A new era in women’s football in Victoria began last weekend with the launch of the first Victorian Football League Women’s (VFL Women’s) season.
The new competition features the six clubs from the 2015 Victorian Women’s Football League (VWFL) Premier Division (Darebin, Diamond Creek, Eastern Devils, Melbourne Uni, St Kilda, VU Western Spurs) and the top four teams from Division 1 (Cranbourne, Geelong, Knox, Seaford).
The 18-round season will feature 12 double-header games with the Peter Jackson VFL men’s competition, starting with the VWFL Premier Division Grand Final rematch between Darebin and Diamond Creek at Coburg’s Piranha Park – live video streamed on vfl.com.au.
In Round 1, Darebin were dominant with a 197-point defeat of Division 1 premiers Cranbourne. The reigning Premier Division premiers boasted six multiple goalkickers, with Darcy Vescio (eight) and Katie Brennan (six) providing the lethal one-two punch up forward. FULL SCORES
A four-goal-to-two final term saw the Eastern Devils overrun St Kilda by seven points, with Pepa Randall kicking the sealer against her old side. FULL SCORES
Former Australian cricketer Jess Cameron made an impressive debut for Diamond Creek, leading the way with nine goals in her side’s 152-point win over Knox. FULL SCORES
VU Western Spurs broke its losing streak dating back to 2014 with a Round 1 win over Geelong by 37 points. Ash Guest was among the best for the Spurs, with Tayla Gordon kicking three goals for the Magpies. FULL SCORES
A clinical first half – eight goals to none – provided Melbourne Uni with a 77-point win over Seaford. Lou Stephenson and Gabriella Pound led the way with three goals apiece for Melbourne, while Danielle Lawrence was the best for Seaford with two goals. FULL SCORES
See below full game reviews of Melbourne Uni v Seaford and Eastern Devils v St Kilda:
Melbourne Uni strong start sinks Tigerettes
Melbourne University has given Seaford a baptism of fire in their Round 1 clash in the new VFL Women’s competition.
The MUGARS ran out 77-point victors on their home turf on the back of a dominant first half, winning 15.13 103 to Seaford 4.3 27 as Callum O’Connor reports.
Melbourne was slow to start, unable to utilise their early possession of the ball. An overcrowded forward line and a resistant opposition made it difficult for the MUGARS to find enough space to shoot steadily and it showed on the scoreboard, with an 18-point quarter time lead. With co-captain Ellie Blackburn and ruckman Candy Adams both leaving the ground, there was the faintest of concern in the MUGAR camp that they had frittered away their chances, but Emma Kearney and Kaitlyn Ashmore helped assure the side with strong performances.
Ten minutes into the second quarter, it became clear that inaccuracy was but a mere hitch for Melbourne. Ashmore, Hannah Ibrahim and Sian Wilson had purple patches up forward as their speed and accurate disposal overwhelmed the besieged Seaford defence. Despite the best efforts of Danielle Lawrence, Lana Bonnet and Kate Thompson down back and Kate Gillespie-Jones in the midfield, Seaford were overpowered. To compound their woes, Blackburn had returned and taken the match by the scruff of the neck, burning through tackles to repeatedly drive her side forward.
Fifty-seven points up at half time, Melbourne relaxed in the third quarter and Seaford capitalised with their most dominant period of play for the game. Through the ferocious half-back attack from Kim Webb and Sarah & Jess Hosking, Seaford repelled many of Melbourne’s forays forward while adding to the scoreboard themselves.
Lawrence snapped the Tigers’ first goal halfway through the term and Bonnet then followed it up with a slick finish on the run. Webb set up a third goal to Jess Hosking with what was arguably the most commendable individual effort of the day: she sprinted nearly one hundred metres to compete for the ball twice against three Melbourne players to win a free just outside 50.
Whilst the difference between the two sides had always been Melbourne’s experience and the finesse of Blackburn and Kearney, it was the MUGARS’ lesser lights who shone in the last quarter. Nimble Irish recruit Sinead Omahony was crucial up forward while the engine room grunt and rebounding thrust of Nicole Hildebrand and Marinella Salafia earned the post-match praises of Melbourne coach Andrew Jago.
“They were both excellent, and that’s the way they play,” said Jago.
“They may not be the best skilled players but they’re so hard working and I know what I’ll get out of them every time: they’ll get the ball out of the bottom of the pack.
“Our run and carry was what I was really pleased with, when we were doing that in the second quarter that’s when we were best.”
