Something stirred inside Jo Butland when she saw what had been written about her in the AFL Women's National Championships Footy Record. The tournament’s bible said Butland, the oldest player in the Queensland team at 32, was on her way out.
"It fired me up when I read that – it was motivation for me and for the rest of the girls,"
she said. It worked pretty well, too.
Butland was selected in her fourth All Australian team, her first since 2007, after excelling in the unfamiliar roles of centre half forward and defence. Her performance especially pleased her considering her previous three guernseys were earned courtesy of her hard work in the ruck or on the ball. Butland said it was her crash and bash approach that had got her this far and was probably the reason she had caught selectors’ eyes again in Adelaide.
"I’ve got the height and the toughness I guess. I was a bit of a bulldozer down there,’’ she said.
The North Cairns captain was among 10 Cairns women to play for Queensland as they again finished third behind Victoria and Western Australia. Fully entrenched in the development of AFL Cairns, she said preparing for national and state titles was tough.
"It is hard but we had such a strong Cairns contingent in the Queensland team and we all supported each other," she said. "Plus North Cairns footy club has also been excellent to deal with."
Read more at http://www.cairns.com.au/article/2011/06/29/171685_local-sport-news.html
Courtesy of The Cairns Post.
Last Modified on 30/06/2011 09:50