The first of the 2021 finals will be held on Sunday, with Epping Recreation Reserve hosting a quadruple-header of Mirvac Division 1 Women’s action.
With no fans able to attend this week’s matches, all four games will be live streamed to the NFNL Facebook page.
Continue below for a preview of each game.
Qualifying Final 1: Diamond Creek Women’s vs Darebin
Diamond Creek Women’s
Ladder: 1st (10-0; 318.06%)
Leading goal kicker (post-grading): Linda Thorp (16 goals)
Most times in best (post-grading): Stacey Cross (5), Monique DeMatteo (4), Shae Audley (4)
Darebin
Ladder: 4th (7-4; 344.4%)
Leading goal kicker (post-grading): Alexandra Pronesti (11 goals)
Most times in best (post-grading): Karly O’Mally (4), Peppa Poultney (4), Julia Phung (3), Susan Cadman (3)
It’s the battle of two of the competition’s biggest rivals, as Diamond Creek Women’s take on Darebin in the first qualifying final at Epping Recreation Reserve.
The rivalry between these two clubs is among the biggest and best in women’s footy, and this weekend’s clash will add another chapter in their tale.
Since joining the NFNL, the Creekers and Falcons have twice met in finals, with Diamond Creek Women’s winning on both occasions, including the 2018 elimination final and the 2019 preliminary final.
Diamond Creek Women’s have won both encounters between the sides in 2021, however the Falcons have been the club to have pushed the unbeaten Creekers the furthest this year.
The sides first met at Plenty Park Oval during grading, with the Creekers prevailing by 16 points. It was even closer in their most recent battle, with just one point separating the sides in their clash at A.H. Capp Reserve.
Diamond Creek Women’s have been unstoppable this season, winning every game in 2021 by an average of 55 points. Excluding their single-digit wins (against Darebin and Montmorency), they’ve won by an average of more than 11 goals.
The Creekers have got excellent forward and defensive structures, averaging 77.3 points and conceding just 22.1 points per game in 2021 (including grading).
Darebin has been in great form of late, winning five of their past seven matches. The two losses against the Creekers and VU Western Spurs were by single digit margins.
Since the conclusion of grading, the Falcons have conceded just 115 points in seven matches, at paltry average of just 16 points. However, the one side that did manage to break through their defence during that period was Diamond Creek Women’s
This is a massive match-up between two old rivals not just in the NFNL, but in women’s football across Australia.
Given its unbeaten record, Diamond Creek Women’s will start the slight favourite but its hard to see too much separating the teams.
Qualifying Final 2: Montmorency vs Greensborough
Montmorency
Ladder: 2nd (7-3; 128.83%)
Leading goal kicker (post-grading): Natalie Tull-Boyle (6)
Most times in best (post-grading): Shae Collinson (4), Ashleigh Setches (3), Taylah Harris (3)
Greensborough
Ladder: 3rd (7-3; 97.29%)
Leading goal kicker (post-grading): Jessie Hulett (12)
Most times in best (post-grading): Lauren Collis (5), Meggan Nelsen (5), Kyla Parry (4), Rita Slewa (4)
Next-door neighbours Montmorency and Greensborough meet in the second qualifying final and the penultimate game of the quadruple header at Epping Recreation Reserve.
Greensborough had previously faced Montmorency 2 back in their 2019 Division 3 premiership campaign, but have now risen to the grade in the top-flight ahead of a finals bout with the Magpies senior line-up.
In their previous encounter this season it was the Magpies who prevailed by 42 points at Greensborough War Memorial Park, back on the ANZAC Day weekend.
Since that game the Boro have compiled a brilliant form line in their first season in the top tier of NFNL Women’s, going 4-2 in Mirvac Division 1 and finishing third following a 39-point win at Whittlesea on the weekend.
Montmorency were one of the early-season pacesetters following an unbeaten run during grading.
The Magpies went on to lose three of their next four games but have found good form in their past two matches ahead of the finals – beating Lower Plenty by 30 points and then VU Western Spurs by 28 points last weekend.
Both sides are very similar in terms of attack, with Montmorency averaging 43.7 points and Greensborough averaging 40 points per game in 2021.
However, Montmorency have a much tighter defensive unit, conceding only 193 points across their 10 games, compared to Greensborough’s 359.
