A contingent of the state’s rising footballers showcased their talent for the Crows during an under-16 academies ‘Showdown’ in the Barossa on Saturday.

The Crows youngsters narrowly fell to Port Adelaide, 12.12 (85) to 14.6 (90), in what was the fourth instalment of the concept, with the ledger now locked at two wins each.

Adelaide’s team was made up of talent from both the AFL club’s Next Generation Academy (NGA), and aligned zones, with underage players from Sturt, Central District, Norwood and Glenelg.

The Crows Academies side controlled the play for much of the first half, and held a two-goal advantage at the main break.

Execution in front of goals proved costly for Adelaide in the third term and despite booting five goals in the final quarter, went down by five points.

“The opportunity for some of the best young South Australian talent to showcase their talent during Gather Round, when the national football attention is focused on our State, is such a wonderful concept,” Crows Academies Manager Jarrod Meers said.

“If we fast forward to 2027, we should see a number of the players from this game feature in AFL draft conversations.”

Sturt’s Taj Garrett was judged best afield, while Brayden Whimpress (Central District), brother of Crows SANFL Development Squad player Dylan, was the Crows’ main contributor on the scoreboard, booting a game-high three goals. 

The State under-16 squad will now be chosen from this game and preparations will begin for the 2025 AFL National championships, which start next month.

SCOREBOARD

Crows Academies 13.12 (85)

Port Adelaide Academies 14.6 (90) 

Best

Taj Garrett, Carter Gallasch, Harvey Chapman, Hugo Semmler, Jack Evitts, Brayden Whimpress.

Goals

Brayden Whimpress 3, Josh Jarrad 2, Jack Evitts, Harrison Webb, Archie Simpson, Finn Spanagel, Taj Garrett, Harry Tamblyn, Cooper Tamas.