Can you believe it, we only have three rounds left in the home and away EFNL Women’s footy season? To get up to date, read Tash Gunawardana’s Weekend Preview
Premier Division:
Mount Evelyn vs South Croydon: It is the second and third placed matchup between Mount Evelyn and South Croydon at the Mount Evelyn Reserve. Both teams share the equal amount of wins of seven wins apiece, so expect a mouth-watering contest between two sides pushing to move outright second on the Premier Division women’s ladder and be the second-best team in the division. South Croydon has the third best forward in the Premier Division with Taylah Black who has kicked 28 goals this season and they have plenty more goals with Katie Shanahan, Jaimee Field, and Tanikka Martin. If Mount Evelyn do not bring their absolute best on Saturday, then it will be a one-sided contest.
South Croydon – “Mount Evelyn are clearly one of the form sides of the competition having won their past four games and we used our ‘get out of jail free card’ last time we played them falling over the line by a point,” South Croydon Coach Simon Hammersley said. “We’re still trying to find consistency with our form and are hoping to see more of that this weekend. It’s sure to be a good game on their home deck with the winner taking a hold of the second place ladder position.”
Tip: South Croydon
Vermont vs SBL Wolves: Vermont hosts SBL Wolves at the Vermont Recreation Reserve. Vermont would head into match as favourites because they have six wins and SBL Wolves are in last place with only three wins.
Vermont – “We’re coming off a couple of losses and will be keen to try and get over SBL this week,” Vermont Coach Tim DaSilveria said.
Tip: Vermont
Eastern Devils vs Boronia: Eastern Devils clashes with Boronia at Mulgrave Reserve in what is the only Premier and Premier B crossover match of round 12. It shapes up to be a good spectacle of women’s footy because the Eastern Devils are the Premier Women Division ladder leaders and Boronia are fourth on the Premier B division ladder. Boronia will need to bring their A-game if they are any chance of toppling the might of Eastern Devils, as the Eastern Devils have only dropped one match all season.
Boronia – “Always good to come up against the best in the competition,” Boronia Coach Scott Nicholas said. “We played Eastern Devils in a practice match, and they were very impressive. We’re excited to show them how much we’ve grown since then!”
Tip: Eastern Devils
Premier B:
Whitehorse vs The Basin: Whitehorse comes up against The Basin at Springfield Park. It looks on paper like it will be a high-quality contest between the second placed Whitehorse and the third placed The Basin. Whitehorse have first spot up for grabs, and if they win over The Basin and other results got their way, they could take first spot from Donvale. The Basin will try to spoil this, as they know with only three rounds left, they need to keep in touch with the top two.
The Basin – “We are a little undermanned this week with various injuries and also one of our midfielders Monica Vantilburg out under the concussion protocols,” The Basin captain Julia Baker said. “We will be looking to match up against Whitehorse for height and hope to keep the ball out of the air, where they play their best footy.”
Tip: Whitehorse
Donvale vs Ferntree Gully: Donvale faces Ferntree Gully at Donvale Reserve. Donvale currently sit atop of the Premier B ladder and Ferntree Gully bottom of the ladder with no wins. All Ferntree Gully will be looking to achieve out of this match will be pride and Donvale know that they need to keep sending a message to the rest of the division that they are still the team to beat nearing finals time.
Donvale – “We had another strong win against quality opposition last week,” Donvale Coach Stephen Latino said. “Wanting to cement out spot in the top two this week and will be coming out raring to go.”
Tip: Donvale
Division One:
Park Orchards vs Ringwood: Park Orchards will be eyeing off their ninth win of the season when they take on Ringwood at Domeney Reserve. Ringwood will be hopeful key forward Georgia Fairbairn has her kicking boots on, as she has scored 19 goals so far this season. Park Orchards has plenty of scoring sources of their own including Alannah Boell, Mia McAuliffe, Georgie Searle and Monique Trusler. So, Ringwood’s defence will need to stand strong and tall defensively if they are any chance of causing an upset.
