SAINT Joseph’s Regional College impressed and didn’t lose a game in the process at the under-15 girls AFL gala day in Port Macquarie on Wednesday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
They proved too good for Camden Haven High School, St Paul’s Kempsey and Kempsey Adventist in a day designed to help AFL North Coast continue to grow the women’s game.
The Regional girls won five from five including a 56-21 win over Kempsey Adventist in the final in a sport believed to be the fastest-growing women’s code in the country.
Students such as Bridget Williams and Nicole Abi-Saab picked up a Sherrin for the first time and used their background and knowledge from other footy codes to their advantage.
“It was a new experience,” Williams said.
“I don’t play AFL and play league, so I just wanted to try something different to see if I liked it or not.”
The teenager plays most sports and has a busy calendar as a result which meant she was unlikely to play Aussie Rules outside of school.
“I play a lot of sports outside of school, so maybe I’ll just play the (AFL) school comp for now.”
Abi-Saab admitted she enjoyed the physical nature of the sport and it was “good fun”.
“It’s got tackling in it and all the boys said it was pretty fun so we thought the girls should get a go,” she said.
“It’s fun, I kicked a few goals and definitely would be interested in taking it up outside of school.”
Regional had the added benefit of coach Beth Rennes calling the shots.
She was a member of the Port Macquarie Magpies team that made the AFL North Coast women’s grand final.
Assistant coach Beth Sherratt said the school’s successful day came as a bit of a surprise.
“Most of the girls were involved with touch football which meant they couldn't train as well, but Beth was confident with them,” she said.
“We didn’t know what the other schools were like so for them to go out and play the way they did, she was really impressed with them.”
The assistant coach said the team were disappointed there wasn’t an immediate next step for them to progress to.
“Pretty much the whole team were asking if there was a next level they could go to after today,” she said.
“But this was the second date for it after they cancelled one earlier in the year, so the state AFL titles had already been.
“The girls had so much fun, were surprised how well they went and they wanted to find out how far they could go.”
Sherratt said there were a few injuries to come from the day, but that was part of footy.
“All the girls went better than everyone thought and even in the aggressive games they held their own,” she said.
“Some of the girls from the other schools were double their size.”