By Ant Wingard @AntWingard
Ten Queenslanders have taken the next step towards a spot on an AFL Women’s list after being announced in the NAB AFL Women’s Academy for season 2019.
Remarkably, eight of the players selected from the sunshine state will hit draft eligibility next season and the remining two will do so in 2021.
The group were among 48 players across Australia to be named within the academy, with all receiving a NAB AFL Women’s Academy scholarship that provides high performance camps and personal development opportunities over a 12-month period.
AFL Queensland State Academies Manager, Mark Browning, said the announcement was another significant step forward for women’s football in the state.
“It’s a fantastic result for the players selected. This is no doubt a reflection of the strong female program that we have in place working in conjunction with the two AFL clubs, our QAFLW and community clubs both junior and senior,” Browning said.
The ten Queenslanders nominated to the academy are Tarni White (Coorparoo), Charlotte Hammans and Seren Watson (both Bond University, Kitara Farrar (South Cairns Cutters, Belle Dawes (Wilston Grange), Dee Heslop (Yeronga South Brisbane), Lily Postlethwaite (Moreton Bay Lions), Ellie Hampson (Hermit Park Tigers), Zimmie Farquharson (Calamvale Leopards) and Annise Bradfield (Southport).
The 2019 NAB AFLW Academy squad has been selected after the 2018 NAB AFLW Under-18 Championships by a newly formed AFLW Academy Advisory group which has representatives from AFLW clubs and AFL state bodies.
The first of three camps will be held at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra from December 16.
The players will also join AFLW club training sessions throughout the pre-season.
AFLW Talent Manager Aasta O’Connor said after just two years the NAB AFLW Academy is achieving great results.
“At the recent NAB AFLW Draft, 19 Academy players joined AFLW clubs,” Ms O’Connor said.
“With four further expansion teams entering the AFLW competition in 2020, the high performance coaching we provide these players is even more important.”
