High hopes for AFLW and its fans

The first AFLW match of the season in Tasmania will be sure to bring in crowds for the game at Blundstone Arena. Some young football hopefuls may also get a boost from the match.

Mabel Wallbank 14, Lola Nixon 13, Tessa Speglic 14 who all play for the Sandy Bay Junior Football Club wearing the same colours as the North Melbourne AFLW team ahead of the game on Sunday in Hobart. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Footy fans will be gearing up for Sunday’s AFLW action at Blundstone Arena between North Melbourne and St Kilda, some young fans more than eager to cheer on the Kangas.

Sandy Bay Junior Football Club players, Mabel Wallbank, 14, Lola Nixon, 13 and Tessa Speglic, 14 have their outfits sorted to watch the match.

Playing in North Melbourne colours for their own junior football matches, Team Manager Bec Wallbank said that the experience of seeing the AFLW professionals at work on home soil is a great opportunity for young players.

“The fact that we don’t have a professional AFLW league based in Hobart makes the match on Sunday so special,” Ms Wallbank said.

“Seeing professional females football stars play really shows to these young players that you can pursue a career in this field.”

It’s clear that the high hopes of AFLW fans are met by high hopes from the Kangaroos, North Melbourne vice-captain, Tasmanian Nicole Bresnehan stating the team is optimistic for the season after making the preliminary final last year.

“We’ve recruited really well in the off-season and we’ve got a really well-connected group and we’re really excited to see how we perform this season in round one,” she said.

North Melbourne is undefeated in Tasmania.

“We play well in Tassie and we’ve only got a handful of Tasmanians on the list now but the whole squad is really passionate about coming down to play in Tasmania,” Bresnehan said.

The day includes the SFLW preliminary final between Clarence and Kingborough at 10am as a curtain-raiser to the 1.05pm Kangaroos-Saints game, followed by the STJFL under-18 girls final between North Hobart and Lauderdale at 3.30pm.