Gallery | Shepparton Swans clinch inaugural Youth Girls flag

By Aydin Payne

Jul 20, 2022

History was made when the final siren sounded to call time on Youth Girls grand final decider between Shepparton Swans and Moama in Shepparton on the weekend.

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The Swans, one of the competition’s most recent outfits, broke through to claim their inaugural premiership after three seasons of trying.

Swans mentor Leigh Findlay said he was proud of his emerging stars as they capped off a remarkable 2022 campaign.

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“Yeah it was awesome, they’ve done really well,” he said.

“It was a game where we knew we were going to have to take a lot of pressure from Moama but equally, we applied a lot of pressure back on them.

“So it was going to be a game of whoever cracked under that pressure.

“The girls have done a great job.

“The club’s pumped. They really want to see women’s footy flourish and there’s no blockers at the club who are stopping the progression and promotion of women’s footy.

“Everyone has tried to create an environment that is inclusive and safe because we want to see the girls out there enjoying themselves.”

The Princess Park encounter was a gritty and tense contest, one that was shaped by a match-winning third term.

With a nervous 15-point lead under their belt, the Swans managed to break the shackles loose in the premiership quarter.

Madison Gray (three goals) led from the front and booted her side’s two goals in the quarter in an impressive individual performance — an effort that netted her the best-on-ground medal.

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Gray’s sister Tayissa provided class across half-back, along with Amani Issell, who helped rebound the ball out of defence.

Unfortunately, Issell’s day ended abruptly halfway through the final quarter.

The smart defender suffered a serious knee injury and was helped from the ground.

The short break in play did not disrupt the Swans’ evident outcome as they saluted by 27 points over the Magpies.

Findlay said his assistant coaches “stepped back” when it came to deciding the best players.

“All of the assistants stepped back when it came to naming the best,’’ he said.

“It was very hard to do.

“Everyone contributed right across the ground, it was a team effort.

“I thought Madi really stood up and helped turn the game in the third term.

“Both Tay and Amani were really dominant across half-back and they helped to drive the ball forward.

“Imogen (Putt) was hard at the contest in the midfield and Holly (Egan) had two players on her all day and what she was able to do was fantastic.

“I’ve been lucky to inherit a really good team, they all get along really well and they have a strong bond off the ground which helps them connect and play together on the ground.”