Crusaders launch challenge

Andrew Piva

Friday, October 31, 2008

EARLIER this week, Crusaders coach Laura Martin felt like she had just tipped out the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle with little time to complete the picture on the front of the box.

Martin’s squad gathered in Cairns yesterday for a training camp ahead of the AFL Queensland Under-16 Girls State Championships which start today at host venue Watsons Oval and continue until Sunday.

The Crusaders team is made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander footballers from across the Far North, making training runs where everyone can attend a rare luxury. Still, despite her side’s fractured preparation, Martin was optimistic about Crusaders’ title chances.

"I reckon they could win it. It’s just a matter of coming together and meshing quickly," she said.

"These girls come from a very wide area and only get the chance to play together once a year.

"That’s why we’ll be doing a lot of team bonding activities in the lead-up to get everybody gelling."

As well as the Crusaders, the championships feature sides from North Queensland, South East Queensland and three-time winner Papua New Guinea.

Crusaders have finished runners-up to the Papuans three times and while she admitted it would be nice to topple their nemesis, Martin said winning was not the sole focus of the championships.

"A lot of it is about taking the girls out of their communities and showing them what else is out there," she said. "We want to help them grow as people. They come to us as girls and we hope to send them away as young women."

The North Queensland side taking part is made up of players from both Townsville and Cairns.

Also having to deal with the tyranny of distance when it came to training, North Queensland coach Jo Butland was realistic about her team’s hopes of victory.

"In the past we probably have struggled a bit," she said. "Our comp is not as strong as the one they have in south-east Queensland and we don’t have the out-and-out athletes that the Cape do. But the girls are looking forward to it."

The championships open with a match between PNG and Crusaders at 5pm.

Natural flair: Rhian Phineasa hits top gear during a Crusaders training run yesterday ahead of the carnival.

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