Old Scotch respond in style to progress to Grand Final – William Buck Premier Women’s Preliminary Final Review

Old Scotch 15.13 (103) def Kew 2.3 (15)

Old Scotch has responded emphatically to their first-week finals defeat, producing a dominant 88-point victory over Kew to secure a place in the 2026 William Buck Premier Women’s Grand Final.

After falling to Caulfield Grammarians in the opening week of finals, Scotch came out firing against Kew, kicking six goals in the opening quarter before continuing to build their advantage throughout the afternoon.

Jordan Mifsud was outstanding in front of goal with five majors, while Mia Cowan and Anna Vrsecky each kicked three.

Mifsud, Grace Johnson and Georgia Fraser-Smith were among Old Scotch’s best performers, as the minor premiers produced a comprehensive response to their Qualifying Final defeat.

For Kew, Jemima Carey and Rachel Toose were the two goalkickers, with Sarah Ford, Toose, Carey and captain Lily Barr named among their best.

Old Scotch coach Dean Anderson was delighted with the way his side responded after its defeat to Caulfield the previous week.

“It was a very strong response to last weekend’s game against Caulfield. To kick 6.7 into the breeze in the first quarter was incredible and testament to the playing group who responded very well,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the experience of playing in finals had helped the group quickly identify areas for improvement and respond against Kew.

“Our group proved that we have real fighting spirit and the experience that we carry in finals enables us to quickly address areas of improvement and move forward,” he said.

After identifying offensive efficiency as an area for improvement following the loss to Caulfield, Anderson was pleased to see his side execute their attacking game plan.

“Our focus was on our offence, and the prelim final was a showcase of how well we can execute that. We were able to get strong performances from our forwards, and our midfield/wings gave us plenty of drive,” he said.

The defensive improvement was equally important, with Old Scotch addressing the areas that had allowed Caulfield to generate dangerous entries the previous week.

“We were slightly off on our defensive standards against Caulfield and it enabled us to focus in on a couple of key areas…and we managed that well against Kew,” Anderson said.

The victory also provided valuable finals experience for Old Scotch’s younger players, while Lexie McCulloch’s return to defence strengthened the side’s balance.

For Mifsud, the performance was another milestone in an outstanding season, with her five goals taking her to 50 goals for the year in her 50th game.

Anderson said the group was proud to have reached the latter stages of the competition once again.

“We are very proud of this group. To play deep in Premier finals four years in a row is amazing,” he said.

For Kew, the defeat brought an end to a memorable 2026 campaign that saw the club reach the Preliminary Final.

Coach Mannie Di Parsia praised his players for continuing to compete despite Old Scotch establishing a significant advantage early in the contest.

“While the scoreboard was disappointing, our girls continued to compete and showed the pressure and never-say-die attitude that has defined this group throughout the season.”

Sarah Ford led Kew’s possession count with 34 disposals and 18 contested possessions, while captain Lily Barr finished with 27 disposals, 14 contested possessions, 12 effective tackles and 10 clearances.

Rachel Toose and Jemima Carey both recorded 18 disposals, while Lauralee Rinaldi battled hard in the ruck with 39 hit-outs.

Di Parsia said the statistics reflected the effort of the entire playing group despite the final margin.

“All the girls were outstanding and continued to fight and compete right to the final siren,” he said.

The Bears’ run to the Preliminary Final represents a significant achievement following a third-place finish at the end of the home-and-away season and first-week finals victory over Old Brighton.

“There are plenty of lessons to take from the game, but also enormous pride in reaching a Preliminary Final and in what this group has achieved together this year,” Di Parsia said.

Kew’s season is now complete, leaving Old Scotch to face Caulfield Grammarians in the 2026 William Buck Premier Women’s Grand Final.

The Grand Final will provide a rematch of the two sides’ opening-week qualifying final, where Caulfield produced an eight-point victory over the minor premiers.