The Rebels opened up with a 46-point win over Western Jets at Learmonth on Saturday.

And there was no one more satisfied with the whole performance than head coach Jeff Whittaker.

He said the entire experience – being part of history – had been exciting.

Whittaker said he expected the girls to be nervous and this was not surprisingly evident in the early moments, but they settled after about 10 minutes and impressed.

The Rebels kicked away to a 12-point lead in the first quarter and increased the margin inn each term.

Alyssa Humphries had a day to remember.

She kicked six goals from full forward in three quarters before being swung to full back.

Whittaker said Humphries read play well, was a strong mark and as her return indicated one of the Rebels’ most accurate kicks in front of goals.

Hannah Simpson and Amy McDonald, who is the team’s one over-age 19-year-old player, also put in strong efforts along with Sophie Molan, who joined the program from a basketball background.

Molan spent most of the day at full back, where she constantly interrupted Western Jets surges.

Whittaker said overall he was pleased with the Rebels’ ball movement and attack on the football.

He said the result also reflected the development which had taken place across the region in girls’ football over a number of years through the growth of domestic competitions and work of the Rebels academy. 

the GWV match was the second leg of a doubleheader at Learmonth, with Geelong Falcons defeating Northern Knights by 18 points earlier in the day.  

The Rebels play the Falcons in Geelong on Saturday.