One Young All Australian

Alex Young was named in the School Sport Australia under-15 All Australian team after an exceptional national carnival last week. 142325 Picture: JARROD POTTER

By JARROD POTTER

NOT even a mid-carnival injury could stop Alex Young earning a pair of amazing accolades at the School Sport Australia under-15 football championships.
Young, 15, from Pakenham, proved pivotal in School Sport Victoria’s (SSV) triumph at the championships – defeating Western Australia by 65 points in the grand final – and his efforts streaming down the wing also earned him an All Australian selection.
Trading his Beaconsfield jumper for the week, Young was stunned to pick up an All Australian nod considering he missed a crucial match – the preliminary final against Queensland which Victoria only just managed to win.
“I don’t even know – I couldn’t even believe I got this as I missed one game because I got injured, and I thought that would’ve been it,” Young said.
“I did it in the South Australia game – knee on knee – played through that and then missed the prelim against Queensland and lucky we won that.
“But when they (All Australian selectors) said my name, I couldn’t get up quick enough.”
The SSV under-15s had to bounce back from a gut-wrenching two-point loss to Western Australia earlier in the carnival and Young believes that inspired the side to fight even harder when facing the Swans again in the last match of the week.
“We lost to them on the Monday by two points after the siren, but we were hoping it was a better result the second time and it was,” Young said.
“I reckon everyone just played like they could and didn’t let the pressure get to us like it did when we played the first time.
“Bonding went well with all of them (Victorian team mates) – there wasn’t one player who was excluded, everyone got together real quick and everyone was happy – except for that night we lost to WA – but other than that everyone was confident we were sure we weren’t going to let it happen again.”
From there the juggernaut that is Victorian schoolboys’ football took the carnival by the horns to book a rematch in the grand final, where Young drilled two goals to cap off his carnival.
“My favourite moment was in the final when I kicked my second goal – the kick was in the air and went up for a pack mark… the ball went over the pack and rolled on… I ran into an open goal and kicked it,” he said.
It’s not just a token team of the carnival, the players will get to take their football skills to South Africa next year as part of the School Sport Australia team.
“In January next year we go to South Africa – there for two weeks and play in Cape Town and do some community service with a mini Auskick and go on tours in the country,” Young said.
“It’s pretty exciting, especially with the other kids you do it with – they’re living in the moment as well and to share the opportunity with the boys – especially the other boys I played Vic footy with – is great.”
For now it’s a return to club footy as the All Australian returns to the Eagles ahead of a likely South East Juniors finals campaign.