The Heidelberg Golf Club Division 1 Women’s Grand Final re-match delivered in spades, as Banyule held on to claim a narrow four-point victory over Montmorency at Beverely Road Oval.
It was a game befitting of its status as a highly anticipated encounter, as after trailing at half time, the Bears produced a three-goal third term to lead by 17 points at the final change, before the Magpies surged home and got to within under a goal, before just falling short 4.7 (31) to 4.3 (27).
The result is Banyule’s second win of the season, with their first coming thanks to a forfeit in the opening round, meanwhile defeat for the reigning premiers means no side is unbeaten in the top flight after four rounds of action.
The hosts found many contributors in the victory, including Rebekah Watson up forward, who finished as the day’s leading goalkicker with two goals.
Tannah Hurst was also prominent in midfield, coming up with many clutch moments in the final quarter, while Olivia Perillo’s performance on the wing was also superb.
Keely Welsh and Megan Barnes marshalled Banyule’s troops in defence, often halting many promising attacks for the Magpies throughout the afternoon.
The Magpies’ attacking options were on display for parts of the contest, with Shelby Lemire, Jordyn Eitchstadt and Isobel Shaw often looming large.
Emily Gallagher was at her best in midfield while Sarah Chambers’ strong season continued, fighting gallantly in the middle of the ground.
The Magpies gained the early ascendancy through the midfield work of Gallagher but were unable to capitalise, with Banyule eventually evened things up.
As both teams fought hard between the arcs, Banyule broke through late in the term, with Watson being rewarded with the opening goal of the match in the dying stages of term to give her side a seven-point lead heading into quarter time.
Montmorency’s tyres weren’t deflated to start the second quarter, with the Magpies kicking back-to-back majors to start the term thanks to Lemire and Eichstadt, allowing the visitors to establish the lead.
The final stages of the second saw the Bears put the game on their terms. However, they were unable to make their most of their chances and headed into the main break with a two-point deficit.
But Banyule were soon able to build on their momentum from late in the first half, starting the third term by kicking three straight majors in a nine-minute period to rush out to a 16-point lead.
When the tide turned to Montmorency’s favour in the latter stages of the quarter, the Bears stood firm in defence, successfully holding their opponents at bay to head into the last quarter with a game-high 17-point advantage.
Despite the margin, the reigning premiers had another gear to go to and it was apparent that in the final term, they were up for the fight.
The Magpies quickly erased their deficit by peppering the goals, before eventually kicking the first of the term through Shaw to make it a nine-point ball game.
With Montmorency kicking the all-important first goal of the quarter, Banyule’s midfield took it up a notch, with Hurst and Samantha Temple playing key roles in helping Banyule keep the ball in their attacking half for long periods of time.
A Jessica Nursey goal with four and a half minutes remaining made the final stages of the term frantic, with the Bears now only holding a three-point lead.
However, Banyule held their ground well again, and did enough to solidify their second triumph of the 2024 season.
