THROUGHOUT the remainder of the 2008 NAB AFL under-18 championships, AFL youth and high performance coordinator and former AFL star Jason McCartney will give afl.com.au his thoughts on the players who caught his eye.

Here are his assessments after Western Australia thrashed South Australia by 64 points in the curtain-raiser to the Port Adelaide and Carlton clash at AAMI Stadium on Sunday.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA v WESTERN AUSTRALIA
South Australia
Lewis Johnston – He was outstanding. In a losing side, which went down by 64 points, he was a standout. Playing at centre half-forward, he took 10 marks, including six contested. He also had five inside 50s and he was by far the best key position player on the ground.

He presented really well, but what was really great was his lateral movement. And that is such a key for a centre half-forward – you can't be just that one straight lead-up player. You've got to move laterally. He did it really well and his hands were superb all day.

That should be a benchmark performance for Lewis. If he can get his work-rate up like that for the remainder of the carnival, it's going to cap off a great series for him.

Christopher Hall – There is a bit of quality about him. He played half-forward and does go through the midfield at times. He uses the ball exceptionally well and he had 15 disposals against Western Australia. He goes and wins his own ball – he had three hard-ball gets – and he is quite clever with his stoppage work around the ground.

He had five clearances for the match. He kicked a couple of goals in South Australia's previous match against Tasmania, so he's someone who has jumped out in the last couple of weeks.

Paul Cahill – From limited opportunities up forward he continues to look a handy player. His kicking isn't super, but his athleticism is impressive. If South Australia can get the ball quickly into its forward line, Cahill can use his great vertical leap to his side's advantage. He kicked one goal against Western Australia.

Matthew Broadbent – An AIS boy, Matty was a really solid contributor. He had 15 disposals and four rebound 50s, but his hands are really good in close. He had a run-with role with Daniel Rich, Western Australia's captain, and I thought Matty did an exceptional job.

I was a bit surprised in the last quarter when they moved Matty back to half-back. He has been solid in both matches for South Australia and is one to keep having a look at.

Western Australia
Stephen Hill – Stephen was prominent in the last round. His GPS tracking results at Subiaco Oval last round suggested he ran 15 kilometres, which shows he has a fantastic work-rate. He played on Hamish Hartlett during the game – one of the stars for South Australia – and Stephen just went about his business by winning the footy. He was good overhead, he finishes well and he covers the ground well with a high work-rate. He's also quite lively.

Stephen finished with 16 disposals, but he actually spent the third quarter deep in defence, when Hartlett went forward. What impressed me about Stephen was that he kept winning the footy in his run-with role and was very dangerous. There is a lot of quality about him.

Clancee Pearce – Clancee was good again, winning 20 disposals, and had four hard-ball gets through the midfield. He's hard at the contest and he had a couple of centre clearances. He's proficient on the run with his kicking, without being exceptional, but when kicking in from a stationary position, he turned it over a few times.

I won't make a judgment on it at the moment, but it's something I'll watch over the rest of the carnival. But he's been a very good player in two games.

Nick Naitanui – He was very good. In Western Australia's first game, he did some quite remarkable things – even though he only had eight or nine disposals – but he had five hard-ball gets and five clearances.

What really stood out to me about Nick in this game was that he was really challenged in the first contest of the match. He went up in the ruck and produced a great leap, but he copped a heavy knock from the opposition ruckman. But Nick got straight back up and kept going, so he responded really well.

He was very effective with his hands, his work in and around the contest was great and his interception work was quite remarkable. An interception on Lewis Johnston was initially a smother, but then he actually marked the ball and then went inside 50 and found a target. He's still getting most of his disposals in and around the ruck contests, but personally, I would love to see him spend a bit more time up forward so we can see a bit more of the total package.

Daniel Rich – He started well and had a good battle with Matty Broadbent and I think his work-rate was a lot higher this week than his previous match. He is a quality player who uses the ball well and his left-foot is quite deadly and penetrating.

He had 18 disposals, eight inside 50s and four centre clearances. He also has a strong body. Daniel was back near his best, but there is no doubt he's going to have to contend with run-with opponents throughout the rest of the carnival.