{"id":135102,"date":"2023-06-30T17:27:42","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T07:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/?p=135102"},"modified":"2023-06-30T17:27:43","modified_gmt":"2023-06-30T07:27:43","slug":"preview-2023-afl-u18s-western-australia-vs-vic-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2023\/06\/30\/preview-2023-afl-u18s-western-australia-vs-vic-country\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | 2023 AFL U18s: Western Australia vs. Vic Country"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WESTERN Australia hosts Vic Country in what is poised to be a closely contested AFL Under 18 National Championships clash at the WACA tonight. Top pick contender Harley Reid<\/strong> will audition in the home town of West Coast, with his travelling side keen to get on the board in this year’s carnival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

>> SCROLL to see the squads<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NEED TO KNOW<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Who:<\/strong> Western Australia vs. Vic Country
When:<\/strong> Friday June 30, 6:00pm AWST
Where:<\/strong> WACA Ground (WA)
How to watch:<\/strong> via AFL website & app<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TEAM NEWS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There will be a raft of changes for either side, with Western Australia making four and Vic Country swinging five. The home side welcomes two debutants to the fold in Austin Van Der Stuyf<\/strong> and Zane Zakostelsky<\/strong>, who come in alongside returning tall Evan Smith<\/a> and midfielder Kai Dehavilland<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the excitement of newly blooded talent comes exclusions on the other side of the coin. Tall defender Elijah Scoble<\/a>, and forwards Luker Kentfield<\/a> and Joe Matthews<\/a> have been left out, while Presley Campbell<\/a> misses with a knee injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Headlining Vic Country’s inclusions is a trio of bottom-age talent. Finn O’Sullivan<\/a>, the best player in last year’s Under 16 National Championships, earns a berth alongside Bendigo mid-forward Archer Day-Wicks<\/a> and GWV Rebels inside bull Sam Lalor<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The travelling team has also called upon marking forward Jacob Grant<\/a> and Lachlan Smith<\/a>, with Geelong Falcons key defensive duo Hamish Pierson<\/a> and Tom Peirce<\/a> making way. Forwards Oskar Smartt<\/a> and Thomas Anastasopoulos<\/a> also rotate out of the game one squad, along with the injured Cooper Simpson<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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ONES TO WATCH<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

With a couple of games under their belt, the Black Ducks are beginning to take shape in this year\u2019s carnival. Clay Hall<\/a> has been a star turn in midfield and was joined by Daniel Curtin<\/a> last week, though the latter may yet revert to a more conventional defensive role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mitchell Edwards<\/a> may fancy himself in this week\u2019s ruck battle, while the likes of Koltyn Tholstrup<\/a>, Koen Sanchez<\/a>, and Aiden O’Driscoll<\/a> have proven crucial with their hard-running effort games up forward. On the same line, watch for some potential x-factor from Lance Collard<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The star power is more apparent in Vic Country\u2019 squad, which will be better for its single championships game to date, albeit a loss. Potential West Coast selection Harley Reid<\/a> has already attracted attention upon landing in Perth, and is set to yield more midfield minutes this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Team balance will be important for the Victorians, and there are plenty of ways the pieces can fit the puzzle. The exclusions point towards George Stevens<\/a> potentially spending time in defence, while Zane Duursma<\/a>, Darcy Wilson<\/a>, and Joel Freijah<\/a> are capable of rolling through midfield or up forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bottom-age additions – O\u2019Sullivan, Day-Wicks, and Lalor – are other options to consider in the engine room, though they may be required in other roles to begin with as priority remains with the top-agers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SQUADS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

WESTERN AUSTRALIA<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2 Aiden O’Driscoll
#5 Koen Sanchez
#7 Luke Kelly
#8 Oscar Hine-Baston
#9 Lance Collard
#10 Austin van der Struyf
#11 Riley Wills
#12 Kai Dehavilland
#15 Reece Torrent
#16 Ashton Ferreira
#17 Riley Hardeman
#18 Tyler Lindberg
#22 Bo Allan
#23 Koltyn Tholstrup
#28 Samuel van Rooyen
#30 Daniel Curtin
#31 Mitchell Edwards
#32 Evan Smith
#34 Joe Fonti
#35 Clay Hall
#37 Coen Livingstone
#38 Lucas Kemp
#39 Zane Zakostelsky<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VIC COUNTRY<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#2 Lachlan Charleson
#4 Darcy Wilson
#5 Harley Reid
#6 Luamon Lual
#7 Joel Freijah
#9 Zane Duursma
#10 Kade De La Rue
#11 Billy Wilson
#13 Coby James
#14 Kobe Shipp
#15 Oscar Ryan
#16 Harry Demattia
#17 Archer Day-Wicks
#18 Sam Lalor
#19 Angus Hastie
#20 Finn O\u2019Sullivan
#21 Jacob Grant
#22 Archer Reid
#23 George Stevens
#25 Michael Rudd
#35 Wil Dawson
#39 Joe Pike
#40 Lachlan Smith<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PREDICTION<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This one is tough to call. On one hand, Western Australia is playing at home having just picked up a breakthrough win, and the Black Ducks have spent more time playing together. On the other hand, Vic Country underperformed in its game one loss and has arguably more star power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There has been a trend in this year’s championships of teams getting better in their second and third games, and bottom-agers have also had a major say in proceedings. With that in mind, we’re taking Vic Country by 5 points<\/em><\/strong> in a thriller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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REMAINING 2023 AFL U18s FIXTURE<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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DATE<\/strong><\/td>MATCHUP<\/strong><\/td>VENUE\/LOCAL TIME<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
Fri, Jun 30<\/td>Western Australia vs. Victoria Country<\/td>WACA, WA, 6:00pm<\/td><\/tr>
Sun, Jul 2<\/td>Allies vs. Victoria Metro<\/td>Brighton Homes Arena, QLD, 2:00pm<\/td><\/tr>
Sun, Jul 9<\/td>Victoria Metro vs. Western Australia<\/td>RSEA Park, VIC, 10:35am<\/td><\/tr>
Sun, Jul 9<\/td>Victoria Country vs. Allies<\/td>RSEA Park, VIC, 1:35pm<\/td><\/tr>
Sat, Jul 15<\/td>Victoria Country vs. Victoria Metro<\/td>IKON Park, VIC, 10:35am<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Mentions<\/span><\/span><\/div>