In wet conditions at Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex, the U18 female SUNS Academy side was ultimately overcome by a strong Brisbane Lions outfit on Saturday afternoon.
The Lions featured four reserve AFLW players in their side with Kalinda Howarth, Jessy Keeffe, Ruby Blair and Krystal Scott getting some game time after being overlooked for the following Brisbane v Collingwood AFLW clash.
After letting Brisbane get off to a quick start, the
18 of the SUNS’ 25 players
“It was a really good experience to start playing with NQ girls as we don’t know them very well,” SUNS leader Serene Watson said.
“We had a bit of a rough start but at the end of the game we ended up getting through it really well.”
Watson was one of the most vocal players on the
“The conditions were tough but at the end of the game we still played hard, we all went for the footy and we played really well I believe as a team,” she said.
“We ended up bonding really well by the end of it but the conditions were just another hurdle that we had to jump over.”
Academy members and Queensland Under 18 representatives Tori Groves-Little and Ellie Hampson were two of the SUNS’ best players on the day.
Hampson, who hails from Townsville and attended the AFLW Talent ID day, played predominately through the midfield and was well-suited to the slippery and congested conditions.
The match was a perfect opportunity to give North Queensland players exposure to representative football against AFLW-listed players as the SUNS prepare for the upcoming women’s winter series.
READ: SUNS unveil women’s path to 2020
FINAL SCORE:
SUNS: 1.2 (8)
Lions: 6.4 (40)
GOALS:
SUNS: Murphy
Lions: Abbott 3, Dawes 2, Gagliardi 1
BEST:
SUNS: Groves-Little, Hampson,
Lions: Abbott, Blair, Howarth
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