High five! U16 All-Australian Team stacked with WA talent

Five members of Western Australia’s drought-breaking State 16s side have been rewarded with All-Australian selection.

Title-winning coach Michael Glassborow and Troy Warner, who was WA’s first Kevin Sheehan Medal winner in 12 years, were among five West Aussies to make the Under-16s All-Australian Team.

Warner was named captain of the side, while his WA co-captain Jack Holland also made the cut alongside fellow East Fremantle products Jayke Taylor and Aiden Martignago.

“We’re delighted to see five WA representatives rewarded with Under-16s All-Australian selection after winning our first AFL Under-16s Championships in nine years,” AAMI WA Football State Talent Manager Adam Jones said.

“To have our coach Michael Glassborow and two of our co-captains in Troy Warner and Jack Holland in the side along with Jayke Taylor and Aiden Martignago is a credit to the hard work put in by them and their teammates as well as everyone involved in the AAMI WA Football Talent Program, their WAFL clubs, junior clubs and schools.

“We’re looking forward to continuing to help with the development of these young men over the next few years as they chase their AFL dreams.”

Warner not only became the first WA player to win the carnival MVP award since former West Coast and Carlton player Samo Petrevski-Seton back in 2014, he also won the WA State 16s MVP Award, averaging just under 25 disposals, five marks, five inside 50s and three clearances across the three games.

His midfield partner in crime Martignago, part of Fremantle’s Next Generation Academy, was also consistent across the championships with 22.3 disposals, six clearances and four tackles per game to go with two goals.

Key-forward duo Taylor (five goals) and Holland (four) combined for nine majors.

Taylor averaged a whopping 10 marks per game, to go with 16.3 disposals, including 13 and three goals in the last game against Vic Country, while Holland averaged 10.7 disposals and 5.3 marks.

It was a one-two finish for WA in the Kevin Sheehan Medal voting with Warner (19) finished six votes ahead of WA and Sharks teammate Taylor (13).

WA defeated South Australia, Vic Metro and Vic Country to finish undefeated and claim the National Under-16s title for the first time since 2017 when the likes of Luke Jackson, Deven Robertson, Trent Rivers, Liam Henry, Nathan O’Driscoll and Jeremy Sharp all featured.