A LEETON girls Aussie Rules team stunned their opposition to finish third in the state.
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The side recently travelled to the big smoke to contest the Paul Kelly Cup finals at the Sydney Cricket Ground, coming away with the third place.
Treading in the same footsteps of modern day football icons such as Buddy Franklin and Tony Lockett and before grandstands named after Australian sporting royalty, the team set about creating their own history.
They were the first Parkview representative team in the school’s history to contest the state finals of any sport.
Having won the Southern NSW Championships in Wagga recently, the team took on South Coast champions Bega Valley PS in round and hit the ground running with a 10-point win.
The second game was a match up with ACT Champions Claremont College.
Parkview’s miserly defence led by Makayla Bradshaw, Kristen Bradshaw and Tatum Marks proved the key to this game, while Moe Lloyd was a formidable target in the forward line, helping Parkview to a crucial 10-point victory and a guaranteed place in the semi-finals.
Next up were Sydney champions Holy Family Kelso, with the winner guaranteed to finish the top of their pool.
A second half fight back led by Moe Lloyd and supported by midfielders Molly Gilmour, Madeline Irvin and Makayla Bradshaw had PPS dominate possession. When the siren rang out the ball was deep in the Parkview forward line, but the deficit was a slender three points, dealing Parkview a tricky semi-final match up against defending champions Wallsend South.
A highly physical and contested brand of football was played from the outset.
A seven-point deficit at half-time looked likely to be reeled in after Parkview dominated possession early in the second half thanks to midfield dominance led by Shaylan Protheroe and Tamika Rourke, but despite the best defensive efforts of Shay Bandy, the team was caught out on the counter attack by Wallsend leaving Parkview 13 points down at full-time.
Their performamce had them finish as the third ranked team in NSW, with a 12-2 win loss record in all competitions this season. They were acknowledged by officials for their sportsmanship.
