OVER the past few years, we've seen the impact young players have had in the NAB AFLW competition.

The vast majority have come through the NAB AFLW under-18 championships, which this year has been extended to under-19s, reflecting the impact COVID-19 had last year.

Monday marks the first official game of the championships, with two "challenge" games – South Australia v Western Australia and Vic Metro v Vic Country – having played out in the past few weeks.

What's the fixture?

Monday	12 April	SA v VC	Avalon Airport Oval	10AM
Monday	12 April	Woomeras v Medleys	Avalon Airport Oval	12:15 PM
Monday	12 April	WA v Allies	Avalon Airport Oval	2:30PM
Thursday	15 April	VM v WA	Trevor Barker Oval	10AM
Thursday	15 April	Allies v SA	Trevor Barker Oval	12:15 PM
Thursday	15 April	Woomeras v Medleys	Trevor Barker Oval	2:30PM
Sunday	23 May	VC v QLD	TBC – In Vic	TBC
Saturday	29 May	QLD v VM	TBC – In QLD	TBC

All times are AEST

How can I watch it?

Games can be streamed here, starting at 10am AEST on Monday.

Why aren't Queensland playing this week?

After the small COVID-19 outbreak in Brisbane, the championships were moved from Gold Coast to Melbourne and the fixture was rejigged.

Queensland will still play two games, but they will be in late May: one in Victoria against Vic Country and the other at home against Vic Metro.

Who are the Woomeras and Medleys?

The Woomeras is an Indigenous under-17 representative program, while the Medleys is a multicultural under-17 representative program.

The two representative teams will play each other twice over the week.

The Woomeras will be coached by former West Coast midfielder Cassie Davidson, with Jordan Mifsud and Demon Krstel Petrevski assisting.

The Medleys will be coached by Aisha Firmer, with Wassim Rafihi, Amanda Robertson and Richmond's Monique Conti.

Who's set to star from my state?

Northern Territory (Allies): Forward Ashanti Bush lit up the stage during last year's NAB All-Stars match in Darwin. Deceptively quick, she reads the flight of the ball beautifully and knows how to find the middle of the goals. 

NSW (Allies): Ruck Ally Morphett lives in the border region of NSW and Victoria, playing for the Murray Bushrangers in NAB League but part of GWS' academy. She's very mobile with strong tap work and a good overhead mark.

Queensland: Maggie Harmer is a ball-magnet who impressed in last year's NAB All-Stars match. The national academy member can play off half-back or on the ball and knows just where to be at the right time.

South Australia: Zoe Prowse is an experienced ruck with strong game sense. The South Australian has neat tap work and isn't afraid to follow up at ground level, helping in the clearances and laying strong tackles

Tasmania (Allies): Perri King loves to win the contested ball and isn't afraid to put her body on the line to do so. She's a fierce tackler who gets the ball forward to teammates. No relation to North Melbourne's Mia, but a cousin of former Blue Simon Wiggins.

Vic Country: Small forward Poppy Schaap already has one strong performance under her belt, kicking two majors against Metro last week. She's got excellent crumbing instincts and is a decent snap for goal.

Vic Metro: All eyes will be on one Georgie Prespakis, who has dominated junior ranks for years but is finally eligible for the draft. A strong-bodied inside midfielder, Prespakis (sister of Maddy) has clean skills, is a nice overhead mark and a desire to win the footy.

Western Australia: The state has produced a steady line of strong contested-ball winners in recent years, and Courtney Rowley is no exception. A top inside midfielder, she has clean skills and a strong footy IQ.

Did you head to the footy over the weekend? Tell us your thoughts! Take the survey now