SOUTH Australia has claimed its first Under 18 title since 2018 after dismantling Vic Country to the tune of 34 points on Sunday. The Croweaters thus completed an undefeated National Championships, with captain and top prospect Dyson Sharp taking out the state’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.

Vic Country did well to hang with the eventual champions before half time, trailing by a single goal heading into the main break. SA broke the game open thereafter, slamming on six goals to three in the third quarter as spearhead forward Mitchell Marsh finished with five straight majors.

VICTORIA COUNTRY 2.4 | 3.7 | 5.8 | 8.9 (57)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA 2.6 | 4.7 | 10.10 | 13.13 (91)

GOALS:
Vic Country: J. Mellor 3, T. Ah-Mu 2, H. Mikunda, N. Hibbins-Hargreaves, Z. Harding
South Australia: M. Marsh 5, A. Schubert 2, D. Sharp, Z. Peucker, B. Oudshoorn-Bennier, J. Dahlitz, S. Cumming, H. Barker

BEST:
Vic Country: J. Lindsay, H. Mikunda, W. Duursma, T. Ah-Mu, J. Mellor, R. Onley
South Australia: M. Marsh, L. Kellaway, A. Schubert, D. Sharp, H. Barker, S. Ainsworth

SA MVP: Dyson Sharp (Central District)

VIC COUNTRY:

#5 Hugo Mikunda (Geelong Falcons)
Forward/Midfielder | 180cm | 13/03/2007

Stats: 18 disposals, 9 marks, 6 inside 50s, 1 goal

The Geelong Falcons product was his side’s main conductor heading forward, playing a part in 11 of Vic Country’s 17 scoring shots, which was a game high. Mikunda is only 180cm but was surprisingly strong overhead, complimented by his ability to read the flight of the ball and get to the right spot to take it at the highest point. Whilst Mikunda was a little inconsistent with his ball use, particularly with his penetration, there were a few moments where he turned on a dime to quickly execute centring kicks for leading teammates.

#6 Josh Lindsay (Geelong Falcons)
Defender/Wing | 183cm | 07/04/2007

Stats: 28 disposals, 22 kicks, 4 rebound 50s

Lindsay once again stuffed the stats sheet as his side consistently looked to get the ball to him in the defensive half and utilise his class by foot. Unsurprisingly, Lindsay pulled off a few impressive kicks to spark Country’s attacking plays, able to pinpoint teammates between opposition players. Although, the opportunity to pull such kicks out was more restricted than usual due to SA’s pressure and structure behind play, seeing Lindsay going back or sideways more often than usual. Lindsay was still composed for the most part, drawing tacklers in to release teammates into space before giving the ball off by hand.

#7 Willem Duursma (Gippsland Power)
Defender | 191cm | 21/06/2007

Stats: 24 disposals, 3 marks, 5 rebound 50s

Positioned behind the ball for most of the game, Duursma was able to demonstrate his ability to run and carry with ball in hand as he regularly got free from contest and put separation between himself and opposition. Duursma positioned well behind the ball to get to contests in the defensive half, collecting the ball at ground level cleanly regardless of numbers around the footy. Duursma did a lot right for the game but was let down by his ball use at times, looking rushed under pressure when using it by foot, and occasionally sacrificing accuracy when looking for distance.

#14 Jesse Mellor (Geelong Falcons)
Forward | 185cm | 04/01/2007

Stats: 10 disposals, 4 marks, 3 goals

A potential NGA pick up for Geelong come draft time, Mellor has been a regular goal scoring threat throughout the season and showed up on the big stage with three majors against SA. Whilst not overly athletic, Mellor’s smarts and positioning allowed him to pose a threat as the ball came into the forward half, scoring all three goals in different ways. His first came from a handball he received at the front of a contest, allowing him to snap easily on the run, his second came from a free kick on a slight angle, and his third came from a well timed run to take an uncontested mark on the goalline. 

