A 14 year-old boy playing a fast paced full contact sport amongst 17 year-olds is a sobering thought.

Some would say it's irresponsible and others just plain unfair.

Those poor 17 year-olds never stood a chance when they came up against Archie Dunn (14) when he turned out in the yellow and blue of the Eagles at U17 level this year.

In taking out the Wangaratta & District Junior Football League's 2025 U17s MVP Award, young Archie has announced himself as the latest sporting prodigy to step off Mansfield Shire's seemingly endless conveyor belt of talent.

"It was a big step up for me moving into the U17s," Archie Dunn, the prodigious Eagles onballer, reflected on the season just finished.

"The game felt faster and more competitive, the opposition tackled harder.

"The mental side of the game took an adjustment but I feel like I got used to it pretty quickly."

Clearly, he did.

Archie received 22 votes in the count for the MVP award which he shared with Kaiden Wohlers of the Centrals.

He topped the vote despite missing four weeks with a horror injury which would have rattled a full grown man with much more experience than Archie.

"At first bounce of our round 13 match with Benalla in Benalla, I was involved in a nasty clash of heads in a contest for the ball.

"Afterwards, I realised my four front teeth had all come loose in my mouth.

"It hurt.

"A lot."

It took a trip to the Royal Dental Hospital and a five hour operation to put Archie back together again and he missed the final three games of the regular season, returning just in time to join his teammates as they valiantly exited the finals against the Tigers at the Wangaratta Showgrounds.

He says he was rapt to win the MVP award despite this lengthy and painful absence.

"I didn't expect it at all, it was a surprise and I was super stoked to win the award.

"I felt like I had a good season and I learned a lot, the same goes for all the boys.

"We really enjoyed playing under my dad, he's got a lot of knowledge and experience to pass on and the boys really liked having him as coach.

"We will lose our top age players next year but there will be a lot of talent in the squad with those left behind and those coming through.

"I'm looking forward to trying to help the younger boys adapt to the step up in the way I had to this year."

Taking the MVP award in his first year in the U17s is a big achievement for the young onballer whose next steps are to keep learning at the Eagles while staking his claim for a spot with the Murray Bushrangers, the prestigious talent factory that has helped produced a score of AFL drafted players and indeed champions of the game like Steele Sidebottom, Jamie Elliot, Jack Crisp, Steve Johnson and Clayton Oliver amongst many many others.

Good luck, Archie.