Port Douglas Crocs make history with inaugural women's seniors team entry

After months of dedication, the Port Douglas Croc’s will officially enter a senior women’s team in the 2024 AFL Cairns League for the very first time. 

Despite being a dominant force in the Men’s competition, the Crocs remained the only club in the AFL Cairns league without a senior women’s side - until now. Officially given the green light by the league body last week, the move means player’s from the already established Under 17’s can now transition into the senior ranks while continuing to represent their beloved Port Douglas community.

Croc’s player and committee member, Caity Walsh, said she hopes this will motivate more girls to take up the sport. “To be able to grow female participation in the AFL community is so important,” she said. “The introduction of this team will encourage females of all ages to take up the sport, knowing that they can now follow it all the way through while staying local”.

What started as just a kick to kick between friends quickly gained momentum, evolving into a fully fledged team within mere months. Following an anxious wait for AFL Cairns’ final verdict, Ms Walsh expressed her pride in the team's resilience and dedication. “The players definitely felt a mixture of excitement and relief once it was official,” she said. “We’ve put so much time into developing our skills and we’ve had so much anticipation playing the waiting game so we couldn’t be more excited to get the go ahead”.

But the hustle doesn’t end there Under the guidance of newly appointed coach, Chris Barber, Ms Walsh says the team is still on the lookout for players encouraging anyone who might be interested to come to this weekend's Super Sunday Gala at the Croc Pit.