The NFNL women’s competition is heating up as we approach the halfway mark of the 2022 campaign.
Winning Edge Division 1 Women’s
Montmorency 1 produced a dominant display in their clash against Lower Plenty-Bundoora, prevailing to the tune of 112 points at Montmorency Park North Oval. After only kicking one goal in the first term, the Magpies piled on 15 goals in the remaining three quarters, keeping the Lower Plenty-Bundoora side to just two behinds in the process, to finish 16.18 (114) to 0.2 (2) winners. Jemma Laffey and Shelby Coall combined for eight majors while Alexis Coall was superb. Casey Todd was the standout for the visitors.
In one of the closest games of the round, West Preston-Lakeside 1 made it three wins on the trot when they defeated Darebin 1 by 13 points at J.E.Moore Park. In a close affair throughout the whole match, the Roosters were able to break away to a 12-point lead at three quarter time before holding off the Falcons to win 5.6 (36) to 3.5 (23). Mikalee Maroney kicked two vital majors for the Roosters while Molly Mcerlain was brilliant, also chipping in with a goal. Karley O’Malley and Sacha Kenna kept up the fight for Darebin.
Diamond Creek Women’s 1 continued their dominance in the NFNL women’s competition, defeating Greensborough by 80 points at Plenty Park Oval, their 16th consecutive win. In another excellent four quarter display, the Creekers kicked 14 majors while not allowing the Borough to register a goal until the second half. The home side had nine individual goalkickers in their 14.12 (96) to 2.4 (16) victory, Lauren Durante and Linda Thorp leading the way with three majors each, while Eleanor Cornish and Stacey Cross had a major influence on the win. Elly Huber and Ari Grosden were some of the Borough’s better players in the defeat.
VU Western Spurs produced a comfortable 47 point win over Heidelberg 1 at Henry Turner Reserve. You can view the full match report here.
SG Print & Paper Division 2 Women’s
Whittlesea led at every change in a tight contest with Darebin 2, ultimately doing enough to prevail by 16 points at A.H. Capp Reserve. Despite the closeness of the match, the Falcons never got to within single digits of the Eagles after the first term, with the visitors claiming the 1.5 (11) to 3.9 (27) win, their fourth of the season. Tiana Markey was best on ground, the Eagles star was dominant whenever she had the football, while for the Falcons, Caitlyn Jeffress was a solid contributor.
St Mary’s shot to the top of the ladder, following a convincing 78 point win over Diamond Creek Women’s 2 at A.K. Lines Reserve. The Burra were in control all afternoon, keeping the Creekers to just one behind while scoring 11 goals themselves to secure the 11.13 (79) to 0.1 (1) triumph. The home side had eight individual goalkickers, Serena Francke kicking three majors, while Jessica Hardy again proved why she’s one of the most dominant players in the competition in another great display.
After going down by just six points last week, Banyule responded in a big way, defeating Montmorency 2 by 66 points at Montmorency Park North Oval. The Bears didn’t look like wavering at any stage of the match, finishing 12.8 (80) to 2.2 (14) winners. The star of the show was Banyule’s Rebekah Di Paola who kicked seven goals, the highest total of any player in the 2022 senior women’s campaign. Keely Welsh and Jane Cahir were also excellent for the visitors while for the Magpies, Chelsea Pearson was the standout.
Eltham made it four wins in a row when they proved too strong for the Fitzroy Stars, wining by 44 points at Sir Douglas Nicholls Oval. The Panthers never looked back after quarter time as a four goal to one second term became the building block to their 7.12 (54) to 1.4 (10) victory. Alannah Murray and Jacki White kicked two majors each for the visitors while Shannyn Ashby was integral all afternoon. Shona Kelly-Briggs continued her nice start to the 2022 season with another solid performance.
Cleaning Melbourne Division 3 Women’s
In a low scoring battle at Wallan Recreational Reserve, West Preston-Lakeside 2 held on for an 11 point win over Wallan. Despite only kicking two goals for the match, the Roosters did enough to make it back-to-back victories, the final result reading 2.4 (16) to 0.5 (5). Helena Katsios and Hannah Mrakov were some of the best for the visitors while for the Magpies, Jane Murray and Brooke Garland never gave up throughout the whole match.
Mernda remain on top of the ladder after another impressive win, this time over Laurimar to the tune of 45 points at Waterview Recreation Reserve. The Demons could’ve finished with a bigger final score had it not been for their inaccurate goalkicking. Giulia Ceravolo, Awek Dut and Natalie Todaro again all had superb games in the 5.15 (45) to 0.0 (0) victory, while Tess Keogh was the Power’s best player.
Hurstbridge had their biggest victory in the 2022 season on Sunday afternoon, defeating by Heidelberg 2 by 103-points at Warringal Park. The Bridges kept Heidelberg 2 scoreless for the entire match, with the 16.7 (103) to 0.0 (0) triumph keeping them in second position on the ladder. Elana Currie kicked four majors while the efforts of Sheridan Bennett and Belinda Harris were fantastic. Holly Stevenson was one that didn’t give in for the Tigers.
