By Caitlin Arnold
It seems there is something in the water south of Sydney’s other famous overpass - Tom Ugly’s Bridge. As the opening siren sounded on the Sydney Women’s AFL Division Two Grand Final on Sunday, two sides from the south of Sydney were lining up to take the 2014 premiership title.
Soggy conditions greeted the Southern Power and Wollongong Saints at Blacktown International Sportspark for their final hit out of the year.
Grand final nerves saw opening opportunities go begging from both sides but soon the players settled, and a smarter game evolved.
An attempted clearance from the Power forward line by the Saints fell back into Power hands and could have proved costly in front of goal. However, Danielle Dunajcik could not complete the job for the Power, kicking it out on the full and handing possession to Wollongong.
An immediate turnover from the Saints’ penalty kick-in presented the Power with their second shot on goal in as many minutes. Unable to make it count, the Power had the first behind on the board, and the Saints were left questioning their defensive rebounds as the game moved on.
The majority of the opening term was played in the muddy middle as both sides worked out their kinks. Turnovers galore saw the ball go from pillar to post, with the side on top not yet clear. A tough tussle indicative of these two teams was only building its foundations.
A brilliant tackle from Dominique Goom of the Southern Power had the teal and black heavy crowd in raptures and thinking their trip out west was well worth their time. But despite the free kick awarded, the Power could not take advantage and Wollongong was once again with the ball.
As the final opportunity of the first quarter, a quick snap from Saint, Catherine Stanton went awry. After a hard run twenty minutes, the Southern Power had the only two points on the board while teams took their first well-earned break.
Ashley McClure had the Power’s first chance in the second following a sliding mark on the fifty which saw the Power rush forward. Though Wollongong was able to deny the McClure the first goal of the match, they struggled to expel the ball from the Power’s attacking zone.
While it was all the Power in the opening stages of the second term, they were unable to work a clean ball through the sticks, leaving the minor premiers frustrated.
Finally, the ball found its way into Wollongong’s half, and within seconds the game was turned on its head. With a free quick then 50 metre penalty awarded to Jessie Mulholland, Wollongong had their first goal of the game and led by four points.
Again, the Saints managed to break the shackles of the Power defense and Mulholland kicked them forward. As their second shot on goal for the half was smothered off the boot, the Power rebounded speedily with some slick ball work through the middle.
Jessica Colquhoun and Kathryn Hull both had chances on goal late in the second for the Power but were unable to capitalise – Wollongong’s defense proved a hard line to break.
Conditions were ripe for a low scoring affair and considering the tenacity shown by both of these hardened adversaries over season 2014, a two points to six score line was a great reflection of their rivalry.
A free kick to the Southern Power started the second half, but again their delivery beyond the 50 metre line left little to be desired.
Catherine Stanton – who had been quiet for her standards – got the first opportunity at goal for the Saints in the third term. On the run and over the shoulder, Stanton’s attempt on goal was again, a miss. The Power had clearly done their homework on the leading goal-scorer for 2014 who was growing increasingly irritated.
A free kick to Wollongong’s Jamie Green sent the ball into the Saints’ forward line as Catherine Stanton marked in front, gaining another achievable attempt on goal. Unable to play at her usual best due to the high standards of the Power’s defense, the well–covered Stanton failed to kick the goal that on other weeks would have been a certainty.
All traffic was heading down the Princess Highway to Wollongong for the majority of the third quarter, and it looked to stay that way until the Power made a break.
A crack at goal was spoiled in the goal square but Kathryn Hull was able to sneak it through off the floor for the Power’s first six-pointer. Controversial in every sense of the word, Wollongong players cried touched ball but their complaints fell on deaf ears. The siren sounded and with one quarter to go, scores were level at eight points apiece.
Despite the fact that Wollongong had not overcome the Southern Power in 2014, the three matches played between the two sides prior to the grand final had been decided by a margin of less than two goals. With only one quarter remaining and scores tied, this Division Two grand final was going perfectly to script.
Shellee Gibson was lucky to be on the end of a Power push forward a she marked overhead to set up goal in the final quarter. Any score would put the Power in the lead and with the way the game had been played, every point was seen as golden. Gibson goaled and the Power had regained their lead.
Now the Southern Power had a roll on and there was a clear momentum shift across the game. A handy point was scored by the Power meaning the Saints now had more than a goal to recover if they were going to steal this grand final victory.
Again, Gibson found herself within scoring distance but opted for a pass to Ashlee McClure half way through the final term. McClure was unable to gain the six points but the Power were now eight points ahead with the Saints left searching for their fighting spirit.
Ping-Pong football was again the state of play, however the Southern Power had clearly climbed on top of their rattled rivals.
McClure had a chance to seal the game for the Power but was again off line.
A few free kicks in a row to Wollongong had them in their fifty for the first time in a fair while, with less than a minute to play. The Power’s defense - who had been afforded the chance to rest over the final quarter thanks to their pressing attack - kept the score as is, disallowing anymore Wollongong points.
With players crowding the ball hoping for one last attempt on goal, the siren sounded and the crowd let out a resounding roar. The Power had pulled off a miraculous come from behind victory to take the Division Two grand final by 10 points.
Undefeated minor premiers and now premiership cup holders, the Southern Power celebrated a much-deserved victory alongside a ‘Best on Ground’ medal win to Kathryn Hull.
Last Modified on 08/09/2014 15:51
