AFTER a sensational NAB League Girls campaign, Murray Bushrangers midfielder-forward Zarlie Goldsworthy was officially awarded the 2022 Rookie Me Central Medal. Goldsworthy scooped up the award having polled the most votes in our 5-4-3-2-1 voting system throughout the 2022 NAB League Girls season, and accepted the medal at a presentation following her first AFLW Under 18 Championships representative outing today.

>> ZARLIE GOLDSWORTHY CLAIMS 2022 RMC MEDAL

Goldsworthy ran out for NSW/ACT, and although the Rams ultimately went down to the combined Allies side of Tasmania and Northern Territory, the Murray Bushrangers talent had a solid day out, collecting 17 disposals, three marks, four tackles, five clearances, three inside 50s, three rebound 50s and slotting a goal. After the game, Goldsworthy was officially awarded the medal in front of her NSW-ACT teammates.

“Obviously it’s a huge privilege to win it and I’m very honoured to have won it and football’s not about the individual award’s and it’s definitely a team game, so to my teammates they were there, they helped me through it,” Goldsworthy said. “Unfortunately we didn’t get the season we wanted, but hopefully we can drive off this.”

Goldsworthy’s season did not quite end the way she had hoped, having to be stretchered off just before half-time during the Bushrangers’ clash with Northern Territory.

“It was a really unfortunate event, I’m not going to lie I’ve got a little bit of a fear of posts now,” Goldsworthy said. “It wasn’t the ending of the season we would have wanted, and on it to the girls, they stuck in it and at it and I was constantly asking for score updates while I was in the ambo and we got so close to them and I was just so proud of them that they were able to claw it back, and obviously just wasn’t, it was a pretty unfortunate way to end the season and I’m glad that the posts have padding.”

As a whole, Goldsworthy said the side had plenty more potential and could have achieved even more in the 2022 season had a bit of luck in certain games gone their way.

“I don’t want to take too much away from our Bushies season, but I’m not going to lie, I thought we were very disappointed in the results. I think we could have been 8-1,” she said. “We lost plenty of games there by less than a goal and that hurts. To come out here and we obviously didn’t put or best performance out there.

“Not that footy’s about winning but it’s definitely there and it’s a competitive sport, and I just hope that next season the Bushies girls can back up on that, and maybe with the Allies girls they can keep going on with it the rest of the tournament.”

After recovering from the head knock, Goldsworthy was selected in the NSW/ACT side, and she got to run out for her state in their first match today against NSW/ACT.

“It was a huge privilege to have represented my state and the standard was just amazing,” Goldsworthy said. “Credit to the Northern Territory and Tasmanian girls they really brought it to us. “Credit to our girls too I thought that we really fought back hard especially in that last quarter and really showed it back to them, and it was just a great game overall.”

Now Goldsworthy will set her attention on South Australia, with the Allies all combining for the game against the Croweaters as part of a triple-header at Avalon Airport Oval on Friday.

“From here the NSW and ACT girls and Tasmania and NT they’ll all come into one team so if we’re fortunate enough to make that team and we’ll face South Australia and they’ve had a red-hot start to the year and credit to them, they’ve just brought it straight in,” Goldsworthy said. “They’ve had a big win against Western Australia and Vic Country and they’re two quality sides and credit to them.”