Manunda Hawks president Fiona Sharp does not think Saturday's grand final drubbing by North Cairns Tigers will have a negative impact on women's AFL.
The Tigers capped a phenomenal year with a 14.9(93) to 0.1(1) win over Manunda to finish a second straight year undefeated. Sharp said the win displayed how far ahead of the competition Tigers were. But she still insisted her team was still determined to close the gap.
"I still think we were the second-best team all year," Sharp said. "They are just that much better than everyone else. "But the girls will be back. "They spoke after the game about coming back next year and being fitter and even more prepared." This is sound advice, because, according to North Cairns captain-coach Jo Butland, the Tigers still have not yet peaked.
She said this year's dominance had been four years in the making and expected the bulk of the team to return next season. "A few of the girls talk about hanging their boots up but I tell them if I can run around out there, they can," the 34-year-old Butland said. She praised her side for a dominant team effort against a Manunda team some people had described as "the walking wounded".
"(Manunda) actually played better than us in the second quarter, but we just gutsed it out and the girls really came thhrough in the third quarter," she said. Rep star T'Keya Nandy was named best on ground, while leading goalscorer Maddie Peeters kicked three goals.
Last Modified on 08/05/2013 13:38