An action-packed weekend saw four cohorts across the StreetSmarts SUNS Academy lace up their boots and continue to develop their talent in hitouts across Queensland and New South Wales.

While the Under 16 boys travelled over the border as part of the Zone Championships, the Under 16 girls, 18 girls and 18 boys headed to Blacktown International Sports Park.

StreetSmarts SUNS Academy Manger Kathleen Newman noted how the experience of playing away delivers valuable outcomes both on and off the field.

“It was good to get away and play,” Newman reflected.

Travelling brings the teams closer together and we should see the advantages in the weeks to come.”

U16M Zone Championships

With the Under 16 boys National Development Competition set to kick off in June, close to 100 StreetSmarts SUNS Academy talents hailing from as far north as Cairns and as far south as Casino competed across two days in the Zone Championships.

The intraclub round-robin carnival, held at Lismore’s Oakes Oval on Wednesday and Carrara’s Austworld Oval on Friday, acted as the final selection piece for the 30-player-squad set to face the Sydney Swans, GWS Giants, Brisbane Lions, Tasmania and Northern Territory Academies.

The cohort was divided into four teams named after StreetSmarts SUNS Academy graduates - (Alex) Davies, (Ethan) Read, (Bodhi & Zeke) Uwland and (Leo) Lombard – with each group facing off for two 15-minute quarters.

“The aim was to give the players a pre-season at academy level, challenge them against the best players in the region and prepare them to have a great season regardless of if they made the squad or not,” StreetSmarts SUNS Academy U16M Head Coach  ohn Deitz said.

“The Zone championships week was a great opportunity for the players to showcase their learnings from the past 10 weeks to push for selection, as well as bring our Northen Queensland squad down to play.

“We had a great day at Lismore on Wednesday where the mayor was in attendance, a presentation to the players from the staff at People First Bank on Thursday and another super day of footy on Friday on the Austworld Oval.”

U16M National Development Championship squad:

U16W v Tasmania Devils

The Under 16 girls launched their National Development Championship campaign with a 140-point demolition over the Tasmania Devils in Blacktown on Thursday afternoon.

StreetSmarts SUNS Academy U16W Head Coach Brenton Male told SUNS media the team embraced a “SUNS Are Hot” mentality heading into the ultimate 21.16 (142) to 0.2 (2) victory.

“Over the past three matches we have heavily focused on what we call our ‘Principles of Play’ which are key areas of the game which make us predictable to one another,” Male shared.

“At half time we reset and were able to implement them to a very high level, kicking 15 goals to zero.

“Overall, it was an excellent team performance where predictability and consistency allowed the players to express themselves and showcase their talent.”

Ally McKenzie was immense across the SUNS territory, amassing 26 disposals and seven tackles to go with five goals. In the midfield, Lily Moana was as explosive as ever driving out of congestion with five clearances and 21 possessions, while winger Eliza Davenport ran excellent patterns to have 10 inside 50 entries. In total 11 StreetSmarts SUNS Academy members contributed to the scoreboard.

The SUNS head to Melbourne this Thursday 16 April to take on Vic Country in the final match of the tournament, in which several talents will look to continue impressing ahead of All Australian selection.

U18W v Sydney Swans

In foreign territory, the Gold Coast SUNS fought hard against the Sydney Swans Academy before going down by just seven points 6.17 (53) to 7.4 (46).

After initially struggling to apply the SUNS system against a dominant Sydney outfit, StreetSmarts SUNS Academy Head Coach of Female Programs Emily Avery noted the shift in the team’s standards and lift heading into the main break.

“In the first quarter, we weren’t able to play our game and started to react to Sydney’s. We needed to be cleaner to win the contest and move the ball,” Avery said.

“However, in the second quarter we started fighting forward and looking dangerous when we were able to go through corridor or open side.

“Our backs in the second half were huge. They kept Sydney to just one goal which gave us a chance to catch up and close the gap.”

Annabelle Foat (30 disposals, six intercept possessions) stepped up to lead the SUNS late surge alongside Stephanie Aguinaldo (14 contested possessions, seven i50s) and Allie Cameron (two goals, nine tackles).

While an inaugural major from Nelly Anu and speedy efforts on the wing from Jess Large helped slice the deficit by more than half, it wasn’t quite enough to get the job done.

The girls will be eyeing a reward for their efforts on return to People First Stadium when they take on the GWS Giants this Sunday from 12pm ahead of the Under 18 boys at 9:30am.

U18M v Sydney Swans

The Gold Coast SUNS took plenty of valuable insights from the Round 4 Talent League clash after ultimately falling short to the Sydney Swans 15.19 (109) to 4.5 (29).

Young SUN Harrison Gray (20 disposals, six i50s) lead with a consistent effort for four quarters, while Jake Callinan (17 disposals, six clearances) also worked hard in the midfield. Up forward, Jesse Wenzel proved a good target nailing three majors from just eight disposals.

“From a game point of view, we weren’t able to sustain pressure for long enough and our offensive execution was inconsistent as a result,” StreetSmarts SUNS Academy U18M Head Coach Jarrod Cotton reflected.

“Credit to the opposition, they defended really well and put us under pressure. We need to be better around contested footy and execute tackles.

“Some of our younger squad members have never been exposed to this level of footy so it was a great opportunity to set the standard, take learnings and be prepared to bring them into our next match against GWS at home.”