Yarraville Seddon continuing to back the kids

Yarraville Seddon unveiled another young gun in an upset of Altona, while a player still eligible for junior footy put on a show in a breakout performance.

Brad Julier’s philosophy of giving young players an opportunity at Yarraville Seddon Eagles is simple.

“If they’ve come through the club’s junior program and are good enough to play senior footy, you’ve got to give them a go,” he said.

On Saturday, the Eagles unveiled another senior debutant in Nic Sotiropoulos as the Western Region league club quickly approaches double figures for first gamers from its junior program in 2023.

Sotiropoulos more than held his own according to Julier while Kobe Cikala, another young gun in the Eagles’ nest, produced a best on ground display.

And in a dazzling display, the Eagles recorded a 10.9 (69) to 8.14 (62) victory over reigning Division 1 premier Altona.

Nic Sotiropoulos made his senior debut.

“We’re very fortunate to have some many young guys coming through,” Julier said.

“One-pointers are crucial to the long-term future of the club. Kobe’s a little jet. He’s still eligible to play under-18 footy but has really benefited from playing at a higher level.

“He has gone to another level this season. I think he’s going to have a lot of good footy ahead of him.

“Nic came in and played a good game, definitely enough to have him right in the frame for this weekend again.

“Altona are still a strong side and have been the benchmark for the past few years. We’ll take a lot of belief from this game. We’ve pushed the top-four sides before but were yet to win.

“It’s not just hope anymore.”

In a thrilling contest, the Eagles defended for their lives in the final term as Altona rode the back of a strong breeze only for inaccuracy to prove their undoing.

Yarraville Seddon’s Lachlan Dowding. Picture: Andy Brownbill

A goal against the breeze, Yarraville Seddon’s only score for the quarter, was pivotal.

“Even at 13 points up at three-quarter-time, we knew we had some work to do,” Julier said.

“We planned to play one side of the ground and defend from there because we knew it was difficult to score from that side. We’re 3-1 over the past month and that’s come down to having some greater continuity in terms of who we’ve been able to select in the side.”

Cialka, Aidan Johnson, Blake Green and Michael Selsby all finished with two goals apiece in impressive performances.

Yarraville Seddon now faces a big test against Caroline Springs, where a win would see the Eagles close the gap on the top-four to one victory.

Altona will aim to keep touch with the top-two and the double chance with a home game against Point Cook.