Kew hold on in nailbiter to hand St Kevin’s their first loss

Kristin Sims

It was a top of the ladder clash in William Buck Premier Women’s between Kew and St Kevin’s and with St Kevin’s being the team to catch, it was always going to be a tough match up.

It was a low scoring affair for the first quarter with both teams bringing their pressure and showing why they are sitting at the top of the ladder. It was tightly contested football all around and while St Kevin’s were able to make forward entries the Kew backline stood strong preventing scoring. Kew were the first team to score, and it didn’t take St Kevin’s long to get one back. Kew had the control of the play for much of the second quarter with only inaccuracy in front of goal keeping them from having a larger lead going into half time.

It was a hot start by Kew scoring quickly after the break to put some space between the two teams. St Kevin’s did what they could to compete and keep pace with Kew who were all around the ground, using their momentum to score again and take a handy lead over St Kevin’s into the final term. St Kevin’s upped their pressure in the final term and were able to chip away at the lead held by Kew. Kew managed just one point in the final term, but they were able to hold on and get the win against the undefeated St Kevin’s. Both teams now sit even on wins, but St Kevin’s hold on to the number one spot on the ladder due to their percentage.

Coming off a narrow loss last week, Marcellin were out for redemption, while West Brunswick were looking to hold on to their top 4 spot that they claimed last week. West Brunswick were the commanding team early. Controlling the loose ball and keeping the pressure on Marcellin to defend. Despite the efforts it was Marcellin who hit the scoreboard early to take the lead. It was an intense game that saw the two teams battle it out with few scoring opportunities to be found.

West Brunswick picked up their pressure and were rewarded with an impressive goal from a strong piece of play that boosted the teams confidence going into half time. The two teams continued to swap possession almost going end to end for most of the remainder of the game. Marcellin had more possession of the ball in their forward 50 but the defensive pressure of West Brunswick was enough to stop any more scoring. The pressure didn’t let up from West Brunswick in the final term with them holding on to get the win by outscoring Marcellin on points.

Caulfield Grammarians came out strong early in their match against Old Xaverians, kicking three unanswered goals in the first quarter. With the wind on their side in the second quarter Old Xaverians fought back with some good sections of play and strong set shots limiting the lead that Caulfield had at half time. The third quarter saw Caulfield come out strong with some quick inside 50’s that saw them change the momentum of the game completely. There wasn’t much Old Xaverians could do while Caulfield scored 5 unanswered goals to take a commanding lead into the final term. They maintained the pace in the final quarter only allowing one more goal to be added by Old Xaverians. With the win Caulfield are now firmly holding on to the third spot on the ladder going into round seven of the competition.

With Melbourne Uni hosting pride round, there was a big crowd to watch them take on St Mary’s Salesian. The home team was also celebrating the 50th game for Captain Emma Delaney and Femke Russell. Once the game started, it was all Melbourne Uni who were coming off a disappointing loss the week before at the hands off ladder leaders St Kevin’s. Melbourne Uni were strong in offence, kicking four goals in the first quarter and not enabling St Mary’s to have any easy possessions. Melbourne Uni continued to keep the pressure on throughout the second quarter and kept St Mary’s scoreless when they went into the half time break. It was a 10 goal lead for Melbourne Uni to start the second half and they didn’t let up on St Mary’s at all. Scoring another three goals in the third quarter Melbourne Uni continued their dominance only allowing St Mary’s to score one point which would be their only score for the game. The win gives Melbourne Uni a good boost to their percentage that puts them in a tight contest for fourth position with West Brunswick.