Wattle Park to Top Spot & North Brunswick Upset

Round 11 is in the books and it delivered plenty of thrilling contests in Division 4 Women’s.

Fitzroy notched their second consecutive win, Canterbury stayed in touch with the top five, Wattle Park climbed to the top of the table, Aquinas returned to the winners’ list, and North Brunswick played spoiler with a win over MUWFC.

Fitzroy 5.2 (32) def Albert Park 4.3 (27)

The round commenced at Bill Woodfull Oval, where Fitzroy claimed a five-point victory to record their fourth win of the season.

The opening quarter was tightly contested, with Fitzroy kicking two goals to Albert Park’s one. The visitors responded in the second term through Zoe Dragoi and Rhiann O’Donnell, turning an early deficit into an eight-point lead at the main break.

Fitzroy responded strongly after half-time, with Esther Boles and Olivia Phillips each finding the goals to help their side regain the lead. The Roys held a five-point advantage at the final change.

Both teams kicked one goal in the final quarter. Dragoi struck early for Albert Park to narrow the margin, but Boles responded late in the term with the decisive goal to seal the four points for Fitzroy.

Boles starred up forward with three majors, while Amie Stapleton and Olivia Phillips each added one goal.

Fitzroy coach Liz Olney was pleased with her side’s performance and the result on the weekend.

“The girls started the game with great pressure and attack at the footy, something we’ve been trying to really work on at training,” she said.

“In the past we have taken a quarter to get settled, so it’s great to see reward for effort starting to show.”

“It was a real game of team football but shoutout to Chloe Larkins, Maren McLachlan and Ella Menzies in the midfield, Ester Boles and Olivia Phillips taking control of the forward line, plus Sophie Carolan and Rhiannon Fraiia locking down the key forwards in the backline.”

Best

Albert Park: N/A

Fitzroy: Clodagh Taylor, Maren McLachlan, Rebecca Kazmierczak, Esther Boles, Nina Bagaric, Eilish Wallace

Canterbury 4.6 (30) def Brunswick 3.1 (19)

Canterbury secured their fifth win of the season with an 11-point victory over Brunswick at Gillon Oval.

It was an exciting start, with both sides kicking one goal apiece in the opening quarter. Canterbury took control in the second term, booting three goals to Brunswick’s one to extend their lead to 15 points at the main break.

To Brunswick’s credit, the home side lifted their defensive pressure after half-time, restricting Canterbury to a single goal in the third quarter, while reducing the margin to 10 points at the final change.

Scoring opportunities were hard to come by in the final term, but Canterbury maintained the pressure and controlled the contest to seal an 11-point victory.

Canterbury coach Tony Pisani was delighted with his side’s ability to play their style of game.

“To generate a good amount of scoring shots was super pleasing,” he said. “To put scoreboard pressure and hold off a quality team was testimony to the girls grit… Great team performance.”

Best

Brunswick: Jolyn Collins, Emily Goode, Emily Molnar, Rubee-Leigh Poata, Stephanie-Jade Szuhai-Andrews, Elizabeth Spicer

Canterbury: Zoe Choo, Ashley McHutchison, Kate Ward, Briana Thompson, Courtney Shaw, Heather Glennie

Wattle Park 1.3 (9) def Mazenod 0.2 (2)

Wattle Park recorded their seventh win of the season with a hard-fought seven-point victory over Mazenod at Central Reserve, moving to the top of the ladder.

It was a genuine arm wrestle in the opening quarter, with the Animals kicking the only goal of the term late to take an eight-point lead into the first break.

There were no changes to the scoreboard in either the second or third quarters after play was halted, following a significant injury to a Mazenod player.

To the credit of both sides, the players resumed the match in great spirit, displaying excellent sportsmanship and resilience despite the difficult circumstances.

While Mazenod were resilient after the restart, Wattle Park held onto the victory.

Wattle Park coach Mel Dell’Olio gave praise for Mazenod’s two players that went down in the middle stages of the game.

“Both teams played with tremendous courage, compassion and high spirit after the incident that occurred when a Mazenod player obtained a serious knee injury in the second quarter,” he said.

“Our fast start in the first quarter proved the difference in the result.”

“We send our well wishes to the player, as well as a second player that was hurt in the third quarter and are grateful to our trainers managing the injuries.”

Best

Mazenod: Gabrielle Turner, Zoe Hayden, Olivia Snart, Stephanie Smith, Matilda McKenzie, Abbey Walton

Wattle Park: N/A

Aquinas 4.8 (32) def Old Xaverians 1.6 (12)

Aquinas recorded their seventh win of the season with a 20-point victory over Old Xaverians at Greythorn Park.

Aquinas opened the scoring late in the first quarter before adding another goal in the closing stages of the second term to extend the lead to 15 points at the main break.

Old Xavs hit back with their first goal early in the third quarter to reduce the margin to nine points. However, Aquinas responded late in the term to restore their advantage, taking an 18-point lead into the final change.

Aquinas added one more major in the final quarter while keeping Old Xaverians scoreless, applying relentless pressure to secure the four premiership points.

Up forward, Asher De Klijn and Abby Guerin led the way for Aquinas, finishing with two goals each.

Best

Old Xaverians: Mia Wapshott, Molly Blood, Phoebe Cincera, Zahli Burgess, Charli Wapshott, Chloe Bonnett

Aquinas: Tia Steen, Abby Guerin, Emma Fabre, Alovi Gomes, Casey Murphy, Tamina Porcellato

North Brunswick 3.3 (21) def MUWFC 1.7 (13)

The round concluded with a high-energy contest at ATC Cook Reserve, where North Brunswick defeated MUWFC by eight points.

North Brunswick made an electrifying start, with Ruby-Rose Gibson-Haywood registering the opening score of the game.

Scoring proved difficult in the second quarter, before MUWFC hit back early in the third term to reduce the margin. However, Gibson-Haywood helped the Bulls regain control, giving them a six-point lead at the final change.

With momentum swinging throughout the contest, Sophie James delivered the final blow late in the last quarter to seal the victory for North Brunswick.

Gibson-Haywood was instrumental up forward, finishing with two majors, while James added one goal.

North Brunswick coach Jake Barclay was delighted with his side’s second consecutive win and noted the team’s improved performance since their Round 3 meeting.

“We planned accordingly to shut down some of their key players and focused heavily on how we were going to win the centre clearance contest,” he said.

“We knew their mids got on top of us last time, so winning that midfield battle was a huge focus.”

“We had a few incredibly influential players on the weekend. Tahlia Sheils-Bathgate was given a very specific role and played it to a tee while racking up a ton of disposals. Em Steiner and Delfi Estrada both dominated on the wings and gave us excellent use on the outside.”

“Ruby Gibson-Haywood was huge, she really brings her teammates along for the journey, winning heaps of the ball in the forward half while bringing an amazing attitude that keeps footy both competitive and fun.”

Best

North Brunswick: Tahlia Shields-Bathgate, Emily Steiner, Delfina Estrada, Ruby-Rose Gibson-Haywood, Orla Minogue, Ella Robinson

MUWFC: Natalie Power, Alexis Koufidis, Maddison Noack, Ceara Kaschula, Kaia Humphrey, Isabel Charlton