VICTORIA has won the 2022 Toyota Wheelchair AFL National Championships division one title, with a superb performance in the Grand Final against South Australia on Friday afternoon capping an unbeaten run through the event.
After four days of competition at the Diamond Valley Sports and Fitness Centre in Melbourne, home side Victoria Blue took out the trophy with a 62-point triumph in the decider, 13.9 (87) to 3.7 (25).
Co-captains Louis Rowe and Chris Henderson held the cup aloft for the Vics, while teammate Will Crooks was awarded the medal for best player in the Grand Final. Vince Naidu and Judeland Antony were also excellent for the winners, coached by Matt Morris, while Trevor Jarrett, Hallam Chitty and Mark Sicolo were among SA's best.
It was the first national wheelchair event since 2019 because of the COVID pandemic, with SA having won the four previous editions of the championships, first played in 2016.
This year was the first time all states and territories were represented in the pinnacle event for Wheelchair Australian Rules. After a round of lightning carnival matches on Tuesday, Victoria Blue, Victoria White, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland went into division one and played matches on Wednesday and Thursday.
In division two, Western Australia, NSW/ACT and Northern Territory were joined by teams representing the Returned & Services League (RSL) and the Australian Defence Force (ADF)
The ADF team took out the division two title earlier on Friday, with a strong victory over the RSL by 37 points.
See full results and final standings.
The event, hosted by Disability Sports Australia (DSA) in partnership with the AFL and supported by Toyota, gives Australia's most talented Wheelchair Australian Rules players the opportunity to represent their state/territory against the best in the country.
2022 Toyota Wheelchair AFL National Championships – All Australian Teams
Division One
Backs: Tristan Orchard (Qld), Judeland Antony (Vic Blue)
Centre: Andrew Miller (Qld)
Forwards: Riley Fitzgerald (Tas), Hallam Chitty (SA)
Interchange: Michael Dobbie-Bridges (Qld), Joanna Argaet (Vic White), Vincent Naidu (Vic Blue)
Division Two
Backs: Todd Makins (ADF), Chris O’Brien (NSW/ACT)
Centre: Matthew Blunt (RSL)
Forwards: Ricky Cox (WA), Sam Maraldo (RSL)
Interchange: Mark Daniels (ADF), Lachlan Enderlin (ADF), Troy Hawkins (NT)
The Toyota Wheelchair AFL National Championships is part of the AFL's Diversity and Inclusion program and follows the recent 2022 Toyota AFL National Inclusion Carnival, held in South Australia a few weeks ago.
