By Tash Gunawardana
Round two was a special Anzac round and those teams that played on Anzac Day gave the day the justice and honour it rightly deserves. After round two we know that Chirnside Park will be hard to overcome again in Premier and Division Three, as both teams remain undefeated at 2-0.
Premier Division:
With the opening two rounds done and dusted, only two teams (Chirnside Park Black and Blackburn Black) sit equal first in Premier Division. Vermont would be reeling from a missed opportunity after they led for the opening three quarters and looked headed for an impressive victory, but Chirnside Park Black flicked the switch in the last and came from behind to win. Whitehorse was handed another heavy loss this time at the hands of Donvale Black and the margin in the standalone Anzac Day clash was less than 10 points all match.
Vermont vs Chirnside Black:
A late onslaught from Chirnside Park Black powered them to a 22-point victory over a Vermont side that were stopped in their tracks in the final term at Vermont Recreation Reserve. Vermont held onto the lead at every change and looked like they were on the verge of upsetting the reigning premiers, but it was not meant to be as the class of Chirnside Park Black rose to the top. They controlled the whole last quarter and made Vermont look lacklustre on their way to recording their second consecutive win. Chirnside Park Black’s Jessica Provan registered three goals in a fine display up forward and was her sides BOG. Meanwhile for Vermont Evie Allman (two goals) and Tennille Nash (two goals) combined with four majors and Holly Cullen was Vermont’s BOG.
Whitehorse Suns vs Donvale Black:
A disappointing result for the Whitehorse Suns with a 37-point loss to Donvale Black at Springfield Park. Donvale Black were in charge of the match from the onset, as they scored the only three goals of the opening quarter. Whitehorse came out with fight in the second scoring two goals and winning the quarter as Donvale only managed a goal and Whitehorse narrowed the margin to two goals. They were unable to continue this in the third quarter, as Donvale fired three goals to one to go into the final change with a strong 25-point advantage. Whitehorse looked second rate in the second half, as Donvale piled on another three goals in the last. For the Whitehorse Suns, the always reliable Isabella Gietzmann kicked truly for three goals and Brianna Holland (BOG) gave it her all. Donvale Black shared the scoring load with three players including Jasmine D’Amato, Monica Latino and Alexandra Jaksic contributing two goals each.
Blackburn Black vs South Croydon Blue:
In the standalone Anzac Day match, Blackburn Black were made to earn their 10-point win over South Croydon Blue at Morton Park. Both teams left nothing in the tank in a memorable Anzac Day clash, as South Croydon Blue kept on coming at Blackburn Black all match and were within a point at the main break. It was such a tight contest and South Croydon Blue put a halt to Blackburn Black’s high scoring only allowing them to kick a goal in each of the quarters following the first. South Croydon Blue’s Katie Prendergast (best on ground for her side) was in the thick of it again kicking three goals and from the opening two rounds she has five goals.
Division One:
The second round of Division One women’s football showed us that newcomers Berwick will take some beating in 2021 after recording another impressive 16-point win over quality opposition and reigning premier Rowville. Berwick and Ferntree Gully are equal ladder leaders with The Basin (bye). Meanwhile, East Ringwood linger at the bottom winless with a poor percentage of 11.24.
East Ringwood vs Park Orchards:
Park Orchards bounced back after their opening round loss running out 27-point victors over East Ringwood at East Ringwood Reserve. After a poor performance from their opening round match, East Ringwood were out to prove that they belonged in Division One and in the first quarter they were only down by three points at quarter time. But after quarter time Park Orchards stepped up the intensity and East Ringwood had no answers. Park Orchards scored the next five out of seven goals in the match. Isabella Pollock was the best on ground starring up forward for Park Orchards slotting through three goals and she now has five goals in her season tally. Meanwhile Stephanie McNamara, Dahlia Ali and Aimee Atkins contributed a goal apiece in a tough afternoon for East Ringwood.
North Ringwood vs Ferntree Gully:
Ferntree Gully came up with the goods by 17-points over North Ringwood. The third and fourth spot clash from Quambee Reserve was a tight encounter and Ferntree Gully had their noses in front all match. It was probably North Ringwood’s saving grace that Ferntree Gully were inaccurate with their goal kicking registering six goals and 18 behinds. Ferntree Gully’s Abbey Broughan was her side’s only multiple goal kicker with two goals and teammate Errin Naylor was adjudged best afield. North Ringwood had five individual goal scorers including Carli Forbes, Melissa Gilmore, Kylie-Ann Rule, Tayla Deane and Jacinta Russell. Also, Chloe Rice was North Ringwood’s best.
Rowville vs Berwick:
After a long layoff, Rowville (round one bye) played in their first match of 2021 against Berwick, Berwick showed who is boss with a confident boosting 16-point victory at Seebeck Oval. Berwick are now 2-0, a mighty start to the season considering they had 10 years away from women’s football. In what was a low scoring contest, Berwick had the answers when needed and Rowville a team that was the South Division reigning premiers, they were far from their best. For Berwick Courtney De Kroon was impressive once again like in the opening round adding another three goals to her season tally, now she has six goals to her name. Berwick’s best player was Jayde Smith.
SBL Wolves vs Boronia Brown:
Boronia Brown were back on the winners list in round two with a hard fought 10-point win over SBL Wolves at Belgrave South Recreation Reserve. Both teams found it tough to score with the most goals scored being three goals by Boronia Brown. Boronia Brown would be pleased as they have evened the ledger at 1-1. SBL Wolves would be disappointed after their promotion from South Division to Division One to have a 0-2 record to start the season. Kathleen McMahon, April Glare and Chloe Timms were Boronia Brown’s only goal kickers with a goal each, while Amanda Davidson was Boronia’s best player.
