Week 1 of Division 3 Women’s Finals provided some thrilling results with Old Camberwell holding off a fast-finishing Albert Park to avoid elimination. Meanwhile, Ormond advances to the grand final, giving St Mary’s Salesian the second chance in the preliminary final.
Old Camberwell advances to the preliminary final, defeating a resilient Albert Park by three points, 6.1 (37) to 5.4 (34) at Moorleigh Reserve. It was a battle on neutral territory with ‘home ground advantage’ no longer a factor.
The match was tightly contested from the outset with the game seeing multiple lead changes. By the half it was two goals apiece with the Falcons holding a narrow 2-point advantage. Old Camberwell fought back winning the third with 2 goals to Albert Park’s single major, turning a deficit into a four-point lead.
With everything on the line, both teams fought valiantly to keep their finals campaigns alive and the goals kept on coming with the fourth being the highest scoring quarter of the match. It was as tight as they come with Old Camberwell edging out the Falcons by a mere three points and securing themselves a spot in the preliminary final.
There were multiple goal kickers that hit the score sheet for the higher ranked side. Grace Deane kicked two majors for the game. Rebecca Bellpieri, Asha Kennedy, Emma Vogel and Bridget Facey all kicked one goal each. Olivia Willie earned a nod in the best on ground honours for the match for the Wellers.
For the Falcons, Ashlea Wilson was terrific, finishing the game with two goals. Caroline Ma, Bonnie Grining and Zoe Dargoi all played their part, with one goal each.
Whilst its season-over for the Falcons, Albert Park should be proud of their season in 2025, winning three out of their last four matches to gain momentum heading into Finals. They are sure to be ones to watch next season.
Ormond secured an almighty 6.1 (37) to 2.5 (17) victory over table toppers St Mary’s Salesian to propel them straight through to the Grand Final. Ormond got off to the dream start that kick started momentum, scoring two goals in thefirst quarter by Indiana Harrison. It was a grind for majority of the second quarter, with both teams lifting their work rate around the contest.
An early goal off the boot of Lucy Dobbyn reduced the margin to four, before Indiana Harrison lifted, booting two late in the quarter to extend Ormond’s lead out to 16 points at half-time.
Ormond got the scoreboard ticking in the early stages of the third quarter with some forward pressue. A goal by Georgia Cropley kept St Mary’s within touching distance, but a late major from Hannah Foran gave Ormond a 21-point buffer at the three-quarter time break. Foran’s pressure around the ground and out of the center was palpable, with the Saints unable to curb her influence on the match.
Both teams struggled to find a score in the last quarter, thus it was Ormond that punched their ticket into the big dance, defeating St Mary’s by 20 points at the final siren.
The game was not without its casualties and the Monders’ win is tainted that little bit with two of their own sustaining match-ending injuries. The hunger to secure the win for their teammates spurred Ormond on that little bit more and credit to the side for playing out the game two-rotations short by the end.
Hannah Foran and Isabella Di Lecce earned themselves best-afield accolades for Ormond whilst Indiana Harrison shone in front of the sticks with four goals to her name for the afternoon. Meanwhile at the other end, Charlotte Dawson and Emily Wedrien led from the front for St Mary’s and will need to lift again this weekend when the Saints come up against Old Camberwell in the preliminary final.
The stage is set for a blockbuster preliminary final this Saturday at Trevor Barker Beach Oval in the morning timeslot of 9.20am. St Mary’s Salesian will come up against Old Camberwell fighting for the chance to book their ticket in the grand final. Their recent history this season favours the Saints, but with both sides hungry for victory and making strong cases in the lead up to finals, it really is anyone’s game.
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