Sorry to change the topic back, but here's the latest Division 2 results, for the 2 games played at a cold, wet and windy Kardinia Park -

So far, its been a great tournament for NSW/ACT, taking everyone by surprise. And a terrible tournament from last years powerhouse Queensland, bombing out big time.. NT and Tassie Iin that order) ranking in the middle.

Northern Territory 13.12 (90) defeated Tasmania 5.15 (45)

Goals: NT: Rolfe 4, Whitehurst 3, Motlop 2, Talbot, Calma-Holt, Phoenix, Shannon Rioli.
Tasmania: Bowden 2, Rohizat, O’Garey, McShane

Best: NT: Wonaeamirri, C.Rioli, Fittock, Liddle, Rolfe, Motlop, Stokes.
Tasmania: Williams, Bowden, Joseph, Murphy, Sheean, Collier

NSW-ACT 15.19 (109) defeated Queensland 7.5 (47)

Goals: NSW-ACT: Bird 3, McGregor 3, McIntyre 3, Breust 2, Davies, Walker, Terlich, Armstrong.
Queensland: Daye, Spackman, Whitecross, Mulligan, Fewkes, Zorko, Magin

Best: NSW-ACT: Ediriwickrama, Davies, Drum, Bruce, Breust, Bird.
Queensland: Gibson, Mulligan, Zorko, Pantic, Headland.

WA, after bombing out badly last year, is now hot favourite to take out the Div 1 Title. After the terrible weather in Melbourne this week, next weeks final games might be transferred to Docklands.

Yesterdays Div 1 games were transferred from Kardinia Park to Princes Park due to the deluge in Geelong and consequent state of KP. Unfortunately, the move didn't help at all, with appalling freezing cold and windy conditions, topped off by the afternoon deluge of rain. In short, playing conditions could hardly have been worse.

Vic Metro was at least able to chalk up the Vics only success for the tournament.

RESULTS

Western Australia 9.14 (68 ) defeated Vic Country 3.7 (25)
Goals: WA: Ellard 2, Morton 2, Masten 2, Garlett, Yarran, Palmer.
Vic Country: Hobbs, McKenna, Bell

Best: WA: Palmer, Pears, Myers, Masten, Garlett, Morton, Rich.
Vic Country: Hobbs (from a top Horsham sporting family), , Suban, Selwood, Austin, McEvoy, Hinkley

Vic Metro 7.7 (49) defeated South Australia 3.5 (23)

Goals: Vic Metro: Potts 4, DeBruin, Grant, Maric.
SA: Holmes, White, Staple.

Best: Vic Metro: Farmer, Polkinghorne, Potts, Kreuzer, Hurley, Grimes. SA: McNamara, Day, Broadbent, Greenwood, Ebert, Blesing.

The HUN report from yesterday -

Push to move championship matches to Dome
07 July 2007 Herald Sun
Scott Gullan

NORMALLY it's who's the next Chris Judd but the main talking point at yesterday's second round of the national under-18 championships was actually the Telstra Dome. More specifically, why can't we showcase the best young talent in the land on the perfect track indoors at the Dome?

After Wednesday's near flood in Geelong which saw yesterday's games moved to Princes Park, the recruiters were already edgy. That soon turned to anger when, the minute Vic Metro ran on to the ground for game two, it started pouring rain. While it's always good to see if players can handle the wet, the clubs fear they will turn up next week for the final games and get another muddy slog that won't shed any more light on the kids' abilities.

"It's ridiculous," one recruiter said. "We should be at Telstra Dome because these are the potential stars of our competition and they should be on show in the best conditions available. "It's no good for us if we roll up here again next week and see this again." Last night, the AFL's general manager of national and international game development, David Matthews, was seeking Telstra Dome boss Ian Collins in the hope of switching at least next Wednesday's Division One games. They will also discuss locking in one or two games at the stadium next year.

