![ST Francis of the Fields Primary School girls' football team will target state championships success in Melbourne on Thursday. Picture supplied by the school ST Francis of the Fields Primary School girls' football team will target state championships success in Melbourne on Thursday. Picture supplied by the school](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j98Hh85wiUB5yeTBh2fLTR/b64e4e3c-0fdd-4f69-a578-b1d296d57403.jpeg/r143_493_4032_3029_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
ST FRANCIS of the Fields Primary School girls' football coach Josh Hann says his players will be drawing on the spirit of the Matildas as they chase premiership glory in Melbourne on Thursday.
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The school's tight-knit Australian rules squad has survived a host of thrillers to emerge triumphant in divisional and regional carnivals in Bendigo and Echuca over the last few months and will be looking to extend their run of good form and fortune at the state championships.
School teams from several regions across the state will be represented in Melbourne.
Hann, a grade 6 teacher at the Strathfieldsaye-based school, said his players were 'primed and ready to go' after a lengthy and at times anxious last few weeks.
"About four weeks ago, we came up against all the teams in Bendigo in a round-robin type carnival, with a grand final at the end in which we snuck over the line," he said.
"Then a couple of weeks ago we went up to Swan Hill and played teams from the region - Echuca, Swan Hill and Mildura - and we got up there as well, so now it's down to Melbourne.
"We are just going to try and emulate the Matildas as much as possible. They've got some good energy going and hopefully they can have a win tonight (Wednesday night)," he added in reference to the national women's soccer team's World Cup semi-final match-up against England.
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"We've made it through undefeated, but it hasn't been easy at all.
"We just got through our pool games in the first carnival and won the grand final by one goal.
"The same thing at Echuca, we won the grand final by four or five points.
![St Francis of the Fields Primary School's girl's football team. St Francis of the Fields Primary School's girl's football team.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j98Hh85wiUB5yeTBh2fLTR/2e87e556-5b42-45e5-9a57-afb12c0ca7fa.jpeg/r0_376_4032_3028_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
St Francis actually trailed at half time in the regional grand final, before pulling off a stunning comeback.
The size of the squad has been extended at every step of the qualification journey and now stands at 22.
Twenty-one players will make the trip to Melbourne, with one unavailable while overseas.
An obvious on-field key will be Etta Place, who was part of the Victorian team, which claimed the honours at the School Sport Australia Under-12 Football Championships at Lavington, New South Wales, last week.
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Hann, who is hoping to be part of a premiership himself this season with Kerang, and previously played with Sandhurst, said the St Francis girls were keen to do their school and region proud in Melbourne.
"They're a good bunch. Probably half of them play footy on the weekends," he said.
"Over the last four years, while I have been teaching here, I have definitely seen a big rise in girls being involved in footy.
"That's probably starting to show with the success of this team.
"They are pretty pumped."
The team comprises Forest Jackson-Leahy, Ava Hope, Alice Fraser, Marlie Skinner, Lahni Tyrrell, Annie Rowe, Willow Dickson, Emma Gleeson, Elena Spicer, Emmie Fookes, Etta Place, Alex Houghton, Aysha O'Kane, Lily Hearps, Harper Gordon, Sienna Raco, Macey Nielsen, Zara Grieve, Lulu Johnson, Milly Balic, Maggie Millar and Cammie Fitzgerald.
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