Northern Football League under-15 girls coach David Craig said the representative side should be extremely proud of its efforts at the 2016 AFL Victoria Metro Junior Championships.
The NFL’s under-15 girls were gallant in their grand final defeat on Saturday, going down 11.8 (74) to 4.4 (28) to a strong Yarra Junior Football League outfit at Walker Park.
The 46-point defeat was a marked improvement after succumbing to a 70-point loss in their previous match against the YJFL in Round 3 of the Championships.
Craig said all players were to be commended for their performances in the grand final and throughout the round robin series.
“They should all be proud. The way they handled themselves on Saturday and the improvement they showed was great to see,” Craig said.
“We sat down after the previous loss to Yarra and worked on changing a few things. The girls played to the plan and were a lot harder and fiercer at the ball than in the previous loss.
“In the grand final we lost each quarter by only one or two goals, which was a marked improvement.
“After the match even the Yarra coach commended our girls on the improvement they’d shown and their real team effort.”
Trailing by 21 points at quarter time, the NFL took the game right up to the YJFL in the second term.
Our girls kept their more fancied opponent to just one goal in the second quarter, with the game still in the balance at half time.
YJFL marginally got on top in the second half, however the NFL girls never gave in and made sure their opponent had to work hard for their win.
Craig said every girl in the NFL squad contributed throughout the Championships and named Grace Dicker, Maeve Chaplin and Ciara Fitzgerald as three of the more consistent players throughout the campaign.
Kayley Reid was adjudged the NFL’s best player in the grand final, booting two of her team’s four goals.
Craig said Reid had shown great talent throughout all four matches at the Championships.
“Kayley came along leaps and bounds and she is only one of the younger players in the team.
“She was our best on Saturday and really led the way.”
The Northern Football League congratulates all players and coaches on their efforts throughout the 2016 AFL Victoria Metro Junior Championships.
The league also thanks all parents and volunteers for their support of the team throughout the representative campaign.
