Ballarat's Under-18s National Championships double header on Wednesday delivered in spectacular fashion as South Australia won by one point over Vic Country and the Allies defeated Western Australia by six points.
Both games featured momentum swings as plenty of players from across the four teams put their skillset on show.
Western Australia and South Australia conclude the carnival with a 2-2 record, while the Allies finish with a 1-3 record.
Find out about the standout performers below.
Vic Country
Cody Walker: It was a statement game for the Carlton father-son prospect. After missing the second game of the carnival with an AC shoulder injury, Walker delivered arguably his best performance of the season, finishing with 35 disposals as he showed a beautiful balance of inside and outside talent. A 13-disposal first quarter laid the foundation for a sensational showing. He also had three centre clearances in the first quarter, one of which set up a trademark Ethan Drever goal from beyond the arc. His ability to dart in and out of traffic and clean hands at ground level afforded him time and space, and his willingness to bring his teammates into play rather than trying to do everything himself was a pleasing feature. Alongside 18 contested possessions which underlined his aggression and skill at stoppage, he also worked hard to get plenty of handball receives where he hit some chiselling passes. There were still some occasional blips with his possession, but it was outweighed by his potent ball use which drove his team forward, with none of his disposals better than a kick to forward Xavier Ladbrook's advantage deep in the last quarter.
Gus Kennedy: Wednesday was an excellent advertisement for the Dandenong co-captain's defensive intent. He plays taller than his 186cm billing and isn't afraid to back into a marking contest and laid several important spoils across the afternoon. He competed hard and was hard to beat in one-on-one contests and laid some aggressive tackles in defensive 50. Has good pace off the mark which he used to his advantage when he found himself on the last line.
Ethan Drever: Drever running through the corridor chaining possession and burning his direct opponents with speed has become a trademark this season. On Wednesday, he kicked another archetypal Drever goal from beyond the arc, bursting from clearance, a position where he looks so dangerous. His ability to not only drive out the front of stoppages, but then steady and hit a target inside 50 was enormously impressive as was his poise in traffic and ability to elude contact.
Cody Templeton: His game on Wednesday synopsised Templeton's season: promising but with another gear to reach. For the second straight game, Templeton kicked Vic Country's first of the game, rewarded with a free kick after he put his head over the ball. Had a pair of second quarter opportunities he would usually nail but they floated wide. Kicked a third quarter goal from a set shot, too, but most impressive was his tackling ferocity. There are few players at the carnival whose presence has been felt beyond the stats sheet more than Templeton. While for most players, tackling is the best indicator of their pressure, Templeton does so much more right around the contest to hassle opponents which make him a force even when it isn't his day. Got given a brief run through the midfield late in the second quarter and showed his ability to find the footy, as he did at a couple of forward 50 stoppages.
Jackson Phillips: Phillips' best moments are exceptionally classy, but like Friday to a degree, perhaps floated in and out more than he would have liked. A beautiful inside 50 kick to the advantage of debutant Toby Hellessey was a great way to start, and he was part of plenty of transition throughout the game and tended to make the right decisions.
Archie Elliott: Finished with four goals, three of which came during a hot streak in the second quarter. The first two goals were from virtually identical positions as he found separation from AFL Academy opponent Jack Gordon to mark in front and convert from 40. His ability to escape his direct opponent was also the source of his last goal, while he had dynamic moments at ground level without converting. That followed a holding the ball free kick early in the game which set the tone for his work rate and defensive intent which has been a feature of his footy at his best this year.
Darcy Szerszyn: It was an interesting game for the Dandenong Stingrays defender. He took four intercept marks, often putting himself in the right position for indiscriminate inside 50 kicks, and showed great composure when he found the ball in defensive 50 and launched some counterattack. Also laid three big spoils but will be frustrated with his inability to kill the ball on any of those occasions, with South Australia kicking 2.1 at ground level from those spoils after Szerszyn did the hard work with his body positioning and ability to split an aerial contest.
Andrio Sousa: Was a good connector on the wing, using his classy kicking and smart decision-making to his team's advantage throughout the day, save for an uncharacteristic kick out of bounds on the full. Got forward and took a brave mark inside 50 in the third quarter, converting the ensuing set shot.
Klay Nicholls: The Portland boy started his day with a strong tackle on a bursting Gabe Patterson and went on to play a rounded defensive game, arguably the pick of Vic Country's defenders. Finished with three intercept marks, the first of which was a big pack mark, while he also split a one-on-two marking contest deep in defence in the first quarter. Also came off his man to importantly support on a couple of occasions.
Clancy Snell: Had an interesting duel with Jack Slattery and was beaten on a couple of occasions by the crafty forward but still largely had a pleasing day. Took three intercept marks, one of those coming late in the game on Slattery as South Australia was pressing. Also won an important one-on-two contest in defence. Had moments where he broke the game open with his kicking and a couple he'd like back but a good showing on the whole.
