Ayoung local footballer has been selected to represent South Australia in the 2024 AFL National Championships.
East Gambier’s Angus Clarke has been selected in the 38 man squad in the under 18 competition.
This year Clarke has been regularly selected for the Glenelg under 18 team and has been a major contributor to the success this year.
Recently the SA under 18s played a match against the SA under 20s.
The young side played well in the game and defeated the under 20s 94-67.
Clarke had a great game and was named in the best players.
The under 18s have four games scheduled in the national tournament, which started last month, having already played the Allies, Victoria Country and Western Australia, with the final game against Victoria Metro this weekend.
Clarke played well in his first game in the tournament against Allies, finishing third in the best players, with the Croweaters getting the job done, defeating the Allies 87-75.
The second game against Victoria Country had SA fall short by eight points.
However, Clarke was again solid with 19 disposals and spending time in the ruck with 19 hitouts.
SA could not get the job done against Western Australia, going down by 67 points.
Clarke again had a solid game, finishing with 15 disposals.
Clarke said he was proud to represent his state.
“Representing SA had always been a goal from the start of the year, being in the academy then getting chosen into the training squad to being picked for the state game,” Clarke said.
After playing his first game in the National Championships, Clarke reflected on what the standard was like playing in a high quality competition.
“My first game was a big eye opener to what it is like to be in the highest level of my age group and to be playing with and against potential AFL players,” he said.
After having a big year so far in his young footy career Clarke said he had already identified his goals for the future.
“A goal that I have had since a four-year-old kid running around the oval at my club was to make the AFL and it is slowly looking brighter and that is what my future goal would be which is still a long way away,” Clarke
said.
