Old Brighton stamp their authority and Old Geelong get back on track

Lauren Atkinson

Round 6 for Division 1 Women’s saw a pile on of goals, with convincing wins for multiple sides.

Old Brighton was determined not to lose two weeks in a row and made up for last week’s defeat with a strong win over Old Camberwell Grammarians. Old Brighton was ahead all day but really stamped their authority on Old Camberwell in the second half, only allowing Old Camberwell to score a further two behinds while adding seven more goals themselves.

Daisy Flockart caused a headache for the Old Camberwell defenders, ending the day with four goals to her name and featuring in the best for Old Brighton. This puts her in equal third place on the goal kicking tally for Division 1, with nine goals so far this season.

India and Lily Tait also continued their strong form for Old Brighton, both receiving Coach’s votes once again. For Old Camberwell, Alexandra Herrington and Olivia Honore were stalwart as ever.

It was fitting that the match of the round saw Old Melburnians host Beaumaris at the home of VAFA football, Elsternwick Park.

It was a tight contest all day, with Old Melburnians leading by a single point at half time. Unfortunately for the Omelettes, it was the third quarter that let them down, as they were unable to score but let Beaumaris get away with one important goal that would turn out to be the difference, with Beaumaris eventually getting over the line by six points.

Sally Peers and Clare Fraser battled hard all day for Old Melburnians with support from crafty forward duo, Sophie Fraser (3 goals) and Ellen Williams (2 goals), while Cassandra Newman was best for Beaumaris for the third time this season.

Another strong performance by Samantha Mclean saw her finish with three goals for the Sharks, putting her atop the goal kicking leader board with a tally of 14 goals, three goals clear of her teammate Simone Marinelli.

Hawthorn AFC are still yet to record a win in Division 1, after losing to Hampton Rovers by 33 points. The two teams met at Castlefield Reserve where the home side was just too strong for the travelling Hawks.

Holly du Plessis and Charrlotte Miller never gave up hope, competing hard all day for the Hawks, while Maisy Evans and Jasmine Andros continued their excellent form to play significant roles in the Rovers’ win.

Hampton Rovers now sits just outside of the top four and will have the opportunity to launch themselves into finals contention when they come up against the underperforming Old Haileybury next week.

Hawthorn AFC will continue to strive for that first win but might have to be patient as they come up against the in-form Old Brighton next week.

Old Geelong have got their season back on track with a strong win over Old Haileybury.

Old Haileybury brought the heat early, hitting the scoreboard first whilst keeping Old Geelong goalless for the first term. However, it proved to be another tale of the premiership quarter, with Old Geelong kicking 3.3 in the third to make any comeback too big of an ask for Old Haileybury. Old Haileybury did kick the final goal of the game, but it was too little too late, as they went down by 22 points.

Annabel Rafferty and Eloise Mccrae were best for their respective sides.

Old Haileybury have now slid to 8th place on the ladder and will need to turn their season around quickly if they want to make finals again this year.

Marcellin OC have reminded us that they are a powerhouse of women’s football, after a compelling performance against Old Xaverians. Bolstered by the likes of returning VFLW-listed players, Laura Robertson and Alana Pane; the Sheagles were relentless.

It was clear it was going to be a long day for Old Xaverians, after Marcellin kicked four unanswered goals in the opening term. Old Xaverians did well to get the game back on their terms for the middle stretch but they ran out of steam, allowing Marcellin to kick another four goals in the final quarter which saw them storm home to win by 48 points.

It was a team performance by Marcellin, who had eight different goal scorers, but key contributions from Jennae Wakefield, Talia Oates and Taylah Lambert should not go unmentioned.

For Old Xaverians, Eibhlin Craig and Monique Mennilli did what they could do to keep their team in the game.