By TEO PELLIZZERI
– See our gallery 1 from the Vic Metro v Vic Country clash
– See our gallery 2 from the Vic Metro v Vic Country clash
PERSISTENCE paid of for Vic Metro as it broke through a dogged Vic Country defensive set-up to win its final AFL under-18 national championships match by 19 points at Etihad Stadium last Wednesday.
Metro and Country were playing for pride after South Australia sealed the division 1 title with its 10-point win against Western Australia in an earlier match at the same venue.
But pride and bragging rights were still on the line for the Victorian teams as Metro won 9.7 (61) to 6.6 (42).
The Wednesday results meant South Australia’s three-point win against Vic Metro in Geelong the previous Friday was the decisive game on the way to the state’s first division 1 title.
Metro’s Jack Billings (Oakleigh Chargers) was the dominant player in the first half, having kicked three of Metro’s five goals to the long break.
But Country dominated most of the third term, trapping Metro in its defensive 50 metres.
Country set up defensively in a way that allowed it more numbers to marking contests. The absence of key forward and top pick fancy Tom Boyd with injury robbed Metro of a player who could have been the get-out option.
Country was on the march and within a point when Jackson Nelson kicked a spectacular banana goal from the pocket. But Country would never hit the front, with two goals late in the quarter proving the decisive break for Metro.
Vermont’s Mitchell Honeychurch kicked the first from a forward line stoppage, then a poor kick across half back by Vic Country was picked off and passed to Keilor’s James Sicily, who converted from the set shot.
An arm wrestle for the first eight minutes of the last quarter broke Vic Metro’s way before two goals in three minutes – the first for Donvale’s Jordan Walker and the second a nice left-footed finish from Northern Knights’ Marcus Bontempelli on the run – made the margin an unassailable 25 points.
Metro named eight among their best players. Honeychurch led fellow Oakleigh Charger Jay Kennedy-Harris.
Lewis Taylor’s hard running made him a stand-out for Vic Country, the Terang-Mortlake player joined by Kyabram’s Nick Holman and Beaufort’s Matt Crouch among the best.
