Emerging Medowie rover Scarlet Christie named in All Australian AFL squad

MEDOWIE iron girl Scarlet Christie is making every post a winner in her chosen sport of Australian Rules Football.

The gifted Hunter River High School student has continued her meteoric rise with selection in the All Australian Schools AFL under-14 Merit squad – one of the most prestigious honours for a young athlete.

It is an outstanding feat by the dynamic ruck rover who helped the NSW Bluebirds All Schools team claim a silver medal at the recent School Sport Australia Games in Melbourne.

Scarlet rose to prominence at the seven day event – spearheading the Bluebirds to impressive victories over Western Australia (32-21) and ACT (65-1) in the pool rounds with her defensive skills, agility and endurance.
The promising Port Stephens Power junior product was also instrumental in the Bluebirds’ semi final triumph over a strong Queensland side (36-17) — shutting down the Maroons with her copybook tackling to help her team progress to the gold medal match.

Victoria Navy were crowned under-14 Games champions when they skittled a courageous NSW outfit 52-14 in the trophy final for the second time in five days.

The all-conquering Victorians opened their campaign with a 37-7 victory over the Bluebirds on day one and proved too strong for all comers with their abundance of skill and power across the field.

The athletic Christie, who is also a talented rugby league hooker with the Raymond Terrace Roosters under-14s women’s tackle team in the Hunter Junior League Division One competition, was rewarded for her non-stop efforts with selection in the All Australian Schools Merit Squad.

Scarlet was one of four Hunter students to be identified with national honours.

Other players from the region named in the All Australian Merit squad were St Joseph’s College Lochinvar trio Scarlett Crouch, Isabella Crouch and Leura Russell.

This year’s Games brought together Australia’s top secondary school athletes across multiple sports including swimming, diving, basketball, hockey, Australian Rules (AFL), football (soccer), netball and volleyball.

A highlight for Scarlet and her team mates was the Championship Education Team Experience on rest day with more than 300 students taking part in a memorable tour of the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground and Australian Sports Museum.

From exploring Australia’s rich sporting history to stepping inside one of the world’s most famous sporting venues, students were immersed in an experience that celebrates the power of sport beyond the field of play.

An elated Scarlet told News Of The Area that she was “shocked but proud” of her selection in the All Australian Merit team.

“It was a massive effort to secure a silver medal and compete against the powerful Victoria lineup and a great opportunity to learn, connect and be inspired, with plenty of memories made during the week-long event,” she said.

With the Power unable to field a team in Scarlet’s age group this season, the highly rated defender has been on loan to the Warners Bay Bulldogs club in the AFL Hunter Central Coast Juniors competition.

By Chris KARAS