South Melbourne soar with first win of the season

Fresh off the Easter bye round, footy returned in the Division 3 Women’s competition, and in fine fashion no less. There were triumphant wins and individual stand out performances that typified a great round of VAFA football. And whilst the wet weather provided a challenge, Ormond, Old Camberwell, Mazenod and St Mary’s continued their winning ways in the top four.

Ormond delivered one of the most comprehensive wins Division 3 has seen, annihilating the competition they faced in Prahran, 134 to a single behind. This victory extends the Monders undefeated streak after three rounds of competition and skyrockets their percentage to keep them comfortably atop the ladder.

Indiana Harrison, Charlotte Fisher and Hannah Foran set the bar high, kicking five, four and four goals respectively in brilliant individual performances. However, it would be remiss not to highlight the collective effort of a cohesive size that is the current Ormond outfit, who are yet to put a foot wrong.

Ormond bolted out of the gates to put 5.4 on the board by the quarter time siren. Maintaining the momentum throughout the match, their biggest haul of points came through in the premiership quarter with a 7.3 barrage to silence Prahran.

On tough outing Prahran’s standouts included Millie Stonnill, Philippa Stevenson, and Jessy Brown. Michaela Di Lecce and Arcadia Diaz were notable mentions in the best afield for Ormond.

Old Camberwell outclassed Elsternwick keeping them scoreless for three quarters to charge home to a 17-point victory. Rebecca Bellpieri scored all three goals for her side, playing a fantastic role up forward.

Despite their chances Elsternwick were unable to hit the scoreboard, until a fourth quarter major from Ashira Chait sparked some belief back into the travelling side.

Gordon Barnard Reserve played well into the hands of the home side in unpredictable Melbourne conditions, to eventually come away with those all-illustrious four points in a 23-6 defeat of their opponent in Elsternwick.

Madeleine Riddle stood out for the Wickers in her best game of the season thus far, while Old Camberwell’s Gabriella Bianco continued her stellar form earning herself a third consecutive spot in the best.

Mazenod defeated Albert Park by 11 points in a low scoring affair at Central Reserve. In a tight first quarter, Albert Park got the jump on the scoreboard to hold a 5-point advantage at the first break.

This buffer was short lived as Mazenod kept Albert Park goalless from the second quarter onwards, kicking two goals of their own in the second. At the final siren, Mazenod held the lead 19-8 and take home the chocolates to keep their undefeated record in tact.

Lara Del Conte continued her strong form, kicking two goals, whilst Annabelle Davies-Todd got onto the score sheet with one goal.

St Mary’s Salesian is another side that continued their flawless campaign to kickstart 2025, defeating North Brunswick by 32 points at Ferndale Park.

The Saints got off to a flying start in the first half, kicking five goals to one. This ultimately held them in good stood to retain control of the game. North Brunswick made their surge in the third quarter, kicking three goals, before St Mary’s kicked three goals in the last quarter to secure the victory.

Despite a comeback from North Brunswick in the second half, the deficit proved too great to overcome, with the final scoreboard reflecting 66-34 in favour of the home side.

Lucy Dobbyn was sensational, kicking five goals. Georgia Crowley got onto the scoreboard kicking three goals. Emma Hall and Jaime Sawer both kicking one goal each.

Lauren Balcombe and Holly Booth both kicked two goals each, whilst Katie Ruthven kicked one for North Brunswick.

South Melbourne Districts secured their first win of the season, defeating Canterbury by 54 points. South Melbourne had a strong first half, booting five majors, with Canterbury managing just 1.1 for the half.

Allanah Ryan was on song, with a bag of 3 goals, while Carni Dowsett and Claire Ryan kicked two goals each. Jacqueline Simpkin and Willow Sweeney Johnston both kicked one goal each.

This was a fantastic team performance of a side not willing to give up when the chips were down and South Melbourne has clawed themselves all the way up to the middle of the table.

All eyes turn to Round 4 where some exciting match ups await in hopefully dryer conditions. The undefeated sides in Ormond and Mazenod go head-to-head where only one can retain their clean streak. Canterbury will host Old Camberwell, while Albert Park is set to come up against St Mary’s Salesian in a middle order contest. Rounding out the weekend, Elsternwick host South Melbourne Districts and Prahran will come up against North Brunswick.