YET MORE MIAMI SUCCESS
Miami State High’s lauded sports program has achieved another milestone with its girls AFL team claiming the Queensland Schools Cup
THE girls of Miami State High’s AFL team have yet again proved they’re some of the best as they celebrate another success late last month.
The Senior AFL Girls team have left the 2018 State Finals of the AFL Queensland Schools Cup with a “fairytale” win and a championship title.
It came at the end of a long season bringing in win after win against other regional teams and clawing their way up the ladder to the top.
After winning against the Cathedral College 69-9 in the Preliminary Final, they went on to defeat Toowoomba’s Fairholme College by an incredible 51-16.
It marks an incredible return for the team, with many of its members having been crowned the Junior State Champions just two years ago.
For team captain Lucy Single it’s been a whirlwind journey, and after being award Senior AFL QLD Best on Ground, it’s one she hopes to grow into a professional career.
“In 2016 when we won the competition that was actually my first time playing AFL, and now I’ve joined a club,” Lucy said.
“To be honest, I didn’t know anything about the sport but as soon as I started playing I just fell in love with it.
“My friends and I, we thought it would be funny, kind of a joke, to try it out. We already liked sport and just thought it would be a bit of fun.”
The AFLQ Cup brings only the best of AFL school talent, made up of over 11,000 students competing across
578 teams and 249 schools.
AFL Queensland CEO Dean Warren addressed participants at the Maroochydore finals, and congratulated the team on their achievements.
“It is fantastic to see so many young boys and girls competing in the AFL Queensland Schools Cup State Finals today,” he said.
“It is clear to see the future of AFL in Queensland is in safe hands.”
The competition is just another milestone for Miami High’s football programs, when earlier this year students earned themselves the chance to train alongside members of the Wallabies.
Football stars Adam Coleman, Nick Phipps and Reece Hodge visited the school together with coach Michael Cheika to run drills with members of the rugby team.
Several students then credited the visit as inspiring them to train harder and pursue professional success, something that’s paying off across the board.
The win hasn’t come as a surprise for coach Pippa McGinniskin.
“I’ve known for a long time that these girls are very capable of success, particularly in this competition,” she said, adding the team’s success meant a lot.
“A lot of our girls have joined club football because of a love of the school football, so for me as a coach it’s really quite important that they’re given these opportunities to see the pathway to AFL for girls.”
The last few years have marked a spike in AFL’s popularity among the school, which Ms McGinniskin said has only been boosted by the season’s success.
“For girls it’s such a transferable skill, a lot of our girls come from such a wide variety of sports,” she said.
“So AFL encompasses a lot of different sports from hockey, netball, running, so a lot of them come from being quite athletic as it is.
“I think for a lot of the girls it’s been quite inspiring.”
The school hopes to score another win when the competition returns in 2019.