Hey team.
Another Junior season done and just thought I give you all a little update on the next crop coming through.
Tonight is trials for AJs and Harold Matts. There are a heap of kids trialling so thats really good from a depth pool perspective. Feel a bit sorry for the Kids trialling though as its at Hillier Oval in Liverpool and it is buried in the smoke from the back burning.
I spent the Season in and around the Juniors again here in the Wests MacArthur District. It was a fantastic season with a great vibe and excellent footy. No washed out rounds, Out of 18 weeks of footy, 16 were bright sunshine, 1 was all day drizzle and 1 had drizzle in the afternoon. Unreal.
So the U16 Gold division here was very strong. 5 teams in the Comp all littered with reps with the top 3 Ingleburn, Easts and LCC all very evenly matched and all beat each other during the year. The other 2 teams of Camden and Narellan were very competitive and jagged some wins. No real blowouts in the grade at all.
U16 Silver has some good players coming through with a lot of them elidgable for U15s still.
U15 Gold Comp was very strong also and again there were no blowouts and a couple of games i went to in that grade the scores were 8-6 and 6-4. There are some good kids in that grade and some have been invited to trial tonight.
The U16 Grand Final last week was epic. A lot of these Kids are contracted to Wests on young development deals. Not so much cash related but it pays for Physio appoinments and xrays and stuff like that. Ingleburn Tigers won the GF over East Campbelltown. Ingleburns halves are possibly 2 of the best I have seen play in that grade. Both are playing a year up and played for Wests Tigers U15s this year for their pathways. The U16 gold comp is tough. They hit hard and run hard. You are allowed to lift in tackles so its not for Kids who have some self doubt. So when you consider these 2 halves are playing tough games against tough opponants is remarkable.
Their names are Jonas Peni (halfback) and Siotame Havea (alternates between 6 and 13). Jonas is arguebly the best 7 in the Country for that age group and you have all read about Haveas achievements in the school comps. Also in the Ingleburn team you have the captain who is super tough and runs all day Malcolm Mailo who plays the whole game nearly every game and very rarely gets a break. Their hooker Lorima Cosgrove reminds me of the old school hookers back in the 80s and 90s. Does all the dirty work in the middle, covers the ruck. All the 1%ers. Also their is a backrower in the team that caught my eye earlier in the year, Henare Reti. This kid is the goods. Off loads, makes line breaks, the whole package.
On Easts they have a hooker who is just the real deal. Brooklyn Milford. He controls the ruck in possesion with his quick darts like Damien Cook or his step 1 way pass the other that leaves the markers stuck still. He controls the pace Easts play at. I believe him and Cosgrove will be the 2 hookers if not for Harold Matts then at least AJs. Milford should get the Harold Matts gig.
The District is still in good hands with these Juniors coming through. You have seen the progression of Da Silva, Laulilii and Feledy who have gone on to wet their toes in 1st grade. You have to give them time.
Interesting also is that Bulldogs and Dragons i believe have their Harold Matts trials this Saturday. Roosters have theirs this weekend I think and they have closed it off to only local juniors allowed to trial except fo a few kids in key positions. Their junior base extends now up to the Central Coast. I think we all hate the Roosters but their junior base keeps getting bigger which is great.
I was going to go down and watch the trials but couldnt be assed. If i hear any more info ill happily post.
www.weststigers.com.au
www.zerotackle.com
