The Marsh AFL National Academy Girls will represent Australia for the second time this year when they take on a national All Stars team at Dingley’s Kennedy Community Centre on Sunday.

The National Academy features a host of this year’s most talented AFLW Draft prospects, who will come together in Melbourne from Thursday for their third and final high-performance camp of the 2026 program.

This weekend’s camp follows an induction camp at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation and Sport (NZCIS) last December and another held in Melbourne in April, which included a match against Carlton’s VFLW team that the Academy team won by 46 points.

The National Academy will train at the NEC Hangar on Friday and Mission Whitten Oval on Saturday ahead of Sunday’s showcase match at the Kennedy Community Centre, home of the Hawthorn Football Club.

Players will also take part in a range of education, wellbeing and team-bonding sessions across the three-day program.

Due to several injuries within the National Academy squad, AFL Multicultural Academy member Stephanie Aguinaldo and Northern Territory Academy midfielder Marika Carlton have been included in the Australia U18 team for Sunday’s match against the All Stars.

Marsh AFL National Academy Manager Tarkyn Lockyer will again serve as head coach of the Australia U18 team, with two-time Collingwood best and fairest Brit Bonnici and former AFLW players Kate Darby and Kate Orme also part of the coaching panel.

AFLW star Tayla Harris will also assist the squad during this week’s camp as a mentor.

The All Stars team comprises players aged 19 years and under who feature in Talent Pathways program from across Australia.

The All Stars features five of the most promising 2009-born players from across Australia, namely Lani Cocks, Maya Duane, Matilda Lange, Peggy Rock and Hannah Seaborn.

The program will provide those players with an additional development opportunity ahead of their Draft year in 2027.

The All Stars team also includes Kiara Boyd, Molly Ferguson and Frances Walsh, who represented the Australia U18 team as injury replacement players in the win over Carlton IKON Park in April.

Eastern Ranges coach and former Sydney Swans AFLW coach Scott Gowans will serve as head coach of the All Stars team.

North Melbourne AFLW premiership players Nicole Bresnehan, Bella Eddey and Kate Shierlaw and Geelong Falcons coach Tash Heffernan will also be part of the coaching panel.

Marsh AFL National Academy Manager, Tarkyn Lockyer, said: “Wearing the Australia jumper and representing the Australia U18 team is a huge honour for any player and we are delighted to provide our Marsh AFL National Academy participants the opportunity to do that again this weekend.

“We’re thrilled to also give more players in our pathways programs the opportunity to showcase their talent and gain an additional development experience by representing the All Stars team in what will be an exciting contest on Sunday.”

AUSTRALIA U18 TEAM LIST

* Won’t play against All Stars due to injury
^ Addition to squad to play against All Stars as injury replacement

 ALL STARS TEAM LIST

MATCH DETAILS

Australia U18 vs All Stars
Sunday, June 7
11:00am AEST
Kennedy Community Centre, Dingley
Free entry

HOW TO WATCH

The match will be available to stream live and free on the AFLW website and AFLW Live Official App.

ABOUT THE MARSH AFL NATIONAL ACADEMY

The Marsh AFL National Academy features 25 of this year’s most talented Draft prospects and provides the next generation of stars with valuable experiences, insights and education to best prepare them for the next steps in their football journey.

The holistic program combines football performance and personal growth in a high-performance environment by providing unique opportunities and learnings that differ from other football programs they are involved in.

The 2026 Marsh AFL National Academy marks the 29^th annual intake for boys and 10^th intake for girls.