Semi Final 1 (Elimination) - Darebin (3rd) v St Kilda (4th)
Coburg City Oval – Saturday 27 July – 12 pm
It’s do-or-die this Saturday afternoon for Darebin and St Kilda, with the winner one step closer to Grand Final glory and the loser having their season stopped in its tracks. The Sharks won’t be in unfamiliar territory, a desperate performance and win last week against the Falcons securing their place in the finals on percentage alone.
St Kilda have come good at the right time of the year, winning three of their past four fixtures, while the Falcons have stuttered after leading the league midway through the season – losing their past three.
Georgia Hammond will be a key player for Darebin, having kicked 3.1 goals per game across the course of 2013. But she only has three goals for the past three weeks, and St Kilda managed to hold her goalless last week.
St Kilda will be hoping for similar conditions to last week – they are the lowest scoring team and highest scored against in the top four. Jenny Male has been their standout player, appearing in the best players every second week and kicking nine goals.
Can the Sharks inflict another loss on the Falcons’ and end their season? Or will Darebin reverse the roles from last weekend?
Last Time They Met
The Falcons and Sharks had the chance to size each other up last week in a tough game of footy at Peanut Farm Reserve. St Kilda (5.7.37) got over Darebin (4.3.27) by 10 points in a game that had no multiple goal kickers - the tight win securing the Sharks’ place in the finals.
Darebin Best: Kate Scodellaro (7), Sommer Portway, Kate Tyndall and Matilda Van Riel (5).
St Kilda Best: Jenny Male (7), Kristy Taylor, Ashleigh Bertagno and Ellie George-Brimson (4).
Top Five Goalkickers: Georgia Hammond 31 (Darebin), Alana Bell 12 (St Kilda), Cassandra Stanley 11 (St Kilda), Louise Potter 11 (Darebin) and Jenny Male 9 (St Kilda).
Semi Final 2 (Qualifying) – Eastern Devils (1st) v Melbourne Uni (2nd)
Coburg City Oval – Sunday 28 July – 12 pm
A week’s break before a grand final is a handy advantage to hold, and that is what these two teams will be playing for on Sunday after finishing in the top two spots on the ladder.
The MUGARS and Devils will meet at Coburg City Oval, with the ledger between the two teams squared at one win apiece. Both games have been settled by two kicks or less, and spectators will be after a similarly thrilling contest at Coburg City Oval this time around.
Before last Sunday, Eastern had won their last eight games in a row; with spearhead Sarah Perkins kicking 29 goals at a rate of almost three per game. The MUGARS will be flying high after last week’s win, which gives them a winning streak of four games.
The MUGARS concede, on average, less than 16 points per game – and have 30 different goal kickers for the year, Ruby Grounds leading the way with 12.
Both sides will be buoyed by the fact the loser gets a double chance – but the big question will be can the Devils attack overcome the MUGARS defence? And who will stand up for Melbourne Uni in front of goal?
Last Time They Met
These two sides also met just last week in the final home-and-away fixture, with the MUGARS (2.4.16) prevailing against the ladder-leading Devils (1.2.8) in more than trying conditions at University Oval – neither team managing to record a score in the final term.
Eastern Best: Olivia Aing (6), Sarah Perkins, Jessica Malouf and Renee Buck (5).
Melbourne Uni Best: Jane Wieselmann (8), Ruby Grounds, Bianca Strugnell and Kristen Hay (5).
Top Five Goalkickers: Sarah Perkins 29 (Eastern Devils), Ruby Grounds 12 (Melbourne Uni), Paige Smith 11 (Eastern Devils), Jessica Malouf 7 (Eastern Devils) and Rhiannon Coulson 6 (Melbourne Uni).
Last Modified on 25/07/2013 11:58