Omlettes book Grand Final spot, Westbourne survives elimination epic

After months of hard work across the regular season culminating in a finals berth for four deserving teams, Week One of Premier B Women’s finals delivered an electrifying start to “September” football. Both matches went down to the wire, with the lower-ranked side finding a way to prevail in each contest.

In the elimination final between Port Melbourne Chargers and Westbourne Grammarians, Westbourne held on for a gritty four-point win, 4.3 (27) to 3.5 (23), securing their place in the second week of finals and bringing Port Melbourne’s impressive debut season to a close.

With a slight breeze blowing at the notoriously windy Elsternwick Park, it was going to be a matter of who could better adapt to the conditions. Westbourne started with the wind in the first term and were able to capitalise, scoring the first two majors of the day through Kiara Henry and Temeika Cathery.

Alexandra Hose got the Chargers on the board in the second, but they were unable to find a second major to level the score and went into the main break trailing by five.

Westbourne continued to use the wind to their advantage in the third term, slotting another two goals to build a handy 17-point buffer going into the final term.

Knowing their season was on the line, Port Melbourne threw everything they had at the contest in the final term. Two early goals brought them back within five points, causing the intensity to skyrocket for the remainder of the match. The Chargers surged the ball forward repeatedly, but Westbourne’s defence withstood the charge, repelling attack after attack.

The Chargers had one more chance to hit the scoreboard late in the term, but could only muster a behind, falling short by just four points at the final siren – a heartbreaking end to their inaugural campaign.

Despite the result, Chargers coach Harriet Cooper was immensely proud of the resilience shown by her side.

“As a team, we never gave up. Even going into the final quarter, we still felt we had a chance to win, regardless of the score,” she said.

“The girls left everything they had on the field and when they look back, they can know they gave it their absolute all and have no regrets.”

Cooper highlighted the leadership of senior players such as Ashlee Ladson, Maegan Harrison, Georgia Harris, Claire Highfield and Alex Hose, whose composure and stability was instrumental in guiding the more junior players through the match.

For Westbourne, coach Chris Grant was thrilled by his side’s consistent pressure and ability to capitalise on opportunities.

“Very little separated both teams over the course of the game, and whilst we were able to open up a 17-point lead by the end of the third quarter, Port were always going to come back hard with the aid of a small breeze in the last,” he said.

“Ultimately we were able to defend incredibly well over the last quarter, with the girls’ efforts during the final five minutes particularly noteworthy!”

Grant praised the midfield trio of Gracie Lamers, Paige Trajkovski, and Roxy Sefton, as well as Sam Moodie in the ruck. In defence, Kayla Koropeckyj and Ciaralii Parnell were rock solid, while Temeika Cathery led the forward line with two goals.

Looking ahead, Westbourne face a tough challenge in the minor premiers, Old Brighton, who defeated them twice during the regular season by a combined margin of 40 points.

“We will need to find another level again against OB next weekend, but the girls are really looking forward to the challenge,” said Grant.

For the Chargers, their debut season now draws to a close, but it is one they can be incredibly proud of.

“It’s obviously disappointing to lose the final, but we have so much to be proud of,” Cooper reflected.

“We’re a new club, and the fact that we were able to field two teams every week and have both reach the first round of finals in our debut season is an incredible achievement. The club didn’t even exist until six weeks before the season started, and our players stuck together through it all. We have been supported by so many people, and what we’ve created here in Port Melbourne – bringing women’s football back to J.L. Murphy – is what really matters. We’ve built a community where players and people want to be, and that’s the greatest achievement of all.”

If the elimination final left hearts racing, the qualifying final between Old Brighton and Old Melburnians was downright heart-stopping.

In a match that lived up to its billing, Old Melburnians staved off a fast-finishing Old Brighton to claim victory by the narrowest of margins, 3.7 (25) to 3.6 (24), securing a direct path to the Grand Final.

Starting with the breeze, Old Melburnians made the most of early momentum, leading 1.3 (9) to 0.1 (1) at the first change. The Omlettes continued to control the footy across the next two terms, adding a goal in each quarter while holding Old Brighton goalless – a feat no other team has managed against the Tonners this season.

Georgia Dunlop, Ellen Williams, and Clare Fraser were relentless in the engine room of Old Melburnians, winning the contested ball and setting the tone with their intensity. Williams, despite being heavily tagged, continued to find space and deliver with precision, while Dunlop’s work rate and physicality were pivotal in keeping the Tonners’ midfield at bay.

In defence, the Omlettes’ backline was impenetrable, causing stoppage after stoppage and helping to create attack from the half-back line.

Heading into the final term leading 3.7 (25) to 0.2 (2), Old Melburnians looked all but certain to be progressing to the Grand Final. However, Old Brighton were not done.

The Tonners flipped the script, showing why they have been the benchmark all season.

They launched a spirited comeback in the last quarter, taking back ascendancy in the territory battle and peppering away at the scoreboard with behinds until Lucy Grant finally broke the drought with a great finish in front of goals. This was followed by two clutch majors from Katie Grant, bringing the minor premiers back within two points.

In a nail-biting finish, Old Brighton surged forward one last time. A behind at the 23-minute mark brought them one point shy of the Omlettes, but it wasn’t enough. The siren sounded with the Omlettes clinging to a one-point lead – just enough to punch their ticket to the 2025 Grand Final.

Old Brighton coach Andrew Grant pointed to the second term as their downfall.

“After a good first quarter where we held OMs to one goal with the wind, we did not make use of the wind in the second quarter and the OMs defended well, and this quarter proved to be the main difference in the game.”

Despite this, Grant was pleased with the fight shown by his team and believes this will hold them in good stead going into the crucial preliminary final.

“We were really pleased with our excellent comeback in the last quarter and a half, and we will take a lot of confidence and momentum into this week’s game against Westbourne,” he said.

For Old Melburnians’ coach Nic Stephens, it was a great display of effort and intensity from the Omlettes.

“I think we did a great job all game of making it as hard as possible for Old Brighton to get the game on their terms,” he said. “Old Brighton are a great team and they’re going to get their opportunities during the game, what we wanted to ensure was that they didn’t get anything easy when they did win the ball, and I think our entire team contributed to that effort.”

The win marks a defining moment in the Omlettes’ journey to the top. After narrowly missing finals last year, they’ve developed a skilled, determined unit capable of matching it with the best.

Reflecting on the season so far, Stephens said, “I don’t really know where to start. The whole team has come a really long way from where we were last season. Across the board the whole team has improved so much and it’s really rewarding to see the girls play with more confidence now.”

“I’ve said since day one that our goal was to win the club’s first women’s premiership and now, we’re one game away from that so we’re going to be doing everything we can between now and grand final day to make sure we achieve it.”

On Sunday, Old Brighton and Westbourne Grammarians will meet in the Preliminary Final at City Oval Coburg, to determine which side will earn their ticket to the big dance.