De La Salle fends off a brave Carey in a blockbuster, while Brunswick records first home win

Box Hill North recorded their first victory of 2025, knocking off Wattle Park by eight points in Round 2 of Division 2 Women’s.

Heading into the sheds at halftime, Box Hill North found themselves trailing by three points. Although Wattle Park fought on bravely, Box Hill North rallied in the second half, kicking three goals to one, securing victory. On top of this, a two-goal haul and gritty performance from Sophie Marinos helped guide Steve Jackson’s side to the promised land. Jackson will be proud of his side’s toughness and ability to bounce back following a difficult Round 1 clash against De La Salle. A disappointing day in the end for Wattle Park, not being able to maintain their second-quarter efforts for the whole contest. The Animals now sit at the bottom of the Division 2 ladder, with a game against in-form De La Salle to come.

La Trobe Uni made it two wins on the bounce, but not without an early scare from a brave Parkside outfit. The Devils led at both first-half intervals, forcing La Trobe to come from behind. La Trobe head coach Samantha Greene was proud of how her side capitalised on the inefficiency in front of goal from Parkside to run away with the four points. “It was a super competitive game all day, and Parkside had our measure for the better part of three quarters, but they left the door ajar for us, and I thought we had a really strong last quarter,” Greene said.

Parkside will be somewhat frustrated but also confident with their start to 2025, as their performances in the opening two fixtures leave the side with plenty of positives. The win for La Trobe propels them to the top spot on the ladder, setting it up for a box office clash against fellow undefeated side MCC after the break in Round 3.

Brunswick recorded an emphatic home victory, smashing UHS-VU by six goals. After only managing three wins last season, Brunswick will be rapt with the offseason progress shown. Head coach Sasha Dougherty credits the win to the strong home support from the fans, who spurred the team to their first home win since Round 11 last year. Dougherty was also impressed with her side’s cohesion, which led to five different goal kickers on the day. “We had positive vibes all around, great voices on the field, and even better link-up play,” Dougherty exclaimed.

A puzzling performance from UHS-VU will leave head coach Alex Henry scratching his head, after the side looked poised to take another scalp following their narrow Round 1 win. The club will be looking to leave this loss in the past and come back stronger at home in Round 3 against Parkside.

The Division’s “New Kids on the Block” MCC ran out fourteen-point winners against Aquinas. The club is beginning to make inroads in Division 2, proving very hard to come up against. Remarkably, the home side had no bench rotations, making the warm conditions at Beaumaris Secondary College even more testing. Despite this, MCC controlled the game right throughout, showcasing serious resilience.

Elite forward pressure and an exceptional four goals from Anna Harris provided the home side with a twenty-one-point buffer at three-quarter time. Aquinas managed to keep their opposition scoreless in the final term but unfortunately left their comeback a little too late, unable to make up significant ground in the final stages. They now find themselves 0-2, a predicament not thought of at the start of the season, as they made their way down from a higher division in 2025. Aquinas will be hoping to regroup and go again after the break against Old Carey at home.

The game of the round certainly didn’t disappoint, as Old Carey and De La Salle put on one hell of a spectacle. Although De La Salle were inaccurate in front of goal, kicking 2-9, they managed to hold on and record an important seven-point win. Neck and neck pretty much all morning, De La Salle had to dig deep and stay courageous. It was the effort behind the footy that Head Coach Andrew Donnison was pleased with, full of praise for his side’s ability to stop Old Carey from scoring.

Donnison admitted that travelling out to Carey was always going to be tough due to how well the home side plays on their ground. “They play their ground extremely well. They have a quality midfield, and to deny them the opportunity to get quick ball into their forward line was good to see.” Although ecstatic about his side’s start to the season, Donnison admits his side has plenty to work on and is not getting carried away with the early success. Old Carey certainly loses no admirers after that display, showing a competitive nature that is well and truly capable of going deep into 2025.