There were some tight tussles and powerful performances in Round 8 of the NFNL senior women’s competition.
Heidelberg Golf Club Division 1
Under the Friday night lights of Beverley Road Oval, St Mary’s made it eight wins from eight with a 28-point victory over Banyule. Troy Bickerton’s side kicked 4.2 to Banyule’s 2.4 in the opening half before kicking four goals to one in the second half to secure the 8.5 (53) to 3.7 (25) win. Sarah Johnston kicked four goals and was key to the victory alongside Jessica Fitzpatrick who continued her great run of form. Daisy Getson kicked two goals and was one of Banyule’s best alongside Rebekah Watson.
Diamond Creek Women’s 1 returned to the field this weekend and claimed a 20-point victory over Heidelberg in their clash at Plenty Park Oval. It was a seesawing opening three quarters, with the Tigers leading at quarter time and three quarter time whilst the Creekers led at half time. The hosts then kicked three goals to just one behind in the last to win 7.13 (55) to 5.5 (35). Linda Thorp kicked three for the Creekers while Tigers forward Emma Rowe added another two to her goal tally. Lauren Durante and Maykaylah Appleby starred for the Creekers while Mia Tascone and Amelie Gilchrist continued their strong seasons.
Eltham returned to the winners list in big fashion, defeating Ivanhoe by 117 points in their matchup at Eltham Central Park. The Panthers kicked 14 goals from 18 scoring shots in the first half whilst keeping Ivanhoe scoreless in that period enroute to a 19.10 (124) to 1.1 (7) victory at home. Angie Reibelt kicked six while Michaela Molenberg kicked five for the Panthers who were well led by Brianna Cowley and Willow Priest yet again. Sophie Callahan was serviceable all day for the Ivies.
Cleaning Melbourne Division 2
Darebin 1 claimed their first victory of season 2025 with a 63-point win over Panton Hill at A.H. Capp Reserve. The Falcons kicked four goals straight to just one behind in the opening term before adding another six goals and conceding just one for the entire match to win 10.11 (71) to 1.2 (8). Claire Papaleo kicked three goals and was one of the better players for Darebin alongside Claire Hardi. Charlotte Boyce had another solid game for the Redbacks.
Kilmore secured a commanding 59-point victory over South Morang in their clash at Mill Park Lakes Reserve. You can read the full match report by clicking here.
Lower Plenty remained undefeated since their return to Division 2 with a nine-goal victory over Hurstbridge at Ben Frilay Oval. Stewart Lewis’ side led by 10 points at quarter time before kicking 10 goals to three in the final three quarters in the 12.9 (81) to 4.3 (27) win. Milla Fereday made it 15 goals from her last four games with a five-goal outing. Ava Klaic and Teah Stepan were yet again stellar while Ruby Butterfield was solid for the Bridges.
NFNL Division 3 Women’s
One of the biggest surprises of the round took place in the early afternoon game at Plenty Park Oval where Whittlesea defeated Diamond Creek Women’s 2 by three points. It was a tight tussle throughout, with the largest margin of the game being seven points in the early stages of the contest. After recapturing the lead in the third the Eagles slightly boosted their advantage in the last, winning 2.7 (19) to 2.4 (16). Ashley Fitzpatrick had an unbelievable outing for the Eagles alongside Leah O’Dell. Elly-May Dreier was one of the best for the Creekers alongside Bentley Butler.
Another tight contest in Division 3 took place at Epping Recreational Reserve where Reservoir returned to the winners list with a nine-point win over Epping. After leading by nine at quarter, the Mustangs took a three-point lead into the main break before kicking two goals to nil in the third term. They then kept Epping to one goal in the final term to claim the 4.4 (28) to 3.1 (19) win. Tamara Cole and Giuseppina Tarantello were in the best yet again alongside Sara Kerr, who kicked two goals. Cindy Turnbull continued her stellar season along with Abi Morgan.
Montmorency 2 made it four wins on the trot with a 43-point triumph over Thomastown at Montmorency Park South Oval. The Magpies kicked four of their five goals in the opening half while keeping Thomastown scoreless, with scores eventually settling on 5.14 (44) to 0.1 (1). Jessica Simpson kicked two goals and was one of the Magpies best alongside Jessica Nursey and Alana Gaggiano. Ruby Pantisano had a successful return for the Bears while captain Cara Mazzarella continued her great season.
North Heidelberg returned to the winners list with a 43-point victory over Wallan at Greenhill Reserve. Shannon Bevis’ team kept Wallan scoreless for three of the four quarters, kicking three goals in the opening term before adding another four to their tally in the second half to secure the 7.8 (50) to 1.1 (7) win. Teresa Cassar’s terrific season in attack continued, kicking three goals on the day. Remy Moore and Ellouise Bishop were excellent for the Bulldogs alongside Tegan Lynch while Kelly Lennox had another solid game for the Magpies.
Heidelberg West also returned to the winners list with an 80-point triumph over Laurimar at Laurimar Reserve. After kicking 4.6 in the opening term, the Hawks kicked eight goals from 11 scoring shots in the final three quarters to win 12.9 (81) to 0.1 (1). Sophie Foote kicked four goals for Heidelberg West on the day. Chloe Rowan and Alanah Moore’s excellent seasons continued alongside Crystal Grech while Natasha Kiper had one of her best performances of the year.
