The 2021 NAB AFL Women's Under-19 Championships is the eleventh national under-18/19 girls Australian rules football competition. The tournament, which was previously held in 2019 and not in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was played in April and May and featured eight teams.[1] Due to the pandemic, no winner was declared; instead, a series of challenge matches were played.
| 2021 | |
| Tournament information | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Australian rules football |
| Dates | 12 April–29 May |
| Venue(s) | Various |
| MVP | Ella Roberts (Western Australia) |
Age eligibility
editThe tournament is usually an under-18s competition; however, due to no championships being staged in 2020 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition was increased to an under-19 level.[1]
Format and teams
editEight teams competed in the championships: Vic Metro, Vic Country, South Australia, Western Australia, Queensland, the Allies (representing the Northern Territory, Tasmania, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory), the Woomeras (an Indigenous under-17 representative program), and the Medleys (a multicultural under-17 representative program).[1][2] The tournament was originally scheduled to begin in March, and two matches were played;[3][4][5] however, due to travel restrictions imposed as a result of a spike of COVID-19 cases in Brisbane, these matches were regarded as "challenge" matches and did not contribute to the overall rankings of the championships.[1] When only the official matches are included, each team only played two matches against randomly scheduled opponents.[1]
Fixtures
edit| Fixtures | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, 12 April (10:00 am) | South Australia 3.3 (21) | def. by | Vic Country 5.6 (36) | Avalon Airport Oval | [6] |
| Monday, 12 April (12:15 pm) | Woomeras 6.6 (42) | def. | Medleys 5.4 (34) | Avalon Airport Oval | [7] |
| Monday, 12 April (2:30 pm) | Western Australia 9.7 (61) | def. | Allies 4.4 (28) | Avalon Airport Oval | [8] |
| Thursday, 15 April (10:00 am) | Vic Metro 4.13 (37) | def. | Western Australia 4.9 (33) | Trevor Barker Beach Oval | [9] |
| Thursday, 15 April (12:15 pm) | Allies 3.8 (26) | def. | South Australia 3.2 (20) | Trevor Barker Beach Oval | [10] |
| Thursday, 15 April (2:30 pm) | Woomeras 3.9 (27) | def. by | Medleys 4.4 (28) | Trevor Barker Beach Oval | [11] |
| Sunday, 23 May (12:15 pm) | Vic Country 12.4 (76) | def. | Queensland 3.4 (22) | North Port Oval | |
| Saturday, 29 May (12:15 pm) | Queensland | v | Vic Metro | CANCELLED | |
All-Australian team
editThe 2021 Women's Under-19 All-Australian team was selected by a panel of experts, including AFL chair Kevin Sheehan, Tarkyn Lockyer (AFL national talent head coach), Samantha Virgo (Gold Coast), Trent Moseby (Richmond), Todd Patterson (Melbourne) and Jess Smith (AFL National Female Talent Manager).[12]
| B: | Chloe Leonard (VC) | Isadora McLeay (NSW/ACT) | Jaide Anthony (VC) |
| HB: | Maggie Harmer (Qld) | Lauren Young (SA) | Annie Lee (VC) |
| C: | Aurora Smith (VC) | Teagan Levi (Qld) | Courtney Rowley (WA) |
| HF: | Jess Doyle (NSW/ACT) | Ella Roberts (WA) (MVP) | Stella Reid (VM) |
| F: | Paige Scott (VC) | Cynthia Hamilton (NSW/ACT) | Georgia Campbell (VM) |
| Foll: | Zoe Prowse (SA) | Charlie Rowbottom (VM) | Georgie Prespakis (VM) |
| Int: | Makaela Tuhakaraina (WA) | Tahlia Gillard (VM) | Tara Slender (VC) |
| Zoe Venning (SA) | | ||
| Coach: | Melissa Hickey (VC) | ||
Team MVPs
editAt the conclusion of the tournament each competing team named their best player for the tournament.[13] The winner of these 'most valuable player' awards are as follows:
| Team | Player |
|---|---|
| Allies | Cynthia Hamilton |
| Queensland | Abby Hewitt |
| South Australia | Lauren Young |
| Vic Metro | Georgie Prespakis |
| Vic Country | Jaide Anthony |
| Western Australia | Ella Roberts |
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "U19s preview: Fixture, star players, how to stream, more". womens.afl. 11 April 2021.
- ^ "NAB AFL Under 19 Championships Booklet" (PDF). womens.afl. Australian Football League. 10 April 2021.
- ^ "2021 AFL Women's Under 19 Championships fixture announced". Aussie Rules Draft Central. 22 March 2021.
- ^ Peter Williams (28 March 2021). "South Australia wins thriller in opening AFL Women's Under 19 Championships match". Aussie Rules Draft Central.
- ^ "Top Performers: AFL Women's Under 19 Championships – Vic Metro vs. Vic Country". Aussie Rules Draft Central. 5 April 2021.
- ^ Peter Williams (12 April 2021). "Scott boots last three goals to steal game for Vic Country". Aussie Rules Draft Central.
- ^ Liam Badkin (12 April 2021). "Woomera too strong for brave Medleys". Aussie Rules Draft Central.
- ^ Michael Alvaro (12 April 2021). "Slick West Australian guns zip past Allies". Aussie Rules Draft Central.
- ^ Michael Alvaro (15 April 2021). "Vic Metro survives West Australian fightback at the death". Aussie Rules Draft Central.
- ^ Peter Williams (15 April 2021). "Allies hold on despite stunning effort from 15-year-old Lauren Young". Aussie Rules Draft Central.
- ^ Peter Williams (15 April 2021). "Medleys bounce back to square ledger with Woomeras". Aussie Rules Draft Central.
- ^ "REVEALED: U19 All-Australian team, 16-year-old gun the national MVP". womens.afl. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
- ^ "REVEALED: U19 All-Australian team, 16-year-old gun the national MVP". womens.afl. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 14 August 2021.