A switch to the backline, a hot run of form and a "breakout“ game at the weekend have earned Holly Egan a spot alongside the top young female country footballers.
The Shepparton Swans and Murray Bushrangers product will don the Big V this weekend after being named in the team for Vic Country’s under-18 trial game.
Following a stellar game against Northern Knights on Saturday and other great performances in the lead-up, Bushrangers under-18 girls coach Emma Mackie said it was a selection well earned by Egan.
“This has been a few games in the making,” Mackie said.
“I have been having some really great conversations with Holly about her game, just encouraging her to keep coming at the footy. When she does, she has a great mark. She is really competitive at the footy.
“We have changed her back into the backline, which has been a really nice change for Holly and really highlighted some of her strengths.
“The past couple of games she has been able to step up a little bit each time, but this weekend she just seemed to really win that footy off the backline.
“It comes off a couple of really good games for Holly that she has been invited to come into that trial game.
“The great thing for Holly is this will be a really good experience, another good stepping stone for her coming into next year already having that experience and being able to come in and play a game like this.”
The trial game will have two Vic Country teams go head-to-head, with the game to be played at Werribee
Egan starred for the Bushies against the Knights, collecting a team-high 23 disposals – 18 kicks and five handballs – as well as five marks and seven rebound 50s in a best-on-ground performance.
“Holly had a really standout game, it was probably a breakthrough game for her on the weekend,” Mackie said.
“She has a great run on her, she is a really good kick. She has really good skills with the footy.
“Her ability to win the contest, to win the footy and she has a great overhead mark, she was able to bring all of those elements into the game.”
Knights too strong
But although Egan was a standout, it was the Knights who were too strong for the Bushrangers, prevailing by 88 points at Preston City Oval in Melbourne.
The home side booted 10 goals in the opening half, while keeping the Bushies scoreless, running out a 14.16 (100) to 2.0 (12) victor.
Mackie admitted it was a tough day out, but said the third quarter – in which the Bushrangers kicked 2.0 to the Knights’ 0.2 – was a big positive.
“I think the scoreboard probably doesn’t reflect parts of the game for us that we are looking at and some of the areas that we did do really well,” Mackie said.
“Particuarly the third quarter was probably the highlight for us, where we challenged them and came out and played some really good Bushies footy.
“It has been a challenging year and when we have come up against some of the metro teams and some of the more experienced teams that do have more developed players than what we have in our squad, it is always hard for us to get that four-quarter effort.
“But what the girls did do really well is respond in parts of the game, particuarly in that third quarter. There are definitely some good things to take out of it and some things that we need to keep working on.
“In that third quarter we neutralised them and made a couple of changes to the backline and we were able to hold them on the scoreboard and kick two goals ourselves. It was really pleasing.”
Boys come up short
In the under-18 boys competition, a four-goal-to-none second quarter proved costly as the Bushrangers fell to Northern Knights by 24 points on Saturday.
One point separated the two sides at quarter-time, but in a dominant second term the Knights opened up a decisive advantage that would prove to be the difference, kicking 4.4 to the Bushies’ 0.1.
Although the Bushrangers cut the margin down to nine at three-quarter time, the Knights were able to pull clear and prevail 13.13 (91) to 10.7 (67).
Joeve Cooper (Shepparton Swans) and Oscar Ryan (Shepparton United) were two of the top players for the Bushrangers in Melbourne.
Cooper collected 25 possessions (16 kicks, nine handballs) with two marks and three inside 50s.
Ryan had 22 touches (14 kicks, eight handballs) as well as five marks, three tackles, four inside 50s and seven rebound 50s.
It was the sixth time in seven games Ryan has been named among the best this season, while it was the first time Cooper had been included in that group.
Jack Whitlock (Shepparton) and Ben Les (Mansfield) kicked one goal each in the loss.