Southern Gippsland fights it out in junior representative deciders

SOUTHERN Gippsland was represented in two grand finals at Morwell late September in AFL Gippsland All Stars competition, with both its under 14 and under 15 sides highly competitive in narrow losses to Western Gippsland.

Under 14s

Western Gippsland 5.12(42) def Southern Gippsland 6.3(39)

The under 14s were pipped by just three points by a less accurate Western Gippsland outfit.

Clayton Quaife, who played for both the Leongatha fourths and Korumburra Bena under 14s during the season and Phillip Island Junior Football Club representative

Connor Macmillan accounted for the bulk of the Southern side’s goals, notching a couple of majors apiece, with Froley Anderson and Angus Livingstone rounding out its goalkicking tally, with one major each.

Macmillan featured prominently among the team’s best performers, only listed behind Foster under 18s player Leevi Lidstone and Phillip Island Junior Football Club’s Ayden Fawaz.

Others to stand out for the narrowly beaten side were Thomas Macmillan, Livingstone and Hamish Withall.

Southern Gippsland’s under 14s had an excellent season, winning all six of their matches leading into the grand final, including their round 2 meeting with Western Gippsland.

Under 15s

Western Gippsland 8.9(57) def Southern Gippsland 7.10(52)

Southern Gippsland was left just a goal short of glory after a meritorious performance, with Western Gippsland sneaking home by 5 points.

Jobe Scapin (Inverloch Kongwak), Mitchell Croatto (Korumburra Bena), and Aydan Williams (Leongatha) booted two goals each for the Southern side, with Willem Duursma (Inverloch Kongwak) managing a single major.

Inverloch Kongwak’s Archie Terlich starred for the Southern Gippsland representative unit, with Scapin also outstanding and William Peppard, Finn Donohue, Duursma and Yianni Caffieri other notable contributors.

Southern Gippsland’s under 15 side lost just one game prior to the grand final, also to Western Gippsland, but got much closer to beating that opponent in the season’s final match.

Southern Gippsland reached the semi final stage in under 13s competition after battling back from a slow start to the season in which the side lost its opening two games.