#15 Harry Dean (Murray Bushrangers)
Tall Defender | 193cm | 13/11/2007

Stats: 11 disposals, 5 marks, 3 rebound 50s

Dean put in a consistent shift against SA’s strong forwardline, competing hard to ensure his opponents had to put everything into their goal scoring opportunities. Dean was particularly robust in air, demonstrating strong bodywork and contested marking craft, particularly when positioned down the line from a contest. Dean’s ball use was good through the game as he often looked for safe options out wide by foot, but knew when to handball to a player on the move as well.

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

Stats: 20 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 4 clearances

The AFL Academy member hasn’t had the most consistent season, but put in arguably his best performance to date as he showed glimpses of the player he could be. Onley had moments where he displayed his burst speed to get away from congestion, delivering some nice kicks forward and showing he’s comfortable drawing opponents in to let his teammates run into space and receive a handball. 

#37 Tairon Ah-Mu (Dandenong Stingrays)
Key Forward/Ruck | 198cm | 06/06/2007

Stats: 12 disposals, 10 marks, 9 hitouts, 2 goals

The main aerial threat for the game, Ah-Mu lead the way with 10 marks, four of them contested, with his strong frame complimenting his read of the ball and allowing him to hold front spot as opposition arrived. Ah-Mu was particularly dangerous early in the game, with all four of his scoring shots coming in the first 28 minutes of play. Ah-Mu was still involved with his rotation through the ruck, but will be looking to have a more sustained impact across four quarters in Country’s remaining two fixtures.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA:

#2 Jack Cook (Woodville-West Torrens)
Midfielder/Defender | 181cm | 02/07/2007

Stats: 21 disposals, 4 marks, 6 tackles, 4 clearances

Cook again saw plenty of midfield time to go with his defensive rotation, playing the sweeper role well to stop Country bursting forward from stoppage. He put up an equal game-high six tackles to cause repeat stoppages when his side wasn’t winning clearances. Whilst his use by foot lacked a little bit of polish and penetration, Cook was clean with his hands in tight, rarely putting too much air under the ball when delivering to a runner.

#7 Louis Kellaway (Sturt)
Midfielder | 180cm | 16/03/2007

Stats: 18 disposals, 6 marks, 6 tackles

The Richmond father-son prospect capped off a consistent series with another strong performance, demonstrating his ability to impact on the outside more than he has previously. Kellaway worked hard to get into space as an option for his teammates, proving a vital link from the defensive half for his side where his ball use and vision created plenty of opportunities heading forward. Kellaway more often than not looked to change lanes with his kicks, utilising SA’s strong setup forward of the ball to find free options. As usual, Kellaway cracked in hard at the contest and applied himself well defensively, registering an equal game-high six tackles.

#16 Sam Cumming (North Adelaide)
Midfielder/Forward | 186cm | 27/07/2007

Stats: 16 disposals, 6 marks, 4 tackles, 1 goal

The AFL Academy member was once again influential through the midfield and in the forward 50, but found more of the ball outside of the contest than he typically does. Doing so was a positive thing for Cumming, who was clean with his ball use by hand and foot, putting the ball in the path of teammates on the lead more moving to space to run onto easily. Cumming managed to hit the scoreboard after providing a nice lead in the hotspot for a teammate, converting the set shot easily.

#17 Jett Dahlitz (Sturt)
Defender | 187cm | 11/08/2007

Stats: 19 disposals, 5 marks, 7 rebound 50s, 1 goal

SA’s main distributor out of the back half, Dahlitz led the game for rebound 50s, providing plenty of drive with his speed on the ball. There were some shaky moments when he was kicking on the run, but for the most part Dahlitz was clinical with his ball use, hitting long distance targets to kickstart SA’s movement into the front half. Dahlitz drifted further afield as the game went on, getting himself on the scoreboard when he intercepted a kick at the top of the forward 50 and slotted a goal off a couple of steps.

#23 Blake Oudshoorn-Bennier (North Adelaide)
Midfielder/Forward | 182cm | 11/04/2007

Stats: 20 disposals, 5 marks, 7 inside 50s, 1 goal

Oudshoorn-Bennier has arguably improved with every game after coming back from injury, with his final Champs game his best. He utilised his burst of speed and long penetrating kick whenever he could, leading the game for inside 50s with seven and having a couple of kicks land perfectly onto a teammate’s chest. Oudshoorn-Bennier displayed composure around the contest as well, spotting runners up by hand even when running at full tilt. He was another who managed to hit the scoreboard when resting forward, reading the ball well off a marking contest and quickly snapping on the run for his goal.

