THE GWS Giants Academy notched up the second win of its Under 16 National Championships campaign, defeating Tasmania to the tune of 33 points at People First Stadium on Monday morning. A dominant first half set the platform for what looked like being a giant victory for the orange team.

After kicking out to an eight-goal to one lead at the main break, GWS cruised to victory as Noah Golds finished with four goals. Harvey Alomes swung forward to slot three goals for Tassie and add some respectability to the scoreline, as the midfields on either side produced starring performances.

GIANTS ACADEMY 4.3 | 8.5 | 10.7 | 13.9 (87)
TASMANIA 0.1 | 1.1 | 4.6 | 6.8 (44)

GOALS:
Giants Academy: N. Golds 4, R. Thompson 3, B. Charlton 2, H. Crockett 2, H. Gardiner, P. Singer
Tasmania: H. Alomes 3, W. Tismar, J. Wass, P. Williams

BEST:
Giants Academy: A. Maher, S. Brown, J. Rice, H. Gardiner, N. Golds, R. Thompson
Tasmania: C. Barwick, L. Hazell, H. Alomes, J. Stevenson, L. Latter, B. Atkin

GIANTS ACADEMY:

#3 Riley Thompson
Wing | 174cm | 21/11/2010

Stats: 9 disposals, 3 inside 50s, 3 goals

It was an energetic outing from Thompson, who made his moments count. He first caught the eye during the opening term as he stole the ball and stormed inside 50 to kick his first goal, showcasing blistering speed in the process. The Cobram native came to life when a loose ball was there to be won or when open grass emerged, as he took each opportunity to use his pace. Thompson added two more goals in the second half to make his impact felt.

#5 Charlie Bain
Defender | 179cm | 13/12/2010

Stats: 23 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles

It was another solid performance from Bain, who was just about unbeatable one-on-one. The resolute defender helped build a wall high up the field, holding his intercept marks strongly before looking to attack. He showed a great knack for keeping his hands free under pressure and was prepared to absorb contact if it helped release his teammate into greater space. Bain distributed the ball effectively and his no-frills style set a great tone for the Giants.

#6 Darcy Borghouts
Midfielder | 173cm | 18/03/2010

Stats: 13 disposals, 3 clearances, 4 tackles

While not quite as prolific as some of his contemporaries, Borghouts offered a valuable point of difference in the Giants’ midfield. Namely, his breakaway speed was a standout, with the diminutive prospect backing himself to bolt past opponents and into attack. He did so audaciously at times but also showed good fundamentals at the contest with his clean hands, and ability to draw and release.

#8 James Rice
Midfielder/Forward | 180cm | 12/01/2010

Stats: 25 disposals, 7 marks, 8 inside 50s

It was another polished performance from Rice, who made poised and classy decisions all day. He was one-touch at stoppage and just as reliable on the outside, where he quickly identified his targets before looking to hit them with sharp kicks. Rice’s ability to escape traffic, mark strongly overhead, and complete rundown tackles were among his standout features throughout the day. He balanced stylish play with a strong work rate to lead his side from the front.

#13 Alexander Maher
Midfielder | 177cm | 16/05/2010

Stats: 26 disposals, 4 marks, 4 clearances

Working in tandem with Rice, Maher showed incredible class and composure through midfield. The prolific ball winner was tidy around the contest with his distributive work and innate vision to navigate traffic. His poise and ability to absorb pressure made such work a breeze. He moved economically, shifting gears when necessary and displaying spatial awareness you can’t teach. Maher also improvised quickly to craft clever passes by hand and foot, bringing others into the play.

#14 Noah Golds
Forward | 183cm | 17/03/2010

Stats: 10 disposals, 4 tackles, 4 goals

Another opportunist in the Giants’ ranks, Golds was highly effective inside attacking 50. He got off the mark with back-to-back goals in the second quarter, showing great instincts to back himself and finish in tricky situations. Having nailed his shots on the run and over the mark, Golds added a pair of snap goals to his tally after half time to continue the trend of his clinical conversion. After an unorthodox start, he seemed to get more assured as each shot sailed through the big sticks.

#20 Hayden Gardiner
Midfielder/Forward | 184cm | 29/01/2010

Stats: 23 disposals, 7 inside 50s, 1 goal

Another strong contributor among the Giants’ midfield group, Gardiner often possessed the ball in dangerous areas. His front-half influence was outlined by seven forward 50 entries, as he often either marked or wheeled around to launch the ball deep into attack. Gardiner also spent time deep forward and had his chances to score, kicking 1.2 – his goal being a set shot snap in term two.

