Pair impress at nationals

Albany pair Karel Cronje and Matt Stevens performed well for their respective WA teams at the 2016 under-15 boys’ Australian championships in Wollongong, New South Wales, which wrapped up last Sunday.

Cronje was part of the WA Gold side which progressed to the bronze medal game on the final day, when they tackled Victoria Blue.

WA were outmuscled in the play-off, however, with Victoria netting three goals in the first half on their way to a 4-0 win, with Cronje starting on the bench before he was injected into the game after 12 minutes.

Cronje showcased his talent earlier in the tournament with a sensational effort against Tasmania in the pool stages.

Starting on the field, he scored a field goal in the 29th minute and then he doubled his tally with a second field goal in the 60th minute to put WA Gold 3-2 ahead and they went on to win 4-2.

WA gold lost their first three games, 4-0 to Victoria Blue, 6-0 to NSW State and then 4-1 to Queensland 1, before recovering to down NSW Blue 3-2, and the win over Tasmania set up a semifinal against Queensland 1.

However, Queensland 1 thumped WA gold 8-0 to book their place in the final.

Meanwhile, Stevens was a strong contributor in the back half in his State debut, helping WA black finish in 11th place.

The 15-year-old defender was a key part of the WA Black side which lost tight opening games against NSW Blue 3-2 and then Tasmania 4-2 before a narrow 2-1 loss to Northern Territory.

Queensland 2 beat WA black 4-2 only for the Sandgropers to respond with Stevens sturdy down back as they won their first game against Australian Capital Territory, 4-2, and then drew their classification game with South Australia, 1-1.

In their play-off for 11th and 12th, WA Black proved too strong, winning 5-2, with Stevens a regular starter in the team.