The NFNL’s Under-15 Girls representative team will be shooting for back-to-back title wins when it plays off in the 2018 AFL Victoria Metropolitan Junior Championships grand final.
Last year’s Under-15 girls team created history when it upset the Yarra Junior Football League in the grand final to claim the league’s first flag at the Championships under the NFNL/NFL banner.
The girls will be looking to defend their title when they take on the Eastern Region Girls in Saturday’s decider from 10:00am at Bulleen Park.
The NFNL finished second on the Under-15 Girls Division 1 ladder at this year’s Championships, scoring two wins from their three games in the group stage.
The girls started their 2018 campaign with a gripping two-point win over Yarra Junior Football League under lights at Panton Hill’s Cracknell Reserve on May 30. In wet and trying conditions, a Pippa Bell goal in the final quarter handed the side a 1.7 (15) to 1.7 (13) victory.
The Round 2 victory came in more convincing fashion, with the NFNL leading at every change to score a 25-point triumph over South Metro Junior Football League. Heidi Woodley had a standout game, while co-captain Chloe Williams booted two goals.
The round-robin campaign finished with a 31-point defeat to Eastern Region Girls at East Ringwood Reserve, despite strong performances from Michaela Molenberg and April Woodward.
The NFNL will look to reverse that result on Saturday – something they achieved in 2017, when they won the grand final by 10 points after losing to the YJFL during the group stage.
The entire NFNL community wishes the girls the best of luck in Saturday’s grand final.
The NFNL’s Under 14A Boys will play off in their grand final on Saturday June 30. The boys finished first on the ladder and will host SMJFL from 2:15pm at Eltham Central Park.
