The NT Thunder U16 State Academy team will head to the Gold Coast in early July for Rounds 2 and 3 of the NAB AFL U16 National Championships.
The team to represent the NT was named at last night’s training session and includes a number of the players who were part of the Thunder team in Round 1.
Head coach Andrew Hodges said he was pleased with the effort his side put in when they lost to the bigger-bodied NSW/ACT outfit by 46 points a couple of weeks ago.
“The boys had their chances in that game, they did well to stick to our game plan and use our pace.
“It’s unfortunate we fell away in the second half but a lot of positives came out of it, including a best on ground performance for Matt Green, a hard-working kid from Tenant Creek,” Hodges said.
The team was selected from a squad of 30 and includes some mature-agers in Ryan Mu and Matt Blake along with 15-year-old NT Thunder NEAFL-listed players Michael Mummery and Liam Holt-Fitz.
“We head to the Gold Coast in a couple of weeks with a real opportunity and the right training and attitude backing us, so there’s no reason we can’t get the wins,” Hodges said.
U16 team selected to head to the Gold Coast
1 James QUINN
2 Chase RYE
4 Timothy SMITH
5 Zac BAILEY
6 Nelson SONNTAG
7 Matt BLAKE
8 Beau SHCWARZE
9 Jarrod CAMERON
10 Joel STEVENS
12 Keegan NYHUIS
13 Matthew GREEN
14 Kane EDWARDS
15 Liam HOLT-FITZ
16 Nathan MU
17 Ryan ALTHOUSE-COOPER
18 Max DAVIES
19 Robbie CAMPBELL
20 Ben JUNGFER
22 Louis KOSSACK
23 Michael MUMMERY
25 Mitchell RIELLY
26 Thomas BROWN
29 Jack PALMER
30 Jeremiah SCRUTTON
31 Ryan MU
NAB AFL U16 National Championships
Round 2
TAS v NT
12:00pm, Tues 5 July
Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast
Round 3
QLD v NT
12:00pm, Sat 9 July
Southport, Gold Coast