Chargers plug in and power up for historic win

After two rounds of Premier B Women’s, the ladder is starting to take shape, with four sides yet to drop a match, while four sides are still searching for their first win.

The first match of the round saw Parkdale Vultures travel to Elsternwick Park to take on Old Melburnians, where the Old Melburnians recorded an almost flawless 14.13 (97) to 0.1 (1) victory.

Young gun Olive Mclean set the tone for the Omlettes early, kicking 2.3 in the opening term, leaving the Vultures trailing by 23 at the first break.

Things did not slow down from there, as the Omlettes continually proved too quick and too strong for Parkdale, whose sole score came late in the third quarter.

Parkdale coach Mark Allen conceded that the Vultures are in a tough position this year, feeling out of their depth after having lost several key players in the off-season, with a quarter of the list having never played football before. Despite this, Allen was proud of his team’s “never give up” attitude.

“Even though the team knew we were clearly out classed and not at the level of our opposition, they kept their heads up and kept fighting to the best of their ability and did their best to implement the style of game we wish to play.”

Regardless of the result, Allen was also quick to celebrate the efforts of his players.

“Tori Furlonger was the standout in an under-siege backline, Shanae Carter won plenty of the ball through the midfield in her first game for the club and was well supported by fellow midfielders, Sienna Symons, Jess Welford and Naomi Russo.”

For Old Melburnians coach Nic Stephens, the win was set up by the immense pressure the Omlettes brought across the board, and especially in the midfield.

After narrowly scraping through for a win in Round 1, Stephens was pleased to see the team take the lessons learnt from that match and put them into action.

“We wanted to work on pressure, midfield structure and ball movement, and the girls really took it on board, and you could see the results of their hard work over the weekend. It’s just really rewarding as a coach to have a group that is super receptive to our feedback and then have the ability to execute as well.”

The Kogler sisters were named best on, with Amelia “Kogs” Kogler shining in her new leadership role, while also taking her game to a new level with increased time spent in the backline where she provided great drive out of defence.

In just her first two games for the Omlettes, Ollie Mclean has already shown signs of greatness, which was rewarded on the scoreboard this week as she finished the day with four goals.

Next up, Beaumaris secured their second win of the season, defeating Old Xaverians 11.11 (77) to 4.2 (26).

It was a tight tussle to start, as Beaumaris kicked the first two goals of the day, before Old Xaverians quickly responded with two of their own. Alana Hilford kicked her first major of the year to earn the Sharks a one-goal lead heading into the first break.

Beaumaris got the game on their terms in the second, kicking away to lead by 28 points at the main break.

Old Xaverians regained some control in the third term and were able to match it with Beaumaris, however, they ran out of steam in the final term, allowing the margin to push out to a game-high 51 points by the final siren.

VFLW talent Piper Phelan pulled out a classy performance to earn the coaches’ accolades, while Rosie Byrne also impressed, finishing the day with three majors.

It was a blowout at Southern Road Reserve, where St Bedes/Mentone Tigers trounced Coburg by a monstrous 147 points.

By half time, the scoreline already read 11.8 (74) to 0.0 (0), and Coburg were left scrambling for an answer to stop the Tigers’ momentum.

The story remained the same in the second half, with St Bedes piling on another 11 goals. Coburg were left still searching for their first goal of the year, only registering a single behind in the final term.

Despite the tough loss, Coburg’s best performers included Alana Benakovic, Aiyana Ananiev and Elise Putyra.

For the Tigers, Nina Coghill had a big day out, finishing with four goals, while Isabella Gietzmann continued her impressive form with another five-goal haul and captain Maddi Wilson led from the front, finishing with six of her own.

Over at Marcellin College, history was made when Port Melbourne Chargers secured their first senior victory, downing Marcellin by an emphatic 77 points.

The Chargers came out with all guns blazing, leaving the Sheagles shell-shocked to find themselves down by 52 points at the major break.

Marcellin regained some composure in the third term and were able to match the Chargers, with each side scoring two goals for the term. However, Port Melbourne broke away again in the final term, extending their lead by a further 23 points.

For Marcellin, club stalwarts Alana Pane, Zoe Glascott and Laura Robertson can hold their heads high, knowing that they battled courageously all day.

On a legacy-making day for Port Melbourne Chargers, the performances of Amelie Kamberis and Scarlett Orritt were highlights, while Georgia Harris is also sure to make it into the history books, after kicking a bag of five.

The final match of the round kicked off at dusk with a flag unfurling of Old Brighton’s 2024 Division 1 Women’s premiership flag. Under evening lights at Brighton Beach Oval, Old Brighton showed that they belong at the top, with a solid 4.9 (33) – 1.3 (9) performance against Westbourne Grammarians.

It was a tight battle in the first term, with neither side able to get a good look at goals. Quick ball movement allowed Old Brighton two goals in quick succession early in the second, swinging the momentum in their favour, however, Westbourne defence stood strong, refusing to let any more majors through before the main break.

Westbourne started the second half on top, bringing the margin back to one goal, until a Brighton goal right before the siren put a stop to their charge. With the majority of play in the final term occurring in Brighton’s forward half, Brighton ran out eventual 24-point winners.

“Westbourne were a well-structured team, so we had to concentrate on moving the ball quickly into our forward line. Once we did this the game opened up a bit,” said Old Brighton coach Andrew Grant.

Captain Indi Tait was the only multiple goal scorer on the day, finishing with two. Grant also praised the performances of Giselle Buckley and Bridgette Hagan, who played important roles in Old Brighton’s victory.

For Westbourne, Hannah Scothern and Chloe Weston-Sirett received the coach’s votes.