TASMANIA and NSW/ACT were convincing winners when the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships commenced in Sydney on the weekend, with victories in their first matches in division two of the 2007 titles.
At the SCG, Tassie overcame an 18-point deficit at quarter-time in its match against Queensland to kick five goals to two in the second term. Tasmania then led by four at the main break, before winning by 25 points.
Midfielders Jay Bowden (21 disposals) Aaron Cornelius (14 possessions and seven marks) both kicked five goals and were outstanding for Tasmania.
They also received strong support from Aaron Joseph (34 touches) and Alex Grima (19 disposals).
Another outstanding performance came from Tom Collier, who was overlooked in last year's NAB AFL Draft.
He has made great progress this year for the VFL Tassie Devils, and back playing among his age group, stood out with his aggression at the ball and his dash from defence.
At 192cm, Collier is the ideal type to play in a variety of roles and he looms as a key player in Tassie's quest for a title.
At Telstra Stadium, in the curtain-raiser to the Sydney/Collingwood clash, NSW/ACT jumped the Northern Territory with four unanswered goals in the first quarter. The Rams went on to win the match by 46 points.
Onballers Craig Bird (34 possessions – and a Sydney scholarship holder) and Loccy McGregor (30 touches and four goals) were outstanding for NSW/ACT.
They continually won the centre clearances and capitalised on the impressive ruck work of Max Wilson (199cm, 18 hit-outs) and David Martin (203cm, 15 hit-outs).
Medium forward Taylor Walker (an Adelaide scholarship holder) from Broken Hill continued his impressive goalkicking form for the Rams this year, booting five majors. His one-touch marking and accuracy around goal was a feature.
This was the first time since 1984 the championships were held in Sydney when the likes of Stephen Silvagni and Garry Lyon came onto the scene while playing for Victoria. The titles were then played at under-17 level.
The potential on display at the weekend from the four teams in Sydney suggested quite a number of players are set to follow the AFL path of Silvagni and Lyon and have an impact at the highest level.
This weekend, the championships head to Perth and Adelaide.
Western Australia hosts Vic Metro at Subiaco Oval on Saturday as a curtain-raiser to Fremantle and Carlton.
On Sunday, South Australia plays Vic Country at AAMI Stadium, after the clash between Adelaide and West Coast.
Fox Sports One will televise the match between Western Australia and Vic Metro live from 11am (WST) and 1pm (EST) with highlights of all matches to be shown on afl.com.au throughout the championships.