While the weather took up much of the discussion, the performance of Western Australia and potential No. 1 Matthew Kreuzer was also a talking point. WA, which didn't win a game last year, is on track to win its first national title since 1999 after it made it two from two, easily defeating Vic Country. The standout player was East Fremantle midfielder Rhys Palmer, who collected 36 touches and kicked one goal yesterday after bagging five from 35 possessions in Perth last week against Vic Metro. He has now gone from a late first-round draft pick to a possible top 10. "Everyone likes a player who can play in all conditions, the mental strength to play the game for what it's worth anywhere," WA coach Gerard McNeill said. Others to impress included Cale Morton, the brother of West Coast's Mitch, East Fremantle midfielder Chris Masten, full-back Alex Rance, the son of Footscray and West Coast player Murray, and Fijian-born ruckman Nicholas Naitanui, who is too young for this year's draft but will be hot property in 12 months time.

Kreuzer, who led Vic Metro to a comfortable victory over South Australia, showed he can do it in any conditions. Playing as a ruck-rover despite standing 199cm, he threw himself everywhere, smothering and doing all the one-percenters which gladden recruiters hearts. His Metro teammate Trent Cotchin, who is expected to go No. 2, fought back after a quiet opening game in the championships to show his class.

NSW/ACT won Division 2 of the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships after remaining undefeated during the titles. In contrast, last years champs, Queensland, were this years chumps, being well beaten in all 3 games it played.

The last time NSW/ACT won Division 2 was in 2003. Craig Bird from Nelson Bay, NSW, won the Hunter Harrison Medal for the Division 2 best and fairest player.

Cyril Rioli, nephew of both Maurice Rioli and Michael Long, also caught the eye with 7 goals against Queensland. Tasmania’s Aaron Joseph, Queenslander Dayne Zorko, Northern Territory’s Austin Wonaeamirri, and Craig Bird, from NSW/ACT, were the NAB Most Valuable Players from Division 2.

Division 2 results from the matches played at Victoria Park in Melbourne.

Northern Territory 17.9 (111) d Queensland 12.13 (85)

Goals - NT: C Rioli 7, Rolfe 4, Whitehurst 4, Motlop, Stewart Rioli

QLD: Zorko 3, Stewart 2, Magin 2, Mulligan 2, Hill, Fewkes, Enright

Best - NT: Oliver, C Rioli, Wonaeamirri, Liddle, Rolfe, Sharples, Whitehurst

QLD: Zorko, Gibson, Stewart, Brittain, Headland, Reid

NSW/ACT 20.13 (133) defeated Tasmania 13.14 (92)

Goals – NSW/ACT: McGregor 3, Breust 2, Colvin 2, Davies 2, Davis 2, Terlich 2, Ediriwickrama 2, Bird, Reed, Walker, Wilson, Stroobants

TAS: Bowden 2, Shade 2, Cornelius 2, O’Garey, Hislop, Collier, Joseph, Salter, Mihocek, Hewitt

Best – NSW/ACT: Bird, Ediriwickrama, Breust, McGregor, Reed, Davies, Cleaver

TAS: Joseph, Salter, Cornelius, Bowden, Collier, Bellchambers

Here's a report complaing about the venue for the final round of games -

Young stars shine in dismal surrounds
Emma Quayle (Age) July 11, 2007

WHEN the AFL moved its under-18 championships to Melbourne several years ago, the plan was to give the best rising talent a taste of life on the big grounds. And to show the recruiters what they looked like there.

It is not the league's fault that so much rain fell in the past week that it had matches booted off Skilled Stadium and then Princes Park. Nor is it the AFL's fault that the MCG has not been made available for the past three years or that using Telstra Dome's troubled turf has never been an option. But it is a huge shame that — having started their carnivals on the SCG and Telstra Stadium two weeks ago — the boys from NSW, the Northern Territory, Queensland and Tasmania had to wrap things up yesterday inside a dilapidated old stadium called Victoria Park.