Jago also commended Louise Stephenson and Alicia Janz, who rotated ruck after Adams’ first quarter injury. Not only did the pair shoulder the duties all match, but they provided Blackburn, Kearney and co with first use of the ball.
Seaford were well beaten on the day but coach Brett Alexander says his players never allowed the MUGARS the total control that they were constantly intent on.
“We talked about being caught out in the first half and cutting out the run they got out the back and to their credit they did that,” said Alexander.
“They were rewarded for that in the third with our forwards getting more purpose.”
Melbourne Uni now look towards their Round 2 clash with Knox while Seaford face former Division 1 rivals Cranbourne.
Devils win out holy war against Saints
THE Eastern Devils survived a mighty scare at Mulgrave Reserve, winning a thrilling contest by seven points against the St Kilda Sharks in the new VFL Women’s competition match of the round.
The game remained in the balance as the clock wound down, until a Pepa Randall goal – against her former side just moments before the siren - sealed the deal for the Devils against an often wasteful St Kilda, 11.4 70 to 9.9 63 as Michael Di Petta reports.
Despite controlling play around the stoppages and kicking with a strong breeze in the final term, the Sharks were unable to capitalize, allowing two fourth quarter goals in the space of three minutes for Lauren Tesoriero to steal the game for the Devils.
Weather was perfect if a little windy as the sides took to the field, and the tone of the game was established immediately. St Kilda controlled the centre square, winning the majority of clearances off the back of strong gut work from Brianna Davey and Alexandra Whitehead, but failed to convert disposals into scoring opportunities.
Wasteful inside fifty entries by the Sharks allowed the Devils to counterattack, and the home side were able to boot the game’s first three majors against the run of play. St Kilda finally hit the scoreboard late in the term, to restrict the Devils’ lead to four points at the first change.
Brianna Davey continued to impress in the middle of the ground after the break, and Amanda Walsh began to assert herself on the contest as the Sharks consistently got more numbers around the ball.
Whitehead kicked the first of the term for the Sharks, but a superb five-minute burst from Devils midfield star Jamie Lambert, in which she scored one major and set up another, put the Devils back in the box seat.
However, the game see-sawed again as St Kilda finally got some joy late in the second quarter, using the breeze to their advantage and catching the usually reliable Devils backline off guard. A physical Moana Hope kicked back to back goals, and the Sharks took a deserved eleven-point lead into halftime, though the margin should have been greater.
Chasing a two-goal deficit, the Devils started stronger in the second half, and a second goal for hard working forward Sarah D’Arcy gave the Devils reward for effort. Tackling pressure increased on both sides of the park, however neither side was able to break the game open. The Devils were a little sloppy with the ball, and the Sharks over-possessed on occasion, and when three quarter time came the Sharks nursed a five-point lead.
Moana Hope’s third just after the restart seemed to have St Kilda on track to cause the upset, but opportunistic work in the goal square by the Devils had them back in front midway through the final term.
St Kilda applied enormous pressure in the game’s final minutes, but a steadfast Meg Hutchins reminded everyone of her superstar status, playing a general’s role in the fourth to save the day for the Devils, much to the relief of senior coach Brendan Major.
“That’s what legends do, isn’t it.
“She’s one of our captains and she’s been playing for a long time, she was a bit out of touch in the first half, but she came back beautifully, three, four or five intercept marks in that last quarter when they kept going forward, it was invaluable.”
Despite securing victory, Major was skeptical of his team’s performance, and has a clear focus for his charges ahead of next week’s game.
“It was more relief then anything, it was good to get the win and it was good to get the four points, but we have a lot of things that we have to work on coming out of that game,” Major said.
“We have to start winning the ball at the stoppage, we got smashed in the clearances out of the centre bounce and we got smashed in clearances around the ground, it was lucky that our backline stood up in the end.”
St Kilda will host Geelong in Round 2 as they hope to even their record, whilst the Devils will look to go 2-0 against fellow Round 1 winners the VU Western Spurs.
CLICK HERE for the full fixture
ROUND 2
Saturday, April 9
Darebin vs Diamond Creek
(CLICK HERE for live video stream of the game from 11am)
Sunday April 10
Melbourne Uni vs Knox
St Kilda vs Geelong
Eastern Devils vs VU Western Spurs
Seaford vs Cranbourne
(listen live on Girls Play Footy Radio)
Photo: Arj Giese
Last Modified on 06/04/2016 15:28