinsall in midfield. The loss of he and fellow Queenslander Harrison Bridge (ankle) are big blows.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA:

B: 8. R. Rae-Anthonysz – 30. J. Hopkyns – 27. M. Becker
HB: 23. M. Thomas – 34. L. Carpenter – 24. J. Farrow
C: 13. H. Mellody – 7. T. Whan – 26. C. Banfield
HF: 3. T. Williams – 40. C. Curtin – 6. H. Walker
F: 1. W. York – 39. C. Watson – 12. W. Walley
FOL: 38. B. van Rooyen – 9. F. Rodriguez – 17. S. Swadling

INT: 10. B. Kelly, 11. D. Sutherland, 15. L. Hallett, 25. R. Luke, 28. T. Phillips

IN: R. Rae-Anthonysz, R. Luke
OUT: G. Gale, O. Willis

A pair of changes have hit the West Australian squad, both put down to ‘rotation’. Though, South Fremantle forward Ryda Luke was always likely to slot straight into the side once he recovered from a quad injury. Now, the Fremantle NGA prospect is ready. Subiaco rebounder Rydn Rae-Anthonysz also earned a call-up from outside the initial squad (and train-on list), adding speed to the backline.

ONES TO WATCH

ALLIES:

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

With right-hand man and fellow Queenslander Beau Addinsall out of the lineup, Annable will be the Allies’ out-and-out A1 midfielder. Already the top prospect in the squad, added responsibility in a side hungry to get on the board means this matched is primed for the Lions Academy star to shine. He’ll be combative on the inside and run hard on the outside, with the potential to impact the scoreboard, too.

Noah Chamberlain (Swans Academy/NSW)
Wing/Tall Forward | 192cm | 21/03/2007

A prospect simmering away in his top-age campaign, Chamberlain has all the potential to boil over at representative level. The Swans Academy tall was steady up forward in game one but looked much improved once switched up to the wing. There, his height and aerial aggression remains a threat, along with his sharp kicking ability and competitiveness at ground level. One to watch, if there ever was one.

Kalani White (Suns Academy/QLD)
Key Position Utility | 198cm | 05/05/2007

White comes in relatively fresh off a VFL debut with Casey Demons, thanks to his father-son ties to Melbourne. The Suns Academy prospect will have gained a great deal of confidence from that experience, booting two goals and running out the game strongly as a ruck. He can play in any key position and offers dynamism made for high-impact moments. He’ll fly for high marks at the least.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA:

Luke Hallett (East Perth)
Forward/Midfielder | 185cm | 06/07/2007

Hallett was an inclusion for Western Australia’s second game and repaid the faith, booting two of the Black Swans’ six goals in a tough loss. While he spent most of his state 18s debut inside attacking 50, don’t be surprised to see the explosive utility given a run on-ball. There, his solid frame and pure kicking – on both feet – can become a weapon for WA moving forward. He has potential to break the play open.

Ryda Luke (South Fremantle)
Forward | 185cm | 19/09/2007

A club-tied prospect Dockers fans and recruiters alike will be keen to get a good glimpse of, Luke has garnered plenty of attention this year. The goalkicking forward bagged eight in a half for South Fremantle’s Colts in Round 3, and comes into his state debut having kicked 2.6 from 14 disposals and five marks. With a quad injury behind him, he’ll add some firepower to WA’s exciting forwardline.

Wesley Walley (Subiaco)
Forward | 184cm | 29/11/2007

Like many other players highlighted in this segment, Walley seems to have a big performance in waiting. He has shown glimpses so far for Western Australia, laying crunching tackles and flying for high marks, without totally putting the package together all at once. He only needs a purple patch, but sustained four-quarter exploits would be quite something from the enigmatic forward. All the tools are there.

WHERE IT’S WON

The Allies boast plenty of height across their squad, something Western Australia will have to rely on a couple of medium types to help combat. Both sides have players who like to take the game on in transition, though the Black Ducks’ small forward brigade offers a likely different method to what the Allies will take. The Allies’ top-end talent all around the ground looms as another telling factor, which is sure to become prominent if the game is on the line late on. The cream rises to the top, so they say.

PREDICTION

Coming into the championships, this would be a relatively straightforward game to predict with both sides set out on paper. Western Australia is the team with a win on the board though, and has had more time to form a cohesive bond across two games. Still, the Allies typically get better as the series progresses and have some top-end talent which will be keen to impress. Allies by 10.