Hand over: Lana Carroll is presented with her Victoria jumper by Brett Carroll.
Playing for a representative team is always an exciting achievement and an indicator that one is on the right track to achieve big things.
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Last month, Lana Carroll played for Victoria in the School Sport Australia Australian Football 15 Years and Under Championships in Ballarat.
Lana has always loved playing football, and the sport is something that bonds the family.
“Well, I was inspired to play ever since I was a little kid,” Lana said.
“My brother always played it, so I just wanted to try it.”
Lana plays club football in Whittlesea while also playing for the Bushrangers in the Talent League, and ran out for the interleague side this year.
Thumbs up: Lana Carroll after a game for the Bushrangers.
Playing in the School Sport Australia championships has been Lana’s standout event of the season.
“It was a long drive, but it was a great experience, and I’m lucky to experience that,” she said.
“I made plenty of friends there. It was really fun in general, like you got to meet people from Tasmania.”
There were only a couple of girls from the Bushrangers and the interleague team with whom she had played before.
Lana said the team quickly bonded, as the players spent most of their time together.
“We would always train in the morning and just warm up and get ready,” she said.
“After the game, we would do a recovery session with all the girls together.”
The Seymour local was part of the Victoria White team that finished eighth in the competition, while Victoria Navy took out the grand final against South Australia 3.2 (20) to 1.2 (8).
Lana’s mother, Courtney Carroll, said her daughter played well despite tough opposition.
“There were two Victorian teams, so her team didn’t do so well in the end, but personally (Lana) got a few best-ons,” Carroll said.
“We didn’t know, but at the end of the tournament, all the players swap jumpers, so if we go again next time, we will have to take another jumper because she didn’t want to hand over the (first) Victorian jumper.”
Lana sees the tournament as just the start of her football journey, and has the AFLW in her sights.
“I want to make it back there next year and try and focus on it more and get better,” she said.
The next big step Lana is looking to take is hopefully participating in a tour of Ireland, the UK and France with the Victorian team.
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