By Ant Wingard
This weekend’s 2018 AFL Queensland Under 14 and Under 17 State Championships is an important fixture on the calendar for many bidding footballers across the state, but for one family, the four-day carnival is an entire family affair.
The Browne family will be represented healthily at the state championships, with triplets Sarah, Courtney and Corey al set to line up for the Demons and carry the flag for the Darling Downs region.
Both Sarah and Courtney play for the Under 14 Girls side, of which the latter is also the side’s captain, while Corey laces up the boots for the Under 14 boys’ side.
The trio hail from South Toowoomba as three of 14 players representing the club across the Darling Downs’ three representative teams at the carnival.
This year’s 2018 Under 14 and Under 17 State Championships will take place at Maroochydore Multisports Complex from Friday September 21 through to Monday September 24.
In 2018, the championships will carry the theme let them play, which encourages participants to express themselves and learn through a discover environment.
These state championships also represent the first steps in a junior player’s football development and aims at preparing the boys and girls for the next stage of their journey.
For the first time different age groups have been combined into one huge exciting event on the Sunshine Coast, featuring five days of youth football from some of the brightest Australian Rules Football prospects in the state.
Over the course of the Carnival over 500 players, as well as talented young umpires from throughout Queensland and PNG, will compete in a celebration and display of future talent. These players are progressing through the Queensland pathway towards future careers in the AFL, AFLW and our state and community senior leagues.
This event is sponsored by State Championships partner, Sunshine Coast Regional Council and AFL Queensland Youth Girls Talent Pathway Program partner, Bond University.
2018 AFL Queensland State Carnival
Maroochydore Multisports Complex, Fishermans Road, Maroochydore.
Friday 21 September, 2018
Under 14 Male
11.30am North Queensland v Gold Coast South
11.45am Wide Bay v Brisbane South West
1.00pm Gold Coast North v Moreton Bay
1.15pm Darling Downs v Northern Rivers
2.30pm Central Queensland v Brisbane South East
2.45pm Brisbane North v Sunshine Coast
Under 14 Female
12.00pm Gold Coast Sunsets v Sunshine Coast Storm
1.30pm Darling Downs Demons v Northern Rivers Breakers
3.00pm Brisbane South Vixens v Brisbane North Brumbies
4.30pm Country Queensland Kookaburras v Wide Bay
Saturday 22 September, 2018
Under 14 Male
10.00am North Queensland v Gold Coast North
11.30am Gold Coast South v Moreton Bay
1.00pm Darling Downs v Wide Bay
2.30pm Northern RIvers v Brisbane South West
4.00pm Central Queensland v Brisbane North
Under 14 Female
1.00am Gold Coast Sunsets v Brisbane South Vixens
12.30pm Sunshine Coast Storm v Brisbane North Brumbies
2.00pm Darling Downs Demons v Country Queensland Kookaburras
3.30pm Northern Rivers Breakers v Wide Bay
Under 17 Female
10.30am North Queensland Kookaburras v Central Queensland Kookaburras
12.00pm Northern Rivers Breakers v Darling Downs Demons
1.30pm Gold Coast Sunsets v Brisbane South Vixens
Sunday 23 September, 2018
Under 17 Female
11.00am North Queensland Kookaburras v Papua New Guinea
12.30pm Northern Rivers Breakers v Brisbane North Brumbies
2.00pm Gold Coast Sunsets v Sunshine Coast Storm
Monday 24 September, 2018
Under 14 Male
9.00am North Queensland v Moreton Bay
9.45am Central Queensland v Sunshine Coast
10.30am Darling Downs v Brisbane South West
11.15am Brisbane South East v Brisbane North
12.00pm Gold Coast South v Gold Coast North
12.45pm Wide bay v Northern Rivers
Under 14 Female
9.15am Northern Rivers Breakers v Country Queensland Kookaburras
10.45am Sunshine Coast Storm v Brisbane South Vixens
12.15pm Darling Downs Demons v Wide Bay
1.45pm Gold Coast Sunsets v Brisbane North Brumbies
Under 17 Female
1.30pm Brisbane South Vixens v Sunshine Coast Storm
2.00pm Central Coast Kookaburras v Papua New Guinea
3.15pm Darling Downs Demons v Brisbane North Brumbies
Tuesday 25 September, 2018
Under 17 Female
9.00am 9th Ladder v 8th Ladder
9.15am 5th Ladder v 6th Ladder
9.45am 7th Ladder v 9th Ladder
10.30am 8th Ladder v 7th Ladder
10.45am 3rd Ladder v 4th Ladder
12.15pm 1st Ladder v 2nd Ladder
