Season first Draw at Brens Oval, while Devils make it six in a row

La Trobe University continued their fantastic run of form beating Aquinas by 51 points. It was a fantastic day for La Trobe’s Ineka Hart who booted four goals, making the most of her scoring opportunities.

Coach Samantha Greene was rapt with her teams’ efforts, after a change in game style was put in place. “We have made some changes over the past month to our game plan, and it was great to see the connection between our players coming through,” Greene said.

Although it was a dominant display from La Trobe, Aquinas fought on bravely considering they were only able to field 17 players on the day, making it extremely difficult with no rotations. The resilience shown by Aquinas was commendable, as they never gave up, keeping pressure on La Trobe until the final siren.

Box Hill North recorded their biggest win of their season against Coburg, demolishing them by 116 points. In what’s been a tough season in Division 2 for Coburg, with a lack of numbers and personnel being a problem, the group has continued to show heart each week, battling through adversity with resilience and pride.

Four different players managed to kick two goals for Box Hill, while Nicole Harford notched up three majors. After beating MCC by 65 points in Round 11 and no doubt gaining some much-needed confidence, Box Hill have secured back-to-back wins, delivering a huge percentage booster in the process.

The result not only cements their spot in third position but also highlights a team playing with belief, cohesion, and a growing hunger to win games in the lead up to finals.

There were unique scenes at Brens Oval between UHS-VU and De La Salle after the two sides registered the season’s first draw. The middle order clash was a must win for both sides coming in, to keep their hopes of a final-four finish alive.

Kicking 4.1 apiece, the sides could not be split, in what was a great contest. UHS-VU gained some ascendancy in the game early, leading by 13 points at half time.

Unfortunately, they were unable to stop the late charge from De La who kicked an important goal in the final term to secure a hard fought 2 points.

The two clubs sit 5th and 6th on the ladder, demonstrating how evenly matched these opponents are, with their previous contest being a six-point margin taken out by De La. Both teams showed great determination and skill throughout, leaving onlookers eagerly anticipating both sides run into finals.

Hawthorn put in a sensational performance, to defeat MCC by 21 points. Remarkably, Emogen Johnson kicked all of the sides 6 goals, in what was a career high for herself.

Hawks coach Aaron Miller was proud of his team’s display, commending their second half defensive display, fighting off a barrage of forward pressure from MCC. “The Hawks girls, although we didn’t take our chances in the second half kicking 10 behinds, were fantastic in defence shutting down a lot of MCC’s attacking movements” Miller said.

Both coaches were full of praise for the umpiring on the day, which contributed to great fast flowing Footy and comfortable viewing. Although, finals may be out of reach for the Hawks, they have certainly shown they’re up to the level of Division 2, in how they conduct themselves each week.

Parkside maintained their momentum, making it 6 wins in a row. No doubt the form team in the competition, the Devils have been so impressive in the last six weeks, beating different opposition and showcasing a great standard of Football.

On the flip side, Brunswick celebrated a 300^th game milestone for Clare Woodhouse in what was also the clubs Pride Round. The Renegades certainly made things difficult for Parkside, managing to lead by 3 points at half time. Coach Sasha Dougherty singled out Shannon Colgan, Tahlia Hayes, and Emma McTaggart for their impressive performances, praising the trio for their strong contributions. In addition, Dougherty was full of compliments for Parkside, adding that they’re fully deserving of a top 3 spot.

Next rounds top of the table clash between Parkside and Old Carey – who are fresh off a Bye, is shaping up to be game of the season, as both sides are in great form and will be turning their attention to finals Football very shortly. Other matches include Box Hill North coming up against Aquinas, UHS-VU hosting Brunswick, and Hawthorn travelling to face Hawthorn in what should be an exciting contest. In the battle of the red and navy, MCC will head to Coburg City Oval to play the Coburg Lions, while La Trobe University sit Round 13 out with the Bye.

The league enters a two-week mid-year Bye this weekend, with play set to resume in Division 2 Women’s on Saturday 26 July for a massive Round 13.