Defending champions claim first win

WESTERN Australia won its first game of the 2015 AFL Youth Girls National Championships, with the defending champions beating Victoria Metro by 24 points to conclude Day 3 at Bendigo Bank Stadium in Mandurah, Western Australia.

Both WA and Vic Country had lost their opening two matches of the Youth Girls National Championships to Vic Metro and Queensland respectively, and it was the defending champions and hosts who prevailed 6.2 (38) to 2.2 (14) to close proceedings on Thursday.

That means that WA has now won one of three matches this week while Vic Country are winless with the two teams to now play one another again on Friday, while Vic Metro will meet Queensland in the grand final from Pool A.

WA got off to a fast start with the only three goals of the first quarter and then kicked the only two majors of the last to end up winning by 24 points.

Asha Price kicked three goals for WA and Ashley Sharp two with Jessica Kinsman adding one.

Courtney Hodder, Claire Ortlepp, Jasmin Stewart, Ruby Schleicher, Beatrice Devlyn, Price and Sharp were all among WA’s best performers in the game.

Isabella Ayre and Brodi Pedretti were the goal scorers for Vic Country while Rebecca Webster, Lily Mithen, Reni Hicks, Shani Dixon, Temikka Beeston and Tiara Annear were all among their best contributors.

Sharp made a superb start to the game for WA with two skilful goals on the run inside the first seven minutes. Then when Price marked and kicked truly for her first shortly before quarter-time, WA led by 18 points at the first change.

Vic Country opened their account early in the second quarter when X kicked truly but WA booted the last goal of the first half through Price and they opened up a 20-point half-time advantage.

Vic Country came out and controlled play for much of the third quarter, but they only managed the one goal to not get full reward for that dominance. Pedretti kicked a good goal at the three-minute mark, but Country only managed two more behinds while holding WA scoreless.

That saw WA’s lead cut to 13 points by three quarter-time but WA then kicked the only two goals of the last quarter through Kinsman and Price to secure the 24-point win.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA 3.0 4.2 4.2 6.2 (38)

VIC COUNTRY 0.0 1.0 2.1 2.2 (14)

GOALS

Western Australia: A Price 3, A Sharp 2, J Kinsman.

Vic Country: I Ayre, B Pedretti.

BEST

Western Australia: C Hodder, C Ortlepp, J Stewart, R Schleicher, B Devlyn, A Price.

Vic Country: R Webster, L Mithen, R Hicks, S Dixon, T Beeston, T Annear.