By JARROD POTTER
AFL VICTORIA METROPOLITAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
Under-16 Youth Girls – Grand Final
IT WAS not meant to be for the South-East Juniors Youth Girls, as the Yarra Junior Football League stormed away to claim to back-to-back interleague championships.
The two rampaging Youth Girls’ sides in this year’s AFL Victoria Metropolitan Junior Championships made their way to Shepley Oval to fight for the top title on Saturday morning, but sadly for the locals, Yarra JFL had enough in the tank to knock them off by 19 points to add to their 2013 interleague championship victory.
A four-goal-to-nil first quarter made the rest of the match an uphill slog for the South East Juniors, but to their credit the girls stuck in the contest and chipped away at the Yarra JFL lead.
Led admirably by midfielders Georgia Gourlay, Teagan Sheldon, Logan O’Connell-Webb and Emily Browning, the Demons worked their way back into the clash goal-by-goal.
South East Juniors struggled to find multiple avenues to goal as Cranbourne’s Courtney Jones and Amber Dixon (2 goals each) were the only goal kickers for the morning’s match.
Cranbourne’s Kayla Ripari impressed in the ruck and pinch-hit at either end of the ground when called upon while Parkmore’s Karina Diaz presented well up forward.
Whitehorse Colts midfielder/defender Katherine Smith was named best on ground as Yarra JFL lifted the trophy for the second year in a row.
South East Juniors coach Keith Edwards said the team fought hard and lived up to its ‘one in, all in’ playing style.
“The first quarter killed us overall I suppose,” Edwards said.
“Four goals – and that’s it – that’s the margin.
“In the second half our endeavour, enthusiasm and intensity were there, the tackling pressure was strong, but unfortunately we weren’t clean enough to do it, but I was rapt for the girls and the way they finished off.”
INTERLEAGUE SCOREBOARD
SEJFL 0.0 1.1 2.3 4.3 (27)
YJFL 4.0 5.1 6.4 7.4 (46)
SEJ Goals: C. Jones 2, A. Dixon 2. Best: G. Gourlay, K. Ripari, L. O’Connell-Webb, T. Sheldon, E. Browning.
YARRA JFL Goals: K. Smith 2, O. Mcfawn 2, I. Gietzmann, J. Provan, D. Bateman. Best: K. Tanner, K. Smith, B. Cruickshank, D. Jones, C. Mcfawn, D. Polkinghorne.
