Finals race heading for a photo finish

With only four rounds remaining in the William Buck Premier competition, there still looks to be more twists and turns to come. St Kevin’s and Old Scotch perch atop the ladder with only one loss between them, while Monash Blues sit at the bottom with just one win for the year. In the middle, Kew, Caulfield Grammarians, Collegians and West Brunswick remain in contention for the next two spots in the finals, while Coburg, Old Yarra Cobras and Melbourne University must still battle it out to avoid relegation.

As the finals race heats up, Caulfield Grammarians were hoping to maintain their position in the top four as they hosted Melbourne University in the early game to kick off the round. With Collegians starting strong favourites against Coburg later in the day, Caulfield knew that the pressure was on.

Caulfield started the game in red-hot form, piling on five majors in the first term, including the first three of the day. By half-time, the lead had stretched out to 32 points, the home side relentless in their pursuit of victory. Melbourne University were more competitive in the second half, with Madison Katerelos contributing strongly with two goals, but Caulfield were still able to record a strong 78-29 win. Olivia Rundle was once again a star, booting three goals in just her eighth game of senior football, while Matilda Mottram was named best on.

For Melbourne University, Tahlia Meier was recognised as the best player in her first game of the season for the Mugars, returning after playing the full season for VFLW premiers North Melbourne.

Collegians hosted Coburg in what was a demolition job by the home side, finishing with a thumping 65-point win.

Although quarter-by-quarter stats were not provided following the game, Ebony Angelopoulos and Zara Klein were standouts with four goals each, while young gun Krystal Russell continued her good form following her Round 12 Rising Star nomination, named in the bests again. Maddi Shaw was the crème of the crop, rewarded for her immense tackling pressure

For Coburg, Sarah Jolly kicked their only goal of the day while Adela Michelson was named the Lions’ best player following a strong defensive performance.

At McAlister Oval, West Brunswick caused the greatest upset of the season to date, toppling Kew by 14 points.

It was a tightly contested first term, with just two points separating the two sides going into the main break, however, the Magpies owned the ball in the third term, extending their buffer out to 11 points by the end of the quarter.

West Brunswick appeared hungrier for the win, starting the fourth quarter with dominance and earning a game-high 33-point lead with 11 minutes left on the clock, before Kew slotted the last two majors of the game in junk time to bring the deficit back to a more respectable 14 points.

Kew certainly felt the absence of key midfielders, Dakota Villiva and the Harding sisters, and will need other players to step up in their absence next time if they wish to get back on the winners’ list. On a positive note, Eva Cafolla and Lucy Aitken were immense in defence, and Gabriella Rawlings had a big day out, finishing with three.

West Brunswick are building strongly as the season goes on, and this win will go a long way in earning themselves a ticket to September. Bronte Carlin and Charlotte Carney played pivotal roles in the win and will look to continue their form in the coming weeks.

Monash Blues hosted Old Scotch, who were also celebrating the clubs BCNA round, in what was a tough day for the Blues.

Monash only managed to record a solitary behind for the day, which came late in the fourth quarter, as the visitors stormed to an 89-point annihilation.

Old Scotch have proven to be a powerhouse of the competition yet again in season 2024 and this match highlighted the difference in quality between the two sides, in what will no doubt serve as a great learning for the up-and-coming Monash Blues.

In her milestone 50^th game, Millie-Fraser Smith kicked five majors to take out best on ground honours and jump to second place in the league goal-kicking leaderboard, behind teammate Eloise Defina.

Meanwhile, Brook Thompson has had a strong season for the Blues and was named as their best player.

St Kevin’s travelled to Doncaster Reserve to take on Old Yarra Cobras, where the Saints reinforced their premiership credentials with a 64-point victory.

Lacking the star power to match up with the Saints, the Cobras were unable to penetrate the St Kevin’s defence, with it taking all their strength just to slow the onslaught of the merciless Saints, who added respective scores of 22, 15, 21 and 8 each quarter, while only conceding two points to the Cobras for the whole game.

Lara Moussa and Nicole Callinan can hold their heads high for the Cobras, knowing they gave it their all.

For the Saints, Kate Stanton was back to her best, finishing with two majors, while Hannah Smith played with forward prowess, slotting four of her own.

Looking ahead to Round 15, there are a number of games that could help shape the ladder heading into the final month of the season.

Kew host Melbourne University in the early time slot as they look to hold their place in the top 4. The undefeated St Kevin’s take on Collegians in what is sure to be a heated contest and Caulfield travel to face Old Scotch with the hope of causing an almighty upset.

Elsewhere, Coburg will look to snap a 5-game losing streak against Monash Blues, and West Brunswick play Old Yarra Cobras, where a win would put the pressure on the above teams in the fight for the last finals spots.