By Dylan Smith.
East Ringwood
Pos: 1st place
W-L: 7-0
Points: 28
Percentage: 1616.89%
For (Rank): 122.4 points per game (Rank 1)
Against (Rank): 7.5 points per game (Rank 1)
Leading Goalkicker: Haley Thompson (32 Goals)
Summary
A flawless start for the Roos who have brushed off the disappointment of last year’s grand final loss in style.
They’ve managed to hold onto some top names from 2022 and have signed a few more, making them a force in the 2023 season. The defensive record has been a highlight, conceding less than 1 goal 2 behinds per game.
Highlight: Their round five win against Surrey park was impressive, keeping the top four side goalless in a statement win.
Lowlight: Hard to pick a poor moment for the Roos, despatching everyone they come up against at the moment.
Players: Haley Thompson has gone to another level after winning the goal kicking last year
Waverley Blues
Pos: 2nd Place
W-L: 6-1
Points: 24
Percentage: 159.62
For (Rank): 60.4 points per game (Rank 3)
Against (Rank): 37.8 points per game (Rank 3)
Leading Goalkicker: Elise Hoole (13)
Summary
No first year Blues for Waverley who have been a breath of fresh air for the league. Gaining head coach Clint Martin from Kilsyth in the off season was a major coup and will hold them in good stead come finals time.
They’ve been super consistent and have a good balance of offence and defence.
Highlight: Great three goal win against third placed Surrey Park shows they can match it with the best sides.
Lowlight: Their 100 point loss to East Ringwood was a bit of a kick in the guts after a tremendous start but most teams have suffered a similar fate to the Roos.
Players: Elise Hoole has been great up forward for the Blues but it’s been the depth of their squad and having a full team contribution that has been the secret to their success this year.
Surrey Park
Pos: 3rd place
W-L: 5-2
Points: 20
Percentage: 194.71%
For (Rank): 47.2 points per game (Rank 4)
Against (Rank): 24.2 points per game (Rank 2)
Leading Goalkicker: Jemma Wright (5)
Summary
A nice start for Surrey Park who sit safely inside a finals position, The defence has been a key target area with an impressive 24 points conceded per game.
Off the back of these figures, Surrey will be keen to go better than the preliminary final appearance they made last season but with some stiff competition in Waverley Blues and East Burwood entering the league, it will be a close race come finals time.
Highlight: Great round one win against newly promoted East Burwood kicked off their season nicely.
Lowlight: Their close loss to Waverley Blues would have been a nice one to pinch before the bye but are still on track for a finals apperance.
Players: Kalarni Keans has been consistent across the first half of the season.
East Burwood
Pos: 4th Place
W-L: 4-3
Points: 16
Percentage: 134.38%
For (Rank): 60.8 points per game (Rank 2)
Against (Rank): 45.2 points per game (Rank 5)
Leading Goalkicker: Cecilia Baldessarri (39)
Summary
A competitive start to life in Division 2 for the Rams getting to the mid season break ahead of the ledger. They’ve had some lessons coming up against strong opposition at the top of the division table but are well placed to attack the finals.
Highlight: Round three was their first win in the new division and a good one against Heathmont. Baldassarre’s 17 goals against Croydon was also a huge moment for the club.
Lowlight: Unfortunately for the Rams they ran into a raging East Ringwood side in round 2 and went down by 111 points.
Players: Cecilia Baldessarri has been immense up forward kicking 39 goals including a record 17 goals in a match.
Blackburn
Pos: 5th place
W-L: 2-4-1
Points: 10
Percentage: 75%
For (Rank): 40.2 points per game (Rank 5)
Against (Rank): 53.7 points per game (Rank 6)
Leading Goalkicker: Veronica D’Cruz (6)
Summary
A promising start for Blackburn after they failed to win a game in division one last year. They’ve been a much more competitive outfit this season picking up two wins and a draw after seven games.
Highlight: Kicking started their season in round two with a win against Heathmont was what the team needed.
Lowlight: Leading all day, their most disappointing result was against Montrose, where they could have picked up all four points but conceded late to eventually draw the game.
Players: Captain Kirby Hope has fought hard all year and been a great leader.
Montrose
Pos: 6th place
W-L: 2-4-1
Points: 10
Percentage: 58%
For (Rank): 24.85 points per game (6th)
Against (Rank): 42.85 points per game (4th)
Leading Goalkicker: Grace Rogers (7)
Summary
Another team with a better defensive record than their ladder position shows, Montrose have struggled to put scores on the board this year but can take solace in their competitiveness across all four quarters.
Highlight: Trailing all day against Blackburn, they pinched a draw late, highlighting their fight in the contest.
Lowlight: Hard to pick out too many bad moments for Montrose, they’ve struggled to score, that’s been a theme but they’re hard to beat, always providing questions for their opponents.
Players: Shae Eslick has been super consistent in every game for Montrose this season.
Croydon North MLOC
Pos: 7th
W-L: 1-6
Points: 4
Percentage: 14.54%
For (Rank): 15 points per game (8th)
Against (Rank): 103.14 points per game (8th)
Leading Goalkicker: Brittany Grech (7)
Summary
After featuring in the division 3 grand final last year it’s been a tough start for Croydon North MLOC in division 2. They’ve had availability issues all season and losing a number of players to long term injury at the back end of last year hasn’t helped but they’ve still managed to find a win in the front half of the year which is something for them to take out of it.
Highlight: Great win in round 5 against Heathmont was the sugar hit they needed after some poor losses. They defeated the Jets with a masterclass performance from Grech.
Lowlight: A tough one in the division 3 grand final rematch against East Burwood where they went down by 166 points and failed to score.
Players: Brittany Grech has fought hard all year in a forward line that’s been hard to generate goals.
Heathmont
Pos: 8th
W-L: 0-7
Points: 4
Percentage: 23.60%
For (Rank): 17.4 points per game (7th)
Against (Rank): 73.85 points per game (7th)
Leading Goalkicker: Aimee Morrow (5)
Summary
Although sitting last on the table, the Jets have delivered some promising performances this season and their scoring profile is better than their win/loss suggests. They’ve been able push many of the top sides and are not far off a win in the near future.
Highlight: A close loss to East Burwood in round three where they kicked five goals against a quality side.
Lowlight: Similar to the other Division Two sides, not managing a score against the rampaging Roos made for a tough day at the office.
Players: Brooke Mullinger has been great all season for the Jets and Aimee Morrow has worked hard up forward, kicking five goals.