Heidelberg West has broken Wallan’s unbeaten record in the 2023 NFNL Division 3 Women’s competition, after a hard fought seven-point victory at Heidelberg Park.
The highly anticipated top of the table clash went right down to the wire in a finals like contest.
The Hawks won plenty of territory throughout the match, but the Magpies’ resolute defence stood firm until the final quarter, with the only goal of the match coming in the last five minutes, resulting in the hosts finishing as 1.2 (8) to 0.1 (1) winners.
Although both sides remain in their respective ladder positions with one round remaining, the four points will no doubt give Brett Pollard’s side some confidence heading into their inaugural finals series, knowing they are currently the only side to have toppled Wallan in this year’s campaign.
It was the midfield trio of Chloe Rowan and co-captains Crystal Grech and Molly Reinke that continued their stellar seasons with dominant performances. For Reinke particularly, it was her ninth appearance in her side’s best from just 12 matches in 2023.
Despite only kicking one goal, there were plenty of lively forwards for the Hawks, including Jemima Fox who created many chances, while it was Caitlin Selleck who found the big sticks in the last quarter, with her third major of the season proving to be Sunday’s match winner.
For the Magpies, they were led from the front by captain Kelly Lennox in midfield alongside Kia Montgomery who fought hard and quite often cleared defensive lines for the Magpies.
Whilst it was an even start to the contest, the Hawks looked the more threatening, moving the ball freely and using the corridor on multiple occasions.
Both teams then had their chances up forward, however the respective defences held strong and made it a scoreless opening term at Heidelberg Park.
The start to the second quarter saw the hosts lock it in their attacking half, this time creating gettable chances but being unable to convert, only scoring the two behinds.
Again, and as they have done all season, the Magpies defence steadied the ship and didn’t allow any more real opportunities for the Hawks.
Heidelberg West were determined to extend their two-point half time lead as the third term commenced. They continued their press whilst Wallan were again making life very difficult for the home side’s forwards.
Their defensive efforts were led by the outstanding work of Teagan Sheldon, who played a critical role in ensuring the opposition had no valuable shots on goal.
But whilst the ladder leaders continued to rebound the ball, the tireless work of the Heidelberg West midfield meant the footy continued to be pumped back into their attacking 50.
It was another scoreless quarter but unlike the previous three terms, Wallan this time came out firing in the final term, looking to snatch the lead.
They did register their first score of the game, but it was a behind, and it wasn’t long before the hosts started to wrestle back momentum again.
10 minutes into the last quarter, the Hawks finally got reward for effort, as a Caitlin Selleck set shot sailed through for a major
With a seven-point advantage, Heidelberg West were able to lock the ball inside their attacking half for the final five minutes, with the final siren signaling their best victory of the season to date.
