Top 4 locked and loaded as the penultimate round comes to a close

Lauren Atkinson

As the penultimate round comes to a close, the top four sides in Division 1 Women’s have been locked in.

Marcellin OC have sealed their place in finals with a 13-point victory over Old Xaverians at Marcellin College.

Both teams struggled to find avenues to score in the first term, with neither team able to find a major, however, in the second term Marcellin set themselves up for victory by kicking 3 unanswered goals. Old Xaverians fought back in the second half, finally scoring some goals of their own, but it was not enough for them to ever take the lead.

Zoe Glascott continued her strong goal kicking form for Marcellin with another 2 goals, which sees her season total increase to 18. Charlotte Van Der Vlies was best on for Marcellin, while Amy Benifer was the stand-out for Old Xaverians.

Old Camberwell Grammarians travelled to Rathmines Road Reserve, where they pulled out a dominant display against Hawthorn AFC.

The Grammarians put in a four-quarter effort, extending their lead at every break, with the final scoreline reading 2.3-15 to 9.19-73.

Emogen Johnson fought valiantly for Hawthorn, supported by the dynamic Joelly Firmin who kicked both Hawks goals. Alexandra Herrington and Sara Fortunato lead the charge for Grammarians, kicking two goals apiece, while Olivia Honore was also impressive.

Old Brighton have been building nicely through the back end of the season and continued their winning ways defeating the Hampton Rovers by 51 points.

Old Brighton came out firing, kicking four goals to zero in the first term, to set themselves up for the rest of the day. Hampton Rovers was the better side in the second term, but only managed one goal and one behind for their efforts. Old Brighton put the pedal down in the third, kicking five goals to push the lead out to 51 points, which remained the margin for the rest of the game.

Galaminda Gellar was best for Hampton Rovers for the second consecutive week, while Amber Price slotted their only goal.

Daisy Flockart is causing headaches for defenders across the competition, as she kicked another three goals to find herself in equal third on the goal-kicking tally, an especially impressive feat considering she has only played in 7 matches so far this season. Flockart has also featured in the best players for each of those games.

Beaumaris managed another come from behind win, this time against Old Geelong.

Old Geelong, who were fighting to keep their finals chase alive, were dominant in the first half but due to inaccuracy in front of goals, only held an 8-point lead going into the main break.

Beaumaris, determined not to break their undefeated streak, managed to get the game back on their terms in the third, and claimed a narrow 3-point lead going into the final break. In the end, the Sharks were too strong for Old Geelong and extended their lead to 8 points by the final siren.

Finishing with more scoring shots than the Sharks, Old Geelong will be devastated that they weren’t able to get the job done on this occasion, resulting in finals now being out of the question.

Brooke Mckay and Annabel Rafferty can hold their heads high, after doing everything they could to try to seal victory for the Ogettes. Sophie Joubert and Camilla Taylor also played pivotal roles on the day, as the goal scorers Old Geelong. Sienna Tedde provided the spark for the Sharks to get them going in the second half, with Lauren Haringsma and Caley Ryan also stepping up.

Old Melburnians have made a statement to the competition with a commanding performance against Old Haileybury, defeating the Hearts by 68 points.

Kicking the game off with a 3-goals to 0 first term, the Omelettes put on a masterclass as they consistently piled on the goals while only allowing Old Haileybury to kick 2 for the day. It was a contrasting performance by Old Haileybury, who almost beat the top side Beaumaris the previous week.

Charlotte Ferrier (4 goals), Ellen Williams (4 goals) and Sophie Fraser (5 goals) were relentless all day, and deservedly recognised as the best players for Old Melburnians. Bridget Hanrahan was best for Old Haileybury in their tough loss.

With only one round of the regular season remaining, who will end their season on a high?

Marcellin OC will get a chance to rest tired bodies before finals start, with a forfeit already being declared for their game against Hampton Rovers.

Old Geelong will host Old Xaverians at Como Park, with Old Xaverians requiring a win to escape relegation. While Old Geelong cannot make finals anymore, they would want to end their season on a positive note with another win.

Old Camberwell Grammarians will travel to Elsternwick Park to do battle with Old Melburnians. Old Melburnians will be seeking a big win with the aim of clawing their way into the top 2, but with nothing to lose, Old Camberwell will be hoping to spoil the Omelettes’ party.

Hawthorn AFC have one more chance to notch a Division 1 win when they play off against Old Haileybury next week. While Old Haileybury would be the favourites for this match, they showed signs of burn out in their match against the Omelettes this week.

The match of the round is sure to be the battle between top two sides, Old Brighton, and Beaumaris. Last time the two sides met, Beaumaris were the better side by four points, but Old Brighton are arguably in their season best form and will have a lot to play for. A loss holds the potential to see Brighton drop out of the top two.