WA's State Country Team finished sixth overall at the Australian Country Football Championships in Wagga Wagga after being defeated by Queensland in the final game on Sunday, July 22.

After losing to Queensland by more than five goals in round-robin competition on Friday, WA did well to be within four points of their opponents at half time of the 5th v 6th play-off.

Queensland had built a 15-point lead by quarter-time but the WA team fought back to bring the deficit to just four points at the main break. However, Queensland proved too strong in the second half, running out 9.10-64 to 7.8-50 winners.

It was an all-Victorian Grand Final for the overall Championship title, with Victoria 1 defending its title with a 68 point thrashing of Victoria 2.

DAY 1 scores for the WA State Country Team from the Australian Country Football Championships in Wagga Wagga.

Game 1:

Victoria                           6.6 (42)

Western Australia            3.7 (25)

WA Goal Kickers: Mathew Martin, M. Thomas,  Daniel Dalby
WA Best Players: Regan Duckworth, Troy Ditchburn, James Venturini, Kris Clarkson, Jeff Smith and Jesse Gribble.

Game 2:

South Australia                 7.3 (45)

Western Australia            3.5 (23)

WA Goal Kickers: Jeff Smith (pictured), James Venturini, Ashley Wallam

WA Best Players: James Venturini, Kris Clarkson, Jayden Brooks, Regan Duckworth, Luke Bairstow and William Barnes.

Friday’s Fixtures (WST)

9.45 am                WA v VIC2

12.15 pm              WA v NSW/ACT

1.30 pm                WA v QLD

The WA State Schoolgirls’ 16s football team has been training hard since March and will be leaving for Adelaide on Friday, July 20.

The team will be competing in the National Carnival against teams from Victoria, South Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.

The WA Team is looking good and is keen to get over to South Australia to show their worth. The team consists of:

The South West Football League defended its Division 1 title and also won the Colts grand final to conclude the 2012 Landmark Country Football Championships on the weekend.

The SWFL was too strong for Upper Great Southern in the Division 1 final and defeated Kimberley Spirit in the Colts final.

The Division 2 title was taken out by Mortlock over Avon, while Division 3 saw the Central Wheatbelt claim a convincing win over Central Midlands Coastal.

Senior and Colts All-Star teams were named at the conclusion of the carnival and the WA State Country team is now preparing to depart for the Australian Country Football Championships in Wagga Wagga this week.

Day 1 results and Day 2 fixtures follow for the 2012 Landmark Country Football Championships.

The 2012 Landmark Country Championships kick off on Thursday, July 12 with Division One games at East Fremantle Oval and Bendigo Bank Stadium and Colts games at Claremont Oval.

FIXTURES - 2012 Landmark Championships Fixtures

The Championships will be played over four days, with qualifying games on Thursday and Friday, followed by Colts finals on Saturday at Brownes Stadium and League finals on Sunday at Medibank Stadium.

Warwick SHS and Mandurah Catholic College competed in the AFL SportsReady Cup Jakovich Division Grand Final in front of a large crowd and in perfect conditions.

The grand final was played at frantic pace and described as one of the most skillful games of school boy’s football seen in recent times. In the end it was Mandurah Catholic College, pictured, who overcame a persistent Warwick SHS by 23 points.

Competition Patron, former West Coast Eagles Champion Glen Jakovich, and AFL SportsReady General Manager Colin West, were on hand to present the AFL SportsReady Cup and medallions to the players, coaches and umpires.

Corpus Christi College, left, and St Mary’s School, below, celebrated grand final success last weekend at Steel Blue Oval after taking out their respective divisions in the 2012 WAFC Schoolgirls Cup.

For St Mary’s it was their first White Division Grand Final win in two attempts after going through the season undefeated, over running a gallant Seton College by 28 points, while for Corpus Christi College it was marvelous achievement taking out the 2012 Moore division title by 35 points over previous two time title holders John Septimus Roe ACS, after being promoted from the White division in 2011.

Nominate a volunteer who will go into the running to be awarded a trip to the 2012 AFL Grand Final – what a way to say thank you for all their hard work and effort!

Simply CLICK HERE to nominate a valuable volunteer.

Each District / Regional winner will receive a plaque as recognition for their contribution. The seven state winners will each receive a trip to the 2012 AFL Grand Final where the overall winner will be announced.

The overall winner will accompany the AIS Academy under 17s on their training camp in 2013 along with $5000 spending money: a true money-can't-buy experience!

All NAB AFL Auskick Volunteers that are nominate automatically feed into the Sunday Times WA Football Volunteer of the Year award.

The Australian Government and the AFL today announced a partnership that will see the AFL’s newest form of the game, ‘AFL 9s’, introduced nationally through Australian schools and childcare centres via the Australian Sports Commission’s Active After-School Communities program.

Federal Sports Minister Kate Lundy joined Brisbane Lions players Matthew Leuenberger and Josh Drummond and primary school students from Ascot PCYC  at the Gabba to launch the partnership with an AFL 9s session that will be replicated across the nation in the Active After-School Communities program.

It represents the first time that the AFL has had a formal partnership with the AASC program.