There were no coaches' boxes. There was one small scoreboard, minimal facilities for the players and less for their families and friends. Playing the final division-two games there was the AFL's last resort after it was kicked off Carlton's ground, and you could tell. The division-one finals have been moved to Casey Fields today. This comes after the South and West Australian teams made it all the way to Geelong last week, only to be told their games the next day had been moved to Melbourne. The South Australians travelled to Carlton the next morning, then had to go back to Geelong because they hadn't been able to switch their accommodation. Now, some of the players will get to go home and say they won a national title at Cranbourne (no offence).

The recruiters aren't happy. Neville Stibbard, the Kangaroos' recruiting manager, was most disappointed for the players, but said there were not enough big grounds in Melbourne now to stage such an important event. "I know the rain's been really unfortunate, but it reminds me of when they played at Gumly Gumly in Wagga, in 1992. They had to move the cows off the ground and we were promised that no kid would ever play on a ground like that again," he said. "We can't get on the MCG, we were promised we'd get onto Telstra Dome, and those promises have fallen short. It's time to move it back to another state, where we can get on bigger grounds."

That's an option the AFL will consider, given how successful taking the first round of matches on the road has proved. The league's game development manager, David Matthews, wants the AFL to get its hand on a venue it can maintain and control. He'll keep pushing for the bigger grounds, but thinks that will always be problematic."Telstra Dome's in the best condition it's been, but it's hard to forecast how each year's going to unfold and what surface issues there might be at their stadium. We'd like to play there and we'll work on it, but we don't want to be left at the mercy of late decisions," he said. "I think what it highlights is the need for the AFL to work hard with AFL Victoria and local councils and the State Government. We need to find another elite facility that we can use."

They used to change the host city for this every year, so it used to go around the country. Why did they change? Basketcase Victorian clubs whingeing about sending their scouts interstate?

The amount of effing clubs/stadiums in Victoria and they still had that mess. Bloody hell!

Agree with Jeffles sentiments. They got caught out badly by the coldest and wettest Winter I've ever experienced here. It all ended way out at Casey Fields!! Kardinia Park is now so bad that Geelong have been training at the baseball fields in Warne Ponds! The championships used to be shared between each stateuntil 1996 (it was even held in Wagga Wagga once), then were exclusively held in Melbourne/Geelong until this year - I suppose to save on costs. But given the cold climate here in July, they should look at sharing it around each year.

Now, the final instalment for 2007 - WA confirmed its status as the premier under-18 team this year with a win against South Australia yesterday in the Division 1 grand final. WA controlled the game from the first bounce to win by 77 points, 20.11 (131) to 8.6 (54).

Rhys Palmer was awarded most valuable player for Western Australia. Teammate Cale Morton, brother of Hawthorn's Jarryd and West Coast's Mitch, claimed the Larke Medal for the Division 1 best-and-fairest.

Vic Metro beat Vic County by 48 points in their intrastate hitout, 17.8 (110) to 9.8 (62). Northern Knights ruckman Matthew Kreuzer was the best for Vic Metro and North Ballarat's Nick Suban was named the most valuable player for Vic Country.

Report on the last act of the 2007 championships -

Sandgropers new kings of juniors
Emma Quayle (Age)
July 12, 2007

IN PAST years, two types of teams have turned up to the AFL's under-18 championships. There have been teams filled with talented, draftable players who haven't been able to win games. Then there have been squads filled with less gifted types, who the recruiters have been less keen to see, but who have come together much better and won.

This year, Western Australia did a little bit of both. In 2006, it lost all three matches at the national carnival, having entered with the most highly rated team. Still, it had 16 players make AFL lists come draft time.
This year, its squad was considered less talented than the Vic Metro line-up, but had eight players make the All-Australian squad and won all three games by large margins. A 77-point win over South Australia at Casey Fields yesterday clinched the title.Cale Morton won the Larke Medal as the best division one player, one vote ahead of teammate Rhys Palmer. After dominating the first two games, Palmer has made sure clubs will keep an eye on him for the rest of the year.

