IT was a perfect day for footy despite slightly slippery conditions at Metricon Stadium for Round 2 of the AFL Under 16 Division 2 Championships, with NSW/ACT Rams taking on Northern Territory (NT) Thunder in the first match of the day. With no wind but a clear scoring end it seemed always set to be a close contest, and beside a second quarter struggle from NT the match produced just that. A two goals to nil final quarter saw NSW/ACT come out on top by 17 points, with the final score not reflective of the closeness of the game.

A good defensive game early from both sides saw some good contested intercept marks in the back 50, with both teams producing a lot of turnover ball as they settled into the game. NSW/ACT’s Sam Stening set up the first goal of the match with a beautiful passage of play to Patrick Voss for his first of four, following up shortly with his second before NT got a goal on the board. However NSW/ACT’s great start did not last for long, with NT fighting back before the break with three goals on the trot to come into the second leading by one point.

The second quarter saw NSW/ACT run away with it as NT lost all the momentum gained toward the end of the first. The Rams produced some stellar defensive work through the midfield to stop the ball from getting anywhere near NT’s 50, while Voss continued to be a solid option inside 50 as he found plenty of space to put two more on the board. Five straight goals to the Rams saw them take a convincing 15 point lead into the second half, with NT only getting the one behind on the board in a frustrating display. With both sides piling on the defensive pressure it was NSW/ACT’s back six who got the job done in the second, both delaying movement inside 50 and producing some solid intercept marks to deny any movement inside 50 for the NT.

A huge 10-goal term came to fruition in the third, seeing NT show some fight and mounting an impressive comeback, more willing to take risks if it meant getting goals on the board. NT dominated with seven goals for the term, finding their form and piling on the pressure across the field. They showed some better intent driving the ball down, cleanly finding options inside 50 where earlier they sprayed the ball at every opportunity. Jaden Watts took a great running mark with moments left in the quarter to kick a goal after the siren and get within a point coming into the final term.

It was a tough tight contest early in the last, with neither team letting up on the pressure with the closeness of the score hanging in the balance. A NSW/ACT goal to start the final term gave the Rams some of the confidence they needed to hold onto the lead, creating difficulty for NT across the board by contesting every ball and not letting NT take any clean marks down the ground.

For the winning side, Felix Rogers (eight rebounds), Will Sexton and Stening came away with an equal leading 19 disposals, while Stening will be rueing missed opportunities with one goal and five behinds from seven inside 50s. Kai Watts, Euriah Hollard and Matthew McKenzie kicked two apiece, joining Voss as multiple goalkickers for the Rams. For Thunder, Brodie Lake was the clear go-to on field with 26 disposals, eight clearances and two goals, closely followed by Tyrell Lui (18 disposals, nine clearances, seven inside 50s, one goal) and Ned Stevens (25 hitouts, one goal).

NSW/ACT 2.0 | 7.3 | 10.4 | 12.10 (82)
NT 3.1 | 3.2 | 10.3 | 10.5 (65)

GOALS

NSW/ACT: P. Voss 4, M. McKenzie, K. Watts, E. Hollard 2, S. Stening, W. Sexton
NT: B. Lake, J. Watts, M. White 2, J. Jones, N. Stevens, A. Lowe, T. Lui

ADC BEST

NSW/ACT: F. Rogers, W. Sexton, K. Watts, M. McKenzie, P. Voss
NT: B. Lake, T. Lui, J. Baird, J. Watts, M. White