Mitch leads the way

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG Stingrays star Mitch Hallahan led Vic Country to a seven-goal win over Vic Metro in round one of the AFL Under-18 Championships at the MCG on Sunday.
Hallahan, appointed as captain by his peers during the week, was the catalyst for a dominant Country midfield unit as they wrestled the lead from their city rivals in the second term and never looked back.
The Blairgowrie teenager was among seven Stingrays who donned the big V, with 16-year-old defender Matt Buntine joining TAC Cup team-mates Luke Parker, Adam Treloar, Andrew McInnes, Tom Lynch and Daniel Harrison in the final 22.
Hallahan and McInnes were both named among Country’s best players, with the latter orchestrating countless forward forays from half-back.
Parker was also influential, starting at half-forward before being injected into the midfield with immediate impact in his carnival debut.
Lynch’s size and sure hands made him an asset for Country up forward, while Treloar and Harrison were serviceable on a wing and in the ruck respectively.
Vic Country coach Robert Hyde lavished praise on his largely unheralded midfield, saying that they simply out-worked a Metro on-ball division that included boom prospects Andrew Gaff and Tom Liberatore.
Hyde is expected to blood a handful of bottom-age players Sunday’s clash with NSW/ACT in Blacktown.
That match will be followed by the TAC Cup game between the Stingrays and Greater Western Sydney from 1.30pm.
The Rays had a bye last weekend and surrendered top spot to the Northern Knights as a result.