Mt Barker footballer rises to national challenge

Mt Barker footballer Tamika Coyne helped WA finished runner-up at the National Under-18 Female Kickstart Championships in Queensland last month.

Tamika was the sole Great Southern representative in the side that lost to Northern Territory by five points in the grand final on September 18.

WA provided the champions, who went through the tournament undefeated, with a strong challenge in the second half of the decider, eventually going down 5.9 (39) to 5.4 (34).

Tanika, who attends Mt Barker Community College, plays locally in the youth girls competition and said the experience of playing for her State was one she would never forget.

"It was really good and very exciting to play for WA," Takika said.

"We went through the whole week only losing to Northern Territory and then we played them again in the final and we only lost by five points, so it was a good result."

The 17-year-old played in defence and said she was hopeful this selection would lead her to playing in more carnivals in Perth.

Earlier in the championships, WA defeated South Australia by 78 points in their opening game before going down to the Northern Territory by 36 points later in the day.

On the second day, WA beat Queensland by 35 points and then thrashed NSW/ACT by 66 points later that afternoon.

A 72-point thumping of Tasmania and a victory over Victoria by 24 points in their final round robin match earned WA a spot in the decider.

Tamika said that in the side's big win over NSW/ACT the positions were swapped around, allowing her to kick a goal in an unfamiliar role up forward.