SA U16 Team defeat Victoria Metro

By ZAC MILBANK

A sensational seven-goal second term catapulted South Australia to a comfortable 32-point win against Victoria Metro in Game 2 of the Marsh AFL U16 National Championships on the Gold Coast. 

Coming off a hard-fought 10-point win against Western Australia in Game 1 at Thebarton, the Croweaters displayed supreme efficiency with ball in hand as they handled the slippery conditions far better than their opponents.

Having kept the Big V to just five behinds in the opening term, Heath Younie’s charges started brightly to lead by 14 points at the opening change.

Crafty SA goalsneak Jermaine Miller was at the coalface of his team’s match-winning surge, booting the third goal of the first term before setting up teammate Memphis Webb for the opening major of the second stanza.

Miller, from Central District, then exploded to boot three of SA’s next five goals in succession, including a classy finish on the run after dodging around his opponent from 40m.

Hard-running Taj Garrett kicked the Croweaters’ only goal of the third term on the run from 25m as Victoria Metro looked to respond in the second half.

But some mature slow play to retain possession and take the sting out of the opposition’s charge in the fourth term ensured the margin would remain beyond five goals, as tall forward Ryan Davies nailed his set shot from 30m.

Miller finished with four majors while Kangaroo Island product Cain Florance hit the scoreboard with three.

SA joint vice-captain Dougie Cochrane was named by the coaching staff as the Croweaters’ best performer, with consistent midfielder Archie Van Dyk and captain Kodah Edwards also rated highly.

SA will now prepare for its final contest of the tournament as it looks to remain undefeated with three victories in succession to give itself a chance of claiming the championship.

Game 3 is on Friday, against Victoria Country at Southport’s Fankhauser Reserve, from 11.15am SA time.

South Australia  3.1  10.2  11.3  12.8 (80)

Victoria Metro  0.5  1.8  4.11  6.12 (48)

BEST – SA: Dougie Cochrane, Archie Van Dyk, Kodah Edwards, Memphis Webb, Zackariah Young, Jermaine Miller

GOALS – SA: Jermaine Miller 4, Cain Florance 3, Jack Leys, Taj Garrett, Kodah Edwards, Memphis Webb, Ryan Davies

At People First Stadium, Gold Coast