Reigning premiers find their groove

Annie Ireland

Just over halfway through the season, and the bottom half of the table are challenging the top. Round 10 saw a host of upsets in Premier Women’s once again. However, it was St Kevin’s who proved their credentials as the outright favourites for this year’s premiership and the chance to defend their title.

St Kevin’s vs Old Scotch was primed to be the match of the round and SKOB prepared accordingly for the occasion. Scotch was no match for the reigning premiers, kicking only two goals for the game compared to SKOB’s six.

The game was won in the third quarter, or the premiership quarter, with St Kevin’s standing up to the challenge and blowing the margin out of the water. It just goes to show the depth within the team and the experience as reigning premiers to pull off these big game moments.

As usual, star players Bree Doyle and Emily Condon showed off their skills, whilst Olivia Arundel and Georgia Fraser-Smith were the Cardinals’ best. Yet it was Catherine Stanton who was a clear best on ground. Her three goals earnt her the number 1 ranking, continuing to put together a strong season.

Next week, St Kevin’s will take on Melbourne Uni, whilst Old Scotch host Collegians in the match of the round.

The Coburg Lions pulled off an upset over Melbourne Uni Women’s, taking full advantage of hosting the match at Piranha Park. This was another game where one team harnessed the premiership quarter, with the Lions’ scoring 30 points to Melbourne Uni’s zero.

Lauren Collis continued her strong season for the Lions with two goals, whilst Stephanie Filbay also kicked two. Isabella Robson and Brooke Randall were standouts for Melbourne Uni, with Randall kicking two goals.

Coburg will have the week off next week, whilst Melbourne Uni faces the toughest opposition in the competition in St Kevin’s.

What a win it was for Caulfield. Last year’s grand finalists have been relinquishing at the lower end of the ladder, yet they sent a warning to the competition, reminding everyone how strong they are when they’re at their best.

A first half blitz saw Caulfield set the tone for the match, with Collegians unable to match that level as Grammarians exposed what has been such a strong side this year. Had Collegians kicked straight, the story may have been very different.

Georgia Harris was the sole goal kicker for the purple army, whilst Maddison Shaw was the best. Chloe O’Malley kicked two goals for Collegians, whilst it was Matilda Mottram who was their best.

Collegians will be training hard this week in preparation for their big match against Old Scotch, with both teams looking to rebound from tough losses. Meanwhile, Caulfield will host Fitzroy.

The final match of the round was a nailbiter, with West Brunswick downing Fitzroy by three points. It all came down to the final quarter, with both teams scoring a goal a-piece. However, the winner of this game was the more accurate side in front of goals.

Fitzroy’s four behinds were costly and had they converted just one of those points to a goal, they would’ve run away with the points.

Robyn Randell was Fitzroy’s best, whilst Taylah Wilson was the best for the Magpies. Next weekend, Fitzroy will travel to Glen Huntly Oval to play Caulfield and will be hoping it’s a very different game to when these sides played in Round 3. Elsewhere, West Brunswick will play Kew fresh off the bye.