APRIL Devine is set to take on the best young female Aussie Rules players in the country.

The Coffs Harbour Breakers player has been selected in the Allies team which will take part in this month’s NAB AFLW Under 19 Championships in Melbourne.

Devine will be part of an Allies team which features the best junior players from NSW, ACT, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

Devine and the Allies open their championships against Western Australia next Monday before taking on South Australia on Thursday.

Originally from Allgomera, Devine played her first three seasons of Youth Girls football for the Macleay Valley Eagles.

Last year she moved to play for the Coffs Harbour Breakers, where she played in both the Youth Girls and Women’s teams.

The 17-year-old has represented the North Coast region as a member of the North Coast Force Youth Girls team, and has been a scholarship holder of the North Coast Academy of Sport since 2018.

Her involvement with the North Coast Academy and Force led to her becoming an inaugural member of the Sydney Swans Academy Top End Program late last year.

Since then she has been making regular trips to Sydney, Canberra, and Geelong for training and matches.

Her performances in these matches led to her Allies selection and a chance to take part in this year’s National Championships.

Swans Academy Coach and coach of the Allies team, Jared Crouch, said Devine and her fellow Swans Academy players would make an impact at the National Championships.

“For more than 10 years the Swans Academy has taken talented players to the elite,” he said.

“Our six women selected in the Allies team will definitely turn heads at the NAB AFLW U19 Championships.”

Community Football Manager – AFL North Coast Paul Taylor said Devine’s Allies selection was a great opportunity to launch her career.

“The Allies team comprises the best players from NSW, ACT, Tasmania, and the Northern Territory, with selection coming from her strong performances with the Sydney Swans Academy,” he said.

“April has the chance to follow in the footsteps of other North Coast players who represented the Allies at these Championships and were then drafted to AFLW clubs.”

Devine continues the strong representation of North Coast players at the National Championships level, with Georgia Breward, Brianna McFarlane, and Lilly Doyle all have played for the Allies at the National Championships.

Breward and McFarlane were drafted to the AFLW by Gold Coast and Brisbane respectively, whilst Doyle was a member of the AIS program.

 

By Aiden BURGESS