A sunny but muddy day at the AFL Women’s Under 18 Championships started with Queensland taking on Vic Metro at Southport in a scrappy low-scoring affair that saw Vic Metro come out on top by 18 points in a match that seemed much closer than the scoreline suggests.

It was a slow burner of a game, with neither side able to put goals on the board in the first term thanks to muddy conditions and messiness at every stoppage. Neither side seemed to have the momentum, with most of the first quarter played between the arcs and both sides missing the cleanliness to mark and goal inside 50. Queensland started strong, finding better separation through the midfield while Metro seemed to get caught too easily, with the Maroons applying immense tackling pressure to stop Metro in their tracks and block them from driving forward.

Both sides came into the second quarter ready to one up the scrappy first 15 minutes, with Vic Metro making quick work in the opening minute thanks to an impressive passage of play down the wing, finishing in the hands of Emily Harley on the goal line for the first major of the match. However Queensland were not ready to let the match go, with Allanah Phineasa getting one back midway through the term to take the lead once more. Metro’s opening passage seemed to boost confidence with the side driving down the wings with more intent both on and off the ball. Queensland had some equally great passages, running along the far wing on a few occasions but unlucky in front of goal. While Metro had the pressure on their side, they continued to get caught too easily with the ball while both sides dropped some easy marks in the mud.

The third quarter saw the intensity lift once more, with Metro holding Queensland goalless in the term thanks to some fantastic defensive pressure. Both sides continued to use the wings with intercept marks aplenty through the midfield, mostly unstoppable before being hit with congestion inside 50 and making it hard to get clean and clear kicks out of the stoppage. A 50 metre penalty saw Nell Morris-Dalton kick the only goal for the term from the square, seeing Metro hit the front once more, wiping out the fantastic defensive pressure Queensland had been applying for majority of the term. Metro seemed to be going harder into the contest but were still fighting for momentum, with Queensland relentless on every opportunity.

The final quarter saw Vic Metro cement the win, holding Queensland goalless once more as they ran it out, pulling through on class and endurance alone to win by 18 points. Some great setup play saw two more goals to Metro, saving the best for last after a relatively even match. While Queensland fought hard for every ball and stood up when they needed to, full credit to Metro’s tenacity in defence stopping the Maroons from finishing the way they started.

Georgia Patrikios backed up her impressive form with another 23 touches, six tackles and five rebounds, while Jess Fitzgerald (17 disposals, five inside 50s) and Ellie McKenzie (16 disposals, five clearances) put in the hard yards across the board. For Queensland, Ellie Hampson racked up 24 touches, six marks, six tackles and four inside 50s in the loss, aided by Lily Postlethwaite (17 disposals, four tackles) and Serene Watson (14 disposals, seven tackles).

QUEENSLAND 0.1 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.5 (11)
VIC METRO 0.1 | 1.1 | 2.4 | 4.5 (29)

GOALS:

QLD: A. Phineasa.
VM: E. Harley, N. Morris-Dalton, G. Newton, E. Georgostathis.

BEST:

QLD: E. Hampson, L. Postlethwaite, S. Watson, I. Dawes, D. Heslop, M. Levi.
VM: G. Patrikios, J. Fitzgerald, E. McKenzie, E. Georgostathis, B. Gutknecht, G. Newton.