WAFLLions celebrate premiership heroes with hard-fought win over Sharks
Mark Readings
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23 Jun 2026
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The AAMI WA Football State 16s Boys get their AFL National Under-16s Championship campaign underway against South Australia at Alberton Oval on Saturday.
It will be the first of three games within a month of the Black Swans, with two games on the Gold Coast in mid-July against Vic Metro and Vic Country respectively.
WA Football State Talent Manager Adam Jones said there was a level of optimism about the squad after some encouraging trial game results.
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“We’re feeling really good with the level of talent that we’ve got,” Jones said.
“You obviously never know until you play against the opposition but the signs that we’re seeing are really positive.
“The boys are travelling really nicely and showed some really good form in the trial games and should head over with a bit of confidence.
“The SA team that we’ve seen on vision look quite reasonable as well so it should be really good contest.”
Remarkably there are a dozen players from East Fremantle’s CTF WAFL Future side which went through the entire season undefeated.
“We’re calling ourselves the WA Sharks a little bit this year with the 16s because we’ve got 12 boys from East Fremantle which is probably one of the biggest contingents we’ve had from a WAFL club in my time,” Jones joked.
There’s some familiar names in the squad, headlined by West Coast father-son prospect and East Perth talent Eli Wirrpanda who’s the son of Eagles great David.
Troy Warner, younger brother of Sydney Swans pair Chad and Corey, is back for a second year with the 16s after impressing as a bottom-ager, while his East Fremantle teammate Clancy Gaspar is the son of former Melbourne player Damien and nephew of fellow ex-AFL players Darren and Travis.
Claremont’s Sam Gooch, the son of inaugural Docker Scott, is also in the squad.
“Eli is a lightly built but super quick and skilful half-back/wingman and ‘Gassy’ is a third tall intercept-marking defender who’s very good overhead,” Jones said.
Seven Next Generation Academy-linked players in the squad including East Fremantle trio Aiden Martignago, Naka Herwanto and Jayden Makanza who are all part of Fremantle’s NGA alongside South Fremantle’s Luke Websdale Jnr.
West Coast have three NGA members in the squad, Eli Wirrpanda, Perth’s Ashley Clayton and Swan Districts and South West Academy talent Bernard Edmondson.
The team for Saturday’s clash against the Croweaters will be named on Thursday evening.
AAMI WA Football State 16s Boys squad
Claremont: Sam Gooch
East Fremantle: Aiden Martignago, Aiden Wilson, Clancy Gaspar, Jack Holland, Jayden Makanza, Jayke Taylor, Josh Waite, Naka Herwanto, Owen Hodge, Raf McRae, Tom De Jong, Troy Warner
East Perth: Eli Wirrpanda, Nate Cass, Noah Thompson (South West Academy)
Peel Thunder: Jai Keene, Xavier Stewart (South West Academy)
Perth: Ashley Clayton, Cruz Ingleton, Lincoln Workman
South Fremantle: Henry Synnot, Noah Haskell, Luke Websdale Jnr
Subiaco: Levi Ord, Toby McLaren, Zinzan Clark
Swan Districts: Bernard Edmondson (South West Academy), Coby Jackson, Dylan Wood, Ethan Wulf, James Kent
West Perth: Josh Oldroyd
Train-ons: Sam Keys (East Perth), Xavier Allison (Perth), Tye Subritzky (Perth), Josh King (Subiaco), Darcy Dingle (Subiaco) and Jed McGuane (West Perth)
WA’s AFL National Under-16s Championship fixtures
Saturday, June 27: v South Australia at Alberton Oval, Adelaide (10am WST)
Tuesday, July 14: v Vic Metro at People First Stadium (10.30am WST)
Friday, July 17: v Vic Country at Fankhauser Reserve (9.45am WST)
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