The NAB AFL Under 18 Championships are the annual national Australian rules football championships for players aged 18 years or younger. The competition is seen as one of the main pathways towards being drafted into a team in the fully professional Australian Football League. Originally known as the Teal Cup, the competition began in 1953 between Queensland and New South Wales, but now features teams from each Australian state or Territory.[1] The competition was renamed to the AFL National Under 18 Championships after the Commonwealth Bank sponsored the competition in 1995 and is currently sponsored by the National Australia Bank.
In 1989, Victoria was split into two teams – Vic Metro and Vic Country – to ensure that other states could remain competitive. New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory combined into a single team in 1996. The competition has been run in two separate divisions since 1992.
Contents |
The Larke Medal is awarded to the best player in Division 1 of the competition. It is named in honour of a junior footballer, Michael Larke, who was killed in a bus crash whilst attending a trial match for NSW. The Hunter Harrison Medal is awarded to the best player in Division 2 and is named in honour of the former president and life member of the Northern Territory Football League, Hunter Harrison, who played a major role in the development of the AFL youth championships.[2]
| Year | Division 1 Premiers | Larke Medal | Division 2 Premiers | Hunter Harrison Medal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Queensland | |||
| 1963 | Queensland | |||
| 1971 | Queensland | |||
| 1972 | Queensland | |||
| 1973 | Queensland | |||
| 1974 | New South Wales | |||
| 1975 | New South Wales | |||
| 1976 | Victoria | Mick Woods (Vic) | ||
| 1977 | Victoria | Rodney Watts (Vic) | ||
| 1978 | South Australia | Mark Weidemann (SA) | ||
| 1979 | South Australia | Grant Campbell (WA) | ||
| 1980 | South Australia | Darryl Murphy (ACT) | ||
| 1981 | Victoria | Paul Salmon (Vic) | ||
| 1982 | Victoria | Michael Phyland (NSW) | ||
| 1983 | Victoria | Greg Anderson (SA) | ||
| 1984 | Victoria | David Condon (NSW) | ||
| 1985 | Western Australia | Jason Kerr (NSW) | ||
| 1986 | Victoria | Stephen Lawrence (QLD) | ||
| 1987 | Victoria | Steven Kolyniuk (Vic) | ||
| 1988 | Victoria | Robbie Wright (NSW) | ||
| 1989 | Vic Country | Ray Windsor (QLD) | ||
| 1990 | Vic Metro | Paul Williams (Tas) | ||
| 1991 | South Australia | Robert Neill (ACT) | ||
| 1992 | Vic Metro | Daniel Southern (WA) | Vic Country | Michael Voss (Qld) |
| 1993 | Vic Metro | Shaun McManus (WA) | New South Wales | Mark Ryan (NT) |
| 1994 | Vic Metro | Daniel Harford (Vic Metro) | Vic Country | Michael Martin (Tas) |
| 1995 | South Australia | Luke Godden (Vic Metro) Ben Setchell (Vic Country) |
Western Australia | Steven Koops (NT) |
| 1996 | Vic Metro | Pat Steinfort (Vic Metro) | Tasmania | Matthew Bernes (Tas) |
| 1997 | Vic Metro | Tim Finocchiaro (Vic Metro) | Queensland | Fred Campbell (NT) |
| 1998 | Vic Metro | Garth Taylor (WA) | / NSW/ACT | Shane Young (Qld) Derek Murray (NSW/ACT) |
| 1999 | Western Australia | Paul Hasleby (WA) | Queensland | Brad Green (Tas) |
| 2000 | Vic Country | Kayne Pettifer (Vic Country) | / NSW/ACT | Ian Callinan (Tas) |
| 2001 | Vic Metro | Sam Power (Vic Metro) Steven Armstrong (WA) |
Tasmania | Tom Davidson (Tas) |
| 2002 | Vic Metro | Byron Schammer (SA) | / NSW/ACT | Anthony Corrie (NT) |
| 2003 | Vic Country | Kepler Bradley (WA) | / NSW/ACT | Jake Furfaro (Qld) |
| 2004 | Vic Metro | Jesse Smith (Vic Metro) | Northern Territory | Richard Tambling (NT) |
| 2005 | Vic Metro | Marc Murphy (Vic Metro) | Tasmania | Grant Birchall (TAS) |
| 2006 | Vic Metro | Tom Hawkins (Vic Metro) | Queensland | Ricky Petterd (QLD) |
| 2007 | Western Australia | Cale Morton (WA) | / NSW/ACT | Craig Bird (NSW/ACT) |
| 2008 | Vic Metro | Jack Watts (Vic Metro) | Tasmania | Mitch Robinson (TAS) |
| 2009 | Western Australia | David Swallow (WA) Andrew Hooper (Vic Country) |
/ NSW/ACT | Dylan McNeil (NSW/ACT) |
| 2010 | Vic Country | Harley Bennell (WA) | Tasmania | Sam Darley (Tasmania) |
| 2011 | Vic Metro | Stephen Coniglio (WA) | Tasmania | John McKenzie (Tasmania) |