Tonners set up grand final showdown with Old Melburnians

Old Brighton has secured their place in the 2025 Premier B Women’s Grand Final with a decisive 29-point victory over Westbourne Grammarians in Sunday’s preliminary final at Coburg City Oval.

The match showcased the Tonners’ trademark pressure and depth across the ground with the ladder leaders holding Westbourne to a single point across the first three quarters before a final-term goal rush saw them seal the win, 4.18 (42) to 2.1 (13).

Despite struggling with accuracy early, Old Brighton controlled the contest from the outset. Their relentless attack on the ball and ability to generate repeat forward entries eventually wore down Westbourne’s resilient defence, until the Tonners finally managed to break through for a major at the 15-minute mark of the third term.

Their territory dominance continued to pay off, with Old Brighton’s 22 scoring shots to Westbourne’s three telling the story of the day.

Old Brighton coach Andrew Grant praised his side’s intensity and composure under finals pressure.

“I was very proud of our group on Sunday as we applied constant pressure throughout the entire game,” Grant said. “Westbourne are a very well-structured team with a strong defence, so it was important that we were hard at the contest to get some outside run and move it quickly into the forward line.”

Jas Tait continues to prove herself as a star of the competition, delivering another outstanding performance, while Sophie Grant and Scout Howden also excelled.

For Westbourne, the loss marked the end of a remarkable season in just their second year in the competition. Coach Chris Grant reflected on the journey with pride.

“Old Brighton showed why they have been the best team all season, with their experience, maturity and skill a level above on the day.” Grant said. “Ultimately, whilst our girls kept at it all day and showed just how much they have developed over the course of the season, OB was just too strong.”

Kayla Koropeckyj and Ciaralii Parnell stood tall in defence under immense pressure, while Sam Moodie was enormous in the ruck. 17-year-old Lydia Waghorne announced herself as an emerging star of the competition, kicking both of Westbourne’s goals in a gutsy performance.

Old Brighton now turns its attention to Sunday’s Grand Final, where they will meet familiar rival Old Melburnians at City Oval Coburg at 2:20PM to determine who will lift this year’s premiership cup.

The two sides have gone head-to-head on three occasions this season with the Tonners taking the chocolates the first time, with the Omlettes getting the jump the two matches after that, the most recent being the one-point nail-biter that was the Semi Final.

These two sides are in red-hot form and a showdown awaits. Old Brighton welcomed the return of their co-captains India Tait and Cat O’Brien which has no doubt bolstered the line up and lifted the Tonners. Indi and Cat are primed to steer the Tonners to the Grand Final when they come up against the likes of the Old Melburnians engine room in Ellen Williams and Georgia Dunlop.