Monash shake off the blues, as Cobras lose their venom

Round 10 showcased the improvement of developing sides, as teams met for the second time this year. After losing to the Old Yarra Cobras by 64 points in Round 2, Monash Blues got their revenge this time around, defeating the Cobras to record their first win in William Buck Premier Women’s.

Caulfield Grammarians travelled to Piranha Park to take on Coburg, looking to make it back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Having gone down by 5 points in the season opener, Coburg were out for revenge and riding the high of a big victory last week. Unfortunately for the Burgs however, it proved too difficult a task.

A scoreless first quarter had Coburg on the back foot early, trailing by 8 points. The second term saw their intensity lift as they worked their way back into the contest, although inaccuracy in front of goals saw frustrations increase until Malaya Rodezno saluted late in the quarter to kick Coburg’s first major and bring the margin back to 10 points at the main break.

The Burgs would be disappointed to again fail to register a score in the third term, as Caulfield kicked away to establish a 24-point lead going into the final change. In the last quarter, Caulfield put the foot down and ran away to record a significant win in the context of their season, coming away 48-point victors.

Sarah Kenny starred with four goals, as they registered six individual goal kickers for the day. Brigitte Wolhuter was a standout in defence, named best afield, while fellow defenders Isla Mottram and Charlie Anderson also contributed to what was one of Caulfield’s best defensive games of the season, restricting Coburg to just 12 points.

For the home side, deputy vice-captain Kiana Minchin set a strong example for her teammates and was rewarded by being named their best player of the day.

At Victoria Park, St Kevin’s toppled Kew by 45 points, once again demonstrating the clear gap between the top two sides and the rest of the competition.

Kew started ferociously, quickly getting the ball into their forward 50 where Dakota Villiva was able to kick the first goal within the opening minutes of the game. This acted as a wakeup call to St Kevin’s, who launched into gear from the next centre bounce, responding soon after with their own goal from Sarah Cameron.

The rest of the first quarter was an arm wrestle with both teams having periods of ascendancy but struggling to score, until Sarah Cameron kicked her second to earn St Kevin’s an 8-point lead going into the first break.

In the second quarter, Kew were unable to get the ball past St Kevin’s wall, with each of their attempts at attack intercepted by Saints defenders. On the other hand, St Kevin’s managed to get repeated forward entries which led to two majors.

St Kevin’s commanded the second half, kicking five additional goals while restricting Kew to just one, in another performance that reinforced St Kevins’ position as flag favourites.

Jessica Joyce was an absolute ball magnet for St Kevin’s, delivering silver service to her forward teammates such as Sarah Cameron, who finished the day with an impressive six goals.

For Kew, Georgia Wyett never gave up, while Dakota Villiva continued to impress despite receiving a hard tag, contributing both of her team’s goals.

Old Scotch got back to their winning ways, defeating West Brunswick by 31 points.

West Brunswick showed up ready to fight, bringing immense pressure in the first term that had the Stars making uncharacteristic errors as they scrambled to keep up with the visitors. Charlotte Carney slotted two wonderful goals to give the Magpies a 5-point buffering going into the second term.

The second started similarly, with Melissa Lindsay getting on the end of an early goal to extend the lead to 11 points. Things looked good for West Brunswick; however, it wouldn’t last. Old Scotch clamped down defensively, and returned to their typical run and carry style, to kick the next three goals and take a 9-point lead into the main break.

Old Scotch continued to hit the scoreboard in the second half, all while keeping West Brunswick scoreless, to notch another convincing win.

Despite how the 50-19 scoreline reads, it was a positive performance by West Brunswick, who had impressive passages of play and showed significant improvement from their previous encounter.

Jade Wise stole the show for Old Scotch, finishing with two majors, while Matilda Hammond won the coach’s votes for West Brunswick.

At Frearson Oval, Monash Blues attained their first win in William Buck Premier Women’s, overcoming Old Yarra Cobras by 14 points.

It was congested footy in the first half, with both sides struggling to find avenues to score and neither side converting a major. Monash led by a single behind, leaving everything to play for in the second half.

Both teams finally found their first goal in the third term, with both coming as rewards for exceptional defensive pressure in their respective forward 50s. A kick-in gone wrong allowed Clare Konstanty to get through another goal for Monash, and the Blues took a 9-point lead into the final term.

The Cobras came hard at the Blues in the fourth, however, Monash defenders stood tall, only conceding a single behind despite Old Yarra dominating the territory battle. Sarah-Jade Rose got on the end of a spirited team goal to seal the game for Monash, resulting in the team’s first win at the top level.

Brook Thompson and Emily Conroy led the way for Monash, while Laura Quinton and Lara Moussa were brave in defeat.

The weather gods were kind on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Mugarland, as Melbourne University hosted Collegians, in what shaped as an important game for both teams. The Mugars sat in 9^th spot having recorded just the one victory so far in 2024 despite some more competitive performances in recent weeks, while Collegians were hoping to reclaim their spot in the top four, briefly dropping to 5^th after Caulfield’s win on the Saturday.

It was a scrappy start to the opening quarter as both teams tried to assert themselves around the contest, but it was Collegians who held the upper hand, kicking two goals to one.

The second term was also hotly contested, with Melbourne University kicking the only goal late in the term after a brilliant smother and lead up kick inside 50 saw the home crowd up and about, with neither side able to be separated at 14-14.

Unfortunately for the home side, that proved to be their final score for the day as Collegians ran away with it in the second half, showcasing the difference in quality between the sides to record a hard-fought 14-point win.

Chelsea McDermott put the icing on the cake with a final goal after some excellent defensive forward pressure from Collegians led to a turnover.

103-gamer Krystal Russell was best on ground in a dominant ruck display, while superstar Brooke Randall continues to shine in what is unfolding as another fantastic season for the Mugars’ number 12.