Teens chase state glory
Darling Downs teams ready heading into major competition
AUSSIE RULES: Morale is high heading into the opening day of the Queensland School Sport U13-15 State Championships.
A packed schedule has the girls team prepared for the rigours of the four-day competition, and coach Dan Fraser said his team was ready for a strong showing against the best in the state.
“The competition is four games in four days,” Fraser said.
“They played in the Schools Cup on Friday, most backed up to play club the next day and then we had training on Sunday.
“It gives them a good idea of the level they need to be at.
“They are very excited and there is a really good team spirit amongst the girls. They are very friendly off the field and know each other from club and have bonded quite well.
“The bulk of team is same side we took away for AFLQ U14s State Championships where I was the coach and we had the same manager.”
Fraser said with a relatively small side the girls would look to gain an advantage on the ground.
“Speed is going to be really important to us,” he said.
“We want to concentrate on speed around ground and making sure the ball never slows down. With switching plays, if someone takes the mark, we want another player running past.
“We want to come at the forward line from different angles. We’re not a very tall team, so we need to rely on ball movement.”
The girls campaign kicks off today with an opening day match against Met West at Watson's Oval at 3.10pm.
A win would see them progress to play the team with the lowest percentage from games featuring South Coast, Sunshine Coast, Met East and Met North.
The boys face off against Capricornia at Cazaly’s Stadium at 12.50pm today, with the chance to play the winner of South Coast and Met North for a finals berth.