VIC COUNTRY has won the AFL under-18 national championship despite a four-point loss yesterday, the final day of the carnival.The Vics entered the final match unbeaten and with a healthy percentage, forcing rival South Australia to try and beat them soundly for a shot at the division one crown.Play was tight and had a grand final-flavour from the outset but South Australia managed to hold on for match honours 8.7 (55) to 7.9 (51) at Skilled Stadium.North Ballarat Rebels' forward Lucas Cook (Hopetoun) chipped in with a goal.Vic Country captain Mitch Hallahan (Dandenong Stingrays) proudly held the trophy aloft."We didn't win the fight but we won the battle," Hallahan said.There was plenty riding on the last day of the 2010 carnival with Vic Metro still in the running for the crown on four wins and one loss after beating Western Australia by 19 points early in the afternoon.Vic Country football manager Phil Partington said the equation in match preparations was simple: beat South Australia and win the title.While the match did not work in their favour, the Vics were still happy with the overall spoils."It's good to win a championship and that's what this whole carnival is about," Partington said.Inaccurate kicking in front of goals hurt the Vics early but two goals at the end of the second quarter gave them an eight-point lead at half-time.South Australia crept back and created a shoot-out in an epic second half. Gippsland Power's Dyson Heppell was named Vic Country's most valuable player of the carnival, while Hallahan was named Vic Country's best.Cook, the only Rebel in action yesterday, earned the praise of Vic Country coach Robert Hyde for a consistent carnival.Fellow Rebels Nick O'Brien (Carngham-Linton), Darcy Watchorn (Redan), Marcus Darmody (North Warrnambool), Tyrone Ross (Hamilton), Jeremy Cameron (Dartmoor) and Jandre Slabbert (Hamilton) were also included in the premiership for their roles over the course of the carnival.*North Ballarat Rebels Ben Mabon and Kurt Aylett were part of NSW/ACT's division two runners-up team.Tasmania claimed a 42-point upset against NSW/ACT yesterday to seal the title 13.6 (84) to 6.6 (42).