By Michael Winkler

At first glance, things don’t look good for the Surfers Paradise Demonettes. In the space of two weeks the AFL Queensland women’s team has shed more than 800 percentage points.

The good news for the Demonettes and their fans is that their percentage has slipped to a still well-fed 598.84.

The Surfers Paradise women are not what you’d call polite visitors. In round two of this year they went to Zillmere and kept the home side scoreless. A fortnight later they travelled to Caloundra and again didn’t allow their hosts a single point.

Early in the season the Demonettes’ percentage was over 1700, and after round seven they were still on top of the ladder with an extraordinary percentage of 1345.45.

However they succumbed to arch-rivals Logan Cobras by 27 points in round eight then dropped a game to the unfancied Western Magpies.

Logan has won the past three premierships. Surfers Paradise planned to take the crown this year, a quest that seemed achievable early in the season.

Recently, the task became a lot tougher.

Playing coach Katrina Pridmore, top goalkicker for most of her six years with the Demonettes, broke bones in her arm and dislocated her wrist when a shepherd went wrong against the Magpies.

Pridmore is a tough cookie. She has copped broken ribs and overcome knee and ankle injuries. However, after operating on the busted arm her orthopaedic surgeon told the 26-year-old to hang up her boots.

“I’m shattered,” she says. “I went to training on Wednesday night and had to leave after 10 minutes because it was too hard standing there watching.

“This was the best season I’ve ever played. Even though the Cobras (Logan) are favourites, we set ourselves to meet them in the Grand Final. That hasn’t changed. That’s still what we’re aiming at.”

In a team with an age span from 14 to 36, dual-premiership player Pridmore commands respect.

Mostly.

“A few of the young teenagers don’t always take the constructive criticism,” she says. “They don’t like being told what to do. It was harder last year in my first year as coach. I probably get a bit more respect this year.”

Will being kept out of the fray make the coach cranky? “I get cranky enough already,” Pridmore grins.

Organising the squad of 33 is the task of team manager Pat O’Brien. “I’ve been following them since they started because my daughter Monica plays,” she says.

“Monica is captain now. She grew up with three brothers who play footy and was pretty pleased when they started a women’s team. Some of the men’s teams would love her because she has a hell of a boot.”

O’Brien is eager to emphasise the contribution made to the league by teams like Caloundra and Zillmere, which are languishing.

“It is a credit to the coaches and players because they were in Division Two this year, they have stepped up to Division One and that helps our competition. They are enjoying the game and getting better as they go along.”

The Demonette cornerstone is also generous to the Cobras – up to a point. “They have always been our nemesis. The Logan players are a lovely lot of girls, as nice a bunch as you could find. But they are killers on the ground.”

The Surfers Paradise women have always supported their male counterparts, the Demons, but increasingly there is reciprocal support. “The club is coming together as a complete club,” O’Brien says.

If and when the Gold Coasters make the grand final, no doubt there will be plenty of blokes supporting the high-flying women in red and blue. They will also spare a thought for the woman with the clipboard, who would give so much to be back at centre half-forward bombing long goals.

“I have played other sports but this is a sport that uses all the different skills and really tests you out,” coach Pridmore says wistfully. “Nothing compares to footy.”