Three Barooga FNC talents are on the path to elite football after being selected to play with the highly regarded Murray Bushrangers squad this year.
Jerrah Caruso and Nakiyah Fraser will play with the Bushrangers under-18s squad, while Barooga teammate Mereani Lecanadau has booked a slot in the under-16s side.
Barooga coach Kate Chapman couldn’t be more proud of her charges.
“I would love them to train here every week and in my team every single week,” Chapman said.
“But it’s their future.
“As a coach, I want to see that they’re getting these opportunities. That’s why we do it.
“The pathways are now there for women to play at an AFL level. And it starts here at the grassroots.”
Now in her second year playing footy, Fraser got the chance to play a game with the Bushrangers last season. The ruck-rover dreams of playing with Carlton FC while studying a Bachelor of Sports and Exercise Science.
The 2024 Youth Girls best-and-fairest said she’s excited about the chance to improve across all aspects of her game.
“And gaining experience and becoming more fluent with the ball,” she said.
Chapman said Fraser’s attitude at training last year first caught her attention.
“The way she seamlessly fitted in with a brand-new group of players... totally blew everyone away,” Chapman said.
Lecanadau, who has also only played one season before, doesn’t seem to have a limit to her ability, Chapman added.
“When she played her first game against Shepp United last year, it was actually one of the Bushies coaches who said to me, ‘Who is she?’” she said.
“She’s amazing, pure instinct - really good to watch.”
Earlier this month, Lecanadau got her first taste of Coates Talent League footy when she played ruck in the Bushrangers’ clash with the Greater Western Victoria Rebels.
As for the Deniliquin-born Caruso?
Chapman said Barooga was lucky to have her.
“It was very hard as a coach coaching against her last season because she was next level,” Chapman said.
“This girl can really play football.”
Caruso, who has returned to the Bushrangers for a second time but as a top-ager, arrived at Barooga FNC after time at Echuca United FC and the Bendigo Pioneers. She was named best-on-ground in the Goulburn Murray Youth Girls final last year.
She’s keen to take her football to the next level with the Bushrangers - all the way to the AFLW if she can.
“If I get drafted, I’ll go from there,” she said.
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