707 days later, silverware is up for grabs
Bathurst Bushrangers Youth Girls won the 2022 Minor Premiership, and with it hosting rights for the 2022 AFL CW Junior Grand Final
It has been a long time coming for the AFL Central West juniors. The delayed ending to 2020, and no Grand Finals in 2021, has lead to 705 days since a junior premiership. Come Sunday, that swells to 707, and we cannot wait for the matchups. Across all four grades, its first versus second, and only Orange’s Under-12s go into a match unbeaten against their opponents. Good luck to all eight sides, and bring on Grand Final Day.
George Park 2 and the Bathurst Bushrangers are our hosts for the day’s action, with live scoring available via the links below.
Under-12s: Orange Tigers vs Dubbo Junior AFL – George Park 2, 9:30am
Previous matches: Round 3: Dubbo 3.1-19 def by Orange 10.14-74, Round 5: Orange 10.8-68 def Dubbo 2.2-14, Round 7: Orange 10.9-69 def Dubbo 5.0-30, Round 9: Dubbo 1.6-12 def by Orange 8.14-62
Players to watch: Orange – Jack Sara, Hugo Fitzsimmons, Jackson Beaudin; Dubbo – James Wonderley, Isaac Sutton, Will McKenzie
Season Stats: Orange (P12, W11, L1, For 756, Against 241– 313.69%); Dubbo (P11, W6, L5, For 457, Against 519 – 88.05%)
Leading Goalkickers: Orange – James McIntyre (17), Nicholas Wood (15), Zavier Felice (14), Jack Sara (11); Dubbo – James Wonderley (17), Thomas Ashby (16), Beau Rousell (7), Isaac Sutton (5)
On paper, Orange are the stronger lineup, with elite players across the ground. Their depth in goalkicking, having four players in double figures for the season coupled with the strongest defence in the competition shapes a tough matchup for the improving Dubbo side.Orange have been the benchmark of the competition all season, and their Under-12s side has regularly featured on Grand Final day in previous seasons. For Dubbo, whilst built around several experienced players Wonderley, Ashby, Sutton, McKenzie, Laylah Roll and Lucy Turner, between them they have played in only one grand final.
The challenge for Dubbo is going to be keeping the opposition’s forwards quiet, as for them to win, it has to remain low scoring.
WE SAY: It’s under-12s footy – as long as the kids have fun, we don’t care who wins
Under-14s: Orange Tigers vs Bathurst Giants – George Park 2, 11:00am
Previous matches: Round 2: Giants 5.7-37 def by Orange 5.8-38, Round 4: Orange 5.8-38 def by Giants 6.7-43, Round 8: Giants 5.5-35 def Orange 5.4-34, Round 11: Orange 0.6-6 def by Giants 9.7-61
Players to watch: Orange – Cayden Metzeling, Braydon Totten, Lochlan Nelder, Zain Clark; Giants – Riley Goodsell, Koby Collins, Connor Hobby, Jack Mackie
Season Stats: Orange (P12, W9, L3, For 707, Against 354– 199.72%); Giants (P11, W8, L3, For 505, Against 276 – 182.97%)
Leading Goalkickers: Orange – Cayden Metzeling (24), Nicholas Chopping (12), Bailey Stewart (11), Travis Wright (11); Giants – Jack Mackie (14), Callum Munns (13), Riley Goodsell (8), Cooper Stephen (8)
Before the Round 11 blowout, these two sides had played in two one-point thrillers, and as that wasn’t enough, a five-point match as well. Toss a coin, that’s probably the best chance of picking a winner in this one.
The Giants were at their blistering best in last week’s Preliminary Final, their speed and ball use transitioning to forward-50 with ease. The Tigers, fresh off a week off, will see a few Under-12s back up to support, but expect them to be just as involved as their teammates.
Cayden Metzeling, the smallest key-forward in the competition, looms as the difference in this one. He missed Round 11, but has only kicked one major in three games against the Giants. If the Bathurst defence lets him off the leash, he’s proven in 2022 that he can blow teams away.
Metzeling may only have an impact, if his midfield can get first use of the footy. Against a side with Goodsell, Munns, Flynn Wolfe and Cooper Stephen, and plenty of outside support via Hobby, Abby Weiss, Ruben Campiao, and Samuel Kay, this is no mean feat.
The Tigers are supported in that sense by a strong core midfield that have regularly won first possession and launched the side forward. Maklin Henderson in the ruck, with Jack Conolly and co-captains Lochlan Nelder and Bailey Stewart crumbing the taps matches the Giants midfield four in all aspects.
Both sides are well drilled, and both have plenty of experienced talent. The Giants are lacking some experience on Grand Final Day in their lineup, with only two players, Samuel Ring and Jarvis Jones having played in such a match but don’t expect this to stop their stars from performing.
Across the match, there’s Development Squad, PSSA and Polding representatives, and just a whole lot of talented footballers. If this is what the future looks like in the Central West, then strap yourselves in.
Regardless of allegiance, get to George Park for the 11:00am start. This will be a belter.
WE SAY: Is it an upset if the lower-ranked side as won three of four? We still think so, and have the Giants hoisting the cup that many of the team wanted to raise as 2021 Under-12s Minor Premiers.
