POTENTIAL Western Bulldogs father-daughter selection Isabella Grant kicked three goals as Vic Metro comfortably accounted for Vic Country by 44 points in their AFLW Under-18 Championships clash on Saturday.
With father Chris sitting in the stands, two of Grant's goals came from 50-metre penalties, but her strong hands and mobility stood out in the 10.10 (70) to 4.2 (26) win at Werribee Oval.
Bottom-age teammate Alyssa Bannan chipped in for three of her own with a strong second half from the smooth-moving mid-sized forward.
Midfielder Ellie McKenzie (bottom-age) provided plenty of run in the first half as Metro dominated Country around the ball, with wingers Mimi Hill (bottom-age) and Georgia Patrikios prominent.
Draft-eligible players Gabby Newton (pictured above) and Britney Gutknecht showed their class in patches without dominating the game.
Vic Country skipper Millie Brown – who is a potential father-daughter signing for Geelong with dad Paul having played for the Cats – was kept busy in a key defensive post but read the ball well in the air.
Highly rated draft prospect Lucy McEvoy is in her third position in her third under-18 championships, having played in 2017 as a key back, 2018 as a full-forward and playing on the ball this year.
The Geelong Falcon's contested play and ability to create and set up teammates in space impressed.
Small forward Renee Saulitis showed a clean pair of heels when she bobbed up to kick two quick goals in the last term when the game was done, while Tyanna Smith and Paige Shepard battled hard in the middle.
The teams have two weeks off before round two of the championships begin on the Gold Coast, running from July 8-12.
There, they will take on Queensland, Western Australia, Eastern Allies (combined NSW/ACT and Tasmania) and Central Allies (South Australia and Northern Territory).
VIC COUNTRY 1.0 1.1 2.1 4.2 (26)
VIC METRO 3.3 5.6 8.9 10.10 (70)
GOALS
Vic Country: Saulitis 2, Simmons, Notman
Vic Metro: Grant 3, Bannan 3, Morris-Dalton 2, Georgostathis, Newton
BEST
Vic Country: McEvoy, Smith, Shepard, Saulitis, Douglass, Caris
Vic Metro: McKenzie, Grant, Lagioia, Bannan, Hartwig, Newton
