A Club First as The Under 16s are Grand Final Bound

A Club First as The Under 16’s are Grand Final Bound

The West Adelaide Football Club are proud of their Under 16s who this week will be playing in the Grand Final against Glenelg. The match will take place at City Mazda Stadium at 11am with free entry to all patrons.

This is the first time the Under 16s have made the Grand Final since the inception of the competition in 2009. Their previous best effort was making finals last year after finishing 4^th however unfortunately being knocked out before making it to the Grand Final. The Under 16s have turned their fortunes around this year, finishing first after going an impressive 6-1 for the season. Known for their quick starts to games, the Under 16s have been able to apply heavy scoreboard pressure to the opposition and put their opponents on the backfoot early. This trend continued last week in a hotly contested match against Norwood which saw them book their place in the 2019 Grand Final. Following a 6 goal to 3 first term, the Bloods looked in control, however they had to rally together following a disappointing second and third term to end the game as 3 point winners.

West Adelaide’s impressive season can be contributed to them being well coached and playing a team orientated brand of footy where everyone plays their role. Under 16s coach Michael Wakim has enjoyed his first year taking control of the Under 16s, previously being an assistant. Michael has been well supported by his support staff and other assistant coaches – Andrew Rogers and Phil Andrianni. A key inclusion to the coaching staff has been Damien Venning as an assistant who formally was an assistant coach for the league side when Andrew Collins was coach, and has brought a large amount of experience and knowledge to the side. This knowledge and experience will help these young men as they continue their football journeys. Some will be returning to their local clubs, some will be promoted to the Under 18s or others will play in the Under 17 Championship this July following the Grand Final this Sunday.

The Under 16s side is made up of kids from all over West Adelaide’s zoning area, with eight being country kids coming from the Riverland, Roxby Downs and Mallee. The goal of the under 16s squad is to develop and teach young footballers, so they have the opportunity to grow into league players in the future and represent this great club. Keep an eye for these players in the future,

David Midwinter, Jack McArdle, Hugh Desira, Charlie Pridham, Cade Kennedy, Nadim Oueiss, Jackson Roberts, Luke Young, Jesse Thackeray, Mitch Hahn, Connor Blackwell, Ben Burbridge, Edward Faulkner and Cooper Thompson to name a few.

Hope to see you there this Sunday at 11am cheering on the Bloods as the Westies Under 16s attempt to be the ones to lift the cup in front of their home crowd. There will be coffee, food and drinks available. Our bistro will also be open during the day for meals.