By JARROD POTTER
TAKING every opportunity has driven Kayla Ripari to superb heights already in 2016 … and it’s only June.
Ripari, 18, from Devon Meadows, is having a milestone year in every sense as she’s racked up a litany of possessions, marks, tackles and a couple of premierships.
Following her national championship victory with Vic Metro and Youth Girls Academy success at the Dandenong Stingrays, the fleet-footed midfielder took the next step on her football journey as she added a VFL debut to the trophy cabinet.
She took the field for Cranbourne Women’s VFL team on Sunday afternoon and immediately barrelled into the action in her usual tenacious manner.
Number 42 will hold a special place for Ripari as her inaugural senior number – and got stuck into the top-tier women’s football, throwing herself in at any loose ball.
She loved life in the Eagles’ line-up and taking her football up to the senior elite standard.
“It was really good – the whole environment and the girls were all so welcoming – it didn’t feel like it was a completely different team,” Ripari said.
“The standard was definitely lifted up from Youth Girls, but compared to Stingrays or Vic Metro it’s not as different, just the size of the girls and obviously the ability they have.
“The kicks and the handballs are so much further, the tackles are so much harder, but the game is sort of the same speed – so that was good that it wasn’t that different.”
While she didn’t get a chance to sing the Eagles song – following the 130-point loss to St Kilda – she’s keen to return and make the Eagles her VFL home for her remaining four senior matches this year as well as looking towards her footy future and the heights that are opening up for female footballers.
“Kris (Smith, Cranbourne coach) has already asked me to play a couple more games and hopefully get the five games I’m allowed with the senior club out of them and give me a good opportunity for next year when I have to go up,” Ripari said.
“You just start to realise what’s out there with the opportunities that are right in front of you – they’re starting to open up.”
Her 2016 soared after a maiden outing on the MCG – in Vic Metro’s 95-point demolition of Western Australia in the Youth Girls national championships grand final, following her first flag in Dandenong’s Youth Girls Academy win over Sandringham.
“That was ridiculous – you actually can’t describe how it felt,” Ripari said.
“You’re out there and thinking ‘wow, this is massive’.
“Even though the crowd wasn’t that huge … it was just an amazing opportunity and experience.
“Even with the Stingrays championships the girls just stepped up – compared to the prior games throughout the four-match series – and to be a part of it … to be besides those girls who were there you start to realise the talent is there and you’ve got to step up and make something out of something happen.
“The boys can do it … why can’t we?”
She can feature in five VFL matches this season and hopes to improve throughout all of them, before returning full-time to Cranbourne’s Youth Girls team as its captain.
“We have so many new girls (at Cranbourne Youth Girls) and just for them to keep going is important – big step up for them having never played, to coming up against teams like Beaconsfield or Lyndhurst.
“Even if we don’t win the cup, it’s just about making it as far as we can with finals … making a grand final and getting a good result out of it, but if they make prelims, semis and just keep pushing through that then it will be a great effort.
“Get all my five games in the VFL at Cranny and start getting involved in the draft picks and stuff for further years to come – keep pushing forward and hope for the best.”
