By JARROD POTTER
TAKING their game to the next level, a Cranbourne Women’s Football Club trio are set to star on the national stage on Sunday.
Trading the Eagles’ blue and gold for the elite colours of Melbourne and Western Bulldogs respectively, Danielle Hardiman (Melbourne), Bianca Jakobsson and Hayley Wildes (Western Bulldogs) will feature in the first fixture of the AFL Women’s Exhibition Series.
The clash takes place on Sunday afternoon at Highgate Recreation Reserve and is the first of 10 AFL matches scheduled throughout Australia as the league looks towards its 2017 mandate to start a national women’s league.
Cranbourne WFC coach Kris Smith said the results speak for themselves for Hardiman, Wildes and Jakobsson
“I spoke to (AFL Victoria Women’s Football Manager) Darren Flanigan last night to get some feedback and see how all of them are going and he said they were pretty impressed with all of them,” Smith said. “They’re all putting in solid work – Dani, BJ and Hayley especially – obviously been absolutely flying and they’re getting reward for the solid work they’ve put in.
“I know especially BJ and Dani have been doing a lot of extra work outside of footy – training just about every day trying to better themselves as they want to get drafted – that’s their goal.”
For Jakobsson, it’s a return to the AFL after she was drafted by the Melbourne Demons in the inaugural AFL Women’s Draft at pick 33 in 2013.
While the Eagles’ other Academy members Cara Moody, Kirsten Mcleod and Tess McEvoy weren’t selected for the inaugural match of 2016, Smith believed the trio would get their opportunity later in the series.
“We’ve got three in this week and I know there’s another game coming up after that – I’m pretty sure the other girls will get a run through those games eventually,” Smith said.
Smith said numbers on the track were impressive for Cranbourne heading into its inaugural VFL season,
For more information on joining the Eagles’ women’s or Youth Girls teams, contact the club via its Facebook page “Cranbourne Youth Girls and Women’s Football Club”.
