Hawthorn come over the top in a fourth quarter steal

Jumping into Round 7 of the Division 2 Women’s competition, let’s take stock of how teams are fearing as we approach the halfway point of the season. Hampton Rovers and Glen Eira/Old McKinnon are leading the charge at the top of the table having only dropped one match thus far. Nipping at the heels of the top two are Power House and Old Trinity with the door still open for several sides to push for finals contention.

Glen Eira/Old McKinnon looked more than comfortable at home in their 32-point victory over Oakleigh. The Gryphons took full charge from the outset hitting the scoreboard early and extended their lead at every change, whilst holding Oakleigh scoreless until the final term.

Krusher’s captain Ruby Ford has continued her stellar form this season, leading from the front on a tough outing against a formidable opponent. Whilst this match up did not go their way with only a single point on the scoreboard, Oakleigh will look to recharge and find their winning form to stay within striking distance of the top 4.

Zoe Rossiter was the sole dual goal kicker, shining up forward yet again for Glen Eira, whilst Madeline Box and skipper Gemma Strangio joined her in the best.

In the closest match of the round, Hawthorn hosted Mazenod in a back-and-forth tussle that concluded with a 4-point margin. Mazenod took a lead in the first scoring the only goal of the opening quarter. This was met with a prompt response from the home side who scored two consecutive majors to hold a 5-point lead at half time.

The momentum swinged the way of Mazenod once again as they took control in the premiership quarter to convert their deficit into a lead of 8 points whilst keeping the Hawks scoreless. Ultimately it was the almighty Hawks who finished strong kicking two straight to fly home victorious.

Emily Truscott kicked 2 majors and featured in the best alongside Amelia Dunn for Hawthorn, whilst Emily Skrzyniarz was deemed best afield for Mazenod.

Over at Whitefriars College, the Whitefriars came up against Power House with both sides looking to get back on the winners list following Round 6 losses. The game got going with no real sense of urgency from either side of the scoreboard. However, it was Power House who got going off the back of the first break, kicking 2.3 to the Friars’ single behind in the second quarter.

And just like that the game got away from Whitefriars and they were unable to close the margin, Power House winning 32-13 to bolster them into third spot on the ladder with a very healthy percentage.

Anna Jones earned best on accolades for the winning side whilst Rachel Smith is to be commended for a fantastic four-quarter effort for Whitefriars.

In their quest to retain top spot, Hampton Rovers got the job done at home, defeating Richmond Central by a comfortable 16 points in a low-scoring affair. The Rovers scored the first goal of the match in the opening term and were able to build successively from there. Richmond fought tooth and nail to get back in the game, finishing with just one less scoring shot, but their inaccuracy proved costly.

Richmond’s two goals for the match came off the boot of Jordyn Toms-Wedge, whilst the Rovers boasted 5 individual goal-kickers, one of whom was Maegan Miller who was deemed best afield.

It was the second half where the Rovers really shone, coming away victorious 34-18.

Rounding out the weekend in the Division 2 Women’s competition Old Trinity came up against the combined Old Camberwell/AJAX. Trinity produced their highest scoring match of the season, amassing 60 points to come away with a 39-point victory.

Old Trinity managed 20 scoring shots for the afternoon, with the potential to produce even greater winning margins, had 12 of those kicks gone through for goals. The skipper, Bella Eames led the charge for the winning side booting 3 goals, supported by vice-captain Hannah Lee who contributed 2 goals in a best on ground performance.

Old Camberwell/AJAX are to be commended for their fight in every match as an amalgamated squad. Alannah Frampton earned best-on recognition whilst the teams three goals came from Gypsy Folwell, Romy Klooger, and Maclyn Matheson.

Round 8 has some exciting contests on the horizon with some evenly matched sides facing off to further their 2024 campaign. Old Camberwell/AJAX will have their work cut out for them as they face an in-form Glen Eira/Old McKinnon.

Over at Rathmines Road Reserve, Hawthorn has their annual ‘Wings’ day and will host Richmond Central. Both sides are looking for their fourth win of the season, currently filling out the middle order. Meanwhile Old Trinity will travel to come up against Oakleigh.

Power House will be looking to continue their winning form as they face off against Mazenod, who are still searching for their first four points of the season. Rounding out the weekend, Whitefriars will host Hampton Rovers and will need to match the high-scoring prowess of the Rovers should they wish to defeat a side in good stead for finals contention.