The Bendigo Pioneers girls line up before their match against Gippsland Power. Photos: AFL Victoria.
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AFL Victoria
The best under-15 footballers in the region gathered in Ballarat last week for three rounds of high-level football to see which area has the strongest program in the state.
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The V/Line Cup, the annual under-15 country football representative carnival, featured around 600 players and umpires involved in 21 matches from Monday, September 23, to Wednesday, September 25.
The event has three categories, boys division one, boys division two and a girls division with eight representative teams competing, including players from the Bendigo Pioneers program.
The division one Pioneers had a hot start, besting North East Border Bushrangers in their first-round match-up 9.8 (62) to 7.8 (50).
Max Connick kicked a pair in the contest while rising star Sachin Tyrrell was named best-on-ground for the Pioneers.
Xzavier Moore takes a stellar mark.
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AFL Victoria
Their second game against Gippsland Power was a harder battle and despite leading at quarter-time, the Pioneers were ultimately bested by 21 points with the final score being 8.9 (57) to 12.6 (78).
Max Skinner kicked two maximums while Chase Bartlett was named best-on-ground in the loss.
Despite holding a record of 1-1, the division one Pioneers did not make the carnival grand final, the Geelong Falcons won the division with a 10-point win over Greater Western Victoria Rebels.
The division two boys had an eerily similar carnival to the division one boys. They began proceedings with a 19-point victory over North East Border Bushrangers in the first round with the final score being 9.6 (60) to 5.11 (41).
Rylan Newman slots it.
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AFL Victoria
Mac Ryan was lethal up front, kicking a double while Colby Marr was the standout for the Pioneers, earning best on ground.
Yet, they were bested by Gippsland Power in their second match by nine points. Even a late fourth-quarter surge couldn’t topple the Power, the final score was 4.8 (32) to 6.5 (41).
Like their division one counterparts, the division two boys’ 1-1 record wasn’t enough to get them into the grand final, where the Geelong Falcons took down the Greater Western Victoria Rebels by 12 points.
The Pioneer girls faired the same as the two boys divisions, claiming a win and a loss in their campaign.
Mia Clark tries to kick it long in traffic.
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AFL Victoria
They were handily defeated by the North East Border Bushrangers 4.4 (28) to 7.14 (56) in their first game with Mia Maxted kicking two and Echuca local Sage Dennis putting in a star calibre performance to be named best-on-ground.
They then claimed an 8.16 (64) to 6.5 (41) win over Gippsland Power, coming from a 17-point deficit in the first quarter to triumph.
Harper Delamare and Emmersen Lihou had a day out, kicking each pair with Lihou earning herself best-on-ground honours.
Sage Dennis was also listed in the Pioneers’ best-on-ground group for the second time, her immense talent on full display during the carnival.
Despite no Pioneers sides making the grand final for their division, each team managed to secure a win and were competitive in their losses, highlighting the bright future of football in the region.
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