A whopping 13 of the 23 players to turn out in Vic Country’s first game of the Under-18 Girls National Championships were locals.
Seven Dandenong Stingrays and six Gippsland Power players were in the team, while a further three locals – Rebecca Fitzpatrick, Evelyn Connolly and Charlotte Gilmore – were in the squad but did not play.
Vic Country proved far too strong for the Allies, getting up 10.6(66) to 2.8(20) at Trevor Barker Beach Oval, Sandringham, on Sunday.
Of the Stingrays, the Brothwell twins, Mizuki and Nalu, shone brightest with 16 possessions apiece, continuing to take strides with their footy by performing at every new level they’re exposed to.
Mizuki was among the best on ground, while Nalu kicked her team’s only goal of the last quarter from a quick transition.
Dandenong ruck Sophie White and Gippsland’s Maya Crestani arguably got the better of highly regarded Allies tall Maddie Quinn, finishing with 21 and 24 hitouts respectively.
“The girls did a job in terms of neutralising her strength of getting the ball to their zones,” Dandenong Stingrays coach Nathan Boyd said.
“Both ‘Soph’ and Maya jumped in consistently and were pretty stoic in the way they competed and both spent time forward.
“The way they approached not getting into a wrestle with her, and instead trying to jump early and jump over her, was fantastic and it equated to us getting an advantage in clearances after the first 10 minutes.”
Other Stingrays in action included the hard working Lilian Snow, rebounder Ruby Geurts, and bottom-aged pair Matilda Argus and Alice Cunnington.
Disappointingly, Geurts injured her knee in a tackle in the first five minutes of the game, so sat of most of the contest, though early indications suggest a minor injury.
For Gippsland, bolter Baia Pugh was arguably the most impressive, continuing her rapid rise, entering 2025 with limited footy exposure off the back of an athletics background.
“She’s a high-end athlete – she’s put her nose to the grind to work on her footy and there’s still a lot of upside,” Gippsland talent lead Scott McDougal said.
“Her aggression and tackling and ability to impact one-on-ones is fantastic for someone who hasn’t played a lot of footy.”
Pakenham’s Abby Hobson was a key target inside 50, finishing with two first half goals in her first game back from a fractured eye socket.
Ella Stoddart also played a strong game, providing her usual energy and rebound with 17 disposals, while bottom-ager Grace Dillow showed glimpses to finish with 11 disposals and three clearances and Chelsea Sutton’s rise continued, collecting 11 disposals and laying three tackles.
“She’s had niggles in recent years but she’s focusing in and letting her footy do the talking,” McDougal said.
“She’s got a high footy IQ and knows how to win her groundballs and puts teammates in better positions with her hands.”
Locals in Vic Country squad: Grace Dillow, Baia Pugh, Chelsea Sutton, Ruby Geurts, Matilda Argus, Alice Cunnington, Charlotte Gilmore, Lily Snow, Ella Stoddart, Rebecca Fitzpatrick, Evelyn Connolly, Nalu Brothwell, Mizuki Brothwell, Maya Crestani, Abby Hobson, Sophie White.
