There were many similarities between this year's and the 2007 Footy-Pak South East Youth Girls grand final with an undefeated team and Hallam clinching a spot in the final game of the year. Unlike 2007 however, it was not an undefeated Hallam that was favourite for the flag, but Berwick, who had yet to drop a game on the scoreboard all season, who were more favoured to take the honours.
Hallam and Berwick had enjoyed two close tussles across the home and away season with Berwick winning both by 3 and 15 points. Hallam, still reeling from their 2007 two point loss after enjoying a perfect home and away record, started the match strongly with an early goal to newcomer and revelation Chanelle Slater, whilst the pacy Alicia Heins added to Hallam's goal tally with a brilliant Brent Harvey-like roving passage of play. For Berwick, Youth Girls Academy member, Rebecca Pearce couldn't convert an opportunity on goal, whilst the ferocity of Hallam's tackling gave away nothing but a rushed behind. The second quarter saw Berwick dominate the play in a windswept game, but their inaccuracy would ultimately leave them wondering what could have been. Scoring 1-5 with the wind, Berwick should have enjoyed a lead at half time, but Hallam's accuracy in their solitary shot on goal for the quarter kept Berwick at bay.
With many girls across both teams playing their last Youth Girls' games ever, a fair bit of emotion was taken into the game, as each team strived to take the ball deep into their forward fifty across the second half. In what became a battle of the half back lines, not a single second half goal was scored. A well structured Hallam dominated the play in the third, whilst a desperate Berwick left nothing behind in the fourth as they strived to overcome the deficit created by their poor kicking and Hallam's pressure. With just over a minute to go, Berwick appeared to gain the ascendency in a truly epic arm wrestle, intercepting a tiring Hallam switch across the middle to drive the ball deep into centre half forward. Hallam's Mariah Marshall, in reading the play beautifully, lept into a Berwick pack in the typical General-like style of the play that she is renowned for, to take a match winning, Leo Barry-type mark and rebound the ball into space. Berwick reset for one more lunge across the line however the siren beat them to it, giving Hallam their first premiership in four years of competition.
After losing to Sacre Coeur by one point in 2005 and to Pearcedale Baxter by two points in 2007, Hallam coach Shane Bloxidge was ecstatic that the cards finally fell his teams way.
" I’m over the moon; I’m absolutely stoked,” he said.
“The teams match up so well it just depends on who plays the better football on the day, and we were lucky enough to do that.
“Everybody was focused on what we had to do; the girls scored the first goal and that set the tone for the day.
“Berwick never gave up and you can tell from the scores being so low how hard a tussle the game actually was.”
Results:
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1.11-17 |
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Berwick |
9:00 AM Sat 9/Aug
Casey Fields 1 |
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def. by |
3.3-21 |
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Hallam |
Berwick
Goal Kickers: C. Clarkson Best Players: A. Decker, C. Clarkson, L. Phillips, T. Butler, K. Donnellan, A. Turner Hallam
Goal Kickers: C. Slater, A. Armstrong, A. Heins Best Players: C. Slater, M. Marshall, N. Bloxidge, C. Hawkins, A. Lewandowski, L. Chalkley
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Last Modified on 23/02/2009 12:52