Sunny Conditions greeted the players in both Auckland and Wellington as the 2016 Youth Competition moved in to Week 6 where their were some extremely close results in all games.
More and more players are starting to show their development in the sport and the skill level and game play is ever increasing week by week.
Auckland
The Youth Girls Lions side came from behind in their game to defeat the Youth Girls Bulldogs side by one point in a thrilling game at North Harbour Stadium.
Mollie Tagaloa from Rutherford College was the star of the show as she kicked four goals and backed up her performance from during the week where she was named player of the tournament at the Greater Auckland Youth Girls Junior Hawks Cup competition. Buell Verkade (Whangaparaoa College) was named player of the day for the Lions along with Taylor Rademeyer (Pukekohe High School) who’s effort didnt go unoticed.
Notable mentions go to Maree Langendoem and India Smith from the Lions and Aleesha Faatea from the Bulldogs.
Goalscorers:
Lions: Jolyn Collins 3, Jaimee Wyatt 2, Daina Brazier 1, Killarney Morey 1
Bulldogs: Mollie Tagaloa 4, Ivi Kapeli Esera 3, Chelsea Young 1
Player of the day:
Lions: Buell Verkade
Bulldogs: Mollie Tagaloa
In another thrilling finish, the Tigers managed to hold on to a fast finishing Magpies side as they were victorious by two points on Sunday.
Tigers player Alvin Grant (Northcote College) was outstanding for his side, kicking three goals and was found controlling the midfield. Debutant Sam Warton was impressive in his first game competing well in the ruck while Joe Foster (Selwyn College) was solid in defence. Spencer Jones (Northcross Intermediate) was player of the day for the Tigers and took some fine marks throughout the game while providing his teammates with quality ball up front. The Magpies player of the day was speedy Elliot Lim-Hawkins from Dilworth Rural Campus.
Notable mentions got to Harry Upton and Oliver Parson from the Magpies and Max Forbes from the Tigers.
Goalscorers:
Tigers: Alvin Grant 3, Luke Buckley 2, Max Forbes 2, Sam Warton 1
Magpies: Harry Upton 3, Oliver Parsons 2, James Scott 1, Bodhi Meek 1, Elliot Lim-Hawkins 1
Player of the day:
Tigers: Spencer Jones
Magpies: Elliot Lim-Hawkins
The Under 17 competition provided quality watching for the spectators as dry conditions produced some fast footy. The Crows were wayward in their kicking but managed to hold on for the win over the Suns for the second week in a row. Crows players Luke Dunning (Albany Senior High School) and Bronson Hewitson (Avondale College) attacked the ball hard all game as player of the day Lewis Barrow-Young was fantastic all over the ground while adding two goals to his tally. James Dakin (Western Springs College) was named best for the Suns for his all round efforts and was backed up nicely Angus Potaka (Rutherford College) who was marvellous in the ruck.
Goalscorers:
Crows: Lewis Barrow-Young 2, Levi Boyd 2, Bronson Hewitson 2, Jake Tucker 1
Suns: Aidan Anthony Collins 2, Jacob Burri 1, Harry Forbes 1, Joey Aleisich-Tamariki 1, Lachlan Kennedy 1, Keegan Connolly 1
Player of the day:
Crows: Lewis Barrow-Young
Suns: James Dakin
Wellington
At Hutt Park in Wellington, the U14 Bulldogs took out their game by seven points over the U14 Lions. Alex Kempt (St. Brendans School) was named player of the day for the Bulldogs for his outstanding efforts all game. Sydney Gill was tremendous as she battled with the boys and showed off some silky smooth skills. Orlando Pender and Fergus Short shared the rucking duties and are developing nicely in the midfield. For the Lions, William Anderson from Karori Normal provided some good pressure in defence while Sam Morgan’s kicking skills were the best all season.
Notable mentions go to Baille Laurenson, George Hopkins and Jonah Christians.
Goalscorers:
Bulldogs: Cameron Kerr 2, Ryan Awatere 2, Rico Tuhua 1, Jaydn Che Robson 1
Lions: Munro Short 2, Sam Morgan 1, Hari Below 1, Beren Goodwin 1, George Hopkins 1
Player of the day:
Bulldogs: Alex Kempt
Lions: Bailee Laurenson
