UHS-VU deliver first nail-biter of the season

Round 1 is always an opportunity for learning, as teams find their feet, evaluate the competition and have their first taste of gameday experience for the season. Division 2 Women’s served up a mixed bag of results with a couple of nail biters, while some teams left their mark in a dominant performance, running away with the four points.

Of the former was a nail-biting affair at Aquinas College, which saw UHS-VU record a narrow come-from-behind victory away from home.

Aquinas pretty much led all day and had a comfortable seven-point buffer at three-quarter time. However, UHS-VU rallied in the final term, keeping Aquinas scoreless and booting a late goal to kick off their season in style. UHS-VU coach Alex Henry attributed his side’s performance to their polished ball skills, a part of their game that Henry believes has come a long way since last season.

Henry was also full of praise for the quickness and talent of Hannah Virgona, who helped the side claw back the deficit. “She’ll be one to watch this season, a real challenge for opposition sides to deal with,” Henry said.

A tough pill to swallow in the end for Aquinas, as the start to life in Division 2 kicked off in a heartbreaking manner. Although it was a crushing defeat for the club in the season opener, there were plenty of positives to take out from their second and third quarter efforts.

A dominant first-half performance from La Trobe University guided the club to a 23-point victory over Brunswick.

Being pegged as a team to beat this season, La Trobe Uni certainly lived up to the hype, controlling by foot all day. Kate Bond and Kaitlyn Ritchie starred for La Trobe, showing strong signs of quality early on in 2025. As well as a gritty effort from club captain Jessica Lowry, who led from the front all day.

Not all doom and gloom for Brunswick, with the club showing serious signs of progress from last season. Coach Sasha Dougherty admitted her side had to change things up structurally at halftime to stop the flow of La Trobe and was impressed with her side’s second-half display, praising her backline for keeping the Trobers to only one goal in the final two terms. It was never going to be an easy start for last season’s wooden spooners, but Dougherty admits that her side’s first game can be viewed as a respectable hit out.

Brunswick hosts UHS-VU next week and will be looking to implement the positives from the second half against La Trobe for four quarters in Round 2.  

MCC FC avoided a late scare by Parkside to record a 9-point victory at home. Not kicking a goal since the 5th minute mark of the third quarter, MCC was challenged by an honest Parkside outfit who came home strong. Plenty of favourable work forward of the ball for Parkside saw them create many scoring chances, which kept them in the game until the death.

Kicking one goal five in the final term, Parkside was left wondering what could have been if not for more accurate goal kicking. Anna Harris and Lucy Doyle shared the spoils with two goals apiece for MCC, showcasing the side’s strong start to proceedings. On top of this, a stellar individual performance from Nikita Rogers helped MCC hold off the late charge.

Parkside will be looking to part ways with their inaccuracy in front of goal next week, as they host an in-form La Trobe side.

The win of the round came down at Bennettswood Reserve, as Old Carey demolished Wattle Park by 59 points. A dream start for the club, with a plethora of goal kickers on the day capping off a well-rounded and dominant performance from Ryan Dobson’s side.

The mauling finished with a 9-14 scoreboard for Old Carey, leaving even more goals begging in the end. It was an opening round to forget for Wattle Park, with the side only kicking one major all afternoon.

Unable to stop the run of goals from Old Carey, the Animals had their work cut out for them from minute one. A near ten-goal defeat in the club’s first game at home was not the way they wanted to kick off their 2025 season. The start to the year does not get any easier for Wattle Park, travelling to Elgar Park next week to take on Box Hill North.

De La Salle continued their strong home form from last season to defeat Box Hill North in convincing fashion. A relatively cagey opening two quarters from both sides set the game up for a close finish.

An inaccurate 2-6 start for De La Salle inevitably kept the door ajar for Box Hill North, keeping them well and truly in the contest. However, a commanding third term saw De La Salle boot three goals in four minutes and keep their opposition scoreless.

Box Hill North head coach Steve Jackson applauded his rival’s performance, complimenting how well coached they looked. Jackson also admitted that his side’s lack of rotations after halftime enabled De La Salle to break the game open and pull away. The nature of De La Salle’s win makes their mouthwatering Round 2 clash against other big winners, Old Carey, even more intriguing.