THE Jimboomba Redbacks under 17 girls have secured a coveted grand finals spot, defeating Coorparoo in a hard-fought match over the weekend.
The team established a strong lead from the first quarter and pulled further ahead throughout the match, holding a 20 point lead going into the final quarter.
"Getting a good start was crucial as we knew Coorparoo were not going to slow down at all," assistant coach David Balmforth said.
Coorparoo rallied hard in the final quarter, reducing the Redbacks' lead to six points, but Jimboomba held strong, emerging victorious by one goal.
The under 15 and under 17 girls will play their grand finals matches at Yeronga next weekend.
Building on the strength of their junior female sides, the Redbacks plan to add a women's team in 2020.
The under 17's victory followed the McDonald's AFL Queensland Brisbane Juniors Gala Awards on Monday night, which saw the Redbacks winning the Junior Club Championship award.
The prize is given to the club whose youth teams won the greatest percentage of games.
The Redbacks came out on top with victories in 75 per cent of their games and club president Tom Vidoni acknowledged how far the club had come in its 20 years.
Taking out best and fairest awards on the night were Owen Maguire, Jayla Hargreaves and Isaac Dawes.
Larni Milne came third in a tough run for the under 17s best and fairest award.
Over the weekend, under 16 players Isaac Dawes and Keoni Dawes were chosen to boundary umpire the the QFA Colts Maroon match.
Under 12
Despite giving their all against Coorparoo on the weekend, the under 12 boys were defeated 52-15.
Coach Michael Young commended the team on their determination under tough circumstances.
"After one of the best games of (under) 12s footy I've ever seen last week, our boys had the task of overcoming a huge physical and emotional toll after going down after the siren," he said.
"It showed in the boys this week. While they never gave up and played their hearts out it was apparent (they) had given everything they had the previous week."
Under 13
The under 13 girls also fought valiantly but exited the competition after a loss to Sandgate.
Coach Matt Lyons said the team had given their best shot but had been unable to capitalise on the opportunities but had given their best shot, ultimately walking away with a 28-13 loss.
