QUEENSLAND academy members star, as one-sided matches once again continue in the second round of the Division Two Under 18 championship.
With the four sides converging in Tasmania, the sun shone through as Northern Territory and Queensland kicked off the day.
Despite a sorry weekend for the Queensland AFL teams, their future is bright with both Brisbane Lions and Gold Coast Suns academy members in the best.
Gold Coast member Jack Bowes was best-on-ground with 31 disposals and two goals, performing exceptionally well in the midfield. Queensland’s captain also propelled the ball inside 50 on six occasions, giving their forwards a chance at gaining shots on goal.
Bowes continues to standout with few believing he will warrant a Top 10 pick in November and will be one of the handful of chances for the Hunter Harrison Medal for the best player in Division Two.
Brad Scheer is also tied to the Suns and was impressive with 27 disposals and eight clearances in the centre.
The Lions duo of Jacob Allison and Jack Rolls also stood out for Queensland.
Allison had 22 disposals and kicked two goals playing off the Half Forward Flank. The utility has been solid this year, although yet to perform as some would have expected but will likely be selected in the Allies team to take on the Divison One sides in June.
Fellow midfielder Jack Rolls slotted three majors and collected 25 disposals.
Despite the heavy loss, Brandon Parfitt and Jamie Hampton once again were NT’s best.
Parfitt collected 25 disposals while Hampton played off half back with 23 disposals and seven rebound 50s.
NT meet the undefeated NSW/ACT team and will need to improve significantly if they are to upset the Rams.
Re-watch the QLD v NT game below.
In the second game, NSW/ACT overcame a slow start to thrash Tasmania by 101-points.
The Rams kicked 17 goals to two after quarter time all but assuring their claim as the best Division Two side.
Up forward Todd Marshall (two goals) and Ben Davis (four goals) were the dominant players on the day.
Both players were expected to be linked with an academy club earlier in the year, but have since been deemed ineligible.
Marshall was tied with the GWS academy after spending two winters playing cricket in the UK before being deemed ineligible due to a registration error.
Davis himself is a 19-year old and was linked to the Sydney Swans, but due to him not nominating for the 2015 AFL Draft he cannot be selected by the Swans as an academy selection. Davis’ older brother (Abe) was Pick 70 in the 2014 draft to the Swans.
In the midfield Connor Byrne stood out with 28 disposals and eight clearances, while fellow GWS academy member Kobe Mutch made it two dominating games with 26 disposals and seven clearances.
Rams’ Mutch and Queensland’s Bowes will likely be battling it out this weekend to be the Hunter Harrison Medalist, joining names such as Ben Keays and Isaac Heeney.
Kobe Mutch continued his strong form into Round 2, now averaging 28 disp in the Champs & 36 disp in #TACCup. Likely Hunter Harrison Medalist
— Matt Balmer (@MattBalmer7) May 16, 2016
Ruckman Max Lynch too was strong with 24 hit outs, giving the Rams midfield first use of the ball.
For Tasmania, Nick Dodge bounced back from a quiet game against NT to collect 25 disposals, ten tackles and five inside 50s & rebound 50s.
Ben McGuinness came off the ground in the second half with a hip complaint and may not play the final match this weekend on the Gold Coast.
Re-watch the TAS v NSW/ACT game below.
Matt Balmer’s scouting notes and more vision will be available on the event pages soon.
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