The Queensland Women’s State team are heading to Tasmania this weekend aiming for their third successive win against the Apple Isle.
Despite victories over the past two years, the ambition and importance of this clash still resonates strongly and the team will need to go to another level according to coach Jamie Stanton.
“It is a huge honor to coach this team and games like this can only help develop women’s football in Queensland,” Stanton said prior to the team departing on Friday.
“Last year we were able to control the stoppages and created better ball movement and hope that can be replicated on Saturday
“With the best talent in the state wearing the maroon, we’re confident in the side we’re putting on the park to take on Tasmania. We know they’ll bring plenty of experience and physicality, but we’re ready.”
The squad was named earlier in the week with up and coming stars of the Bond University QAFLW competition headlining the starting list, with 10 players returning from last year’s victorious team and those 10 all wanting to return according to the coach.
Steph O’Brien, the competition’s reigning two-time Emma Zielke Medallist returns as Queensland’s captain and is again joined by Lucy Schneider, Ella Calleja, Emma Pittman, Ayla Fetahagic, Jasmyn Davidson, Tayla Gregory, Grace Roberts-White, Maddy Watt and Jess Davy.
Amongst the players set to pull on the maroon jumper for the first time is Morningside’s Isabella Levine, who leads the competition in clearances and is second for contested possessions. Joining her in their Queensland debut are Southport’s Olivia Meagher who sits second on the QAFLW leaderboard for goals and Kierra Zerafa who sits second for disposals.
“We’ve welcomed back a number of experienced players while also introducing some exciting new talent,” Stanton explained when the team was selected.
“For some of our younger players in our group, this is their first representative match since playing for the Queensland academies and is a great opportunity for them to showcase that they are ready to be on an AFL Women’s list.”
The team departs Friday morning and will have a ‘captain’s run’ in the afternoon before the clash takes place at midday on Saturday at the Latrobe Recreation Ground just outside of Launceston.
Following the women’s match, the men’s match against Tasmania will start at 2:15pm.
Both games will be livestreamed on AFL Queensland’s YouTube channel.