Division Two:
They were all one-sided matches in round two of Division Two. Following round two, only two teams are equal first in Kilsyth and Ringwood. Heathmont are no longer equal ladder leaders, after they lost to Ringwood by 51-points. Ringwood proved to Heathmont that they mean business this season, Knox pipped Montrose and Kilsyth were dominant keeping Surrey Park to a point for the entire match.
Heathmont vs Ringwood:
After quarter time in the top of the table clash, Ringwood put their foot on the accelerator running away with the victory by 51-points over Heathmont at HE Parker Reserve. The opening term was as tight as it can get with neither team able to register a goal and Ringwood had two behinds to Heathmont’s one behind. In the second term, Ringwood came out with flair and intent kicking three goals and eight behinds. If it was not for Ringwood’s inaccuracy, they could have had an 11 goal second quarter, so Heathmont were lucky in that instance. It took to the third quarter for Heathmont to finally break through with their first major of the match and they were able to slow down Ringwood’s scoring with Ringwood only having four scoring shots compared to the second where they had 11. In the final term, it continued to be all Ringwood (scoring two goals and four behinds) as they kept Heathmont scoreless. Ringwood’s Georgia Fairbairn, Olivia Ashcroft and Nicole Stagg were all on fire up forward with two goals each. Meanwhile, Zoe Cant was Ringwood’s best for the second straight week.
Knox vs Montrose:
It was a tough slog at Knox Gardens Reserve, with Knox registering the only goal of the match to win by three points over Montrose. The only goal came from the boot of Alana Aiello and it was enough for Knox to register their first victory of the season and to even their win loss record at 1-1.
Surrey Park vs Kilsyth:
In the match of the big cats, Kilsyth Cougars flexed their muscles at Surrey Park Reserve smashing Surrey Park Panthers by 40-points. It was tough going in the first quarter with Kilsyth managing the only goal and went into quarter time with a seven-point lead. After quarter time, Kilsyth put through the next four goals of the match to run out comprehensive winners over an uninspiring Surrey Park team that recorded a behind for the whole match. Kilsyth’s Shae Dale, Brooke Stephenson-Fuss, Olivia Adkins, Claire Wallington and Alicia Carr kicked a goal apiece.
Division Three:
The results from the second round of Division Three were all blowouts except for the last match played on Anzac Day where the result was decided by eight points between Blackburn Red and South Croydon Red.
Croydon North MLOC vs Chirnside Park Gold:
Another powerful performance from Chirnside Park Gold with an 87-point triumph over Croydon North MLOC at Hughes Park. Chirnside Park Gold jumped out of the gates with 12 goals in the opening half, scoring six goals in the first and second terms respectively. In the second half, Chirnside Park Gold continued their strong dominance kicking five majors and seven behinds. Chirnside Park Gold were also solid defensively restricting Croydon North MLOC to four goals and five behinds. It has been an impressive start to the season from Chirnside Park Gold, as they are not only undefeated, but they have only conceded four goals and six behinds and scored 26 goals for the season so far. Jessica Jeeves had a morning to remember with a five-goal haul for Chirnside Park Gold, while teammate Ella Van De Velde was adjudged best afield. Croydon North’s Gabrielle Zappia contributed three goals and was her side’s BOG.
FairPark vs Donvale Green:
A convincing display from FairPark, as they put Donvale Green to the sword by 63-points at Fairpark Reserve. It was slow going from FairPark in the scoring department, but their defensive effort was solid as they only allowed Donvale Green to register a behind from the first half. It was a different story for FairPark in the second half as they piled on eight goals after a four-goal opening half. The final term was not as high scoring from FairPark with two goals to Donvale Green’s one. Goals were hard to come by for Donvale Green with their first goal coming in the third quarter and they only managed two goals from the match. For FairPark, Libby McNay was stellar with four goals and was her side’s best. Donvale Green’s two goal scorers were Courtney Jones-Hughes and Tina Liu.
Coldstream vs Boronia Gold:
What a way to secure your first win in your debut season from Coldstream, who won by 49-points over Boronia Gold at Coldstream Reserve. It was a pleasing result from Coldstream to bounce back after a thumping loss of 62-points to Chirnside Park Black in round one. Coldstream jumped out of the blocks in the first term with four goals and they kept Boronia Gold scoreless. In the second quarter, Coldstream continued to control the contest, but they only managed a goal and Boronia Gold still were unable to trouble the scorers. It took to the third term for Boronia Gold to nail through their first and only goal of the match. In the second half, Coldstream booted through three goals as it was a better showing defensively from Boronia Gold. Coldstream’s goals came from Hannah Chappell (two goals) and Miranda Cranmer (two goals). Meanwhile, Bree Pascoe was Coldstream’s best. For Boronia Gold, Emily Cahill was her team’s only goal kicker, while Olivia Baxter was her team’s best.
Blackburn Red vs South Croydon Red:
The standalone Division Three Anzac Day clash between South Croydon Red and Blackburn Red was a belter with South Croydon Red eight-point winners at Morton Park. South Croydon Red did not have it all their own way, as Blackburn Red led by a goal at quarter time. From quarter time onwards, South Croydon Red held the advantage over Blackburn Red. In the second term, South Croydon Red widened the gap on the scoreboard to 17-points with four goals. It was a tale of two halves with South Croydon Red owning the first half and Blackburn Red controlling the second half, scoring three of the last four goals in the match. In the final term, it was any teams match for the taking, but the first half efforts from South Croydon Red were enough for them to get over the line. Blackburn Red’s Ashleigh Gleisner scored the most goals for her side with two. South Croydon Red’s Tanikka Martin was the standout forward with four majors and Laura Nelson was South Croydon’s Red best.
