Beaumaris become early premiership favourites in Premier B Women’s

In Round 2 of Premier B Women’s, the field is beginning to separate, with statement wins shaping the early ladder.

Beaumaris confirmed their status as early premiership favourites, defeating 2025 grand finalists Old Melburnians by 35 points to take control of the top spot. 

It was the Omlettes who burst out of the gates, with Ellen Williams opening the scoring and adding a second major soon after to give the home side a 14-point buffer at the first change.

Old Melburnians assistant coach Nic Stephens said his side’s fast start was one of the key positives to take away from the contest.

“We were pretty pleased with how we started the game out, getting two goals in the first quarter with another couple of good looks while managing to keep Beauy scoreless,” Stephens said. “I think it showed that we were definitely up to the challenge.”

Beaumaris responded early in the second, before Williams struck back with her third major. From there, momentum started to swing the Sharks’ way. A relentless second‑half surge, highlighted by six unanswered goals, saw Beaumaris pull away to secure a decisive 8.8 (56) to 3.3 (21) victory by the final siren.

For Beaumaris coach Damian Farrow, the response after quarter time was commendable.

“What pleased us most was the players capacity to take on feedback at quarter time and implement for the rest of the game,” Farrow said.

“We won the game due to a lift in intensity and improved disposal efficiency after quarter time.”

Rosie Byrne had her kicking boots on, slotting four majors and earning the coach’s votes for the Sharks, while Bella Koster provided support, finishing with two.

Missing key position players and experience across the field, the Omlettes were forced to shuffle magnets in an attempt to cover the holes. Despite the challenge, Stephens was encouraged by his side’s willingness to try new positions, highlighting the efforts of Clare Fraser, Ellie Faulks and Pia Juricic, who all stepped up in unfamiliar roles.

Stephens also acknowledged Beaumaris’ quality and the lessons the contest provided.

“Beauy have been one of our biggest challenges for as long as I’ve been with OMs,” he said. “They’ve brought back some really good lessons from their time in Prem A and set themselves up as a strong contender this year and I think they showed us that we’ve still got some learning to do.”

Over at Packer Park, Port Melbourne Chargers bounced back from their narrow Round 1 loss with a resounding win over Glen Eira/Old McKinnon, 11.13 (79) – 1.5 (11).

The final margin told a clear story — the Chargers’ ability to stay disciplined and connected across the lines allowed them to control the game.

Chargers coach Harriet Cooper, who had highlighted the need for greater consistency as a key take-away from their inaugural season, was delighted by her side’s complete performance.

“The game was won through our consistent four-quarter effort. We didn’t have those usual ‘lulls’ in energy; instead, we maintained a high work rate from the first bounce to the final siren,” Cooper said.

“By staying disciplined, we were able to wear them down over the course of the match.”

Although Cooper insisted it was a whole-team effort, she couldn’t help but to shout-out the heroics of 2025 Leading Goalkicker Georgia Harris, who “was back to her best this week, kicking a bag of goals and providing a constant threat in our forward line”.

To Glen Eira’s credit, they remained competitive in patches, with Micaela Ickowicz and Mia Zielinski among their standouts.

Parkside continued their perfect start to life in Premier football, making it two wins from two, defeating Old Yarra Cobras by six points in a tight tussle.

The Cobras struck first, kicking 2.3 (15) in the opening term while keeping Parkside scoreless. However, Parkside worked their way back into the contest in the second, getting the game back on their terms to trail by just two points at the main break.

The third term was fiercely contested, with neither side able to break clear, leaving the match delicately poised going into the final stanza.

It was Parkside who made the most of their opportunities, with Emily Rayment slotting the only goal of the last term to give the home side the lead for the first — and final — time that day, as Parkside held on to win 4.4 (28) to 3.4 (22).

Parkside coach Anthony Romano described it as “another hard‑fought win”, praising his side’s tackle pressure and ability to slow the game when required.

Efficiency with the ball proved the key difference, according to Old Yarra Cobras coach Michael Talbot, who said the contest ebbed and flowed throughout.

“It was an even contest with both teams enjoying momentum throughout the game. I thought Parkside were stronger aerially than us, and also that little bit more efficient with their ball movement and forward 50 entries,” he said.

“However, there were lots of positives to take out of the game for us.”

After going down by a devastating two points in Round 1, Old Xaverians responded in emphatic fashion, producing a blistering start and never looking back, downing La Trobe University by 91 points.

After their first quarter last week arguably cost them the game, coach Doug Greenough placed a heavy emphasis on the need to lock in immediately, and the Xavs delivered, producing a six-goal first term that saw them take a 37-point advantage.

“Credit to the playing group that they came to play, were focused in the warm-up and had a crack from the first ball up,” Greenough said.

Greenough also had the stats to back up the performance.

“We had 17 and 18 pressure acts in the opening two terms, 10 inside 50s with a 60 percent conversion rate in Q1, and our GPS numbers showed that work rate was highest in Q1,” he said.

Boosted by the return of senior leaders, Mel Clarke and Lia Siniakov, Old Xaverians refused to take the foot off the gas, kicking another ten goals across the next three terms, while holding the Trobers to just 2.2 (14).

La Trobe continued to fight, with Teresa D’Angelo kicking both of her side’s goals and Stephanie Castagnini remaining prominent through midfield, but the gap proved too large to bridge.

Beyond the scoreboard, Greenough took pleasure from the Xavs’ ability to execute an attractive brand of football.

“We played the ground well by taking on the opposition through the corridor when needed. Plenty of handball chains that made our speed of ball movement enjoyable to watch.”

Amelie Menegola (four goals) and Anabelle Gangi (two goals) impressed up forward, while Poppy Lawrance backed up her debut with another best-on-ground performance.

Next week, Old Xaverians will need to continue to execute if they are to challenge ladder-leaders Beaumaris, while La Trobe University face another tough test in Port Melbourne Chargers. Meanwhile, Parkside will look to extend their perfect start when they face Glen Eira/Old McKinnon. Finally, Old Yarra Cobras and Old Melburnians meet in a crucial clash as both sides look to return to the winners’ list.