Top four unyielding in William Buck Premier Women’s

Round 11 saw wild and woolly conditions across the competition, with teams putting everything on the line before the representative football bye weekend.

It was a low scoring affair at Scotch College where Old Scotch took home the chocolates, defeating Kew by 10 points.

With both sides struggling to control the slippery Sherrin, the only score of the first half went to Old Scotch when Millie Fraser-Smith converted truly after being paid a free kick.

Kew won the territory battle in the third term, however, were wasteful with their opportunities, only registering two behinds. It became another see-sawing affair in the final term, but when Mia Cowan kicked the second major of the day halfway through the quarter, it was enough to seal the game for Old Scotch.

In trying conditions, Zoe Carter received the coach’s plaudits for Old Scotch, while Georgia Wyett was best for Kew.  

At Righetti Oval, St Kevin’s got the better of a slow-starting Caulfield Grammarians outfit, reinforcing their position at the top of the table.

The wet conditions were no issue for the well-oiled Saints, who locked the ball in their forward line for the first half to take a comfortable 37-point lead into the main break.

Sarah Cameron kicked two goals in the first two minutes of the third term to extend the margin to a whopping 49 points. Credit to the Grammarians, they refused to give up, kicking the next five goals to bring the final scores to 56-32.

Midfield bull Jessica Joyce led the way for St Kevin’s, while Sarah Cameron was also instrumental, kicking four goals to take back top spot in the league goalkicking tally. Tessa Boyd also made a welcome return to the Saints’ lineup in her first VAFA game of the year.

For Caulfield, Chloe O’Malley and India Lehman battled hard in defence all day to put the brakes on St Kevin’s attack.

Coburg hosted West Brunswick, with only one win separating the two teams on the ladder coming into the day. Reflective of their tight position on the ladder, the two sides could hardly be separated for much of the game.

The first term didn’t see either side kick a goal, despite both teams having periods where the ball was locked deep inside forward 50.

Mia Amon kicked the opening goal following a free kick in the pocket, sneaking home a brilliant shot to have the visitors full of confidence, going into the main break with a 10-point lead. However, Coburg emerged from the rooms determined to attack and give themselves every opportunity to win.

Stephanie Filbay kicked her fifth goal of the season after a strong contested mark, setting up a thrilling final term, as West Brunswick led by a solitary point.

Some strong bodywork by Melissa Lindsay saw her grab the ball out of the ruck and dribble home a goal, allowing West Brunswick a bit of breathing space again before Brighdin Walsh and Matilda Hammond iced the game in the dying minutes to record a 21-point win for the Magpies.

Taylah Watson was the best player on the ground in her 100^th game, making it her 10^th selection in the best players for West Brunswick this season.

While Coburg will see this game as one that got away from them, Dacia Abela’s strong performance was a consolation for the disappointing end result.

Collegians travelled to face Old Yarra Cobras with three debutants in Judie Goldman, Lara Brown and Jess Thomas pulling on the purple jumper for the first time. It was an exciting day for the club, with all three players making strong contributions in a resounding 42-point victory.

An inaccurate first term saw Collegians register 2.3 (15) to just one behind for the Cobras, who found themselves unable to adapt to the tough conditions throughout the day. The second and third quarters proved difficult for both sides, however, Collegians managed to add a further two goals in that period before another two in the final term put the nail in the coffin.

The result leaves the Cobras sitting in 8^th position with a win-loss record of 3-8, putting them at risk of dropping into the relegation zone, while Collegians have moved 6 points clear of Caulfield to sit comfortably in 4^th place with a 7-4 record.

Melbourne University put together their strongest performance of the year, beating Monash Blues by 48 points.

The Mugars got off to the perfect start, kicking four straight goals in the first term while not allowing Monash any real look in. They continued to dominate in the second, extending the margin to 37 points by the main break.

Monash managed to tighten things up a little in the second half, however, they couldn’t find a way to reduce the deficit, as Melbourne University put in a four-quarter effort to notch their second win of the season.

It was a team performance by Melbourne University, who had three multiple goalkickers in Madison Katerelos, Lucy Watkin and Angelena Roan, while Brooke Randall made her case to be selected in the final Big V team with another best-on-ground performance.

For Monash, Natasha Newman and Caitlin Williams earned the recognition of their coach for putting together their best games of the season.

With 7 rounds to play for when we return from the two-week bye, each result will begin to mean even more.

Collegians and Caulfield Grammarians will face off in a do-or-die match for Caulfield, who will need to win this if they want to take Collegians’ spot in the top four. Coburg will have a great opportunity to rest and reflect over the bye to prepare for a difficult post-bye encounter with Old Scotch. West Brunswick will look to build upon their recent form when they match up with Monash Blues, who have been struggling this year with just the one win so far.

Melbourne University have shown their competitiveness against the top sides but will need to bring their A-game if they want to challenge top-placed St Kevin’s. Finally, Old Yarra will host Kew with the Cobras needing to make some drastic improvements if they wish to stay in the William Buck Premier competition next year.

This weekend, the Big V Women’s team travels to Western Australia to face the Perth Football League at Steel Blue Oval on Sunday.