THE Sunshine Coast Goannas have won the Reconciliation Cup 3-0 on the first day of NAIDOC week with a twist that saw two women’s sides competing instead of the mens.
CEO of Queensland Indigenous Football, Damien Monday, said the call was made for the women’s All Stars and Goannas to compete, to help showcase the depth of talent across female ranks.
“The importance for women participating in sports is always very important to us with the women’s FIFA World Cup coming up in 2023,” he said.
“This is a perfect opportunity for these women to show what they can do, show their involvement in the sport and their contributions to sport.
“The opportunity for our Indigenous players to showcase their talents is obviously the pinnacle part of sporting for these guys.”
The Hinterland was well on display as well with Beegee’s players in both representative sides, one of which was Samara Christmas who played for the Sunshine Coast Goannas.
“I think it’s incredibly important because obviously there’s a lot of Indigenous people around, especially on the coast, that don’t believe they have a pathway in football,” she said.
“This team gives people opportunities to play, have a run, and get seen by hopefully NPL coaches and QAS coaches.”
As for the game itself the Goannas scored the first goal late in the first half by centre Pia Mucci after a dominant possession in the half.
The second half saw the All Stars team gain more possession.
Despite this, the Goanna’s held their shape, eventually scoring another two goals through the second half, one through a penalty.
The Women’s Sunshine Coast Goannas retained the cup after last year’s win by the Goanna’s men’s team.
