World Footy News

 

Living in Oz, we are often talking about the depth or growth of the women’s game, and looking at other areas we can grow to continue the momentum from the two women’s draft matches as we prep for a national league in 2020. 

 

Like the netball, super rugby, A-League, NRL, and basketball, a team from NZ only spreads that love, grows the brand and further enhances each of their codes. The potential for a NZ team in our own womens AFL competition is not so farfetched, if not ready for 2017, we have definitely now sown the seeds, and perhaps by 2018 we could look at least as an U18 side coming across and joining into our Youth Girls National Tournaments.

The U18 NZ Kahu team had two international series in 2014. A rematch of the Inaugural 2013 series vs the Australian Breeze team, chosen from the elite academies and states across the country, and then a 2 game series against the Indigenous Woomeras, chosen after their Kick start championships.

 

 

While on the scoreboard it was a white wash, the skill level on the field was often matched by the Kahu squad, many returning from last year. It proved again, another huge step up between game 1 and 2 as they learn at a seemingly turbo charged pace. While the Breeze players showed the high level of skill and controlled the game our Kahu girls still managed to get plenty of touches on the ball and string passes together. If just for the lack of match experience, the Kahu players in either their 1st or 4th ever match against opponents mostly with 10-12 years of football under their belt, this game would have been a lot more even.

 

One standout for NZ was Captain Hope Schuster, her continuous elusive running with the ball beat most of the Aussie team. It took the young Aussies a little while to work out just how to catch such a runner of the ball. And so with her the blend of rugby skills meeting Aussie rules, we get a game that is well worth watching. Learning to make the most of that break and how to effectively use the footy will be improved over time.

 

 

 

Both matches were comfortably won by Breeze and despite the scoreboard, they themselves would agree, it wasn’t quite so easy out on the field.

 

Playing against the Indigenous Woomeras team, had two new components that heightened the excitement for the series on the field. Off the field, we all got to witness the first ever NZ Kahu Haka, especially written for our Kahu squad. This is something special to all teams representing New Zealand, and for the Kahu squad they felt no different, so hours were set aside around the hours needed for football training sessions, in the learning of the background and story of their own Haka and then on the performance, probably something most other teams may not realise.

 

On the field, for the first time ever, the Kahu squad would play on a fullsize oval and take on the cleverness and spark that accompanies the indigenous game. Explaining that difference was like comparing it to how their cousins and brothers play rugby in the backyard. They got it, and have suitably anticipated the creativeness that would come. No one was let down. Kahu played strong and had their own flair, while the Woomeras put on some globetrotter like displays with the footy and even the crowd could feel like winners from watching them.

 

As with both matches, we had a fair amount of rain and wind, though one passage of play had the Kahu team marking 4 times in a row as if playing on a hot sunny day. NZ won patches of each quarter, and even dominated the first, though could not rack up the points as the Woomeras team were able to.

 

 

For NZ, a few players have really developed and stop up to the competition in every match. Kayla Paniora has grown huge amounts over the three series, and at only 15 is one with such potential, already ‘owning’ the fullback position and yet with the ability to pay ruck or in the forwards. She has spent a lot of her own time focusing on her drop punt, and the dedication shows through with a much more accurate kick than in her first series.

 

Setarah Brown from Northland, ran riot through the midfield, is also now in her 3rd campaign and has proven to be one we will never forget. Great personality off the field and one of the hardest tacklers I have seen. Already she has shown enough potential, I have no doubt she could mix it with the best youth girls in Australia.

 

Another future star is Dayna Harris-Lee, who despite having a serious shoulder injury that ruled her out of the second match, she dominated in the centres. A born leader, who is now working on a plan for a women’s league in Auckland, she is one who could easily put her hand into the draft mix in a couple of years.

 

 

Our approach to the second match against the Woomeras was also a big development curve for the assistant coaches, with each given an area of the field to focus on. Jamie Hunt and Mike Gregson are both current NZ Hawk players who also spend a fair amount of time coaching in New Zealand, so this adds to their development as well as gives them a chance to share what they have learnt whilst pulling on the black Guernsey. Our third assistant coach, Rowena Tatana has only recently moved back to NZ, and brought with her some valuable experience of playing in the Victorian league.

 

She thrived on sharing that knowledge and with some more experience with be a future Kahu coach without a doubt. The Kahu squad need these coaches to continue developing so they can also continue their progress and assist the programs run by the AFL NZ High Performance team.

 

For any spectators who came along and most especially those from AFL NZ who have now witnessed the three campaigns, all will agree that these series are vital to continue growing the game and see the talent being groomed.

 

 

 

 

In looking at the womens AFL league in 2020, one can only imagine how far some of these NZ Kahu players could go with a longer season. There are definitely 3 or 4 players with the ability to progress further in the game. With only 6-8 weeks of training before each of these series, they were able to match it in patches against both opponents, proving the skills are in fact there, they just need more regular matches to continue that game awareness and growth in the code.

 

Perhaps it’s time to do a scholarship exchange type program to foster this talent, and help make the competition for places in these draft games even more competitive.

 

Most definitely, we have the beginnings of a Women’s team for IC17, and given a few more years of football under their belts, we will have a competitive side, boasting the strong tackling that New Zealand is known for from other codes, and the flair of these new kids on the block will display. The 2017 side will be bolstered by New Zealand born players in leagues across Australia, who again will help these young guns quickly improve. Watch out for a top 4 finish, and a few Kahu players in future Womens AFL teams.

 

2017 we are likely to see a sample of what to expect in 2020, as we gather the best players around Australia, and there is no reason to think we will not see one or two of these young players knocking on that door too.