Round 10 Goes Down to the Wire in Premier B Women’s

Round 10 of Premier B Women’s produced the tightest round of football the competition has seen this season, with three of the four matches decided by a combined total of four points.

Beaumaris survived another almighty scare to extend their unbeaten run to 10, Port Melbourne Chargers snapped their losing streak with a dramatic come-from-behind victory and Old Xaverians escaped a late push from Parkside.

Only Williamstown CYMS bucked the trend, producing a comprehensive victory over Old Melburnians to announce themselves as a genuine top four threat.

Williamstown CYMS 7.8 (50) def Old Melburnians 1.6 (12)

The only non-thriller of the round took place at Loft Reserve, where Williamstown CYMS produced another impressive performance to defeat Old Melburnians by 38 points.

The opening term was a competitive affair, with both sides trading blows early. Prue Harvey opened the scoring with the Omlettes’ sole goal, before Sharnie Whiting and Summer Moses responded in quick succession to give the CYs a narrow lead at the first change.

Williamstown stamped their authority in the second quarter, with their physicality and ball speed overwhelming the undermanned opposition, to establish a 23-point lead by the main break.

Old Melburnians had their chances in the second half, generating repeated forward entries, but couldn’t convert. They kicked five behinds without reward, as Williamstown’s polish saw them pull further ahead.

Sharnie Whiting was the star of the show, kicking four goals to take her season tally to 11 from just four games. Alexandra Woodhead, Sofi Georgas and Jess Court were also influential for the CYs.

The result pushes Williamstown into genuine finals contention with five wins from six games since entering the division and serves as a warning to the rest of the competition that they are more than capable of matching it with the established Premier B sides.

Glen Eira/Old McKinnon 4.4 (28) def by Beaumaris 4.5 (29)

The closest contest of the round took place at Packer Park, where Beaumaris escaped with a one-point victory over Glen Eira/Old McKinnon, in a match where the Gryphons were arguably the better side.

Beaumaris coach Damian Farrow was refreshingly honest in his assessment.

“In all honesty, we stole it from Glen Eira, who played better over the course of the game, we just made the most of limited forward entries,” Farrow said.

“Our contest game and spread were not where it needed to be and Glen Eira made us pay.”

The Gryphons pushed the league leaders to the absolute brink, with Eliza Morrison, Lily Fitzpatrick and Eimear Scally all starring and hitting the scoreboard in a performance that will give their side enormous confidence.

For Beaumaris, on a day where they were not at their best, Livinia Stockdale and Katelyn Randall stood tall.

Old Yarra Cobras 4.7 (31) def by Port Melbourne Chargers 5.3 (33)

Over at Doncaster Reserve, Port Melbourne Chargers produced a thrilling second-half comeback to defeat Old Yarra Cobras by two points, snapping a four-game losing streak in dramatic fashion.

The Cobras were outstanding through the first half, with Alannah Murray and Amelia Hitchcock providing the goals as Old Yarra built an 18-7 lead by half-time.

The home side’s defensive pressure was relentless, with six behinds to their name suggesting they should have been further in front.

Port Melbourne, who have built their club around resilience, refused to go down for a fifth consecutive game without a fight. The Chargers rallied in the third, kicking two goals to trim the margin to four points at the final change, before striking the front early in the last term.

Emma Watson goaled for Old Yarra to reclaim the lead with seven minutes remaining, but in a dramatic finish, Port Melbourne found one final goal to snatch victory from the Cobras’ grasp.

Port Melbourne coach Harriet Cooper was immensely proud of her group, with their efforts in the last quarter getting them over the line.

“We really stood up and won the hard ball when it mattered most,” Cooper said. “The group’s sheer motivation and hunger to lock away the win in those dying minutes made all the difference.”

Cooper praised her side’s adaptability, noting several players have been forced into unfamiliar positions due to unavailability in recent weeks.

“Seeing the group embrace those changes, stick to the task and find a way to win by a narrow margin was fantastic.”

Caroline Leslie provided relentless tackling in the forward line, while Georgia Harris again showed why she is considered one of the most prolific forwards in the competition, snagging three majors.

Lily Borg, Amelia Hitchcock and Emma Watson were among the Cobras’ best in what was one of their best performances of the year.

Old Xaverians 6.6 (42) def Parkside 6.5 (41)

At Basil Reserve, Old Xaverians and Parkside renewed their rivalry with another nail-biter, as Old Xaverians prevailed by a single point.

In a contest that swung wildly from one side to the other, Parkside burst out of the blocks through early goals to Madison Katerelos and Sadie Cleary, before Old Xaverians fought their way back into the contest through Lia Siniakov, Annabelle Gangi and Emily Callinan.

Xavs gained the upper hand through the middle of the game, building a 13-point lead at half-time, but Parkside refused to lie down, storming back in the second half to draw within a goal.

 In the end, a single behind was all that separated the two sides at the final siren.

Parkside coach Anthony Romano was positive despite the result.

“It was a very tight game – I was proud of the team fighting back to get scores level, we just couldn’t get the next score,” Romano said.

“We ran hard and played great footy.”

He highlighted Caitlin Robley and the Mayne sisters, Alice (two goals) and Laura, as solid contributors all day.

For Old Xaverians, Georgie Kerr, Olivia Benston and Kasey Jobling were among the best, while Siniakov and Gangi each kicked two goals.

Next week, Beaumaris host Old Melburnians in a top-of-the-table clash, while Port Melbourne Chargers will look to build on their return to the winners’ list facing Glen Eira/Old McKinnon.

Old Yarra Cobras host Old Xaverians, with Xavs needing to keep winning to maintain their grip on a finals spot and Parkside welcome Williamstown CYMS in what looms as a crucial contest in the race for finals.