2016 AFL Youth Girls National Championships
# 2016 AFL Youth Girls National Championships

The 2016 edition of the AFL Youth Girls National Championships was held from 2 May to 6 May in Melbourne, Victoria. Nine teams competed in the round-robin tournament, divided into pool A: Queensland, Western Australia, Vic Country and Vic Metro; and pool B: the Northern Territory, South Australia, Tasmania, a combined New South Wales and Australian Capital Territory side (NSW/ACT) and the Indigenous Australian Woomeras.

A professional women's Australian rules football competition (AFL Women's (AFLW)) was to be inaugurated in 2017, creating a new incentive for performance in the championships. Several clubs who had received AFLW licences used the competition to scout potential players.

Vic Metro won pool A, completing an unbeaten tournament by holding Western Australia scoreless in the final played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. NSW/ACT prevailed in pool B and was also undefeated in their group. Commenting on the pool A final, Herald Sun reporter Sam Edmund said "This is football as we remember it. No flooding, no pressing and players holding position. As good as the AFL has been this year, this was refreshing."

## Fixtures

| | Pool A | Pool A | Pool A | | |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Monday, 2 May 10:30am | Vic Metro 10.10 (70) | def. | Queensland 3.2 (20) | Olympic Park Oval | Report |
| Monday, 2 May 1:50pm | Western Australia 6.6 (42) | def. | Vic Country 5.3 (33) | Olympic Park Oval | Report |
| Tuesday, 3 May 10:40am | Western Australia 3.5 (23) | def. by | Vic Metro 10.7 (67) | Trevor Barker Oval | Report |
| Tuesday, 3 May 2:00pm | Queensland 5.4 (34) | def. by | Vic Country 6.7 (43) | Trevor Barker Oval | Report |
| Thursday, 5 May 10:40am | Queensland 7.6 (48) | def. by | Western Australia 7.7 (49) | Shepley Oval | Report |
| Thursday, 5 May 12:20pm | Vic Country 2.4 (16) | def. by | Vic Metro 6.9 (45) | Shepley Oval | Report |
| Friday, 6 May 12:10pm | Vic Country 6.6 (42) | def. | Queensland 5.4 (34) | Punt Road Oval | Report |
| Friday, 6 May 5:20pm | Vic Metro 14.11 (95) | def. | Western Australia 0.0 (0) | Melbourne Cricket Ground | Report |
| | Pool B | Pool B | Pool B | | |
| Monday, 2 May 12:10pm | South Australia 7.4 (46) | def. | Tasmania 2.4 (16) | Olympic Park Oval | Report |
| Monday, 2 May 3:30pm | Woomeras 0.0 (0) | def. by | NSW/ACT 17.5 (107) | Olympic Park Oval | Report |
| Tuesday, 3 May 9:00am | Tasmania 3.7 (25) | def. by | Northern Territory 3.11 (29) | Trevor Barker Oval | Report |
| Tuesday, 3 May 12:20pm | Woomeras 3.7 (25) | def. by | South Australia 8.6 (54) | Trevor Barker Oval | Report |
| Thursday, 5 May 9:00am | Woomeras 1.2 (8) | def. by | Tasmania 7.10 (52) | Shepley Oval | Report |
| Thursday, 5 May 2:00pm | NSW/ACT 8.12 (60) | def. | Northern Territory 0.6 (6) | Shepley Oval | Report |
| Friday, 6 May 10.30am | Woomeras 2.5 (17) | def. by | Northern Territory 9.10 (64) | Punt Road Oval | Report |
| Friday, 6 May 1:50pm | South Australia 1.1 (7) | def. by | NSW/ACT 10.12 (72) | Punt Road Oval | Report |

## All-Australian team

An initial All-Australian squad was named in May. Most of the squad appeared in an all-star game in September that acted as a curtain-raiser for the Western Bulldogs–Melbourne Hampson-Hardeman Cup match. The final team was announced after the match. The selectors were Darren Flanigan, AFL Victoria female football manager and the chairman of the panel; Julia Price, former AFL Queensland female development manager; and footballers Lauren Arnell, Alicia Eva, Aasta O'Connor and Daisy Pearce.

2016 AFL Youth Girls' All-Australian team :

| B: | Rachel Ashley (WA) | Anne Hatchard (SA) | Arianna Clarke (Qld) |
| - | - | - | - |
| HB: | Georgia Walker (VC) | Tahlia Randall (Qld) | Ruby Blair (Qld) |
| C: | Lizzie Stokely (Tas) | Lily Mithen (VC) | Alyce Parker (NSW/ACT) |
| HF: | Jasmin Stewart (WA) | Isabel Huntington (VM) | Deanna Berry (VM) |
| F: | Brooke Struylaart (VM) | Isabella Ayre (VC) | Kate Bartlett (WA) |
| Foll: | Erin McKinnon (NSW/ACT) | Madison Prespakis (VM) | Courtney Hodder (WA) |
| Int: | Reni Hicks (VC) | Sabreena Duffy (WA) | Charis Ulu Peniata (VM) |
| | Shaleise Law (Qld) | | |
| Coach: | Not named | Not named | Not named |