It’s a massive game because it’s two of the league’s biggest rivals going head-to-head, as well as an historic occasion for the Boro who player their first final in Mirvac Division 1.
It also marks the first time the two clubs have met each other in a final (men’s and women’s) since the 2014 Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 qualifying final.
Elimination Final 1: VU Western Spurs vs Bundoora
VU Western Spurs
Ladder: 5th (6-4; 201.28%)
Leading goal kicker (post-grading): Aleisha Casley (16)
Most times in best (post-grading): Tayla Dinuccio (6), Deena Bassett (3), Rita Ceravolo (3)
Bundoora
Ladder: 8th (4-6; 47.5%)
Leading goal kicker (post-grading): Lauren Clark (6)
Most times in best (post-grading): Emily Barrett (5), Talia Vincent (5), Bridgette Taylor-Gray (4), Antonietta Parisi (4)
It’s Bundoora’s first ever Division 1 Final in women’s football as they face off against defending premiers VU Western Spurs in the first elimination final.
The Spurs though will have to take the long route to defend their title, going 4-2 in the regular season following 2-2 in grading.
They’ll also have to pick themselves up after a tough loss at home to Montmorency by 28 points last weekend, when a win would have secured second spot and a double chance in the finals.
Bundoora have produced good late-season form to secure a finals berth. The Bulls won three of six games post-grading, which included back-to-back away wins over Whittlesea and Heidelberg in the final two rounds to leapfrog the Tigers into eighth spot.
VU Western Spurs and Bundoora only faced each other once this season, with VU charging to a big win at Yulong Reserve back in Round 2 of the Mirvac Division 1 Women’s season.
These two sides are on different ends of the spectrum when it comes to attack, with Bundoora averaging 24.4 points per game in the regular season, whereas VU averaged 58 points per game in 2021.
The Spurs also have the edge when comparing the points conceded throughout the course of the season.
It is a proud moment for everyone at the Bundoora Football Netball Club to have their women’s football team compete in the Division 1 Women’s finals for the first time.
But they will certainly have their work cut out against one of the powerhouse sides in women’s football, with the VU Western Spurs looking to make it a positive start to the finals in their quest to defend their premiership title.
Elimination Final 2: Lower Plenty vs Eltham
Lower Plenty
Ladder: 6th (6-4; 61.67%)
Leading goal kicker (post-grading): Molly McCormack and Tess Dillon (5 each)
Most times in best (post-grading): Ashleigh Smith (6), Molly McCormack (5), Megan Maxwell (4)
Eltham
Ladder: 7th (6-5; 126.99%)
Leading goal kicker (post-grading): Jacki White (15)
Most times in best (post-grading): Jasmine Tilley (4), Sarah Huntington (4), Jacki White (3), Alannah Murray (3)
Another chapter will be written in the rivalry that is Lower Plenty vs Eltham as they face each other for the first time in women’s football.
The game will kickstart a massive day of action at Epping Recreation Reserve, with all four Mirvac Division 1 Women’s finals to take place throughout the day.
Whereas this is the first time the women’s have faced each other, their men’s teams have an outstanding recent history, which includes the famous 2018 Division 2 grand final that was decided by a goal on the final siren to Ben Paterson.
Lower Plenty enters the finals in its inaugural season of women’s football – a remarkable achievement given the Bears have competed in the top flight in their debut season.
The Bears won three of four games in grading and finished with a 3-3 record once assigned to play in Mirvac Division 1.
They will have to dust out the cobwebs early in the game after having a bye in the final round, which was less than ideal after sitting out the previous two weeks with the rest of the competition during the recent Victorian lockdown.
Eltham sat inside the top four for most of the campaign – their first in Division 1 – but slipped all the way down to seventh after losing their final two games away at Greensborough and Darebin.
Both teams are right in the middle not just on the ladder, but in attack, with Lower Plenty averaging 35.4 points (6th) this season and Eltham averaging 34.9 points (7th) per game this season.
They’re also in the middle when it comes to defence, however the Panthers are slightly stronger in that category, ranked fifth in the competition, compared to the Bears who were 8th.
It’s a massive match-up not just because of the rivalry that has built between the two clubs in recent times, but because of how close these two sides are to being the next big side in the NFNL Women’s.
It’s a brilliant way to kick off a massive day of football this Sunday at Epping Recreation Reserve.