#24 Harley Barker (Sturt)
Wing/Forward | 187cm | 02/05/2007

Stats: 16 disposals, 8 marks, 1 goal

One half of SA’s dangerous winger duo, Barker covered the ground immensely to be a key part of SA’s ball movement heading forward, always managing to find himself in space as his side transitioned. With SA’s ball movement clicking all game, Barker was able to get onto the end of plenty of switch kicks around the ground, always looking to gain territory with his leg speed before advancing the ball toward goal. When Barker was on the skinny side of the ground, he worked into good spots forward of the contest to be a handball release option or an easy kick option for teammates emerging from the congestion. His lone goal came from one such instance, where he was around a marking contest and set off forward as soon as his teammate got hold of the footy, got the ball heading to goal, and stepped past an opponent to split the middle from 50 out.

#25 Matthew LeRay (Central District)
Wing | 189cm | 22/02/2007

Stats: 18 disposals, 8 marks, 4 inside 50s

The other half of SA’s said wing duo, LeRay was a strong contributor across all three phases of play, working well into the defensive 50 to provide support for his backline. LeRay was strong overhead all game and followed up at ground level with commitment if he didn’t hold the mark, utilising his frame to out-body opposition players. His ball use wasn’t quite as clean as it typically is with more pressure on his disposals than he’s used to, but there were still plenty of highlight kicks that got his side moving.

#26 Mitchell Marsh (West Adelaide)
Tall Forward | 191cm | 15/02/2007

Stats: 8 disposals, 6 marks, 5 goals

There are plenty of recruiters who think Marsh is the best SA prospect in the pool and his Champs series would have done nothing to turn them into doubters, with the West Adelaide product finishing with 12 overall majors after adding five straight to his tally against Country. It didn’t matter who was lining up on Marsh throughout the game, as he always found ways to get separation on the lead into good spots – whether through work rate, speed or smarts. He was a step ahead, slotting all five goals from set shots. Arguably more impressive is the fact Marsh registered eight score involvements from as many disposals, with his two assists well weighted disposals for his teammates to run onto heading towards goal. 

#29 Dyson Sharp (Central District)
Midfielder/Forward | 187cm | 23/05/2007

Stats: 21 disposals, 4 clearances, 6 inside 50s, 1 goal

It was much of the same for Sharp, leading his side for disposals in a true workmanlike performance. He covered the ground well when stationed as a midfielder and looked to hand the ball off to runners when in congestion, while also spotting up some nice kicks when he had the ball in space. Sharp maintained his impact forward of centre as well, slotting an easy set shot after getting separation inside 50 in transition to take an uncontested chest mark. There isn’t much more Sharp could’ve done across his four games, being awarded with SA’s MVP for his efforts.

#37 Aidan Schubert (Central District)
Key Forward/Ruck | 198cm | 21/12/2007

Stats: 19 disposals, 6 marks, 2 goals

Schubert was challenged more than he has been in any of his other Champs appearances, with Country’s Harry Moon doing well to negate his impact inside the forward 50 for the first three quarters, before Schubert earned all three of his looks on goal in the final term. Schubert did well to stay involved prior to the final quarter however, pushing up the ground to be a target down the line and competing strongly in the air, along with his usual rotation through the ruck.

#40 Sam Ainsworth (Norwood)
Ruck | 198cm | 12/08/2007

Stats: 21 disposals, 4 marks, 12 hitouts, 8 clearances

Despite losing the hitout battle 24-12 against Country’s Zac Harding, it’s fair to say Ainsworth won the battle of the rucks around stoppage and around the ground, registering a game-high eight clearances and tying for the most disposals on the SA’s side with 21. Ainsworth played within his limits in terms of disposal, looking to hand off to runners or bombing long when no option was present, although sometimes ran into trouble or turned it over.