The next generation put on a show in the Western Region Football League juniors this season.
But only a select few sides had the privilege of running out on grand final day and, from those, only one could be premier.
We pay tribute to the clubs that made it all the way to the holy grail and the players who made it happen.
Under-18 division 1
Every young footballer strives to finish their under-age playing days as the premier in this division.
Hoppers Crossing Warriors did it this year to snatch a fourth successive flag.
Coach Brad Murphy and captain Blake Jago received the premiership cup after the 87-point whipping of the St Albans Saints in the grand final, which capped an unbeaten season.
Jago, Luke Henderson and Mitch Appleby were the standout performers for the Warriors, while Daniel Strnak booted four goals.
Hoppers Crossing 17.17 (119) d St Albans 5.2 (32).
Under-18 division 2
Glenorden Hawks only just managed to hold off the fast-finishing Newport Power by eight points in a tense grand final.
Leading by 29 at half-time, the question was how much the Hawks would win by, but the Power surged with a six-goal-to-two second half to make it a thrilling finish.
Nathan Johnson was the difference between the two sides with four goals in a best-afield display for the top-ranked Hawks.
Mitchell Post, Gueny MacHar and Brayden Trewin were other big-game players for the winners.
Glenorden 10.7 (67) d Newport Power 9.5 (59).
Under-16A
Altona Juniors were a class above the rest en route to an unbeaten season. And it was no different in the grand final, where they were far superior to a wasteful Hoppers Crossing in a 34-point win.
Yousef El Hawli and Steele Aburrow were a handful for the Warriors’ defence with three goals apiece.
Isaac Corvo, Jordan Roache and Jared Moore were the influential Warriors to hit their straps on the biggest day.
Altona Juniors 9.9 (63) d Hoppers Crossing 3.11 (29).
Under-16B
Melbourne’s fickle weather wreaked havoc on the weekend this grand final was played, resulting in just two goals for the game.
So while it may not have been the prettiest match, it will be a tale to tell in years to come for the 22 Albion players, who won a grand final over St Albans with just one goal.
Joshua Clark was the hero for the Cats with his third-quarter goal; before that it was a goal drought in the wet. When it got tight at the end, Adam Korsak, James Leach and Caleb McPherson lifted to get the Cats over the line.
Albion 1.6 (12) d St Albans 1.4 (10).
Under-16C
Newport Power ruled over the regular season and left nothing to chance in the grand final.
The minor premiers Power got their hands dirty early to open up a 25-point quarter-time lead over St Bernard’s and gradually increased it as the game went on to win by 59 points.
Aeneas Gallivan had his kicking boots on with four goals for the Power, while Nayef Hamad, Mohammed Taleb and Ayeman Nafrak were the star performers.
Newport Power 16.8 (104) d St Bernard’s 6.9 (45).
Under-15A
Werribee Districts got home by the skin of their teeth over Yarraville-Seddon in the big dance.
The one-point victory came through sheer persistence after being held scoreless in the first quarter and trailing by 10 points at half-time.
The Districts’ second half comeback was inspired by Callum O’Malley, Judah Dundon and Alexander Psarros.
Joel Russell was the only multiple goalkicker on the ground with two for Districts.
Werribee Districts 3.6 (24) d Yarraville-Seddon 2.11 (23).
Under-15B
Caroline Springs Lakers made it a second one-point result in under-15s by edging out Werribee Centrals in a stunning come-from-behind performance.
The Lakers appeared down and out without a score and were trailing 34-0 at quarter-time.
But they got back into the match with four goals in the second quarter and sealed the comeback with four in the last.
Joel Ives, Dechlan Markovski and Sam Cannolo-Jackson were instigators of the Lakers’ fightback.
Caroline Springs 8.7 (55) d Werribee Centrals 8.6 (54).
Under-14A
Williamstown Juniors played the role of party poopers and had a day out of their own.
With Hoppers Crossing going through the season unbeaten and the Juniors qualifying in third, most felt a Warriors victory was a fait accompli.
But someone forgot to tell Juniors stars Harry Jennings, Jack McCall and Jack Mason, who dominated as the Juniors got up by 14 points in a shock result.
McCall was the go-to player in the forward line with four goals in an outstanding effort.
Williamstown Juniors 9.6 (60) d Hoppers Crossing 7.4 (46).
Under-14B
Sanctuary Lakes claimed top finals billing on the back of the tightest defence in the league.
The Sharks turned up the blowtorch even more in the grand final by restricting Yarraville-Seddon to a single goal in the 29-point win.
Leo Eliepa, Jack Neilson and Jack Gatt were the driving forces behind the victory.The Sharks peppered the goals but were fairly inaccurate, but it didn’t cost them on this occasion.
Sanctuary Lakes 4.12 (36) d Yarraville-Seddon 1.1 (7).
Under-14C
Newport Power was a near-unstoppable force on the way to a premiership.
The Power finished on top of the ladder with an incredible percentage of 486.99 and the only blemish came way back in round one.
They were irresistible in the grand final, beating Williamstown Juniors by 112 points and keeping them to just five behinds for the game. Jai Veljanovski, James Martyn and Omar Alkantar starred in the decider for the Power, while Zac Harper kicked four goals.
