The Eastern Devils are primed for a spirited clash against top of the table Darebin this weekend as the sides face off in the sixth annual Catherine Wotton Cup. Kate Withers looks at the top 4 Swisse VFL Women's Round 13 clash.
Established by Amy, Jo and Lou Wotton in honour of their late mother, the Catherine Wotton Cup recognises Cath’s 37-year contribution to nursing and her courageous battle with ovarian cancer.
Devil’s President and co-founder of the Catherine Wotton Scholarship Foundation, Jo Wotton, says Eastern are determined to rectify the ledger against Darebin after losing to the ladder leaders by 64 points in Round 6.
“We were up at half time, but they were just too strong and ran over the top of us.”
Coming off a tight two-point loss to St Kilda last week, Wotton expects the Devils forward line to fire up in the name of a great cause.
“The girls really look forward to this game every year, and it does carry that extra bit of significance for us.
“We’ve got a pretty potent forward line with Sarah Darcy and Sarah Perkins, so if we can get the ball in there enough then I think we’re a good chance.”
Up against an undefeated Darebin outfit, Wotton says the Devils’ hopes of clinching their first ever Catherine Wotton Cup win lie in a complete four-quarter performance.
“We’ve played well in patches against them, but they’re so strong and don’t have any weak players so we have to be switched on the entire game.
“They don’t have any weak players and they’re just a team full of seasoned performers.”
Sitting a game clear of Diamond Creek in fourth spot on the ladder, the Devils are looking to remain in finals contention by handing Darebin its first defeat of season 2016.
“We’ll stick to our game style of being accountable and I think we can turn on a good performance,” said Jo, “but Darebin have been the best in the competition for a while.”
On the march towards their ninth premiership in 11 seasons, the in-form Falcons have had three big weeks defeating Geelong, Cranbourne and Seaford, by 125, 83 and 104 points respectively.
Darebin’s fiery forward line has been the source of the side’s unbeaten run this season, with spearheads Darcy Vescio and Katie Brennan sure to prove hazardous for the Eastern defence.
“They’ve got a pretty potent forward line, so we have to be up on them all day,” said Wotton.
“Darebin have been absolutely fantastic supporting the Catherine Wotton Scholarship Foundation over the last six years, so we’re really looking forward to another great game.”
The Catherine Wotton Cup will be played this Sunday, July 17 at Mulgrave Reserve from 2pm and will be live on Girls Play Footy Radio. There will be a cake stall, BBQ, jumping castle and a raffle. All proceeds going to the Catherine Wotton Scholarship Fund, which provides registered nurses the opportunity to be specifically trained in the area of gynaecological cancers, as well as their families and carers.
Last Modified on 15/07/2016 10:47
