Saints in seventh heaven after reclaiming top spot

Round 9 of the William Buck Premier Women’s competition officially marked the halfway point of the season, with the contenders separating themselves from the pretenders. St Kevin’s continued their dominance over the league to remain undefeated with a hard-fought win over rivals Old Scotch, while top-4 hopefuls Kew and Collegians battled it out in perfect conditions in a round full of compelling matchups.

Collegians were tasked with one of the most difficult away trips across the VAFA, heading to Victoria Park to take on Kew who have dropped just one game at home this season. It presented a chance for Collegians to draw level on points with Kew and push towards third.

However, things didn’t go as the visitors would have hoped, left stunned by a 5-minute onslaught from Kew who piled on four successive goals to take a 20-point lead into quarter time. The game was effectively over from that point, as Kew ran away as comfortable 28-point victors.

Dakota Villiva proved a menace to Collegian’s defence, ultimately ending the day with four majors and best on ground honours, while Eva Cafolla was strong all day, as was the ever-consistent Isabelle Harding.

Inaccuracy was the theme of the day for Collegians who were unable to make the most of their opportunities. Despite having more scoring opportunities (13 to 11), they never looked like seriously challenging the home team. Frustratingly, between the 12-minute mark of the first quarter and the 16-minute mark of the last quarter, they could only manage 0.9 compared to Kew’s 4.1, who were a class above.

By 2pm at Righetti Oval, a crowd had formed to witness one of the most anticipated matchups of the season, the top of the table clash between St Kevin’s and Old Scotch.

Nerves were aplenty, which was evident in the first term as neither side managed to find a major score. St Kevin’s dominated the territory game early but were unable to make the most of their scoring opportunities, only registering four points for the quarter.

It wasn’t until the 16-minute mark of the second term that Old Scotch finally got on the board, as Eloise Defina kicked the first goal of the day.

St Kevin’s were quick to respond, as Sarah Cameron dropped a mark in the goal square but in an impressive show of composure recovered well enough to still kick the Saints’ first major of the day, earning them a 5-point buffer going into the main break.

The win was up for grabs going into the final quarter, with Old Scotch leading by the narrowest of margins after kicking the only goal of the third term.

It was the reigning premiers who stood up when the pressure was on, with St Kevin’s midfield and forward leading the charge during the bookends, while their defence withstood the continuous barrage of forward entries that came from Old Scotch amid the quarter

To put the cherry on top, St Kevin’s kicked a goal after the final siren to have the final scores read 4.7 (31) to 2.5 (17).

For Old Scotch, it was a story of almost but not quite, as they had several of their final scoring shots come painstakingly close, only to be touched on the line.

The win takes St Kevin’s to the top of the ladder where they remain the only undefeated side in the competition.

With so much talent running through both sides it was hard to pick the standout players, however, Emily Condon and Jessica Joyce deserve credit for the roles they played in St Kevins’ victory, while Jordan Mifsud was remarkable in her first game for Old Scotch this year.

Meanwhile, West Brunswick played host to Melbourne University Women’s at McAlister Oval, which proved to be an arm wrestle for much of the day before the home side kicked away in the final term to record a hard-fought 19-point victory and keep their finals aspirations on track.

The Magpies were ahead by 13 points going into the main break and would have been disappointed to not lead by even more due to some inaccuracy in front of goal, while the Mugars were unable to convert a major for the first half, registering just two behinds themselves.

MUWFC came out of the sheds resembling a different team, and the game came to life after goals from Madison Katerelos and Lucy Watkin had them within a point midway through the third term. It was game on from there, and the intensity from both sides lifted.

West Brunswick were able to compose, however, taking a 7-point lead into the final change, before a dominant last quarter saw them add an additional three majors to run away eventual 40-21 winners.

The always reliable Clare Balbata was named best afield for the victors in her 50^th game in the black and white, also kicking a goal in what was no doubt a great day of celebrations for her and the club.

For Melbourne University, Brooke Randall continued her unfaultable season with another best-on performance.

It was another tough day for Monash Blues who took a licking from Caulfield Grammarians at Frearson Oval.

Caulfield’s inefficiency in the first half kept the home side within reach, only trailing by 14 points at half time, however, the flood gates opened in the second half and Caulfield kicked three goals in each of the final two terms to lead by 48 points at the final siren.

Caulfield ruled the play all day, with Monash’s only goal coming from Ella Stephenson in the third term, however the efforts of Blues’ captain Alicia Myers did not go unnoticed, as she continuously won the ball back for Monash.

Zoe Mccurdy was terrific at half back for Caulfield, while Olivia Rundle and Grainne McLaughlin impressed up forward with three goals apiece.

Old Yarra Cobras hosted Coburg in what was an intriguing contest between two sides desperate to find some form, both coming off disappointing losses last round. Ryan Wandel was coaching his first game for the Lions, after stepping into the role late last week.

Co-Captain Alannah Murray got the team off to the perfect start, dribbling through the first goal of the day from the pocket, before a pair of brilliant run-down tackles saw the Cobras surge the ball forward and strike again through Natasha Phipps. The Cobras were on and looking potent in attack, taking a 10-point lead into the first break.

However, the break gave Coburg some much-needed time to reset and regain composure. They came out firing in the second with the perfect response, kicking the first three goals.

It all started with Julia “J-Mac” McArdle kicking a fantastic goal on the run and igniting the spark they had been searching for. They managed a whopping 10 scoring shots in the quarter to flip the script and take a 19-point advantage into the main break.

Unfortunately for the Cobras, they weren’t able to wrestle back any momentum as Coburg ran away with the game, recording a resounding 40-point triumph to stay in touch with the top six.

Sarah Jolly ended the day with three majors and was named best on for Coburg, while Georgia Sampson kicked two of her own, moving to 4^th in the goal kicking tally with 13 for the season. For the home side, Evie Lee worked hard all day and was rewarded with deserved recognition for her efforts, while Cecilia Baldassarre managed two goals, moving to a total of 14 for the season.

Round 10 will see Coburg host Caulfield with both teams coming off strong wins, while Kew will look to spoil St Kevin’s undefeated streak when they host them at Victoria Park. Old Scotch should bounce back from their first loss of the season when they match up with West Brunswick, as Monash Blues face another tough opponent in Old Yarra Cobras. Finally, Melbourne University Women’s and Collegians will do battle in what always seems to be a fiery match-up.