Villi’s U18s & U16s Match Report – Round 16

UNDER 18s

The under 18s had a good win against Glenelg on Saturday, winning an important game by 58 points.

With both teams making many changes as a result of college football commitments, we started well with debutant Blake Karpany kicking 2 goals in the first 6 minutes but the Tigers hit back with 3 goals of their own before Luke Russel and Jack Mumford kicked 2 late goals to give us an 11 point lead at quarter time. Over the next 2 quarters we took control of the game with good defence and although we didn’t kick straight (7 goals 9 points) we were able to restrict the Tigers to just 1 goal 2 points and had the game well set up at three quarter time with a 54 point lead. We extended that margin to 58 at the end of the match.

We had quite a few good players and Jack Mumford was a dominant forward with 22 possessions, 14 marks and 3 goals 4 points as well as 2 goal assists. Joel Hill was a big contributor through our midfield and defence, Seb Cavallaro gave some great run from our defence along with Hunter Rowe who used his possessions to great advantage, Brock Jamieson was a strong body in our midfield and he won plenty of inside footy and used it well.

We had 2 debutants this week with Blake Karpany being joined by Archie Jones who made some nice contributions on his wing. With 50 players who have played under 18s this season it gives great acknowledgement to our Coaches and our zone in producing young talented footballers.

This Saturday we are back at Stratarama Stadium to take on the Tigers again as we continue our quest to qualify for a finals spot – at the moment we are in 3^rd spot, on an equal number of wins with Glenelg (4^th)  with Centrals breathing down both our necks just 1 game out of the four.

We will be sure to be doing our best preparation for this week’s important game.

Shane Reardon – U18 Coach

UNDER 16s

Our Under 16 team returned to action at Stratarama Oval on Saturday, welcoming nine players back into the team, for their game against Glenelg.

Glenelg dominated possession in the first quarter and piled on the pressure with repeated inside 50 entries. Although the Eagles boys responded with strong tackling efforts at times, they couldn’t halt Glenelg’s momentum, trailing by 14 points at the first break.

The second quarter saw a noticeable lift in our defensive structure. The contest evened out, particularly in the clearances and inside 50s, as the midfield group led by Will Lawry, Mitchell Jennings and Jed Remphrey began to assert themselves. Despite the improved effort, we entered half-time 20 points down.

The second half proved challenging as Glenelg won the contested ball count and dominated play on the outside. In the final quarter, we were rewarded with goals to Jack Smans and Toby Clogg, showing some late spark in attack.

Defenders Bayden Fenech and Hudson Walsh stood tall under pressure all game, providing resilience in the back half, and Mason Papps 11 tackles was a highlight.

While the final margin was a 53-point loss, there were some positives to take from the match, including some individual efforts, and a focus on being brave with their decision making.

Moving into our next game, against Glenelg again, we will be looking to improve our aerial and ground ball contest work, as well as our ability to defend the outside run of the opposition.

Finally, congratulations to Tyson Schultz who represented South Australia at the Under 15 School National Championships in Brisbane during the week. In which South Australia finished Runners Up to Victoria.

Simon Maddern – U16 Coach