Villi’s U18s & U16s Match Report – Round 10

UNDER 18s

The Under 18s had a good win against Central Districts on Thursday night, winning a tough encounter by 25 points. Conditions were wet and Centrals started well with 2 goals in the first 6 minutes before we wrestled back some control and kicked 2 goals ourselves and we were one point in arrears at Quarter time.

We played well in the second quarter but were not able to impact the scoreboard enough kicking 1 goal and 5 points, holding a 3 point lead going into half time.

We continued to play well in the second half and were much more accurate as we kicked 6 goals 3 points and held the Dogs to 2 goals 6 points and went on to win by 25 points.

We had a lot of contributors with Jamie Russell-Swansson playing exceptionally well with 21 disposals, 8 clearances, 12 tackles and 4 goals as he was assisted by Freddie Wilson in ruck, Lachie Sands and Max Farrugia who  all played well in our midfield, Jack Slattery was a lively tall forward and Lachie Marshall-Bates and Mitch Harris were strong in defence.

With a bye this week we will be preparing for our next game against the top team Sturt at Thomas Farms Oval on Saturday 21 June from 11.00am.

Shane Reardon – U18 Coach

UNDER 16s

The Under 16s played top-of-the-table Central District at Maughan Thiem Kia Oval last Thursday.  We were pleased to welcome several boys back into the team from the College system, and continued to focus on bringing a high work rate and playing consistent and contested football.  

Having suffered two heavy defeats prior to this game, the boys were determined to put in a better performance. We had a strong start with early goals to Giacomo Musci and Kristiano McDonald and we took an 8-point lead into the first change. The second quarter was tight with both teams applying strong defensive pressure, combined with some free-flowing attacking football.  Further goals to Musci, Will Trengove and Noah Atkinson put us 19 points in the clear, but a late Centrals goal resulted in a 13-point lead to us at the main break.

With our midfield getting on top at clearances and some great pressure in our defensive half, we continued to edge slightly ahead in the third quarter and into the fourth. At the 4-minute mark of the last quarter, we’d stretched our lead to 32 points; but unfortunately, this was when momentum shifted and Centrals threw caution to the wind, scoring 5 unanswered goals. This was enough to give them a four-point win at the final siren.

Whilst it was disappointing to not get the desired result, there were many positives to take away from the game. For three quarters, we played the desired brand of football and we now know that our best is good enough to match it with the better teams. We had several goodperformers including Giacomo Musci with 2 goals, Will Trengove, Lucien Kravinskis and Harry Scholes through the midfield, and Brin Virgin and Jack Northeast in defence.  

We will continue to work hard at training as we look ahead to our next game against Sturt at Thomas Farms Oval on Saturday June 21.

Simon Maddern – U16 Coach