Great Southern girls in flag triumph for Curtin Uni Wesley

A group of Great Southern footballers have helped Curtin Uni Wesley claim a memorable women’s A-grade premiership in the Perth Football League as they defeated flag fancies University of WA at Kingsley Park last Saturday.

Jessie Barker, Eilish Fage, Jess Jackson, Ruby Tompkins and Claire Roocke gave the Curtin Uni Wesley team a real Great Southern flavour, their team hanging on for a thrilling six-point win in the end.

Curtin Uni Wesley kicked two goals to UWA’s one in the first quarter but after going through the regular season undefeated UWA fought back to lead by a single point at half-time.

With captain Jackson leading from the front and Jessie Barker playing well in defence, Curtin Uni Wesley hit back in the third, spurred on by a sensational goal from Tompkins.

Curtin Uni Wesley took a slender six-point advantage into the all-important last quarter and the two sides kicked one goal each with Roocke vital in the ruck along with Fage in some key moments around the ground.

Curtin Uni Wesley beat UWA in the second semifinal and, as the siren sounded, their jubilation spilled over as they won an epic grand final, 5.2 (32) to 4.2 (26).

It was the third year of Curtin Uni Wesley entering a women’s team in the competition and the Great Southern girls were thrilled to play in a premiership together, particularly Barker and Fage, after they began in Great Southern Storm development squads as female footy in Albany was emerging.

“It’s a pretty fantastic feeling knowing that our Albany roots is what brought us together playing at Curtin Wesley,” Fage said.

“It makes us proud knowing that for a few of us, our footy days started in the Great Southern, and now those skills we learnt down south, have led us to winning a premiership.”