ONLY four points separated the Australian under-17 team and the New Zealand Hawks after a tense and absorbing contest at Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Saturday.

 

The NAB AFL Academy Level One squad, playing as Australia under-17, took the lead in the final minutes to beat the open-age Kiwi side 4.16 (40) to 5.6 (36).

 

Josh Dunkley captained the team and was awarded the Cameron Ling Medal after the game.  He is the son of former Swans great Andrew Dunkley. 

A small but vocal crowd turned out to watch an entertaining match characterised by intense defense and windy conditions that made scoring difficult.

 

The Australians took an early lead, through the boot of Jake Sushames. Strong defensive pressure from the Hawks kept the score low, and a goal to Brendan Clark kept them in the match. The first quarter ended 1.7 (13) to 1.0 (6) to the Australians.

 

A brutal second quarter followed, with neither side able to get on top. The Australians chipped away, edging slightly further into the lead. At half-time the score stood at 1.10 (16) to 1.1 (7).

 

The match looked to be slipping away from the Hawks after the half-time break, with the first goal of the quarter coming from Geelong’s Rhys Mathieson. However, the Hawks attack sparked into life and they stormed back into the match.

 

St Kilda International Scholarship holder Joe Baker-Thomas played a tremendous match as a forward, kicking a crucial goal from open play. Tim Morton then took an incredible mark under pressure, before calmly slotting a goal. 

With one quarter to play, the deficit was only two points.

 

The crowd roared their approval when Andy Christensen stepped up to kick a goal, giving the Hawks a five point lead. The lead fluctuated across the final quarter, with Michael Hagan picking up a goal to put the Australians back in front.

 

The Hawks weren’t finished though, and a Sean Butler goal gave the lead back to New Zealand.

 

The final say of the match went to North Adelaide’s Ryan Burton. His late 45m goal from a tight angle gave the lead back to the Australians, with only minutes to play. 

The Hawks maintained their intensity, though an upset win proved to be just beyond their grasp. 

The match ended 4.16 (40) to 5.6 (36).

 

Strong performances were recorded by many of the Hawks, with Andrew Howison and Khan Haretuku being awarded the best on ground trophies for the game. Numerous players stepped up with marks at crucial moments, especially in the Hawks backline.

 

Chris Johnson, the coach of the NAB AFL Academy Level One squad, made special mention of Stephen Tahana, saying: "without him we would have struggled to hold our backline together."

 

 

From the Hawks, the close match showed the incredible progress made by the AFL New Zealand high performance program. More than two thirds of the players in the team have been part of the system, coming through age group representative teams or through being selected  off strong performances at the AFL New Zealand national provincial championships.

 

A small contingent of players also came from Australia, including a quartet of New Zealand-born and heritage players who currently represent the Northern Territory Thunder. A trio of players also came over from Melbourne for the match, including Frankston Dolphins player Khan Haretuku.

 

Johnson paid tribute to the opposition.

 

"It was a great contest. To the credit of the New Zealanders, your tackling and endeavour on the ball was first class today," he said.

 

Justin Davies, Head Coach of the New Zealand Hawks, spoke to the quality and character of the Australians: "When it mattered, you kicked the goal, and that’s what good players do."

 

Australian under-17 4.16 (40) defeated New Zealand Hawks 5.6 (36)

 

Australian under-17: Sushames, Mathieson, Hagan, Burton

New Zealand Hawks: Clark, Baker-Thomas, Morton, Christensen, Butler

 

Australian under-17: Tahana, Weitering, Stewart, Hopper, Dunkley, Sullivan, Mills, Tucker

New Zealand Hawks: Howison, Haretuku, Ilett, Christensen, Miller, McKenzie