Villi’s U18s & U16s Match Report – Round 3

UNDER 18s

The Under 18s clung on for a 3 point win against Centrals at X Convenience Oval on Sunday.  It was set up by a really strong first half where we kicked 6 goals and held the Dogs to just 2 goals.  We moved the ball well and were able to keep the ball in our forward line for long periods.

After half time the third quarter was a bit of arm wrestle with both sides generating scoring opportunities and both sides kicking 3 goals.

Centrals were a superior team in the last quarter as they scored a bit too easily (5 goals) but fortunately we found a way to score 2 goals ourselves and we held on for a 3 point win.

It was a tough encounter and there were many positives out of the game and we had many good players. Dougal Ashby and Mitch Harris were strong defenders all day, Jack Cook, Hayden Wilmott, Zane Peucker and Jevan Phillipou gave us some drive in the midfield and Jack Slattery made a great contribution in ruck as well.

This week Angus Menta played his first game of under 18 footy in ruck and up forward and did well. James McGorman and Flynn Young played their first games for 2025 as well.

So to this week and we face Norwood who are second on the ladder with us in 3^rd place so I am sure we are in for a great game – our first  home game – on Sunday from 2.10pm.

Shane Reardon – U18 Coach

UNDER 16s

The Under 16s travelled out to X-Convenience Oval on Sunday afternoon to take on Central Districts.

Our intensity was slightly off in the first quarter and Central’s speedy forward line proved difficult to handle, leading to a 3-point deficit at quarter time.  The second quarter was much the same, with Centrals on top for most of the quarter and the lead increasing to 21 points at the 15-minute mark.  Three late goals, two from debutant Cash Meyers and one from Lucien Kravinskis, reduced the deficit again to 3 points at half time.

The third term began well for the Eagles boys, kicking the first two goals.  Despite having plenty of the ball and several opportunities to score, we could only manage 2 goals 2 behinds for the quarter.  This was matched by Central Districts who took a 2-point lead into the final quarter.

In the final term, Centrals held sway kicking 3 goals in the first 7 minutes, taking them out to a 17-point lead.  To our credit, the Eagles players didn’t give up, with goals to Jack Smans, Cash Meyers and Tate Sampson getting us within striking distance.  In the end, Centrals proved too strong across the four quarters, holding on to win by 6 points.

Better players for the Eagles were Jack Smans, Tate Sampson, Cash Meyers kicking 3 goals, Bayden Fenech, Nash Clayton and Giacomo Musci kicking 2 goals.

As we look ahead to our home game against Norwood this coming Sunday, we will take some valuable learnings from this game, including the need for consistency across four quarters and the importance of starting games with high intensity and pressure.

Simon Maddern – U16 Coach