Page 42 - AFL QUEENSLAND 2012 YEAR IN REVIEW

FEMALE TALENT
The female talent program went from strength to strength in 2012 with Queensland School Sport (QSS) incorporating a Girls’ State Invitational Carnival, Cairns winning the Women’s Open State Championships, our Under 18 Youth Girls State team making the national final, the expansion of the female academies to include an Under 12 Sunfire Academy and winning the Under 17 Youth Girls State Championships.
Queensland School Sport in partnership with AFL Queensland hosted the Inaugural 16 years and under Girls AFL State Carnival at Yeronga AFC in April. This was a great success with Met West, Met North, Sunshine Coast, Capricornia and Peninsula all putting in regional teams and with Wide Bay Invitational and a President’s team making up the other two teams.
Met North won the carnival, with Tayla Harris from the same region being named Player of the Carnival. A Queensland merit team was named at the end of the carnival.
The Women’s State Championships were hosted by Cairns at Cazaly’s Stadium with teams from Brisbane, Cairns and PNG nominating to participate. Unfortunately due to Visa issues, PNG were unable to board their plane leaving just Brisbane and Cairns to fight for the title. In a lay year for Women’s National Championships, a depleted Brisbane team struggled against an in-form Cairns team, losing both of their games. Staci Trindle-
Price from Cairns won the Player of the Championships. A Qld team was selected to compete against NSW and ACT as a
lead-in to the 2013 Women’s National Championships to be held in Cairns.
The Under 18 Youth Girls State Team this year became the first Queensland team - either male or female - to play in a Division One grand final. The girls played undefeated Victoria as a curtain closer to the Port
Adelaide v North Melbourne game in front of thousands of AAMI Stadium spectators. The girls competed well but
went down in a physical game to a very strong Victorian unit.
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2012 Year in Review