Newport Power 17.15 (117) d Williamstown Juniors 0.5 (5).
Under-13A
One goal and a whole lot of behinds was enough for Williamstown Juniors to seal a 13-point grand final win over St Bernard’s.
The Juniors were the top side over the course of the season and their astronomical percentage of 583.06 was testament to their dominance.
But the decider turned into a hard slog, with Liam Dawson’s third-quarter goal the only one kicked for the game.
Matthew Dempsey, Tom Warner and Jack Harrison were key players for the Juniors.
Williamstown Juniors 1.10 (16) d St Bernard’s 0.3 (3).
Under-13B
Werribee Districts hunted down most sides in their way in the home-and-away rounds but suffered a shock loss to St Albans in week one of the finals.
The Districts were hell-bent on lightning not striking twice and atoned in the best possible way with a 61-point grand final drubbing of the Saints.
It was all one-way traffic from the moment Callan Gilboy, Connor Thar and Kirk Aitken started locating the ball for Districts.
They had eight goalkickers, including two each to Aitken, Thar and Max Lazaridis.
Werribee Districts 11.10 (76) d St Albans 2.3 (15).
Under-13C
Altona Juniors were the clear standout side in the regular season, finishing four games clear on top of the ladder.
But, as we know, grand finals are a different ball game and this was too close for comfort for Altona.
They managed to take out the title of champions but did it with an edge-of-your-seat, four-point win over Williamstown Juniors.
When Saxon Rodwell, Jordon Glowacki and Campbell McCracken were up and about, Altona looked the stronger side, but Williamstown went down with a fight.
Altona Juniors 3.3 (21) d Williamstown Juniors 2.5 (17).
Under-12A
Caroline Springs performed a Houdini act to come away with the premiership.
The Lakers were in a spot of bother staring at a 24-point deficit at quarter-time of the grand final against Sanctuary Lakes, but they came back to win by three points, rallying in the final three quarters on the back of stellar performances from Ryley Grech, Tyler Miceli and Leigh Dyson and booting the last five goals of the match.
Caroline Springs 5.2 (32) d Sanctuary Lakes 3.11 (29).
Under-12B
Werribee Centrals produced one of the biggest shocks with a comeback 13-point win over Flemington Juniors in the grand final.
The Centurions qualified for the finals in third place and were in trouble against the minor premiers at half -time after booting just one major in the first half. Led by Lachlan Rzanovski, Harrison White and Connor Linehan-Cunningham, the Centurions booted three goals to zip in the second half for an against-the-odds win.
Werribee Centrals 4.5 (29) d Flemington Juniors 2.4 (16).
Under-12C
Hoppers Crossing needed a spectacular fourth quarter to record a runaway 25-point win over Sanctuary Lakes in the grand final.
The Warriors, unbeaten in the home-and-away campaign, were a touch off colour in the first three quarters and went into the last with a 10-point deficit.
But with the guidance of Jake Collier, Eben Geelhuizen and Rohan Matthews, the Warriors found their feet and delivered the KO blow with a five-goal-to-nil last term.
Hoppers Crossing 8.13 (61) d Sanctuary Lakes 5.6 (36).
Under-11A
Williamstown Juniors had to scrap their way to a 12-point grand final win over Yarraville-Seddon.
Lachlan Downey, Liam Conway and Tane Roordinic were the ever-presents over four quarters for Juniors.
The Juniors qualified for the finals in second place, but the premiership was theirs for the taking after they toppled minor premiers Point Cook in the preliminary final.
Williamstown Juniors 3.4 (22) d Yarraville-Seddon 1.4 (10).
Under-11B
Despite wayward kicking for goal, Hoppers Crossing held on to claim a nine-point victory over Sunshine Heights in the grand final.
The Warriors led at every change, with Cameron Curnuck, Kane Hynes and Aiden De Pretoro cornerstones to the victory.
The Warriors completed an unbeaten season but had to survive two close finals to clinch the flag.
Hoppers Crossing 2.10 (22) d Sunshine Heights 2.1 (13).
Under-11C
Werribee Districts caused a grand final boilover by beating minor premiers Sunshine Kangaroos by two points.
Districts qualified in third place and were rank underdogs, but big second and fourth quarters and the Roos’ inaccurate shooting for goal meant an unlikely premiership.
Jaelen Pavlidis was best-afield for Districts with his side’s only two goals of the game.
Werribee Districts 2.3 (15) d Sunshine 1.7 (13).
FINAL TALLY
Who were the clubs with the most under-age premierships in 2013?
3 Hoppers Crossing
3 Werribee Districts
3 Williamstown Juniors
2 Altona Juniors
2 Caroline Springs
2 Newport Power
1 Albion
1 Glenorden
1 Sanctuary Lakes
1 Werribee Centrals
Ten different clubs won junior premierships, with Hoppers Crossing, Werribee Districts and Williamstown Juniors leading the way with three apiece.
That leaves 22 clubs without a premiership between them this season.
It goes to show, as every retired footballer knows, that premiership are hard to come by and must be savoured when they do come along.
