Photo: Solstice Digital
The Tasmania Devils completed a clean sweep of the NAB AFL National Development Championships – U16 Boys on Saturday, beating the Sydney Swans by 53 points at the Kingston Twin Ovals. The result was Tasmania’s third win in as many games, and it saw them take out the Division 2 title in impressive fashion.
TASMANIA DEVILS: 4.4 5.4 9.8 12.10 (82)
SYDNEY SWANS: 0.1 3.1 3.3 4.5 (29)
Goals: C. Jeffrey 4, J. Thorpe 2, C. Ling 2, L. Douglas, D. Cooney, F. Richards, A. O’Connor
Best players: H. McLeod, O. Kubank, B. Harper, C. Ling, C. Jeffrey, L. Ling
Oliver Kubank was named as Tasmania’s MVP of the championships, and he was a standout once again in the win over the Swans with 33 disposals and eight marks. Defender Harry McLeod was prolific throughout, racking up 38 disposals and eight marks from the backline, while Cohan Jeffrey led the way in attack with four goals.
The Devils made a flying start to their first home game of the championships, rushing to a big lead before the Swans could even blink. They piled on four goals in the opening term and held the visitors to only a single behind to grab the ascendancy. Blake Harper (29 disposals, five clearances) got the ball rolling around the stoppages and racked up 12 disposals in the quarter, setting the tone in a game where the Devils would win the centre clearance battle.
The Swans kicked with the breeze in the second quarter, but Tasmania held firm to minimize the damage and maintain a lead. They held Sydney to three goals, while Connor Ling kicked his second of the day to add to the buffer. The dominance of the Devils in the middle of the ground helped to keep the Swans at bay, with ruck Max Mapley (20 hit outs, four tackles) controlling the play around the contest. With the lead sitting at 15 points at half time, the game was still well and truly up for grabs.
That changed quickly in the third term, with Tasmania again putting their foot down and pulling away once again. Jeffrey booted two goals in the quarter to lead the Devils forward, and they again added four goals to extend the lead to 41 points at the last change. That proved to be an unassailable lead as Tasmania continued to dominate in the fourth, even kicking away from the scoring end of the ground. They kicked three goals to one to push the margin out to 53 points and emphatically seal the Division 2 title.