Round 14 SANFL U18 Match Wraps

By ZAC MILBANK

West Adelaide held on to claim a major scalp when it edged out Central District by seven points in Round 14 of the SANFL U18s at Hisense Stadium.

Coming off their dramatic on-the-final-siren win in Round 13, the seventh-placed Bloods upset the second-placed Bulldogs by leading at every change.

West’s Lachlan Slattery and Thomas Kain played unheralded roles in the victory while strong-bodied midfielder Sam Burbridge collected an equal game-high 28 possessions.

Central, which has lost its last two in succession, had Matthew LeRay (28 disposals, 10 marks), James Noack and Riley McDonald battling hard throughout the contest.

Woodville-West Torrens kept in touch with the top four by carving out an efficient 20-point win against Sturt at Thomas Farms Oval.

Despite having only one more inside 50m entry and 13 fewer clearances, the Eagles used the ball well while restricting the Double Blues to just six goals for the match.

Intercept defender Tate Delmenico led the way for the visitors with 25 disposals and 12 marks while teammates Griffyn Hansen and Jett Hasting (32 disposals, five clearances) were other major influences on the outcome.

Sturt’s Louis Kellaway, the son of former Richmond Tiger Duncan Kellaway, racked up a team-high 31 disposals and 10 clearances, while teammate Jett Dahlitz finished with 28 possessions.

Glenelg’s Ben Camporeale capped off a big week when he guided his side to a comfortable 45-point win at Stratarama Stadium.

Named as South Australia’s U18 MVP at the AFL National Championships, the inside midfielder chalked up 38 disposals, 10 clearances and seven marks as the Bays retained their hold on top spot.

Fellow Tigers Max Disbury and co-captain Charlie McAuliffe (22 disposals, four goals) also had a significant say in the result as Kobe Gibson and Connor Gluyas each booted three goals for the hosts.

Norwood’s Will Prescott did his best to keep his team in the contest, booting five of the Redlegs’ eight goals, while Luke Scott (22 disposals) and Noah Daw also refused to concede.

North Adelaide used handball to its advantage to claim a convincing 59-point triumph against South Adelaide at Prospect Oval.

Registering 30 fewer marks and 13 less kicks, the Roosters racked up 66 more handballs as they burst out of the blocks to lead at every break against the Panthers.

Consistent North midfielder Sam Cumming was again the chief architect in his team’s result, collecting 30 disposals, six clearances and two goals while Tom Stevens (18 disposals) and Oliver Francou (24 disposals, one goal) also produced positive performances.

South’s coaching team praised the efforts of Jake Agnew (17 disposals, two goals), Jay Chapman (17 disposals) and Brayden Nicholls.