Finals fever hits William Buck Premier Women’s

Rebecca Carter

Semi Final 1 – Marcellin vs SKOB Saints

We hit the restart button on VAFA footy and what a weekend to do so, with a spot in the VAFA William Buck Premier Women’s Grand Final up for grabs, when the undefeated Marcellin take on SKOB Saints at Marcellin College. Interruptions to the last 6 weeks of footy did not affect the form line of either team, as the closest anyone has come to the Eagles in their last 4 matches was a very comfortable 28 points, whilst the Saints recorded a dominant 68-point win last time they played. The scoring power of both teams has been on display all year and the competition’s two leading goal kickers, Marcellin’s Cecilia Baldassarre (22 goals) and St Kevin’s Sarah Cameron (19 goals) will go head-to-head this weekend. With finals footy played at a higher intensity that often results in low-scoring affairs, it may just be which star forward can make the most of their limited opportunities. The last time these two teams took the same field was all the way back in Round 2. In a seesawing affair, Marcellin overcame a halftime deficit to record a thrilling 3-point win. These two teams have been a class above all season, and if their Round 2 matchup is anything to go by, we are in for a cracking game of VAFA Women’s footy.

Semi Final 2 – Caulfield Grammarians vs West Brunswick

Caulfield Grammarians and West Brunswick will fight it out to keep their seasons alive when they do battle at Glen Huntly Oval. The Fields will take in confidence from their two outings against the Magpies during the season, winning both matches comfortably. Laura Holdsworth (14 goals) has been a force up forward for West Brunswick all season, and Amy Dunn’s consistency for Caulfield has also been impressive, with 12 goals next to her name from just 8 games. Caulfield boast a star-studded midfield, so it will be important for the Magpies to not let the Fields dictate terms from the middle. If the Magpies can break even in the midfield, they will look to lock it in their forward line and put pressure on the back six of Caulfield. However, the Fields will back their midfield, led by Irena Malliaras, to win the contest in tight and get the ball into space to add some speed on the game. West Brunswick have put together an impressive second half of the season, but expect the class of Caulfield, with the likes of Cheree Peters, Chelsea Fisher and Malliaras, to prove the difference in this game.