A WELL-ROUNDED team performance has seen the AFLW Academy comfortably account for the All Stars, winning by 64 points as the best 18-year-olds in the country showed off their skills ahead of this year's Telstra AFL Draft.
Oakleigh Chargers midfielder Chloe Bown was her team's MVP, the hard runner steadily compiling a game-high 22 disposals and seven inside 50s as the Academy cruised to the 11.15 (81) to 2.5 (17) victory at RSEA Park.
The match was the culmination of this weekend's AFLW Academy camp, with the best 18-year-old talent from around the country spending time training together and taking part in education sessions.
The All Stars team was made up of 18-year-olds who missed out on Academy selection, supplemented with a number of 19-year-olds who were overlooked in last year's draft. All were nominated by AFLW clubs.
Chloe Baker-West (Calder Cannons, 18 touches) and Isla Wiencke (GWS Academy, 17 and six clearances) were also outstanding through the middle of the ground, the former impressing with her overhead marking despite standing at 165cm.
They were well supported on the wing by livewire NT product Marika Carlton, who showed a great eye for hitting up her teammates.
While inaccurate, the forward line feasted, with Glenelg's Eloise Mackereth strong in the air and on the ground, kicking three goals, while West Australian pair Alicia Blizard and Olivia Wolmarans were strong targets ahead of the ball.
Tasmania's Mischa Barwin tied the whole team together as a lively linking forward, but accuracy eluded her, kicking 1.4, while ruck Georja Davies also spent some time as an on-baller.
The scoreline doesn't properly reflect the amount of footy the All Stars side managed to get, but they just struggled to get the ball forward of centre.
Gold Coast Academy's array of talent continued to flow from the national academy into the All Stars side, with midfielder Annabelle Foat (17 and three clearances) named her team’s MVP.
She was well supported by the pacy Emma Juneja (19), who is a graduate of last year's Academy and was overlooked in her draft year.
South Fremantle's Renee Morgan started the game with a bang, recording five clearances in the first term before finishing with 16 touches and seven clearances.
Tatyana Perry (a Darwin-based player who has moved down to Victoria to further her footy and is eligible to be signed as an AFLW replacement player this year) showed some nice rebound off half-back, while Alex McBride-Loane battled hard in defence.
Powerful Calder Cannon product Jade McLay's game ended in the second term with a left shoulder/collarbone injury, having shown some dangerous signs around goal up until that point.
AFLW ACADEMY 3.4 5.4 8.14 11.15 (81)
ALL STARS 0.1 1.3 1.3 2.5 (17)
GOALS
AFLW Academy: Eloise Mackereth 3, Alicia Blizard 2, Georja Davies, Mia Russo, Chloe Bown, Olivia Wolmarans, Isla Wiencke, Mischa Barwin
All Stars: Ash Patton, Scarlett Johnson
BEST
AFLW Academy: Chloe Bown, Isla Wiencke, Chloe Baker-West, Alannah Welsh, Alicia Blizard, Eloise Mackereth
All Stars: Annabelle Foat, Emma Juneja, Renee Morgan, Bronte Parker, Alex McBride-Loane
LEADING DISPOSALS
AFLW Academy: Chloe Bown (22), Chloe Baker-West (18), Evie Cowcher (18), Priya Bowering (17), Isla Wiencke (17)
All Stars: Emma Juneja (19), Annabelle Foat (17), Renee Morgan (16), Bronte Parker (14), Ellie Veerhuis (13), Stella Huxtable (13)
