WA 18s Girls go down to Allies in final game of carnival

The AAMI WA Football State 18s Girls went down to the Allies in their final game of the AFLW National Under-18s Championships in Dandenong on Saturday.

The Black Swans lost by 29 points – 8.12 (60) to 4.7 (31) – to finish their carnival with a 1-3 record.

West Perth pair Cara Dziegelewski and Lexi Strachan were WA’s best, capping off brilliant campaigns.

Dziegelewski was a deserving winner of the State 18s Girls MVP Award for the best player across the carnival.

She finished with 21 disposals, 44 hit-outs and six tackles in another sensational performance, averaging 16.5 disposals, 32 hit-outs and 5.5 tackles over the four games.

Her Falcons teammate Strachan was terrific through the midfield, tallying 20 possessions and kicking a goal.

Strachan was particularly impressive in the opening term when WA were at their best, racking up 10 disposals and five clearances before quarter-time.

Swan Districts small forward Shaya Yarran provided a couple of highlights for WA in her return to the side, kicking a team-high two majors to go with eight tackles in a lively display.

East Perth’s Charli Bassett and Peel Thunder’s Charlie Fletcher both battled hard to round out their decent tournaments.

WA started strongly, trailing by just three points at quarter-time, but could only manage two goals after that as the Allies broke away for a comfortable win.