Maroochydore Roos to show em their might at Qld AFL Grand Final miragenews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from miragenews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A Coast AFL club physio has backed new concussion guidelines and believes they could even be extended as more is understood on the impact of head knocks.
He said while the nerves were running wild, he felt ready.
âTo be honest I didnât get much sleep last night,â he said on Friday morning.
âIâm definitely thinking about it but once Iâve had that first contest Iâll be fine.â Father and son Stephen and Mitch Bird.
Bird had two weeks off work but was on the sideline supporting his team a fortnight after the injury.
He then joined the coaching ranks.
âWe got to the grandy again last year, but just fell short,â the Tasmanian born midfielder said.
âI considered trying to play in the final but health has to come first.
The 17-year-olds will be age-eligible for the AFLW draft in October.
The duo hoping to be one of the 61 young athletes looking to be selected by anyone of the 14 AFLW clubs.
Harmer, who plays centre half-back for the Roos, said itâs the ultimate goal and one sheâs had for quite a while.
âIt s a massive goal of mine and one Iâve been working towards for the past couple of years,â Harmer said.
âIt would be the icing on the cake to be named on an AFLW team list and compete against the best.â
Smith, who is predominantly a midfielder, said itâs definitely something in her sights but understands how much work is still to go.
“We obviously want to play finals, but our biggest aim is to be competitive each week so if we can do that and it results in more wins than losses to make finals then that’s a starting point.” Maroochydore players such as Tahlia Randall, Shannon Campbell, Belle Dawes and Lily Postlethwaite are all tied up in the AFLW competition and unavailable for the opening rounds.
“It’s always interesting mixing with the two seasons because every club relies on their AFLW players to come back to their local teams towards the later rounds,” he said.
“You’re also reliant on good luck with injuries so you don’t really know the nature of the competition until the season gets going and you get an idea of what your opposition is like.”