The 2024 AFL Victoria Metro Junior Development Series recently wrapped up so we thought we'd catch up with the coaches of each side to review the carnival, and highlight some of the key moments and performers!
Next up, Under 15 Boys Division 2.
Coach: Dave Connell
Game One - NFNL 10.10 (70) def. EDFL 5.11 (41)
Game one saw the boys head down to Eltham on a Wednesday night for a 5:15pm start. Traffic and the early start played chaos with preparation, and it showed in the first quarter. Our pressure around the contest was great and we were well on top but failed to convert on the score board. We held a slender three-point lead, but we missed an opportunity to take a two or three goal lead into the first change. From quarter time onward our effort never dropped off, but NFNL were cleaner on the outside and more efficient going forward. Twenty scoring shots to 16 was a truer reflection of the game. Marcus Longo was great up forward kicking two goals while Zac Paoly took home the medal for best on ground with a dominant display across half back and through the midfield.
Goal Kickers: Marcus Longo 2, Ashton Azzopardi, Tyson Okines, Jayden Petruccelli
Best Players: Zac Paoly, Marcus Longo, Finn Munro, Cooper Holland-Lees, Tyler Ferguson, Tom Rendelmann
Game Two - EDFL 24.15 (159) def. RDFNL 2.3 (15)
Game two and a trip to Salesian College for a home fixture against the RDFNL. Pregame was great and the boys were keen for a strong performance. Again, our pressure around the contest was ferocious, and this time we were able to take advantage of the dominance with Rex Papal kicking four as we jumped out to a big 44-point lead at quarter time. The most pleasing thing was over the next three quarters we didn’t drop away and even though the game was very one-sided, the boys played some great team football and there were no individuals. Papal finished with a bag of five, Aidan Plant snuck forward in the second half and kicked three while Marcus Longo took home the medal with three goals from ruck and centre half forward.
Goal Kickers: Rex Papal 5, Marcus Longo 3, Aidan Plant 3, Tyson Okines 2, Lefteri Mitchell 2, Harrison Ansell 2, Thomas Wadden 2, Max Nicholson 2, Ashton Azzopardi, Jack Currenti, Tyler Ferguson
Best Players: Marcus Longo, Rex Papal, Jayden Petruccelli, Cooper Holland-Lees, Tom Rendelmann, Jack Currenti
Game Three - EDFL 8.11 (59) def. by WFNL 15.8 (98)
Game three we hyped up as our grand final, the sun was shining and we faced a very strong WFNL outfit. This was the scalp we were after. Once again, our pressure was elite, and we controlled stoppage due to a dominant display from Rendelmann giving our mids first use. It was a strong start kicking three of the first four goals. The first quarter was a great battle with both sides kicking four each. The second quarter we dominated territory but could only manage one goal from 10 entries compared to WFNL kicking five goals from five entries. The second half was full of effort and we challenged in the last quarter reducing the margin to 15, but in the end the WFNL boys were just a bit too slick and polished on the outside and run away with a 39-point victory. Solid performances from Zac Paoly and Marcus Longo again, Keilor boys Thomas Wadden and Harrison Ansell kicked two each, while Tom Rendelmann took out the best on ground medal after a huge game in the ruck.
Goal Kickers: Harrison Ansell 2, Thomas Wadden 2, Rex Papal, Marcus Longo, Tyler Ferguson, Lefteri Mitchell
Best Players: Tom Rendelmann, Marcus Longo, Zac Paoly, Thomas Wadden, Harrison Ansell, Thomas Sufi-Ismail
