Three of Tasmania's finest football prospects took to UTAS Stadium after their Tasmania Devils team-mates tasted defeat as they represented the Allies in the under-18 national championships.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Devils co-captain Oliver Davis, Mitchell O'Neill and Sam Collins took their football to the next level on Sunday, rubbing shoulders with some of the country's best from New South Wales, Queensland and Northern Territory.
The result fell in a similar manner to the trio's Devils colleagues with their opponents, Victoria Country racing out to an early 23-point lead at quarter-time, a margin which became too hard to chase down over the remaining three quarters, tasting a vicious 18.8 (116) to 2.7 (19) defeat.
The Allies sat goal-less at half time, trailing by 52 points and being overawed by Victoria's smooth and dominant disposal.
Sydney's Jackson Barling opened their tally in the third-quarter with Brisbane's Noah Cumberland joining him in the fourth as draft prospect O'Neill featured heavily on the statistics sheet with 26 disposals in the 97-point defeat.
Playing on the wing and through the middle, O'Neill was the Allies leading possession-getter as Collins and Davis' roles featured diminished disposal with eight and 10 touches respectively as Collins was on Dandenong's Cody Weightman across half back.