Coaches Report – U16s / U18s

Round 8 – West Adelaide V Glenelg

West Adelaide U16s faced Glenelg in a fiercely contested match, battling through significant squad changes. With 11 alterations to the team due to college players being unavailable and even debuting a 14-year-old following a late illness withdrawal, the boys once again showed their competitive spirit, unwavering teamwork, and resilience.

From the opening bounce, Glenelg came out determined, edging ahead by 1 point at quarter-time. However, West Adelaide gradually took control, building momentum and extending the lead to 20 points by halftime with composed ball movement and strong clearance work.

The third quarter proved to be a turning point, as Glenelg lifted their intensity while we struggled to maintain the same pressure. The Bays capitalised, kicking five goals to one in the second half, ultimately securing a narrow 2-point victory. Despite having a +10 advantage in inside 50s and +12 in clearances, the inability to convert key opportunities proved costly for our boys once again.

The frustration remains for both the playing group and coaching staff, with consistency across four quarters being the missing piece. Despite the win-loss column not reflecting the team’s efforts, the squad’s average losing margin across four games stands at just 10 points—highlighting our competitiveness and ability to challenge every opponent.

Next up, the boys prepare to take on Norwood at Coopers Stadium on Saturday.

Best Players: H. Banks, DePalma, N.Martinson, R.Gladigau, M.Johnson

Goal Kickers: I Labastida 2, N Martinson 2, L Andriani, S DePalma, H Hudson, L Price.

Jeff Sochacki

Under 16 Coach

We hosted Glenelg on Saturday for our Round 8 fixture with an earlier start in what turned out to be windy conditions. Due to player availability, we made numerous changes to the team, which gave several younger players an opportunity which was exciting for both the playing and coaching groups.

We kicked into a strong breeze in the opening quarter. While our stoppage work held up well, we struggled to layer the ground effectively in offence, and Glenelg took full advantage, kicking five straight goals to our one goal one.

In the second quarter, we responded well on the scoreboard. Our midfield remained competitive around stoppages, giving us better field position and scoring chances. A late Glenelg goal on the halftime siren saw us head into the main break just 10 points down.

We knew the third quarter would again be challenging into the wind, but the boys’ intent and effort remained high. We held Glenelg to just five scoring shots, but their accuracy saw the margin push out to 28 points at three-quarter time.

In the final term, we found it difficult to generate the ball movement and connection we needed to score. Glenelg managed the game well throughout the final 25 minutes. Although we fought the game out strongly, the task proved too much, and we eventually went down by 26 points.

Despite the result, I was pleased with the way we competed. We produced 16 scoring shots to Glenelg’s 17, and the coaching group identified some key areas to keep building on as we move forward.

– Russell Godson (U18s Coach)

Goal kickers: Aquel Rankine and Lucas White kicked two each, Tahi Brain, Josh Goldie and Logan McCabe all kicked one each

Best Players: Lucas White, Archie Walsh, Will Thomas, Zanen Syrokos and Henry Martinella