Changes For WA 18s Boys Ahead of South Australia ShowdownThursday, June 22, 2023 - 10:06 AM

The WA selectors have included Subiaco midfielder Riley Wills and Claremont half back Joe Fonti in the squad for Saturday’s AFL National Under-18s Championship match against South Australia at Optus Stadium.

Lions forward Koltyn Tholstrup has recovered from a minor back complaint and is set to play after missing the side’s opening round loss.

WA coach Ben Dyer believes the players can respond quickly to that heavy defeat to the Allies.

“We’ve been trying to improve our method around the contest both offensively and defensively.

“We feel like improving this area will allow us to play the game more in our front half,” Dyer said.

The coach has been impressed by the attitude of the players since the Allies match.

“The boys wanted to get to work quickly after the game and our leaders did a great job of driving training and creating a positive atmosphere.

“We’ve worked on improving the way we go forward to get some better entries and give our forwards a better look at scoring and keeping the ball inside 50,” he said.

Facing the South Australians at Optus Stadium as a curtain raiser before the Dockers host Essendon on Saturday night also brings great anticipation to the squad.

 “SA struggled in their first two games and were boosted by the inclusion of some talented bottom agers against Vic Country, so they are a different team to what we saw early.

“Our boys can’t wait to play on Optus Stadium,” Dyer said.

The match begins at 2pm on Saturday.