The Auckland and Wellington Youth competition moved into week 3 where up and coming AFL talent displayed their skills under the guidance of AFL New Zealand certified coaches. All age groups continue to learn and develop through the Youth competition and the coaches are noticing the increase in skills and fitness.
Auckland
The 2016 AFL New Zealand Women’s player of the year Killarney Morey was on fire again in the Youth girls competition as she slotted five goals for the Lions as they overcame a fast finishing Bulldogs team. Sisters, Jolyn and Emma Collins displayed some great skills for the Bulldogs, linking well together throughout the game as they had four individual goal kickers. The Dog’s shared the scoring between the majority over the side. Lion’s players Buell Verkade and Samantha Shrimpton were excellent, while Meretiana Ropana had an outstanding game for the Bulldog’s.
Goalscorers:
Lions: Killarney Morey 5, Daina Brazier 1
Bulldogs: Jasmine Paki 1, Jolyn Collins 1, Emma Collins 1, Meretiana Ropana 1
Player of the day:
Lions: Killarney Morey
Bulldogs: Jolyn Collins
The Magpies side put on a fine display in the U14 Boys competition as they kicked 13 goals to win by a big margin over the Tigers. Westlake Boys High School student Tom Hack had a man of the match performance as he showed the skills of a player well above his age, while adding 4 goals for the Magpies tally. Another Westlaker, Oliver Parsons was fantastic up front while Levi Wilson (Rosmini College) was awarded Player of the Day for his efforts all around the ground.
Goalscorers:
Magpies: Tom Hack 4, Oliver Parsons 3, Harry Upton 2, Nathan Holloway 2, Brook Robson 1
Player of the day:
Magpies: Levi Wilson
Tigers: Nathan Holloway
A tight match in the U17 competition as the Suns and Crows went toe to toe all game with the Suns holding on for a 7 point win. Rosmini College superstar Joey Alesich-Tamariki never gave up all game as he put in 100 percent effort and kicked 2 goals for the Suns. Quinn Pocock (Western Springs College) showed some great defensive work while Lachlan Kennedy (Whangarei Boys High School) worked hard all over the ground and really took on his instructions given to him by the coaches. Jerome Goodhue (Avondale College) was best for the Crows as he produced some splendid marks and provided great defensive pressure in the backline.
Notable mentions go to Ronan Morling for his attack on the football and Dan Tuitama for his communication on the field.
Crows vs Suns
Goalscorers:
Suns: Joey Aleisich-Tamariki 2, Maxwell Hicks 2, Keegan Connolly 2
Crows: Declan Crann 2, Michael Iwashita 1, Jackson Hemmingsen 1, Dan Tuitama 1
Player of the day:
Suns: Jacob Burri
Crows: Jerome Goodhue
Wellington
Hutt Park hosted a cracking game for the Wellington U14 competition as the Lions and the Bulldogs were neck and neck for the majority of the game until a late flourish by the Lions in the fourth quarter secured the win by a mere four points. Milo Crispin (Wellington College) added another 4 goals to his goal kicking tally for the season with support from Sam Morgan (Fergusson Intermediate) in the forward line. Munro Short (Karori Normal School) and Aidan Christians (Scots college) also played well for the Lions as they produced some fantastic passages of play during the game. Jonah Christians (Scots College) kicked 3 goals for the Bulldogs and was well supported by Fergus Short. Jaydn Che Robson (Aotea College) was player of the day for the Bulldogs for his all round efforts during the game.
Goalscorers:
Lions: Milo Crispin 4, Sam Morgan 2, Beren Goodwin 1, George Hopkins 1
Bulldogs: Jonah Christians 3, Conrad Pender 2 Fergus Short 1, Will Anderson 1, Douglas McJorrow 1
Player of the day:
Lions: Milo Crispin
Bulldogs: Jaydn Che Robson
