Nicholas Graham lays a tackle on South Australia’s human skyscraper Brody Grundy. 83910 Picture: JARROD POTTER
By JARROD POTTER
VIC Country couldn’t end their under-18 championships campaign on a high – losing their final match against South Australia by 13 points.
Country couldn’t stop South Australia’s gun pair Jimmy Toumpas (26 possessions and nine marks) and Brody Grundy (20 hit-outs, 12 possessions, three goals) from running riot at Etihad Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
Gippsland Power and AIS-AFL listed forward Tim Membrey starred up front for Country – kicking four goals with five marks inside-50 boosting his draft potential.
Stingrays trio Lachie Whitfield (26 possessions, with 10 clearances and 10 inside-50s), Taylor Garner (16 possessions, four tackles) and Nathan Wright (17 possessions, four marks) were among the best for Vic Country as was Power midfielder Nicholas Graham (12 possessions and eight tackles).
Also playing for Victoria from Dnadenong or Gippsland Power were Jake Calvert, Bill Hartung, Lewis Pierce, Ben Kearns, Will Hams and Ryley Hall.
The loss left Vic Country with a 2-3 record, finishing last in Division 1, only beating Division 2 teams Tasmania and Queensland during the cross-over rounds.
Whitfield was awarded the Larke Medal for the best player in Division 1 of the championships, which will see his already lofty draft stocks rise even higher.
Whitfield and Garner were named in the All-Australian team for the championships, as was Vic Country team-mate Oliver Wines.
