Villi’s U18s & U16s Match Report – Round 5

UNDER 18s

The Under 18s played West Adelaide in the Annual Jake Watson Shield match at Richmond Oval on Saturday, losing by 40 points.

We started well kicking 5 goals in the first quarter and holding West Adelaide to 3 goals.

In the second quarter the Bloods really took control of the game and kicked 7 goals restricting us to just the one which meant we were 27 points down at half time.

We again started brightly in the third quarter kicking the first 2 goals quite quickly and then the quarter became a bit of an arm wrestle for 10 minutes or so before West Adelaide restored their advantage with 2 quick goals late in the quarter.

Although we competed well at the contest in the last quarter and kicked 3 goals West were able to move the ball well and kicked 5 goals of their own to record a well deserved win.

We didn’t have a lot of consistent players on the day but Romario Clemente and Will Trengove gave a great effort in our midfield, Jack Leys and Noah Ah Chee were good ball winners on the wings and Lachie Marshall-Bates was a winner up forward with 4 goals. Harvey O’Brien competed hard in ruck and kicked 2 goals and Mitch Harris was again good in our defence which was under plenty of pressure.

No debutants this week and we wish all our college players the best as they take up their college football commitments for the next few weeks.

This week we play North Adelaide at home from 1.50pm on Saturday.

Shane Reardon – U18 Coach

UNDER 16s

In Round 5, we travelled to Hisense Stadium to take on West Adelaide in our first away game of the 2026 season.

We also welcomed two more first gamers, Jai Sagar and Connor Willmer playing their first games for the year. This brings our total to 32 players used across the opening four rounds of the 2026 season.

We started the game strongly, winning clearances in the first quarter and generating plenty of inside 50 entries to give our forwards solid opportunities.

However, a familiar pattern emerged as we were unable to maintain that early intensity through the midfield. West Adelaide capitalised on a lapse in our intensity, producing a dominant 15-minute period in the second quarter where they kicked eight unanswered goals.

After halftime, the group responded well. We were able to reset, compete strongly across the ground, and match West Adelaide in both contest and effort. Unfortunately, the damage had already been done, and we couldn’t bridge the margin created during that second-quarter surge.

Goal scorers for the day were Ayden Topp with three, Joel Lipson with two, and singles to Jimmy Burton, Jai Sagar, and Connor Willmer.

Better performances came from Tyson Schultz, Lachlan Macaitis, Mason Papps, Ayden Topp, and Connor Willmer.

While the scoreboard hasn’t reflected our efforts in recent weeks, the group continues to grow and develop. The improvement from pre-season in December to now has been significant, and the players are gaining a strong understanding of the level required to play in a Talented player competition.

With 19 Players at College and the College Football season beginning this week we wish the lads all the best as they play for their School. It is through this period brings excitement as we look forward to other players getting opportunity to get a taste of SANFL Under 16 football.

Todd Clarke – U16 Coach