Riverina women take centre stage
By James Matthey
The ACT representative side looks to be in safe hands with some Riverina-bred talent hoping to help bring back some silverware from the National Women’s AFL Championships in Cairns.
Experienced campaigners Melinda Hyland and Julie McLean will be joined in the side by relative newcomer Danielle Peel and the uncapped Paige Mathewson and Rhiannon Busch.
Hyland and McLean will don the ACT jersey for the 10th and 9th times respectively, while Peele will be looking to add to her solitary appearance for the representative side.
Hyland said it was great to see her fellow Lions teammates in the squad and that the National Championships were a great opportunity for the younger players to develop their games.
“It is fantastic,” Hyland said.
“It is great to have so many (Riverina Lions) players in the team and especially some of the newbies.
“We have a couple of new ones and this is a great opportunity for them to take their footy to the next level.”
Hyland was full of praise for young-gun Mathewson, who has dominated up forward so far this season to be the leading goal-kicker in the AFL Women’s Canberra competition.
“Paige Mathewson has been going really well at league level,” Hyland said.
“She is only 18 and she is sitting on top of the league goal-kicking.
“If they use her up forward I am sure she can do some damage.”
The five players have been rewarded for the Riverina Lions’ strong 2013 form, which has so far netted them four wins and just two losses.
ACT will be looking to atone for their Grand Final loss to NSW in the last championships held in 2011, and are keen to take out this year’s Division Two title in the hope of gaining promotion back up to Division One.
ACT fly out on Sunday for the week-long championships in Cairns, while there will be a two week break in the AFL Women’s Canberra competition to accommodate the tournament.
