OT’s flying high, Bears bring down Roy Girls

Alisha Min

Melbourne University’s defence of their 2018 William Buck Premier premiership has taken another turn as Old Trinity overcame them to the tune of 82 points at Hudson Oval in Round 2. Scoring just a single major for the day through Olivia Turnbull, the Mugars, who had eight changes to their side heading into this match, registered just eight forward 50 entries for the day compared to Old Trinity’s 54. The staunch Old Trinity unit, ably led by Imogen Barnett, Vanessa Murphy and Isabella Hayes (2), accumulated a massive 280 disposals over the course of the match, with Ruby Long and the aforementioned Barnett and Hayes each amassing an impressive 20+ disposals each. For the reigning premiers, their midfield cohort headlined by Marinella Salafia (BOG), Olivia Macmillan and Fem Russell were relentless in their efforts.

St Mary’s Salesian made it two from two after defeating SKOB Saints by 28 points at Righetti Oval. Following the opening bounce, a tight first quarter ensued where both sides emerged even with eight points apiece, before the Saints were able to gain some ascendancy by way of a three goal quarter in the second. For the star-studded SKOB, a scoreless final term did them no favours as St Mary’s Salesian’s spread of five goalkickers were able to build upon their match-winning margin. Abigail Bloom, Ila Taylor (1) and Alexandra Hynes were valiant in defeat for SKOB, while Sarah Yule, Elise Burton and Eliza Stanley (1) were standouts for the Saints.

West Brunswick has secured their first win for the 2019 season after accounting for Marcellin by 20 points at Bulleen Park West. Despite only registering one goal in the opening quarter, whilst allowing the Sheagles to slot three majors, the Westies found form shortly thereafter which was highlighted by their scoreboard accuracy (seven goals straight) when entering  the 3QT break. For the winning Westies, Grace Macpherson was impressive with her four-goal haul, a haul which could’ve been as much as six if not for an errant shot from the goal square, while Yolana Jones was again influential and featured in the best players for a second consecutive week. For the Sheagles, Shaylee Taylor was again prolific in front of goals after booting four, while Madison Taylor was recognised as the BOG for her afternoon’s efforts.

Also able to overcome their Round 1 draw with a win in Round 2, Kew took the chocolates this weekend by way of a 29-point winning margin over Fitzroy at Victoria Park. Not dissimilar to their Round 1 performance, the Roy Girls started strongly with their 2.1-13 score in the opening term thanks to the goal-kicking efforts of Elizabeth Olney and Emma Delaney. Following the opening break, however, the Bears defensive line-up effectively halted Fitzroy’s scoreboard impact and allowed only two points to be scored against them for the game’s remainder. For Kew, who celebrated club superstar Michaela Harding’s 50 game milestone, Krystal Shaw earnt the best on ground accolade thanks to her four-goal masterclass, while Tina Higginson and Eilish Boyd (2) were also standouts. Gemma Minuz, Hilary Collett, Cassandra Blake and Tash Ross-Harris fought hard for the Roy Girls.