REIGNING School Sport Australia 15 & Under Girls premier Queensland has found itself undefeated heading into the semi-finals, with the Maroons joined by New South Wales as the two teams to beat. In what has been an intriguing carnival, we take a look at the matchups – which also feature Victoria Navy and South Australia – and who some of the players to watch are with the games kicking off shortly (1:20pm today).

Queensland vs. South Australia

Queensland has shown itself to be the team to beat this carnival yet again, with a nail-biting one-point win over a strong Victoria Metro sides, before taking care of both Tasmania and Western Australia. In both those games the Maroons were challenges – against Tasmania in the first half and Western Australia in the second half – but they did enough to get the job done on both occasions and secure top spot in their Pool.

South Australia would have been favoured to finish top in its Pool considering its success at both Under 16s and Under 18s level, but a slow start against New South Wales in game two ultimately cost the Sandgropers. They were again challenged by Australian Capital Territory (ACT) yesterday, but pulled through with a barnstorming finish.

Queensland has some top end talent at its disposal, with midfielder Molly Ferguson one to watch for the future. Already an MVP winner at Under 16s level, Ferguson has unsurprisingly stepped up further against players of her own age and looks a clean and accomplished ball-winner on both the inside and outside.

Playing on a wing and just covering the ground all over, Mia Geere is a talent who has already tasted QAFL Women’s action this season. Strong overhead with a powerful kick, she finds the ball all over the ground and has those readymade traits. The other Queensland player who has caught the eye is left-footed forward Evie Baker who has terrific skill and good decision making inside 50.

For South Australia, Emma Charlton was a bottom-ager in South Australia’s Under 16s squad which is no mean feat. The sister of Adelaide’s Teah is a raw talent but she has shown promising signs in the forward half and will only get better with experience.

A lot of South Australia’s firepower looks impressive, with Glenelg’s Lily Batholomeaus capable of breaking a game open as she did in game one, while Alana Evans has a safe set of hands at half-forward. The Croweaters have a well-rounded squad, but it will be a tough challenge up against the reigning champions.

New South Wales vs. Vic Navy

New South Wales proved the surprise packet of its group, taking out the highly fancied South Australia to go undefeated across three matches. That was courtesy of a strong first half where the Bluebirds kicked the first three goals of the match and kept the Croweaters goalless in that time. They went on to cruise to wins over ACT and Victoria White to be a major player in this year’s carnival.

Victoria Navy is the dark horse in the group, with the one-point loss to Queensland their only blemish. Looking at each game to game, Navy have got better and the win over Tasmania today – who had shown promising signs in the first two matches itself – was commanding and showed why they are a title threat.

New South Wales is another side with well balanced players, but a three-goal first half from Jordan Davis really stood out yesterday. The talented forward has footy smarts and goal sense that you cannot buy, and that should come as no surprise to Swans and Pies fans, with her father being goalsneak Nick Davis.

Dynamic small forward Ella Kinslor is in line to win the overall carnival goalkicking and just bobs up at the right times for her side, while defender Majella Day has continued her form from the Coates Talent League to play a key role in defence and further afield for the Bluebirds.

Victoria Navy has plenty of depth within its ranks, and one player worth really highlighting is defender Bailee Martin. Strong overhead with a powerful and accurate kick, she is a promising Caulfield Grammar student who is a young gun to watch in the future.

Navy has no shortage of promising players though, with Piper Dixon and Brylee Anderson both combining in the forwardline, while midfielder Emily Rankin is all class through the midfield and covers the ground with ease.

OTHER PLAYOFFS

Tasmania vs. Victoria White
ACT vs. Western Australia

The two higher ranked sides in the respective matchups are the ones you would not pick in a normal circumstance, but credit goes to both Tasmania and the ACT who picked up their sole wins over the opposite opponents in Western Australia and Victoria White.

Western Australia was ultra-competitive in the second half against Queensland though and looms as a huge threat, though Tasmania has been the most consistent of the four teams, pushing Queensland in the first half and then keeping Vic Navy at bay in the second half yesterday.

From a Tasmanian perspective, midfielder Mia Barwick has really caught the eye with her silky skills and equal amounts of toughness around the ball. Matilda Lange has also been a consistent talent through the midfield, with stacks of courage and able to use the ball after extracting it from the coalface.

The ACT has one of the most impressive players of the carnival at its disposal in defender Morgan Stevens. Her rebounding, intercepting and kicking were all ultra-impressive and for her age looms as a readymade player for years to come. She copped a knock in yesterday’s game but despite clearly feeling the affects of it, soldiered on. Mia Cooper is another ACT player to watch, tough and uncompromising in her attack on the ball.

Western Australia has some raw talents who have really caught the eye this carnival, with them being tall midfielder Arybella Nelson, and forward/ruck Cara Dziegielewski. Nelson is outstanding though traffic with clean hands and explosive speed, while Dziegielewski is one with enormous upside, particularly regarding her athleticism.

Victoria White has struggled offensively this carnival, but has battled hard consistently, with the defenders holding up against fierce weight of inside 50 numbers. Captain Marlee Black and Meyah Fursland are two players who tried their best yesterday, laying some big tackles and clunking some strong marks clearing the area wherever possible. They will be crucial coming up against the depth of Tasmania.