Underdogs hope to end cup run with emphatic win
Fairholme College is one weekend away from claiming the most unlikely of Australian rules titles.
The Toowoomba school has routinely punched above its weight to progress to the finals weekend of the AFLQ Schools Cup at Maroochydore.
Their first test comes in tomorrow’s semi-final against Southport State High School, with the chance to progress to Sunday’s grand final.
What makes the team’s achievements so special is the fact they have just three regular players on their roster with girls from other sporting backgrounds forming the bulk of the team.
One of those experienced players is Year 12 student and captain Grace Elliott, who played in her first senior premiership side in 2015 with the Toowoomba Tigers.
Playing at fullback, Elliott has played a key role in organising the team from the back and has commended the team for their growth over the course of the year.
“It’s pretty exciting watching how well the team has improved and winning against teams we didn’t think we could win against,” she said.
“I try to help out girls on the field when they’ve made a mistake, in teaching them what they did wrong and how they can fix it.
“I sit back and play fullback to give the less experienced girls more of a run on the field and to have a feel for what AFL is like.
“Definitely increased in confidence. They’ll go for the ball more often and have learnt to rely on each other as well. Instead of just kicking it forward they’ll look for the handball or the person that’s open.”
Coach Tony Tregaskis has been impressed with the adaptations the side made to continue to produce results.
“It’s a great achievement that they’ve got this far and have a chance of being the number one school in Queensland,” he said.
“We’ve got three regular players (Elliott, Matilda Hann and Lucy O’Connor), there’s a couple who have played with minimal exposure.
“After that there’s touch players, rugby 7s players and cricket players. It’s an eclectic group of skills and the girls have adapted really quickly.
“Grace is our captain, and she’s normally really quiet, but on the field she’s the planner, instigator, talker and communicator.”