NSW/ACT Youth Girls return home
The first ever NSW/ACT Youth Girls under 18 team has returned home following the inaugural National Championships in Melbourne last week.
While relatively new to Youth Girls AFL, the combined state team was determined to stake their claim against the best up and coming players from Australia.
Unfortunately the team didn’t record a victory but they improved as each game wore on and took on board the advice from their coach.
For the ACT’s Heather Anderson she had a week to remember being named in the Youth Girls All-Australian team.
Despite the results, Youth Girls Manager Dawn Giffin said it was an enjoyable week for the players.
“It was a great experience for the girls, they learnt a lot and developed so much in that short period of time,” Giffin said.
“For the girls it was a whole new level of footy that they haven’t been exposed to before.
“They loved being treated as professional players and even though they lost the games they held their own.
“The team took a lot of positives out of their matches – particularly holding Western Australia goalless for a quarter – and overall it was a fantastic experience and the girls are looking forward to the development of the game in the future.”
It was always going to be a tough start to the championships facing Victoria in their opening match. Unfortunately the hosts got off to a blistering start with their pin point accuracy by foot and strong marking a key difference between the two sides.
While NSW/ACT tried their best to make it a contest they were no match for the Victorians who raced out to a five goal halftime lead which eventually blew out to a 97 point victory.
Determined to improve on their opening match, NSW/ACT were faced with another tough challenge having to beat Western Australia in their next game.
NSW/ACT responded in the best possible way winning the opening centre-bounce to record the first inside-50 of the match. Although, the team’s surge was short-lived as WA piled on the first eleven goals of the match.
An upbeat NSW/ACT side fought back positively by winning the third quarter and in doing so kept their opponents goalless. NSW/ACT’s burst was a little too late though as WA fought back in the fourth term to win by 84 points.
NSW/ACT’s next task was to knock off South Australia – which they certainly came close to doing. In a tight game played in breezy and wet conditions, SA hit the front early to head into the first change with an eight point lead.
Looking for their first win of the championships, NSW/ACT kicked the first goal of the second term to make it a two-point ball game before SA kick one goal back late in the quarter.
Despite trailing by 20 points at three-quarter-time NSW/ACT’s determination was not enough to get them over the line going down by seven points in a spirited performance.
In the first of the placement games for the U18 Youth Girls National Championships the newly combined NSW/ACT lined up against AFL Victoria Development. Both teams have a number of younger girls who will still be eligible in two years time when the next championships are convened.
The superior passing skills of the Development allowed them to move the ball more fluently downfield to set up a number of shots on goal. Unfortunately NSW/ACT couldn’t put pressure on the scoreboard as they fell short by 67 points to finish the championships in sixth place.
NSW/ACT should be very proud of what they have achieved during the week. They fielded one of the youngest sides and as the week went on their style of play improved significantly. Overall it was a great experience for the players and an exciting time to be part of the inaugural Youth Girls Nationals.