Youth Girls: Bathurst Bushrangers vs Orange Tigers – George Park 2, 12:30pm
Previous matches: Round 1: Orange 3.3-21 def Bushrangers 2.1-13, Round 6: Bushrangers 4.3-27 def by Orange 4.8-32, Round 10: Bushrangers 3.7-25 def Orange 1.0-6, Round 12: Orange 1.3-9 def by Bushrangers 3.9-27
Players to watch: Bushrangers – Lucy Driscoll, Nell Griffin, Callee Black, Abby Dubojski; Orange – Claire Gibson, Charli Hunter, Sophie McFarlane, Charlotte Felice
Season Stats: Bushrangers (P12, W8, L4, For 462, Against 232 – 199.14%); Orange (P12, W8, L4, For 389, Against 263 – 147.91%)
Leading Goalkickers: Bushrangers – Nell Griffin (17), Jade Leven (13), Olivia Griffin (12), Lucy Driscoll (7); Orange – Charlotte Felice (15), Charli Hunter (12), Holly Lynch (10), Claire Gibson (5)
It took a run of five straight wins for the Bushrangers’ Youth Girls to claw their way back into the top spot. For the Tigers, arguably the benchmark side of the first eight rounds, they had to make it the hard way, winning their Preliminary Final. Between the two, only Orange in 2018 has tasted premiership glory, following their 2018 triumph, and for many, it will be a first Grand Final experience.
Orange were clinical in poor conditions last week, and had the wood over their opponents during the season’s early stages. Claire Gibson has returned to the lineup following injury and adds some class to their team’s transition whilst supported by a cast of former WRAS squad, and current Development Squad stars.
At the Bushrangers, the emergence of Nell Griffin as one of the competition’s premier players, and continued improvement of established players Mia Bringolf and Lucy Driscoll gives the side a target up forward and drive from the midfield. They’ve also greatly benefited from the booming boot of Callee Black, whose return has helped spark the unbeaten run into finals.
One of the Bushrangers’ major challenges is going to be their fitness. With only 14 players named, they won’t have a bench, leaving plenty of fresh Tigers towards the final quarter. A fast start could prove vital, as a close match will suit Orange late.
WE SAY: On a five-match winning streak, and on home turf in front of the whole club, we can’t go past the Bushrangers here.
Under-17s: Orange Tigers vs Bathurst Giants – George Park 2, 2:00pm
Previous matches: Round 2: Giants 5.6-36 def by Orange 6.9-45, Round 4: Orange 5.7-37 def by Giants 6.8-44, Round 8: Giants 9.3-57 def Orange 7.9-51, Round 11: Orange 9.7-61 def Giants 1.2-8
Players to watch: Orange – Harvey Shephard, Max Fitzsimmons, Calum Duncan, James Gibson; Giants – Archer Ryan, Fergus Mann, William Sloan, Jenson Brown
Season Stats: Orange (P12, W9, L3, For 659, Against 314– 209.87%); Giants (P11, W7, L4, For 581, Against 512– 113.48%)
Leading Goalkickers: Orange – Damian Chopping (14), James Gibson (10), Max Fitzsimmons (10), Jesse Carmody (9); Giants – Jenson Brown (23), Jed Foxall (23), William Sloan (5), Archer Ryan (4)
Almost a carbon-copy of the Under-14s match-up, these two sides have been evenly matched all season. Three games decided by less than ten points, and a Round 11 blowout, set this up to be a blockbuster to round out the day. It also pits 2021 Junior Coach of the Year Matt Shephard against one of the 2021 frontrunners Brad Broes. Both coaches have plenty of experience, and game plans that suit their lineups. It’s going to be a fun one.
The Giants stumbled into finals, dropping points severely undermanned in Dubbo three weeks from season’s end, and whilst this didn’t cost them top spot, it’s shaped as the loss they needed. They returned serve two weeks later, dismantling them by 33-points in Round 12, before weathering the storm, and coming from behind last week to progress.
Orange also dropped an early season fixture to Dubbo, and split the series with the Giants one-apiece both home and away. The week off will have done the Tigers plenty of good, particularly following how contested the Preliminary Final was played.
The two key forwards, Brown and Foxall shape as vital cogs for the Giants, but they’ll need fast ball movement to get them at their best. Fergus Mann and Archer Ryan are the keys here, with no shortage of leg speed, and elite skills, they’ll bring their forwards into the game.
This one will be decided by the battle of the midfield. Both teams have prime movers on the outside, but it’s going to be a tale of who wins the contested footy early, in the worst of the conditions. James Gibson continues to develop, and he’ll be supported predominately by Oliver Yates and Harvey Shephard. They’ll have plenty of work to do, to lockdown Mann, Harley Spice and James Mills – who was close to best afield last week.
WE SAY: If they bring anywhere near the effort that they took last week to Waratah’s then the Giants are a chance. Conditions will be difficult, after three games of footy already in the day, it shapes as likely being a tight, low-scoring encounter. Can we bring the coin flip back from the 14s game? Or at the very least, can the two sides take it to extra time? We will give Orange the edge, just.
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