Competition heats up in the race to finals

With just two rounds left in the home and away season, the race for the finals is heating up in the Division 1 Women’s competition.

After a tough loss in Round 13, Hampton Rovers suffered yet another close loss at the hands of Oakleigh. It has been a stark contrast to the Rovers’ form across the first half of the season, as they now find themselves in sixth on the ladder and a game behind fourth spot. Meanwhile, Oakleigh are now in third place and two games clear of fourth, with a hefty percentage boost as well.

The Rovers’ slow starting first half ultimately cost them the game, given they kicked more points than Oakleigh in the second half. Jasmine Ballestrin was the clear best on ground, kicking three of Oakleigh’s five goals. Romy Klooger and Sienna Bernardo also had strong games. Bree-Anna Kavanagh, Bryanna Arnold and Mandy Naylor were the best for the Rovers.

Next up, Oakleigh will play Therry Penola on Saturday morning whilst the Rovers will host Parkdale.

Parkdale Vultures were left searching for answers after they failed to register a score against Richmond Central on the weekend. Richmond scored 4.12, and the Vultures were lucky the margin wasn’t bigger given Richmond’s wayward kicking.

Captain Breanna Allen led from the front in a tough match alongside Naomi Russo and Victoria Furlonger. Ann-Marie Geary was impressive for Richmond, kicking two goals whilst Devina Lai and Erin Eldon also kicked goals. Richmond have had a strong run of form leading into the end of the season, however they will face a big challenge next week against the Blues on Saturday afternoon.

Time is running out for the Vultures to secure a win this season, and it won’t get easier against the Rovers next weekend.

Glen Eira/Old McKinnon have officially secured the minor premiership, sitting on 56 points with just two rounds to go, and the closest team to them sits on 40 points. They proved they will be a force to reckon with in the finals, defeating Therry Penola by 120 points. Therry had suffered a few close losses in the last few weeks, so it came as a shock that they suffered such a large defeat.

The scoring never really slowed down for the Gryphs throughout the game, even kicking eight goals in the last quarter to further boost their percentage. After a goalless game last week, Lily Fitzpatrick registered three goals, whilst Zoe Rossiter also kicked three and Mia Zielinski had a further four goals.

Matilda Ryan kicked the Lions’ only goal for the game, whilst Eliza German and Ruby O’Halloran held strong in a tough defeat.

The Gryphs will play Power House on Saturday morning in Round 15, whilst Therry will host Oakleigh.

In one of the upsets of the year, the Monash Blues fell to Whitefriars by 27 points. The win now puts Whitefriars in fourth place, whilst the Blues place in second is under threat, now sitting level on points with Oakleigh.

The Blues failed to really fire a shot the whole game, kicking two behinds in the first half to Whitefriars four goals. Whitefriars’ co-captains Clare Fernandes and Caitlin Ryan both contributed to the scoring with a combined three goals apiece. Rachel Smith, Bella Giannangelo and Hollie McCormack were their best.

Zara Le Roux, Tiarna Jericho and Gemma Cowin were the best for the Blues. They’ll look to bounce back and keep their hold on second spot in Round 15, when they play Richmond on Saturday afternoon. Whitefriars will host Old Haileybury on Saturday morning and will look to keep their finals hopes alive.

Power House flexed their muscles on Saturday afternoon, defeating Old Haileybury by 78 points. However, the margin could’ve been much larger given they kicked 16 behinds. Power House now find themselves with a shot at finals, sitting in equal fourth on 32 points.

It was an even first quarter, with both sides registering 1.2. However, Power house piled on 11 goals after that and only allowed Old Haileybury to kick one behind, demonstrating a strong four quarter performance both offensively and defensively.

Jessica Waterhouse was best on ground, kicking four goals for Power House. Lisa McCombs and Ciara McGuinness kicked two goals each. Jemma Feferkranz kicked Old Haileybury’s only goal for the game.

If Power House are to keep their finals hopes alive, they’ll need to put in a strong team effort against the Gryphs next weekend- the toughest task in the competition right now. Old Haileybury will come up against the in form Whitefriars.