By Tash Gunawardana
After a whole competition bye last weekend, the Eastern Football Netball League Women’s competition is back this weekend, as we close in on the finals.
Premier Division:
South Croydon vs Vermont: It is the second and third place matchup at Cheong Park, between South Croydon and Vermont. Expect a tight encounter at South Croydon’s home ground between two teams that are vying to be the second-best team in the Premier Division after the Eastern Devils.
Vermont – “Girls are keen to get back into it after the bye,” Vermont Coach Tim Da Silveria said.” We’re looking forward to playing at Cheong Park again against a quality opposition.”
Tip: Vermont
Eastern Devils vs SBL Wolves:
The top of the table Eastern Devils tackle the last placed SBL Wolves at Mulgrave Reserve. Eastern Devils have showed all season that they are the premier team of Premier Division. Also, Eastern Devils has Shelley Beggs, second on the Premier Division goal kickers leader board with 27 goals. Beggs has been a dominant forward this season, with the only game that she did not kick a goal was against Mount Evelyn in Round 4. It’ll take SBL Wolves best to overcome Eastern Devils and cause an upset.
Tip: Eastern Devils
Premier B:
The Basin vs Mount Evelyn: The Basin clashes with Mouth Evelyn at Batterham Reserve in what is the Premier and Premier B crossover match. Both The Basin, and Mount Evelyn share the same number of wins with five, but The Basin are first in Premier B and Mount Evelyn are fourth in Premier. The Basin will be favourites especially because they have Premier B goal kicking leader Julia Baker. Baker has kicked 31 goals, averaging 3.4 goals and the only match she did not score was back in their round 5 loss to Whitehorse.
The Basin – “Crossover game this week against Mount Evelyn,” The Basin Captain Julia Baker said. “We know they’re a strong team, so we will be looking to slow down their attacking style of footy and continue our high tackle counts. Our tackle pressure is something we’ve really stepped up this season.”
Tip: The Basin
Whitehorse vs Ferntree Gully: Ferntree Gully travels to Springfield Park to play Whitehorse. Whitehorse will be eyeing off their sixth win of the season and if they do in fact win, they could move up to first on the Premier B ladder if other results work in their favour. Expect Whitehorse to come out firing on Saturday as they have plenty on the line. Ferntree Gully will need to bring their very best if they are any chance of toppling Whitehorse.
Tip: Whitehorse
Donvale vs Boronia: Boronia will hope that they can defeat the second placed Donvale on Saturday afternoon at Donvale Reserve. Boronia’s defence will need to have a great defensive plan in place all match, as Donvale has two forwards who are on the Premier B top five goal kicking table including fourth placed Monica Latino with 17 goals and fifth placed Jasmine D’Amato with 16 goals.
Donvale – “Looking forward to getting back out on the park after the bye,” Donvale Coach Stephen Latino said. “Coming towards the pointy end of the season, the vibe at the club is good and we’re hoping to get a good gauge on teams in the next couple weeks heading into finals.”
Division One Women’s:
Park Orchards vs Blackburn: Park Orchards and Blackburn face off at Domeney Reserve. Blackburn are winless still in 2022 and it is hard to see where their first victory of the season will come from. If in fact Blackburn do cause an upset than it will be the biggest upset of the season. Park Orchards will take some beating though as they have only dropped one game all season.
Blackburn – “We’re looking forward to the match this Saturday against Park Orchards,” Blackburn Coach Jules Hay said. “Our team has been working hard over the past few weeks on a combination of fundamentals and applying strategy to game play. We’ve also seen the return to our squad of our club captain Trisha Cowan from her VFLW commitments and Rachel Nisbet returning from fracturing her arm in round 2.
“It’s great to have a full list heading into the match, as this is something we’ve found challenging this season with several significant injuries and players being unavailable due to state league commitments, covid or other illnesses.
“We were happy with our last match, it demonstrated how much our young squad has improved over the season. Something we’re focusing on is a 3-year journey with this squad and we’re well on track, registering a marked improvement each game and generally across the season.”
