North Coast Academy names future AFLW stars
The North Coast Academy of Sport (NCAS) has announced its 2021/2022 AFLW squad, with a bumper crop of talented young women making the grade.
The program has gone from strength to strength in both numbers and talent, just as the AFL North Coast Youth Girls competition has grown in quantity and quality.
The North Coast region has an outstanding track record in developing AFLW listed players with Nikki Wallace (Brisbane Lions), Brianna McFarlane (Brisbane Lions), and Georgia Breward (Gold Coast Suns) all starting their footy careers locally before making it to the elite level. This latest NCAS squad are starting out on their way to potentially becoming the next local player to make it onto an AFLW list.
Matt Crawley, Head Coach of the NCAS program, expressed his delight with the group that’s been selected. “This is a really talented group of players who have the potential to go far.
“We’ll be running a short but intense footy program which will be well supported through the provision of strength and conditioning coaching as well as education in important aspects such as nutrition, recovery techniques, and sport psychology.”
The goal for the NCAS squad will be to progress to the QBE Sydney Swans Academy Top End Program which is a forerunner to state teams and, ultimately, the AFLW Draft. Four players from last year’s program were able to make that progression and are currently continuing to develop under the watchful gaze of the Sydney Swans which will enter the AFLW competition in the 2022/2023 season.
Not only are these NCAS athletes striking their own path forward, they’re also role models for the next wave of female players that will enter the game when AFL North Coast starts a Youth Girls Under 14 age group in the 2022 season.
The future is bright for female footy on the North Coast!
NORTH COAST
Maddison Adams (Sawtell Toormina Saints)
Deja Barlow (Bellingen Bulldogs)
Lily Bartlett (Coffs Harbour Breakers)
Rachael Booth (Sawtell Toormina Saints)
Molly Bowd (Bellingen Bulldogs)
Halo Campbell (Nambucca Valley Lions)
Zoe Clarke (Sawtell Toormina Saints)
Annalise Crawley (Coffs Harbour Breakers)
Maraiyde Dougan (Coffs Harbour Breakers)
Mia Gough (Coffs Harbour Breakers)
Winnie Johnston (Sawtell Toormina Saints)
Bethany Jokinen (Coffs Harbour Breakers)
Sophie Kelly (Port Macquarie Magpies)
Charlotte la Rosa (Coffs Harbour Breakers)
Asha Lloyd (Sawtell Toormina Saints)
Jamika McAulay-Earnest (Sawtell Toormina Saints)
Darcy O’Rorke (Coffs Harbour Breakers)
Malia Pakinga (Sawtell Toormina Saints)
Isabella Parmenter (Bellingen Bulldogs)
Jasmin Vassallo (Grafton Tigers)
Amaia Wain (Bellingen Bulldogs)
Holly Wall (Lismore Swans)
Elkie Walters (Bellingen Bulldogs)
