Steep Learning Curve For WA at AFL National Under-18s ChampionshipsMonday, June 12, 2023 - 2:35 PM

Western Australia has a fortnight to re-group after a disappointing loss to the Allies in the opening game of the AFL National Under-18s Championships.

The Black Swans slumped to an 88-point loss at Adelaide’s Thebarton Oval, but coach Ben Dyer was able to find some positives.

“There was plenty to like about the first quarter,” Dyer said.

“Everything about the game was how we wanted it and we were playing the game in our front half.

“Unfortunately, we didn’t capitalise on our inside 50s and didn’t get reward for the way we started.

“The Allies are a talented team and when our pressure at the source dropped away they took control and we had no answer after quarter time.”

The WA coach identified what went wrong for his side in the final three quarters.

“We were soundly beaten in the midfield after quarter time and their inside midfielders took control, he said.

“Their ability to get from inside to outside coincided with us missing tackles and being beaten on the spread and when that happens your defence is under pressure and we didn’t hold up.”

 Dyer had some calming words for his players post-match.

“For many it was a significant step up from colts footy,” he said.

“They’ve had their first experience playing against the best players in the country and identifying where the gaps are and going to work on improving those areas is what we have to take from the game.”

A group of WA players also impressed the coaching panel.

“I thought Daniel Curtin’s game on Jed Walter was impressive,” Dyer explained.

“Take a couple of questionable free kicks out and I thought he won the head-to-head battle hands down.

“Mitch Edwards competed well and was a presence around the ground, while Reece Torrent was important for us in the first half and Riley Hardeman offered good rebound from defence all day.”

 WA’s next match is against South Australia at Optus Stadium in Perth on Saturday June 24 as a curtain raiser to the Dockers/Essendon match.

“We’ll build on the things that we’ve been working on at training that had us in the game in the first quarter,” he said.

“We’ll also go to work on the things around the contest that were poor to give us a chance to bounce back against SA in a fortnight.”

 The Allies 16.12(108)

WA              2.8   (20)