NFL Under-15 Girls representative coach Chyloe Kurdas has expressed her thrill ahead of the 2017 AFL Victoria Metro Junior Championships Division 1 grand final this weekend.
The NFL qualified after defeating the South Metro Junior Football League (SMJFL) and South East Juniors (SEJ), following its Round 1 loss to the Yarra Junior Football League (YJFL) in the round-robin stage of the tournament.
For the second-straight year the NFL will face the YJFL in the decider.
Kurdas said it is an opportunity her side will relish ahead of the showdown at Vermont Reserve this Saturday.
“We’re looking forward to a fourth opportunity to play together as a group. This group will never be together again so having the fourth opportunity to do that is really exciting,” Kurdas told NFL.org.au.
“They played Yarra in the first game (losing by 44 points) and they’re playing them in the fourth game so we’re really appreciative and grateful for the opportunity to test ourselves and see how much we’ve improved across the four weeks.”
Regardless of the result on Saturday, Kurdas, who formerly worked as AFL Victoria’s Female Football Development Manager, said the NFL girls’ squad should hold their heads high after what has already been a “successful program”.
“The performances were really quality from our girls over the three games and the program for us has already been a huge success,” she said.
“The success measures of our program aren’t based around the results of our games, it’s about the learning that our kids demonstrate.
“We’ve already achieved the things we wanted to achieve which was to introduce young girls to elite habits that you need to bring if you want to take your football further.
“The girls have been really outstanding with how they’ve carried themselves throughout the whole program. They’ve played really structured football and have done all the things that were asked of them.”
Kurdas also lauded the efforts of her team for their ability to demonstrate what they’ve learned over the program, praising the leadership skills many of her young players have displayed.
“There’s not one girl that’s been disappointing and they’ve all continued to grow and develop,” she said.
“Alyssa Bannan has been a stand out with her work rate and her leadership.
“The captain Guilia Ceravolo has also been fantastic with her leadership, especially in that tough game last week where we came from behind to beat South Metro.
“Her hardness and willingness to work for her girls was just extraordinary.”
Kurdas will continue to maintain a level-headed approach into this week’s grand final, with the end result not the be-all and end-all.
“The scoreboard hasn’t been and won’t be a focus for us at all,” she said.
“We actually don’t care about winning or losing, what we really care about is applying the things that we’ve learned. That’s what’s critical for us.”
The Under-15 Girls Division 1 grand final will be played at Vermont Reserve (corner Terrara Road & Canterbury Road, Vermont) from 10:00am.
The NFL wishes all players and coaches the best of luck for the match and encourages all supporters to head along to support the girls.
