Scotch skip through to the big dance with sizzling Prelim performance

The two best teams all year will go head-to-head in the William Buck Premier Women’s Grand Final, after Old Scotch put an end to Caulfield Grammarians’ rise, notching an impressive 10.9 (69) – 3.1 (19) victory to progress to the big dance.

Old Scotch naturally may have been a little haunted by the previous year’s Preliminary Final, where they bowed out after being held goalless by St Kevin’s just 12 months ago. Instead, they showed no fear, kicking the first goal of the match within the opening minute of play.

The Stars continued to attack, bringing a level of pressure rarely seen this year as they earnt themselves an early advantage across all the key stats. It was already setting up to be a difficult day for Caulfield Grammarians, who found themselves unable to deliver their characteristic style of play, with a 14-point deficit to show for it at the first break.

With the wind on their side in the second term, Old Scotch put the foot on the accelerator, kicking three unanswered goals in the first 11 minutes of the quarter. Under siege, the Caulfield Grammarians called for a ceasefire as they lifted their pressure enough to stem the flow of Old Scotch’s offense for the remainder of the term.

Missing tall timber duo, Molly Denahy Maloney and Kylie Lynch, Caulfield struggled to control the air, lacking targets on the few occasions they did manage to get the ball inside their forward 50.

As the half time siren sounded, Old Scotch boasted a 33-point lead, leaving a huge challenge for Caulfield Grammarians if they were to launch a comeback in the second half.

Play resumed and so did Old Scotch’s ascendancy, with the Stars peppering away attempts at goal until Jordan Mifsud channelled Sam Kerr to soccer the ball through for the first major of the second half.

Making the most of a turnover in the middle of the ground, Chloe O’Malley moved quickly to surge the ball into space in forward 50, where Alannah Fyffe was able to run onto it and score Caulfield’s first goal of the day.

The Caulfield celebrations were short lived, as Millie Fraser-Smith kicked her third of the day to push the margin out to an overwhelming 42 points at the final break.

Knowing they only had one more quarter of football to go before they could officially lock away their spot in the 2024 Grand Final, Old Scotch issued a warning notice to St Kevin’s, slotting another three goals in the final term to extend the final margin out to 50 points.

Despite the tough loss, Caulfield Grammarians were able to save some face and end their season on a positive note, kicking two fourth quarter goals, with the latter coming off the boot of Matilda Mottram, who took a strong one-handed grab and converted truly to give the Caulfield cheer squad one last moment to celebrate.

Albeit a difficult pill to swallow, Dani Distefano should be proud of her squad who arguably showed the most improvement of any side in 2024, with skills and a game plan that can challenge the top sides in the competition, epitomised by their Elimination Final performance against Kew.

For Old Scotch, it was a comprehensive triumph that should fill them with confidence going into the biggest game of their lives.

Rising star nominee, Emily Tassiopoulos, picked up where she left off with another best on ground performance, while Jade Wise was also instrumental, racking up disposals in the midfield as well as hitting the scoreboard with two majors. In front of goals, Millie Fraser-Smith was the main target for Old Scotch, finishing with three goals.

Looking ahead to next weekend, the Grand Final promises to deliver a scintillating battle between the minor premiers, Old Scotch, and the reigning premiers, St Kevin’s.

With the two teams clearly a step ahead of the rest of the competition this year, having only fallen to each other, the crème de la crème of amateur women’s football is sure to be on display with both outfits boasting star-studded line-ups.

Can the Stars bring down the infallible Saints to claim their first flag at the top level, or will St Kevin’s manage the unimaginable and win their fourth consecutive premiership?

Make sure you’re at Elsternwick Park at 2:30pm this Sunday to watch history unfold between these two rival clubs.