Caulfield claw their way into top 4 with nail-biting victory over Bears

In this competition, nothing can be said to be certain, except St Kevin’s and Old Scotch winning. Every round this year seems to deliver an exciting twist or turn in William Buck Premier Women’s and Round 16 was no exception, with both the top four and the bottom four experiencing a shake up from this weekend’s results.

The opening match of the round saw Caulfield Grammarians travelled to Victoria Park to take on third placed Kew, in what turned out to be one of the games of the season. It was a tough battle in the first, with nothing able to split the sides as they each registered just one behind.

Kew got on top early in the second, scoring consecutive goals before Sarah Kenny got Caulfield on the board with one of their own. Each side managed another goal before the major break, leaving Caulfield trailing by 5 points.

Amelia Dawborn kicked her first of the day early in the third term, providing Kew with some breathing room, until a foolish late bump saw a downfield free kick awarded to Kate McCarthy, who slotted a goal to keep Caulfield within reach. Late in the quarter, Sarah Kenny produced some magic, kicking a ripper out of mid-air to earn Caulfield the lead for the first time.

When Kew need a spark, Dakota Villiva often pops up, and once again she was the source of energy for her side, kicking a goal after the siren to reclaim a 5-point lead before the final change.

Kew backed things up with the first goal of the final term, however, Caulfield refused to bow out, kicking the next two to take the lead back again. Rachel Toose had the chance to kick the match-winner for Kew but missed to the left, allowing Caulfield to run down the clock.

When the final siren sounded, Caulfield led by a solitary point, enough to take home the four premiership points.

Dakota Villiva did all that she could to try to get her side over the line, finishing with three goals and clearly the best on ground for Kew. For Caulfield, it was one of their best performances of the season, with Kylie Lynch, Charlie Anderson and Kate McCarthy all starring in the important victory.

In the next game, St Kevin’s continued their dominant season, travelling away to take on an in-form West Brunswick outfit. The Saints kicked the first four goals which ultimately set them up for the day. However, the Magpies were much more competitive than the scoreboard suggested, defending well but just lacking polish when in attack.

The Saints have so far proven to be a level above, and in the second term they flexed their muscles to stretch the lead out to 37 points. The second half followed in a similar fashion, with St Kevin’s continuing to hit the scoreboard while preventing West Brunswick’s advances.

By the final siren, the lead had extended to a whopping 62 points. Kicking 13.3 (81) to 3.1 (19), St Kevin’s hardly missed when kicking for goal.

The forward line was led by Hannah Smith who kicked 4 and moved to 25 goals for the season, with fellow forward Holly Kenealy kicking 2 herself, but with 9 individual goalkickers for the day, the Saints showed that they have a plethora of options going forward that prove a handful for anyone standing in their way.

The dynamic duo of Kate Stanton and Bree Doyle led the way for St Kevin’s as they often do, named the best performers on the day. For West Brunswick, Melissa Johnson worked tirelessly as did Audrey Fithall, with both players recognised for their strong performances.

Over at Melbourne University Oval, MUW FC hosted Coburg in an important match for two sides trying to escape relegation.

Jemma Riddoch kicked the opening goal for Coburg, filling the Lions with hope of securing their fourth win of the season, however, it was short-lived. Melbourne University soon responded with one of their own, off the boot of trustworthy forward Asha Price, leaving just one point between the two sides at the first break.

Melbourne University went on to dominate the next three quarters, kicking 8.9 (57) to Coburg’s 1.2 (8), defeating Coburg by an impressive 48 points.

Marli Klaumanns-Moller and Brooke Randall lifted their side to a new level, while Asha Price was unstoppable in front of goals, kicking a bag of six. For Coburg, co-captains Claire Cashman and Amy Duguid led from the front.

The win was an important one for Melbourne University, allowing them to jump out of the bottom two and into 7^th place, 2 points clear of Coburg and Old Yarra Cobras and 6 points ahead of Monash Blues.

Meanwhile, Collegians travelled to Frearson Oval to take on Monash Blues, who were looking to back up last week’s strong performance with another win as they seek to climb from the bottom of the ladder.

Monash failed to register a score for the entire first half, while Collegians missed the opportunity to put the game to bed early, kicking 1.10 (16).

Sensing an opportunity, the Blues came to life in the third quarter, as goals from Clare Konstanty and Lara Sirianni had them within 3 points at the final change, setting up a tense final term.

Unfortunately for the Blues, it wasn’t to be, going down to the Lions 2.1 (13) to 3.12 (30). This was a crucial game for Collegians in the hunt for a finals place and they simply had to find a way to bank the four points. Although the goalposts continued to get a workout with another couple of posters in the final term, Collegians showed composure to hold Monash scoreless and run away eventual 17-point victors, following goals from Kim White and Ebony Angelopoulos.

No best players were noted for Collegians; however, Eliza Grills and Mia Kirby were named as the best players for the home side.

Old Yarra Cobras were faced with the seemingly insurmountable task of stopping Old Scotch, who rolled into town to put on a footballing clinic with an 85-point thrashing of the home side.

The highest scoring team in the competition started like a house on fire, courtesy of Mietta Kendall, who roved and snapped truly within the first minute of the game. The Stars slotted the first seven goals of the game before the Cobras landed a strike just before quarter time.

The Cobras were more competitive in the second term, restricting Old Scotch to a further two majors while kicking one of their own, to allow a 52-point lead at the half.

The third term saw the visitors pile on another 5 goals, as Anna Vrsecky (4 goals), Mietta Kendall (3 goals) and Jordan Mifsud (3 goals) all saw plenty of opportunities at goal across the day.

If not for some inaccurate goal kicking the margin could’ve been far greater, as Old Scotch kicked just seven behinds in the final term to register a total 35 scoring shots, winning 14.19 (103) to 3.0 (18).

Emma Robins and Nadia von Bertouch were named the best players on the ground, while Sophie Damon and Erin Woodford worked tirelessly for Old Yarra, with Woodford also kicking a goal.

With two rounds remaining for 2024, no positions are locked in on the ladder with every result continuing to hold significance for the competing teams.

In Round 17, Caulfield Grammarians will look to consolidate their spot in the top four when they face bottom-placed Monash Blues who should put up a fight knowing they have nothing to lose. Meanwhile, Collegians will host Kew in a must-win battle for the Lions if they want to keep their September dream alive.

To kick off the afternoon matches, Old Scotch will host St Kevin’s, in what is looking likely to be a grand final preview. Will Old Scotch be the first side to draw blood from St Kevin’s in 2024?

Simultaneously, Coburg and Old Yarra Cobras will face off in a relegation battle, with the losing side looking likely to be sent back to Premier B in 2025.

Finally, Melbourne University and West Brunswick will match up on Sunday, with West Brunswick desperately needing the win if they want to keep within reach of the top four.