#27 Samuel Brown
Tall Defender | 189cm | 04/01/2010

Stats: 23 disposals, 4 marks, 7 rebound 50s

The Giants’ backline was rock-solid all day, with Brown central to that. He intercepted at will, cutting off aerial balls and holding firm in one-on-one contests before looking to attack. Brown’s ability to impact across a high line was made all the more dangerous by his overlap running, offering plenty of drive on the counterattack to make Tasmania pay for turning the ball over into his hands.

TASMANIA:

#1 Lennox Hazell
Midfielder | 30/01/2010

Stats: 22 disposals, 7 tackles, 4 inside 50s

It seemed like Hazell was a one-man show at times for Tasmania, with the diminutive midfielder giving his side plenty of drive out of congestion. His ability to shark the ball cleanly and accelerate into space was unmatched, proving difficult to contain with his blend of speed and core strength. Once on the outside, Hazell pinpointed targets on the move and was able to find teammates by hand or foot. Among his highlights was a gutsy mark late in the third quarter, where he sat under a high ball and threw himself at it with great desperation.

#5 Campbell Barwick
Midfielder | 182cm | 19/03/2010

Stats: 24 disposals, 7 marks, 8 clearances

Along with Hazell, Barwick’s speed and work rate were outstanding. Not only did he set the tone with five centre clearances among his game-high tally of eight, but Barwick also covered enormous ground to sustain his impact on the outside. He was clean and evasive in close quarters, and drove his legs forward at every opportunity when accumulating around the ground. Barwick seemed to be everywhere at times and proved he could find the ball in all phases of play, let alone at stoppage.

#6 Angus Dunham
Forward/Midfielder | 18/07/2010

Stats: 12 disposals, 4 tackles, 4 inside 50s

Another speedster in the midfield rotation, Dunham also brought a bit of patented Tassie toughness. He wasn’t afraid to get stuck in and compete, laying several hard tackles and crashing his way to the loose ball. Dunham translated that aggression to taking ground once he had won possession, using his turn of foot to get to the outside untouched before driving forward.

#7 Luca Latter
Midfielder/Forward | 187cm | 28/06/2010

Stats: 18 disposals, 5 clearances, 6 inside 50s

Boasting a relatively strong and mature frame at this level, Latter isn’t afraid to use it. The midfielder showed healthy aggression at the contest and stood tall under pressure to release teammates by hand. He also found success on the outside and provided a connection piece when rotating forward, using his clean set of hands and deceptively skilful kicking to help work a way inside 50. While effective off a standing start, he did tend to dump kicks long under pressure at times.

#11 Jordan Stevenson
Defender | 02/05/2010

Stats: 20 disposals, 8 marks, 4 rebound 50s

Stevenson was a source of playmaking inspiration off half-back, attacking with his leg speed and pinpoint kicking. The prolific rebounder racked up 19 uncontested possessions, often sighted chaining play from deep in defence to high up the field. Stevenson’s creativity was allowed to thrive by his ability to hit targets on the move, keeping the play moving fluently. He also used his speed to produce a couple of terrific rundown tackles and eventually found his way into the centre ball-ups.

#20 Ben Atkin
Wing/Defender | 17/06/2010

Stats: 20 disposals, 4 marks, 5 rebound 50s

Starting out on the wing, Atkin showed terrific work rate on the defensive end. He initially caught the eye with a persistent holding-the-ball tackle, then an intercept mark deep in his own half within quick succession. Atkin also provided width on the perimeter of stoppages, getting in good positions to receive and attack on the outside. Later in the day he produced a creative bit of link play out of the kick-in, combining with Stevenson to advance the ball forward quickly.

#27 Harvey Alomes
Tall Defender/Forward | 22/04/2010

Stats: 14 disposals, 8 marks, 3 goals

Alomes was a force to be reckoned with in the air, with half of his eight marks being contested. After reeling in a couple of crucial intercepts in the first half, he was swung forward and helped add respectability to the scoreboard. Alomes caught fire to kick three consecutive goals on either side of three-quarter time, holding his ground deep inside 50 and attacking the ball to beat all-comers.