Sport: Intermediate Girls Football

Our Intermediate Girls Football team took part in their Upper Hume carnival in Wodonga on Thursday 19th June, playing their part in the revival of our Girls Football program, becoming the first Inter team we've fielded since 2018 (when we were Upper Hume Champions).

Fielding a team of nineteen players (nine Year 10's and ten Year 9's), they started with a dominant win against Wodonga Middle Years College (3.3.21 - 0.1.1) in Game 1 held at the Wodonga Senior Secondary College oval, booking a spot against Catholic College Wodonga for a place in the Final.

Catholic sadly outgunned our girls (0-48) after we lost our two key playmakers, and went to win the Final easily as well.

In an all-time first, the Intermediate games were Live Streamed, enabling us to record each player’s statistics.

Watch it here:

https://www.youtube.com/live/0UxQCcX9hMU

Co-Captain Jedda Driscoll (Year 10) was the dominant player in Game 1 (v Wodonga Middle). Playing rover, she gathered 25 possessions in the 40 minute match (18 kicks, 7 handballs) as well as 2 goals, 5 marks and 6 tackles. If you extrapolate that out to a full length AFL match for example, that’s the equivalent of 50 possessions, 4 goals, 10 marks, 12 tackles. They are monstrous numbers.

She sadly got injured and spent Game 2 outside the Centre Square, but still fished the day with 31 possessions.- the team leader.

The clean ball handler and smooth mover was dynamic, hunting the ball, reading the play, winning it in close and then breaking out of stoppages with power, and went on a number of dazzling runs, confidently bouncing and breaking lines. Her trademark move of running at an opponent, and faking them with a right shoulder before ducking back to her left and blazing past and bouncing, was brilliant. A remarkable ability for someone that has never played the Sport. 

Another with strong footy genetics, her dad Shane “Disco” Driscoll won a Baker Medal (League B&F) as a dominant ruckman for North Wangaratta in the O&K.

Year 9 Kaity Ford gathered the 2nd most possessions (30) across the 2 games (23 kicks, 7 handballs, 8 marks, 12 tackles). In the pivotal position of Centre Half Back, she again (B.O.G in the 2024 Junior team) was a Brick Wall, stopping the opposition and sending us back in to attack. She was inspirational in the Catholic game as they bombarded our backline, taking 6 marks and laying 7 tackles.

Ford’s knack of turning a 50-50 into a win is remarkable, often turning and blasting out of contests and packs with the ball before her opponents even know she’s got it. You can see why she made the elite Murray Bushrangers Under 16 team this year, as a bottom-ager, and was invited to trial for the U15 State team. 

Year 9 Ruby O’Kane was the 3rd highest possession-getter with 25 (23 kicks, 2 handballs, 4 marks, 13 tackles). The current Murray United and 2024 AWFA Rep Soccer defender, threw her hand up to play midfield, and was a workhorse in the Engine Room for all 80 minutes. Despite having never played Football, she has a natural sense for it, taking marks, winning contests, running and kicking long, and laying strong tackles.

Milly O’Kane (Year 10) was as important as any of them in Game 1,, but sadly re-injured a foot and sat out Game 2. The 2025 U17 State Team Netballer had won every hit-out until then, using her height and athleticism to feeding her midfielders first use with deft tap work, which was the key to the dominance against Middle Years. Not only that, but she roved her own taps at times, and broke away to almost kick a brilliant running goal (she kicked all 4 of the 2023 Junior team’s goals in that exact same manner). Her game stats were 12 possessions (9 kicks, 3 handballs), 2 marks, 8 tackles. All with an injured foot which limited her mobility and, sadly, forced her to it out Game 2 altogether.

In Game 2 against Catholic, with Milly off the ground, and Driscoll also moved out of the midfield (and Catholic’s midfield stacked with guns), our team’s back was broken. Had we maintained the same midfield, who knows.

Year 9 Inanay Gilson was huge too, gathering 24 possessions (21 kicks, 3 handballs, 3 marks, 7 tackles). The current Murray United and 2024 AWFA Rep Soccer player, and former Rovers Footballer, played Game 1 at Centre Half Forward, almost kicking 2 goals but missing. Starved of opportunities in the 1st half against Catholic as we couldn’t get it forward, she moved to defence where she promptly went berserk with 10 kicks in 20 minutes.

The third of our Year 10 Co-Captains, Isabelle Christison was prominent in the stats too with 20 (12 kicks, 8 handballs) plus 11 tackles. Her high handball and tackle count reflect her brave efforts in close. The AWFA Rep Soccer player fresh from winning the U16 Victorian Country Championships a fortnight ago, ran in the midfield all day.

Year 10 Jasmina Scott rounds out the Top 6 on the stat sheet, picking up 17 (9 kicks, 8 handballs, 3 marks, 5 tackles). She was everywhere in Game 1 on the wing (15 possessions), but was out of the play in the Catholic game where we missed her drive around the middle of the ground.

GOAL KICKERS: Jedda Driscoll 2, Emily  Swinburne 1. 

BEST PLAYERS: Jedda Driscoll, Kaity Ford, Ruby O’Kane, Inanay Gilson, Isabelle Christison, Milly O’Kane, Jasmina Scott.

Thank you to our 19 players,  coaches, Jess Byrne (Head Coach) and Lee Unwin (Assistant), umpires (Year 9s Clarence Lampa and Will Sayers) and the multiple helpers.

Jud Mullins

Sport Coordinator