Southport Sharks junior Maddy Watt was set to retire this year before deciding to help her original club chase a QFAW Division One premiership
This Southport Sharks junior was set to hang up the boots this year. Now she's hoping to help steer her side to a premiership. READ HER INCREDIBLE STORY.
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SOUTHPORT Sharks junior Maddy Watt was set to hang up the boots this year.
That was until her junior club came calling.
Watt joined the Southport Sharks on the advice of her friends in 2014, despite knowing nothing about Aussie rules football, and now gets the chance to steer her junior side into their maiden senior women’s grand final on Sunday at Bond University.
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Watt was self-admittedly no good at netball, she didn’t like athletics but she instantly felt at home as a member of the Sharks Under-15 junior girls side.
Watt was part of back to back losing grand finals for the junior Sharks before she decided to take her talents to Broadbeach for the back-end of 2018 and then Bond University in 2019.
The 19-year-old played one senior game for the Bull Sharks last year but played the majority of the season in Bond’s development side, winning the 2019 grand final.
“I wasn’t going to play at all this year and was certain I was going to give it away,” Watt said.
“We (Bond) were just smashing teams and it wasn’t enjoyable.
“Southport announced they were going to start a Division 1 women’s side and so I thought I’d come back for one last crack at a premiership.
“I’ve never not played in a grand final for Southport.
“I’ve found Division 1 this year way harder than development for Bond.”
In the 2020 decider, Watt will combine with seven of her fellow Southport juniors as they look to steer the Sharks to their first senior women’s premiership in just their first year in the competition.
Southport booked their place in the grand final with a hard-fought victory over Kedron last weekend.
The Sharks will face Surfers Paradise in the grand final who were the only team to defeat Southport in the home and away season.
The Demons controversially made the grand final after their semi-final against Broadbeach was abandoned in the last quarter due to a serious injury.
“Surfers is the only team we’ve lost to so we’re looking to prove we can defeat them,” Watt said.
“This team has helped me rediscover my love for the game and we can’t wait to get out there.”
The Division 1 Grand Final kicks off at
EARLIER:
THE inaugural Southport Sharks women’s side will have no problems gaining admiration in season 2020.
On Saturday, the Sharks will join Surfers Paradise as the two newest Gold Coast inductees to the QFAW Division One League.
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Their 4:45pm clash against the Demons at Sir Bruce Small Park marks the first time in Southport’s history they will field a senior women’s side.
And with the NEAFL cancelled for 2020, coach and former Eagles and Suns AFL player Ryan Davis believes his side are set to do the club proud as the only senior Sharks side competing this season.
“We’re the only team representing the club this year so it’s groundbreaking,” Davis said.
“The group is extremely excited to make history and the energy at training has been through the roof.
“We’ve obviously had to push our start back due to COVID-19 but most of the girls started training in November so they’ve had a longer pre-season than the AFLW girls.
“We have a lot of girls from different backgrounds ranging from some who haven’t played at all to seasoned players but we had a pre-season camp post-Christmas in Canungra which was a turning point for our group.”
Some 15 former junior Sharks players have returned to join the squad of 31 this year after spreading their wings at other clubs, including vice-captain Emily Stewart.
Hannah Davies and Ellie O’Brien will co-captain the side.
“One of the biggest things for me is to have a pathway for our juniors all the way to AFLW so it’s really exciting to get those former juniors back who want that honour of pulling on the black and white guernsey,” Davis said.
And although slightly “jumping the gun,” Davis and the club are hoping their inaugural season will pave the way for a QAFLW side in the coming years.
“We’ll take this season as it comes but the goal for the football club is to have a team at the highest level,” Davis said.
In other Round 1 QFAW division one action, Robina face Burleigh in a 2019 semi-final rematch at Scottsdale drive on Saturday afternoon.
Southport are also indebted to sponsors Kool Kids Training College, Lexus of Southport, Bidfood and Zone Sports for staying on board as sponsors.
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