There were some lopsided results in Division 3 and with one round to go there’s still one finals spot up for grabs.
Epping were the big winners of the weekend, scoring a 94-point win over Darebin.
Four goals each to Nancy Cakau and Alix Filsell and two to Katelyn Hart were the catalyst for the win, which sees the Pingers hanging on to fifth spot for now.
Rosie O’Sullivan and Miranda Johnson-Jones were among the best players for the Falcons, but they had no answers for Epping on their home patch. Their season finishes a week earlier than the rest of the teams with a bye in the final home and away round.
Epping will need to get the points against Eltham this coming weekend to assure they retain that final spot in the finals.
St Mary’s were also big winners and kept their opposition scoreless with a 72-point win at Whatmough Park over Diamond Creek.
Five majors for Charly Bandera earned her best afield honours, along with Natalie Cora and Frances Collis. Bentley Butler was again the best of the Creekers alongside Laura Di Domenica.
Macleod was the third side to hold their opposition to zero with a 44-point win over Laurimar. The Roos made hard work of their opportunities with 3.8 at three-quarter time, but straightened up in the final term with three majors to finish.
Teneisha Fiore, Phebe D’Arro (two goals) and Kayla North (two goals) were excellent for Macleod, while Lize-Carina Jankowitz and Savannah Brand gave good effort for Laurimar.
Thomastown collected its third win of the season, defeating Wallan by 24 points. The Bears led by 19 points at half time in a low scoring affair and did enough to keep the Magpies at bay in the second half.
Ruby Sommerville was again prominent for Thomastown, with Julia Milevski and Ruby Pantisano also earning nods from the coaching staff. Nicole Evans and Hannah Paton were acknowledged as Wallan’s best players on the day.
The Bears will be looking to make it two wins in a row when they host Laurimar to finish both sides’ respective seasons, while Wallan hosts St Mary’s.
Whittlesea scored the closest win of the round against a fellow finals’ contender, defeating Eltham by 16 points at Eltham Central Park.
In what was a back-and-forth contest for most of the day, the Eagles were able to limit the damage in their defensive half and 2.5 to 1.1 in the second half saw them home.
Audrey Steinke continued her excellent season – Ashley Fitzpatrick, Harper McPherson-Goulding and Chloe Hicks also in the best players. Indiana Robinson booted two majors for the winners.
Eltham will continue its finals preparations when it hosts Epping next week, while Whittlesea will finish its home and away fixtures by hosting Diamond Creek.