Tip: Park Orchards
Beaconsfield vs Rowville: The undefeated Rowville hosts the fourth placed Beaconsfield at Holm Park Reserve. Rowville have plenty of scoring weapons including Division One goal kicking leader Danielle Brotto (20 goals), Jade Wise (13 goals) and Caitlin Bell (12 goals). Also, Rowville has three other forwards including Haneen Bou-Karroum, Cara Jeffers and Rachael Seedsman who round out the Division One top 10 goal kicking ladder.
Rowville – “We have had more byes than games over the past six weeks, so for us it’s about maintaining momentum and working on a few decision-making aspects of the game,” Rowville Coach Leann Gill said. “We look forward to playing fourth placed team Beaconsfield who are historically a very strong team and will have to play our best footy to come away in front on the scoreboard.”
Tip: Rowville
Ringwood vs Chirnside Park: The sixth placed Ringwood comes up against the fifth placed Chirnside Park at Jubilee Park. Expect a tight contest between two sides that have two wins each, only the draw from Chirnside Park is what has them ahead on the Division One ladder.
Chirnside Park – “As a team we are looking forward to the challenge against Ringwood this week, it should be a cracking game as we all fight for ladder position,” Chirnside Park Coach Dave Stewart said. “I believe both teams are evenly matched so it will make for an exciting game.”
Tip: Ringwood
North Ringwood – BYE
Division Two Women’s:
East Ringwood vs Knox: East Ringwood Reserve will host the Division Two top of the ladder clash on Saturday morning between East Ringwood and Knox. East Ringwood will head into the match with some confidence as they have the home ground advantage, but they will also need to bring their A-game for four quarters if they are any chance of defeating the might of Knox.
Knox – “The last time we played East Ringwood we jumped them early, but they won the second half,” Knox Coach PJ said. “On top of that, their recent results have been very good, and they are second on the ladder, therefore we are expecting a tough, close game.”
East Ringwood – “Since playing Knox last time, we’ve been itching for another crack at the top-dogs,” East Ringwood Coach Adrian Fittolani said. “Our recent results have been encouraging, but we won’t get a better test than this, to see where we’re really at.”
Tip: Knox
Surrey Park vs Heathmont: Surrey Park faces Heathmont at Surrey Park Reserve. Surrey Park will make sure they bring their best, as they know a win on Saturday could help them to climb to second on the Division Two ladder depending on if other results over the weekend go their way.
Tip: Surrey Park
Kilsyth vs Montrose: Montrose treks to Pinks Reserve to play Kilsyth. Montrose has one win this season and Kilsyth has three wins. Both teams will be keen to get on the winners list after the bye and have a positive start to the last part of the season. Do not be surprised if this match goes down to wire.
Kilsyth – “After a week off the girls are rested and ready to go,” Kilsyth Coach Clint Martin said. “We’re at home this week playing a night game. The girls are keen to put their previous games behind them and be ultra-competitive against an improving Montrose side.”
Montrose – “Surrey Park definitely came out to play,” Montrose Coach Shilette Baker said. “They kept their space well and capitalised on their inside 50s. Unfortunately, we lost multiple players very early in the game and well before half time were down four players – losing one for the season.
“We’ve got five games to go and need to finish on some more positive notes – be a bit more competitive and just finish off at our forward end. We’ve seen some big improvements from players and are still happy with our development this year. Looking forward to playing the twilight at Kilsyth this weekend for a good hit out.”
Tip: Kilsyth
Division Three Women’s:
Coldstream vs FairPark: Coldstream takes on FairPark at Coldstream Reserve. Coldstream are currently third on the ladder and will be heavy favourites this weekend to secure their sixth win of the season. But do not be surprised if FairPark pull of the victory, because they have two forwards that are 11th and 12th on the Division Three goal kicking leader board including Nicole Crivellaro (six goals) and Casey Bartlett (five goals).
