Katherine South Crocodiles star Janet Baird has faith her team can beat star-studded Arnhem Crows in her absence in Big Rivers final

KATHERINE South star and AFLW Draft hopeful Janet Baird is confident her team can upset Arnhem Crows in the senior women’s Big Rivers Football League Grand Final on Saturday, despite the fact she will be unavailable to play.

Magpies star Janet Baird believes Katherine South can beat Arnhem Crows in the senior women’s BRFL Grand Final on Saturday, despite the fact she won’t be able to play. Picture: GLENN CAMPBELL

PALMERSTON young gun Janet Baird has big fish to fry in Friday night’s Under-18 NAB AFLW All Stars Match.

But that doesn’t mean she is not bitterly disappointed to miss the women’s Big Rivers Football League Grand Final at 4pm on Saturday as a result.

Baird has played six games for Katherine South and been a standout for them this year, helping them get into Saturday’s title decider against the heavily-supported and minor premiership-winning Arnhem Crows.

“I don’t think I’ll play (the BRFL grand final). I’ll be recovering from my game the night before,” Baird told the NT News.

“But I’d really like to play.”

AFLW Draft hopeful Baird, still just 20 and part of the leadership group at the Magpies in the NTFL, has enjoyed uplifting her teammates at Souths.

“We’ve got a lot of girls who are 17 and 18 years old, so I’m one of the oldest in the team,” Baird said.

“They’re still learning the game and I’ve enjoyed bringing my NTFL Premier League experience to this team.”

Baird was full of praise for teammate and senior women’s competition best-and-fairest Jaimie Bryant, herself just 17.

“Jaimie is really clean with the ball below her knees, and she’s a left-footer so you never know what she’s going to do,” Baird said.

Baird’s Crocodiles outfit made the grand final the hard way, losing by 62 points to the Crows in the second semi-final on September 12.

They then beat Eastside by 19 points in the preliminary final last Saturday despite having just 14 players and no bench.

Souths will be up against it again on Saturday night.

And despite being underdogs against a Crows side featuring stars Huia Haerewa – who finished second on the competition best-and-fairest leaderboard, and Waratah star Lisa Roberts – Baird has faith in her teammates.

“I’m really confident with the skills in this team. If we go out there and smash it we’ll get over the line,” Baird said.

“The Crows are very skilled, but we’re confident in our structures and strategies.”