St Kevin’s stay alive after huge victory

Kristin Sims

It was a hotly contested start to the William Buck Premier Women’s Preliminary Final between St Kevin’s and Caulfield Grammarians, with both teams surrounding the ball and slowing down the play. Caulfield got an early run and were able to get the first goal of the game thanks to a free kick.

Once the ball was back in the middle, St Kevin’s were looking to strike back but the pressure being applied by Caulfield was causing turnovers. Caulfield were using the ground to their advantage, running the ball along the wings and having repeat forward entries but were unable to score much-needed goals early to take advantage of their momentum.

After some early running play, the game started to lock up, stoppages were frequent and Caulfield were pressuring St Kevin’s into mistakes all across the ground. The first goal for St Kevin’s was hard fought, coming from a scrappy contest after a stoppage. From here the backline of Caulfield began to feel the pressure but Charlie Anderson stood up to the occasion, picking off kicks across the wing and helping Caulfield to transition down field. A strong team effort from St Kevin’s in the dying minutes would result in them taking a small lead into the first break.

The pressure from Caulfield did not slow down early in the second but St Kevin’s were able to use the ground well and find space to get the ball into their attacking fifty regularly. St Kevin’s would continue to limit the attack of Caulfield, upping their pressure on the ball carrier and blocking Caulfield’s ability to transition the ball to their attack. Caulfield did have their chances after some good running play, they were unable to capitalise and impact the scoreboard and gain back some momentum. This would result in a goalless term for Caulfield, while St Kevin’s were able to take a strong lead into the main break, leading by 25 points.

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In the third term, St Kevin’s came out firing early. Forward Sarah Cameron stood tall after kicking a beautiful goal keeping the momentum with St Kevin’s early, Caulfield kept the pressure going in the third, but St Kevin’s showed their dominance and were able to stay a step ahead at the ball. As the quarter went on, St Kevin’s pushed harder and had all the answers to any attempt Caulfield had to move the ball forward to attack the goals. The pressure from St Kevin’s didn’t let up, the Caulfield defence was kept busy the whole third term, but they kept their heads up and continued to fight.

St Kevin’s class was on full display kicking ten unanswered goals before Caulfield were able to get one back. The offensive run from St Kevin’s did not slow down at all, their ability to find a teammate in space was helping them to continue to kick goals and extend their lead. Sarah Cameron was vital in the St Kevin’s forward line, kicking 6 goals for the day and using the ball to find teammates who could score when she couldn’t.

Using all the options in their forward fifty, Caulfield could do nothing to stop the attack in the end. Despite the hot start, Caulfield were only able to manage one more goal for the entire game, which was a credit to the defensive pressure from St Kevin’s who were able to limit the opportunities Caulfield had to get near goals. The final siren sounded, confirming a 79-point victory for the SKOB Saints.

The strong finish for St Kevin’s will see them riding a wave of confidence into the biggest game of the year on Sunday when they take on Kew at Elsternwick Park.