Coldstream – “This week going to be an important game for us,” Coldstream Coach Ben said. “It will set us up for the rest of the season. Coming off the bye, the girls will need to be switched on against FairPark. We have a full-strength side this week which is great for the coaches. I’m really excited to see what the girls bring, as they have been really putting in the effort at training!”
Tip: Coldstream
Mooroolbark vs Nunawading: Nunawading travels to Heights Reserve to play Mooroolbark. Wins have been hard to come by for both teams with Mooroolbark only securing one victory so far this season and Nunawading three wins. The average winning margin for Nunawading is 24.3 and their biggest win this season was 31 points. If Mooroolbark are any chance of winning on Saturday, they will need to ensure that they stand tall and strong defensively.
Mooroolbark – “A wonderful reward for effort with the clubs first Senior women’s victory last game,” Mooroolbark Coach Dom Ciancio said. “No time for complacency though with this week’s game promising to be an extremely tough encounter with a fast improving team in Nunawading. We will reset and take on this challenge like we have all the others so far. We are still very much in the development phase, and we would be silly to get too far ahead of ourselves.”
Tip: Nunawading
Mitcham vs Croydon North MLOC: The fourth placed Mitcham hosts the ladder leaders Croydon North MLOC at Walker Park. Croydon North MLOC will be determined to come away with their eighth win of the season so they can go four points clear of the second placed East Burwood, who have the bye this weekend. To stop Croydon North MLOC from winning, Mitcham will need put a halt to the scoring impact of forward duo Gabriella Zappia (34 goals – Division Three goal kicking leader) and April Jeeves (26 goals – second on the Division Three goal kicking ladder).
Croydon North MLOC – “We have been playing very consistent footy for a month now. Mitcham are a very competitive unit and work hard for each other, but if we play our consistent hard at the ball game, we should overcome them.” – John Hayhurst
Tip: Croydon North MLOC
East Burwood – BYE
Division Four Women’s:
The Basin Green vs Vermont Gold: The Basin Green tackles the ladder leaders Vermont Gold at Batterham Reserve under Friday night lights. Vermont Gold have shown all season that they are one of the premier teams in Division Four along with the Eastern Devils Black. The Basin Green know that it will take their best to secure their fifth win this season and hand Vermont Gold their second loss of the season. The Basin Green will have the confidence that they can topple the ladder leaders due to their home ground advantage.
The Basin Green – “The girls are incredibly excited to be playing under Friday night lights at Batterham this week,” The Basin Green Coach Kirsty McConnell said. “We’ve met Vermont twice already so far and, on both occasions, we’ve been able to take onboard some strong learnings and make big improvements within our own game to better ourselves. This week will be no different as we look to continue our growth as a group and implement further structures in multiple areas across the ground.”
Vermont Gold – “The Development team is excited about playing The Basin on Friday night under lights, and we are looking forward to the challenge,” Vermont Gold Coach Brett Munyard said.
Tip: The Basin Green
South Croydon Red vs Boronia Gold: South Croydon Red comes up against Boronia Gold at Cheong Park. South Croydon Red will be eyeing their fifth victory of the season in front of their home faithful and some breathing space from the fourth placed The Basin Green, who share the same number of wins.
Boronia Gold – “Ready to be back playing footy,” Boronia Gold Coach Candyce Wright said. “No doubt our team will fight it out to the last siren and give it their all this week.”
Tip: South Croydon Red
Eastern Devils Black vs SBL Wolves Teal: The second placed Eastern Devils Black clashes with SBL Wolves Teal at Mulgrave Reserve in what is a double header of Eastern Devils women’s football at Mulgrave Reserve. Eastern Devils Black know they need to secure the win if they want to keep in touch with the top of the ladder Vermont Gold. Eastern Devils Black will be able to do so if forward duo Kelsey Reade (11 goals) and Nicole Price (nine goals) have big scoring impacts in this weekend’s match. SBL Wolves also have plenty on the line, as a win could move them to third on the Division Four ladder or equal third dependent on other Division Four results.
Tip: Eastern Devils Black