Sharks circle, Tonners roar, and Chargers surge

A quarter of the way through the Premier B Women’s season, the ladder is beginning to take shape, with Old Brighton and Beaumaris continuing to prove themselves as the benchmark of the competition. On the other hand, cellar dwellers Coburg and Parkdale Vultures appear out of their depth, suffering heavy defeats once again.

Old Brighton continued their campaign for back-to-back flags, with a compelling 91-point win over St Bedes/Mentone Tigers. Streaming out of the gates, the Tonners used their handball and running game to get on a roll, allowing themselves a 59-point lead at the major break.

The Tigers, led by Eliza Cooper, worked hard to slow the charge in the second half, however, the experience and polish of Old Brighton proved too much to handle, with the final score reading 14.11 (95) to 0.4 (4).

Old Brighton’s coach, Andrew Grant, praised his team’s defensive efforts, stating, “Our defence was brilliant and did not let the St Bedes forwards have any space.”

Grant also highlighted the individual performance of captain Cat O’Brien, who dominated the contest, regularly getting the ball out to the runners on the outside. O’Brien was ably supported by regular performers, Jasmine and India Tait, who are yet to go a week without featuring in the best players.

While hard to identify any areas of improvement from an almost flawless performance, Grant noted that the team needs to continue working on fitness and running ability.

The new kid on the block, Port Melbourne Chargers, impressed yet again, defeating Westbourne Grammarians with a final score of 7.9 (51) to 2.3 (15).

The Chargers set the tone early, racing to a 4.2 (26) lead by the first break, with Westbourne unable to get on the scoreboard. Credit to the Westbourne side, they used the break to compose themselves and were able to work their way into the game in the second term.

Unfortunately, the third quarter told a similar story to the first, with the margin pushed out to 41 points, leaving Westbourne with too big a mountain to climb in the final term.

Chargers coach Harriet Cooper believes the victory reinforced the importance of starting strong, and the impact of clear communication.

“We won the game by sticking diligently to our game plan right from the outset and harnessing our positive energy in that crucial first quarter,” Cooper stated. “We came out of the blocks with a clear and unified understanding of our roles and responsibilities, and that collective focus and energy allowed us to establish a strong foothold in the match.”

Cooper also attributed the team’s success to the work of the backline, whose teamwork, positioning and focus were pivotal in holding Westbourne to just two goals.

“As the saying goes, defence wins football, and our defenders truly embodied that today.”

On the offensive front, it was veteran duo Georgia Harris and Mia-Rae Clifford that led the charge, finishing with three goals apiece.

While Westbourne should be encouraged by the fact, they were able to outscore Port Melbourne in two of the quarters, they will need to work on their lapses in concentration and making the most of their periods of momentum if they want to compete with the best sides going forward.

Beaumaris are yet to drop a game after overcoming Old Melburnians by 22 points. The win preserves Beaumaris’ place in second on the ladder, while Old Melburnians drop to fifth, just missing the top four by percentage.

It was a close contest for the first half, with Beaumaris taking a 7-point lead into the major break, before the Sharks found themselves able to pull further ahead in the third term. The Omlettes wrestled back control in the final term, however, were unable to cause any serious damage, with the final scores reading 6.8 (44) to 2.10 (22).

Sunday Hollingsworth was a standout for Beaumaris, while Taylah Tysoe was able to make an immediate impact in her first game for the year, returning to the Sharks after making her VFLW debut for the Darebin Falcons.

Old Melburnians coach Nic Stephens acknowledged the challenge of facing a more experienced team, noting, “They were probably a bit more efficient with their ball usage than we were.” Despite the loss, Stephens praised his team’s improved skills and physicality, as well as their resilience and positive attitude after two tough losses.

Steph Barnett received special mention for her work across the half-back line, returning from a dislocated finger to take numerous intercept marks. Captain Gee Dunlop and newcomer Caitlyn Bayley also impressed, with Bayley providing strong ruck work and Ellie Faulks excelling in multiple positions.

Almost matching Beaumaris in scoring shots, Stephens emphasised the need to capitalise on their opportunities, saying, “The scoreboard kind of tells the tale for what we’re going to be working on this week, just capitalising more on the scoreboard when we’ve got the footy in our forward 50.”

It is proving to be a very tough start to the year for Coburg, who went down to Old Xaverians by 144 points at Basil Reserve.

Old Xaverians came in with confidence after securing an impressive win over Westbourne in Round 3 and were able to take control from the first bounce, leading 5.1 (31) at the first break, and never looking back, with the final score reading 21.18 (144) to 0.0 (0).

It was a great day for the Xavs’ forwards, with Amelia Menegola (5 goals), Bella Villani (4 goals) and Julia McLean (4 goals) feasting in attack, causing headaches for the Coburg defence who were left chasing their tails.

Captain Mel Clarke led the Xavs by example, ensuring that her side never got complacent and maintained a four-quarter effort, topping the performance off with a goal of her own.

Coburg will undoubtedly be looking to regroup and address the areas of concern as they aim to turn their season around and secure a first victory. Meanwhile, Old Xaverians will be lifted by this comprehensive win and look to build on their momentum.

Over at Marcellin College, the Sheagles soared to a triumphant win over the Parkdale Vultures, finishing with a scoreline of 16.14 (110) to 4.4 (28). The match showcased Marcellin’s fast, attractive brand of footy, propelling them into fourth place on the ladder.

Marcellin got off to a hot start, leading 2.5 (17) to 0.0 (0) at the end of the first quarter. In the second term, Parkdale pulled out some of the best football they have played this year, however, Marcellin still held a comfortable lead at 4.7 (31) to 3.2 (20).

Marcellin were able to flex their muscles in the second half, adding a further 12 majors, while only allowing the Vultures one, to take their win-loss record to an even ledger.

Bridie Feehan and Zoe Glascott starred on the day, with Glascott finding five goals to claim second place in the competition goalkicking tally. Maddy Rush played her best game since returning from the UK this year, contributing three majors of her own.

Despite the loss, Parkdale Vultures should take some joy out of the fact they were able to achieve their highest score of the season. Courtney Bennett made a huge impact, finishing the day with three goals, while Shanae Carter fought tirelessly all day.