Match of the round:
Live blog: https://aflq.com.au/coorparoo-vs-coolangatta-tweed-2/
Saturday 4:45pm – Coorparoo Vs. Coolangatta Tweed (Giffin Park, Coorparoo)
We’ve got a classic 2nd vs 3rd showdown in store for us on Saturday when Coorparoo take on Coolangatta at Giffin Park. Last time they matched up it was Round 8 when Ally Anderson and Emma Zielke led Coorparoo to a 44-32 win over the Bluebirds. With second place on the ladder up for grabs, it’s sure to be another thrilling matchup.
Coolangatta come into this one having built a solid base of consistent footy over the last fortnight. In particular, their previous six quarters of footy have been right up there with the best they’re capable of performing. The Bluebirds will be on the back foot for this one however, having to compensate for injuries and representative duties. Tahlor Sullivan won’t play after rolling her ankle just before halftime last week, while Shinae Barnett (concussion) and Emily Hagan (shoulder) will also be unavailable. Arianna Clarke, Kalinda Howarth and Ruby Blair will all miss this week with Queensland Under 18 duties.
Coorparoo are in a similar boat to Coolangatta, having built themselves up well over their last few games to be in a strong position with finals looming. The Kings will be bolstered by the return of Jessica Wuetschner who should be fit to play after managing a hamstring complaint, as well as other Lions representatives Emma Zielke, Brittany Gibson, Ally Anderson and Kate Deegan who are all available for selection. They’ll be missing Tarni White and Tahlia Hickie also with the Under 18’s, but should still be considered the favourites for this one.
Representative round:
Round 2 of the NAB AFL Women’s Under 18 Championships is set to kick off next week on the Gold Coast, with the Queensland side playing three matches against Vic Country, Vic Metro and the Allies. Plenty of young QWAFL stars will be suiting up for Queensland, which means they will be absent from this round of action. UQ will have the most missing this week (four), followed by Coorparoo and Coolangatta (three), Maroochydore with two and Yeronga, Wilston Grange and Zillmere all having one U18 representative. It will test a few sides that are also battling a rising injury toll at this time of the year, but will help the development of some new players coming through these clubs.
Young Eagles flying high:
While they haven’t had the best of seasons this year, Zillmere will be proud to see a couple of their young guns find success through representative selections. Earlier in the week it was announced Eagles midfielder Eliana Kaputin had been selected to represent her native country Papua New Guinea in their national AFL women’s side due to compete for the International Cup in Melbourne next month. Kaputin will be coming up against players from all over the world, including North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific.
Another young Eagle Sophie Conway is set to pull on the Queensland U18 jumper for the last time next week, capping off her second year with the squad since she first took up footy a couple of years ago. With the AFLW draft coming up later in the year, Conway will be looking to contribute as much as she can to catch the eye of potential AFLW scouts and coaches at the carnival next week.
Round 13 Matches:
Saturday July 8
2:00pm – Yeronga South Brisbane Vs. Maroochydore
Venue: Leyshon Park (Oval 2) – Yeronga
2:45pm – Zillmere Eagles Vs. Wilston Grange
Venue: O’Callaghan Park – Zillmere
4:45pm – Coorparoo Vs. Coolangatta Tweed
Venue: Giffin Park – Coorparoo
BYE: University of Queensland
By Josh Cheadle
Twitter: @JoshCheadle20
