NSW/ACT under-18s women’s AFL team to play Harvey Norman invitational before GWS Giants v Collingwood

THE next generation of AFLW stars this weekend have a chance to put their case forward to feature in the second season of the women’s competition.

Tiarna Ernst of the Bulldogs and Erin McKinnon of the Giants contest possession during the round seven AFL Women's match.

THE next generation of AFLW stars this weekend have a chance to put their case forward to feature in the second season of the women’s competition.

The NSW/ACT under-18 state youth girls side will take on an invitational team boasting some of the best 18 to 21-year-olds in the state as the search for the newest GWS Giants begins.

The AFL Commission announced this week that the AFLW will stay in its current format of eight clubs for 2018 with expansion slated for 2019.

GWS inaugural player Erin McKinnon, who was part of last year’s NSW/ACT under-18s team that won division two at the national championships for the first time, said it was a smart move by the AFL, believing the talent pool was not deep enough yet to support more teams at the elite level.

McKinnon in action during Round 7 of the AFLW.

“They had planned it be a two-year trial process and I think it’s a good move to keep the eight teams because there’s probably not quite a big enough talent pool just yet to add more teams without sacrificing the level of competition at the moment,” McKinnon said.

“If you take the top level girls out in to the AFLW, then the talent pool at the local level will dry up. There won’t be any feeding ground for the AFLW.

“It’s good to know they have those plans but they’re not rushing in to it. They’ve timed it really well.”

Female participation in AFL has grown this year with a 77 per cent increase in the number of female teams, plus the addition of an under-12s division that has helped bridge the gap between Auskick and the under-14s comps.

McKinnon played for NSW/ACT Under-18s in the national championships last year.

Four players in Saturday’s exhibition match have been included in the first female AFL AIS Academy and come draft time this year, they’ll be hopeful of following in the footsteps of last year’s state players McKinnon and fellow Giant Kate Stanton.

“I’m sure they were all watching the season and now they have a goal to aim for,” McKinnon said.

“I know a few of the girls and they’ve been training really hard with the goal of getting drafted.

“It’s really cool. For me and a lot of the other girls it was just sort of a dream but now for these girls it’s a goal to play in the AFLW which I think is absolutely amazing.”

The NSW/ACT under-18s will play the Harvey Norman invitational side at 1.50pm at Spotless Stadium, Saturday May 13.

Originally published as NSW/ACT under-18s women’s AFL team to play Harvey Norman invitational before GWS Giants v Collingwood