Morton, Chris Masten and David Myers will be snapped up reasonably early in the draft, with fellow All-Australians Patrick McGinnity and Alex Rance enhancing their own chances and Daniel Rich and Nick Naitanui becoming two to watch for next year. Morton is the younger brother of West Coast player Mitch and Hawthorn's Jarryd, an agile 192-centimetre player who can fill almost any spot on the ground.

Vic Metro was afflicted with the problem WA once had, if not to the same extent. After being thumped by WA in their first match, the Victorians responded with two wins, their eight-goal victory over Vic Country leaving them in second place overall. They had four members of their highly rated squad make the All-Australian team — Matthew Kreuzer, Addam Maric, captain Jack Grimes and Michael Hurley, who held down full-back throughout the carnival, but is not old enough to be drafted this season.

The West Australians' win was their first since the likes of Paul Hasleby, Darren Glass, Adam Hunter, Joel Corey, Chance Bateman and Leon Davis played in their 1999 title. They won in 1985, with a team featuring John Worsfold, Peter Sumich, Guy McKenna, Scott Watters, Paul Peos, Chris Lewis and Chris Waterman, and AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan expects a similar number of AFL players to emerge from the current group. "We always emphasise that this championship is about two things — trying to win the title but about ensuring everyone who has a chance to get drafted or make the AFL is given every opportunity," he said.

NSW/ACT won its first division two title since 2000 with a clean sweep. Craig Bird, tied to Sydney under a NSW scholarship, won the Hunter Harrison Medal as best second division player.

2007 Under-18 All-Australian team

Western Australia: Chris Masten, Rhys Palmer, Daniel Rich, Patrick McGinnity, David Myers, Alex Rance, Cale Morton, Nicholas Naitanui
Vic Metro: Matthew Kreuzer (pictured), Addam Maric, Michael Hurley, Jack Grimes
Vic Country: Nick Suban, Scott Selwood, (yet another one) Ben McEvoy
South Australia: Brad Ebert (nephew of the Port great)
NSW-ACT: Craig Bird, Taylor Walker
Tasmania: Aaron Joseph, Tom Collier, Aaron Cornelius
Northern Territory: Cyril Rioli (nephew of both Maurice Rioli and Michael Long)

And in the under 16's it's been the complete opposite. Queensland won 3 of 3 (all easily), and NSW lost all 3 to come last.

The Under 16 Nationals were played in Queensland. Vic Metro were undefeated in Div 1, followed by WA, SA and Vic Country in that order. Here's an article on former test opener, Geoff Marsh, whose son played in the championships, about the talent drain into the AFL system. Each year, the Victorian Cricket Association bemoans the junior cricket talent gobbled up in the AFL draft -

Cricket behind AFL in luring talent: Marsh
Emma Quayle (Age) August 5, 2007

CRICKET is lagging badly behind the AFL in its attempt to lure the country's most talented teenage athletes, according to former Test opener Geoff Marsh. Marsh, who has been in Queensland this week to watch his 15-year-old son Mitchell play for Western Australia in the AFL's national under-16 championships, said there was "no comparison" between the opportunities offered by each sport.

Mitchell Marsh and three of his WA teammates also have been selected in WA's under-16 cricket squad, and potentially face a decision between sports in the next year. Marsh, who coached Australia for five years, said he had been stunned by the number of specialist coaches the young footballers had regular access to, the medical supervision they were placed under, the organisation of their 14-week program and the exposure they were given.

"The AFL know they're competing against every other sport to get the most talented kids, and they're creating a lot more opportunities for those kids," Marsh said. "It's a real eye-opener when you compare what the same kid can get in cricket to the way they're looked after in football. It's chalk and cheese, really. "When I look at it now, if you're a talented footballer, you'd be snapped up straight away just because of the way the system is. It's so professional, and kids can see the opportunities right in front of them. It's a very clear pathway."

