Kensington Oval in Whangarei played host to the 2015 Northland Junior Hawks Cup.
Keri Keri High School travelled down State Highway 1 to take on Whangarei Boys high School and the winterless north lived up to its name to provide great weather to play footy.
In the first quarter of the match, Keri Keri managed to kick 4 goals to 0 and looked like a team who worked hard in training and was paying off. After quarter time, Whangarei Boys regrouped and focussed to come out firing and never looked back to kick 8 goals. From then on, the boys from Whangarei ended up running out winners by 49 points.
Both teams displayed great running football and evasion skills with Whangarei Boys being stronger in the air. Whangarei Boys Captain Blake Williamson (U16 NZ Hawks, AFL New Zealand Academy) showed strong leadership and directed the play in the midfield by gaining possession from the tap out.
Both Coaches from each team had experience at High Performance level for AFL New Zealand. Joe Wadman (Keri Keri High School) has represented the NZ Hawks at U16 and U18 level, whilst Lachie Kennedy (Whangarei Boys) was involved with the AFL New Zealand Academy in early 2015. Both coaches, provided great guidance and leadership to their players on the field. A notable performance was Wihihi Shelford from Whangarei Boys who kicked 6 goals for his school in a dominating performance in the forward line.
Whangarei Boys High School have already expressed their desire to continue their form into the Junior Secondary School North Island Championships on 15th November at Onepoto domain, Northcote, Auckland.
A number of players from this competition have been invited to play in the new AFL New Zealand Youth Competition that will see participants compete in a 10 week competition and development programme.
Whangarei Boys High School vs Keri Keri High School
0.1:1 4.1:25
8.6:54 5.2:32
12.8:80 7.3:45
15.10:100 8.3:51
Goal Scorers:
Whangarei Boys High School
Wihihi Shelford 6, Elijah Williams 3, Dorian Hati 3, Dylan Brown, Milton Leef, Leon Harris
Keri Keri High School
2 Kyah Blakeman, Bay Fielding 2, Dominik Barlow, Chad Boyed, Joseph Kapa, Dennis Koro
Whangarei Boys High School Player of the day: Wihihi Shelford
Keri Keri High School Player of the day: Dennis Koro
Tournament Player of the day: Dylan Brown (Whangarei Boys)
