Heidelberg proved too strong for the Fitzroy Stars in their Cleaning Melbourne Division 2 battle, winning by 39 points at Warringal Park to claim their fourth straight victory.
A six-goal to nil first half set the tone for the remainder of the afternoon, with the 8.4 (52) to 2.1 (13) triumph keeping the Tigers in equal first on the ladder after Round 10, sharing the same points as St Mary’s.
Nikki Watts stole the show up forward and through midfield. She kicked three majors to take her 2023 tally to 15 goals, while consistently providing chances for her teammates.
The returning Emma Rowe and Kiara Ferronato supported Watts with two goals each, with Macy D’Orazio as solid as a brick wall in defence whilst Tessa Hankinson was creative and fought hard in midfield.
For the Stars, Jessica Bamblett played gallantly in midfield, particularly in the second half, and was rewarded with the final goal of the contest. Atelini Seeto was also impressive in ruck, constantly trying to provide first use from stoppages and centre bounces.
The hosts were on top from the word go, with the Stars initially being able to hold their defensive structure and restrict the Tigers to shallow entries inside 50.
But Andrew Harwood’s side pushed hard and 12 minutes into the match, they kicked the first goal of the game thanks to their leading goalkicker in Rowe.
Heidelberg soon had a second through Watts before a goal just moments before the quarter time from Ferronato gave the home side a handy 20-point advantage at the first break.
Again, the Fitzroy Stars aimed to match the efforts from the Tigers throughout the early stages of the second term, but Heidelberg surged forward to put the Stars on the backfoot, culminating with Ferronato’s second major.
The visitors had a bright middle patch of the quarter and looked to create some momentum in order to break their scoring drought.
However, the Tigers reminded their opponents of who was on top towards the end of the first half.
A slick transition from defence to attack resulted in Watts kicking a second major before her third goal in the final minute of the quarter pushed the home side’s lead to 38 points at the main break.
The Fitzroy Stars struggled to maintain possession of the ball and were again put to the test in the initial moments of the third quarter.
Tessa Hankinson looked to back up her two-goal effort from last week after kicking the first goal of the term.
And while the Stars pressed throughout the next 10 minutes of the game, registering deep entries and keeping he ball inside their attacking half, they couldn’t convert their chances to goals, remaining scoreless heading into three quarter time.
Everything the Stars did seem to be countered by the Tigers and that continued into the last quarter when Rowe slotted home her second goal of the game to see her side reach a game-high 51-point advantage.
But despite facing a heavy deficit, a resilient Fitzroy Stars outfit didn’t give in. They responded to Rowe’s goal just a minute later after Renae McKeown found the big sticks to kick the visitors’ first major of the match.
Jessica Bamblett, who was a shining light for her side in the second half, was rewarded for her efforts with a nice major from near the 50-metre arc to give the Stars a second goal for the afternoon.
Their performance to round out the match was commendable, but it was too little too late, as Heidelberg re-affirmed their status as a premiership contender in 2023.
