Following on from the past couple of weeks the Under 18 (U18) Women’s Michael Long Cup will take place this weekend at Asbuild Oval in Palmerston.
Ten teams from across the NTFL, including the Big River Hawks from Katherine and the Tiwi Bombers, will join a Pinktails side from Alice Springs in playing shortened games of twenty-minute halves.
The aim of the carnival is to identify talent to join their respective regional academies and to feed into the NT Thunder U8 Women’s Academy, which will compete in a national championship in May next year.
Talent from the Academy will also be available for diversity championships and possible VFLW selection.
AFLNT Manager of Talent and Pathways Wally Gallio said this weekend is one of the crucial steps in identifying future footy stars of the NT.
“As participation in footy continues to rise, particularly in the women’s game, carnivals like the Michael Long Cup are a vital part of the process as it allows us to assess a wide breadth of talent at the one time.
“I have no doubt that this weekend we will see some real Territory talent on show,” Gallio said.
The first games in U18 Women’s Michael Long Cup commence from 5pm on Friday, and a full fixture can be viewed here.