Marsh said young Australian cricketers did not receive anywhere near the exposure or experience that they did when Rod Marsh ran the national Cricket Academy, since re-invented as the Cricket Australia Centre of Excellence, and needed to play more cricket. He said there was little opportunity for young cricketers to keep pushing themselves forward.

"There's nothing between grade cricket and state cricket, the under-19 World Cup is only on every two years, and the kids just aren't getting to play enough cricket. "When you're competing against sports like football, soccer and basketball, you've got to fight a bit harder. We've got to invest more money into making sure we get the pathway right."

Cricket's just paying the penalty for not having any will or urgency whatsoever to get a viable and popular domestic competition going.

Seriously, if you were 18 and were good at cricket and footy, you can either have a huge chance of getting drafted which pays $50k base and $2500 a match for your first 2 years (with a big chance to earn a 6 figure salary after that), or you can wait a few years playing in some backwater grade comp with a much less chance at getting on a state cricket list which pays 2/5ths of f**k all, with an even smaller chance of ever earning a decent living.

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to know why few kids would choose cricket.

Big changes announced for the Under 18's (and also Under 16's) national next year, as well as the 8 new junior acadamies. Will be interesting to see how the two best Division 2 sides go against the Division 1 sides next year -

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/t ... 70230.html (don't be mislead by the poor headline, which is a about a relatively minor Victorian-centric part of the whole article)

TAC Cup flicked from MCG in revamp
Emma Quayle (Age) November 11, 2007

THE AFL will establish eight new junior academies, replace the TAC Cup grand final with two national under-16 finals on the MCG on grand final day and completely revamp the under-18 championships as part of a raft of changes to the elite underage pathway program. Recruiters will be able to assess second-division draft prospects against first-division sides under the new under-18 program, which will become a six-week series played in several states.

Mark Ricciuto and Luke Darcy have accepted coaching roles with both the national AIS-AFL Academy and the new state-based programs. The TAC Cup grand final — played on the MCG on grand final day since the competition began in 1992 — will be moved to Telstra Dome, possibly on the Friday of grand final week, and the ground will host the mid-week national under-18 finals during the AFL's split round.

The changes mean the championships will start with a qualifying tournament in May between the four division-two sides — Tasmania, the Northern Territory, Queensland and NSW-ACT — with the top two teams to play against Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia and Western Australia when they meet the following month. The games will be staggered over a six-week period, played in Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, and feature as many AFL curtain-raisers as possible.

The national under-16 championships will be moved in full to the Gold Coast in late July, see each of the 200-odd players undergo fitness assessments, and conclude with the two MCG games — first and second-division finals. From there, 30 players will be offered scholarships to the AIS-AFL Academy, pushing the start of that program back several weeks, while up to 40 players will join each of the new academies, aligned to the eight national underage teams.

The curriculum for each academy is still being fine-tuned with the various state bodies, but the AFL's plan is to offer more young footballers the sort of coaching and life training available now to the AIS-AFL players, through year-long programs providing ongoing access to the likes of Darcy and Ricciuto. Michael Voss and Jason McCartney will continue to assist head coach Alan McConnell in the AIS program.

The AFL's game development manager, David Matthews, said staging the under-16 games on grand final day would give youngsters across Australia the chance to play on football's biggest stage, at a time when some were choosing between sports. He said the league was determined for the TAC Cup decider to maintain a presence in grand final week, if not at the MCG. "The TAC Cup has achieved some great things and we're working at the moment to place the TAC Cup grand final potentially with the VFL grand final," Matthews said. "There's the potential for them both to be played at Telstra Dome, but we certainly want to get the TAC Cup on Telstra Dome in front of a bigger crowd."

Seems to be a pretty smart idea IMO. I'd say the AFL has identified that the Division 2 states would be at a bit of a disadvantage come draft time as the clubs wouldn't have seen their players against the best from the other states.

His daughter plays for the Perth Lynx, Shan Marsh got 166 runs against Queensland the last pura cup match and Mitchell could play for an AFL team

Not a bad result in the gene pool...