Tip: Park Orchards
Rowville vs Chirnside Park: The undefeated ladder leaders Rowville tackles the fifth placed Chirnside Park at Seebeck Oval. Chirnside Park will need to play four quarters of hard uncompromising football if they are any chance of handing Rowville their first loss of the season. It is a tough task especially on Rowville’s home deck.
Rowville – “Our first-round match with Chirnside Park was a tough encounter and the scoreboard certainly didn’t reflect the contest,” Rowville Coach Leann Gill said. “With them in the hunt for finals berth I expect this game to be even tougher than round one.”
Tip: Rowville
Blackburn vs North Ringwood: Morton Park hosts the clash between Blackburn and North Ringwood. Blackburn will hope that in front of their home faithful that they can pull off their first win of the season.
Blackburn – “We continue to set our sights on improvements within our own game execution,” Blackburn Coach Jules Hay said. “We’re already building towards our 2023 campaign, so just looking forward to getting another game under the belts of the young squad and starting the 2023 pre-season! There’s been lots to learn this season out on the field, but we’ve worked hard on our culture. I’m a firm believer of ‘build it and they will come.’ Our squad has remained super positive and has continued to develop every week.”
Tip: North Ringwood
Beaconsfield – BYE
Division Two:
Heathmont vs Knox: Heathmont takes on the first placed Knox at HE Parker Reserve. Knox have only loss one match all season and Heathmont will need to play their very best footy up against a formidable opponent.
Knox – “Last Thursday night was a great event for the Women’s program at Knox, we had a big crowd, big win and hit 100 points for the first time,” Knox Coach PJ said. “Well done to Montrose for having a real crack despite being low on numbers. This week we have Heathmont at Heathmont, which is always a danger game, but I’m expecting our girls to be doing their best as always.”
Tip: Knox
Kilsyth vs Surrey Park: Surrey Park travels to Pinks Reserve to play Kilsyth. On Saturday, Kilsyth will be in search of their sixth win of the season and try to move to equal third with Surrey Park.
Kilsyth – “We face Surrey at home this week,” Kilsyth Coach Clint Martin said. “Looking forward to another competitive game. The girls are playing some good footy especially around the stoppages. We need to be mindful that Surrey can score heavily so our backs will be busy. Should be a great game.”
Tip: Surrey Park
Montrose vs East Ringwood: Montrose clashes with East Ringwood at the Montrose Recreation Reserve. East Ringwood are currently second on the ladder and a win over Montrose will draw them within one game away from Knox if other results go their way. East Ringwood have shown all season that they are a strong and high-quality side especially with three forwards in the top five on the Division Two leading goal kickers list including Nicola Davidson (18 goals), Hayley Thompson (14 goals) and Stephanie McNamara (12 goals).
Montrose – “Playing Knox last Thursday was a massive challenge – undermanned and up against it regardless of the score, we were proud of the performance and teamwork we displayed for the night. It was great to play under lights and support Knox with their whole club watching. Another challenge playing an excellent team – East Ringwood. We unfortunately go in with lower numbers than we’d like, but we’ll be looking at trying to play tight and win the footy a bit ourselves and reduce their high scoring impact.”
Tip: East Ringwood
Division Three:
Fairpark vs Mitcham: Fairpark and Mitcham play each other at Fairpark Reserve. Mitcham will be on the quest to get their fifth win of the season, so they can stay fourth on the ladder.
Tip: Mitcham
Nunawading vs East Burwood: East Burwood travels to Koonung Reserve to tackle Nunawading on Saturday morning. East Burwood are second and will be hoping they can go equal atop of the ladder with Croydon North MLOC this weekend.
Tip: East Burwood
Mooroolbark vs Croydon North MLOC: The first placed Croydon North MLOC clashes with the last placed Mooroolbark at Heights Reserve. Croydon North MLOC has nine wins and Mooroolbark has one win.
Mooroolbark – “Last week’s game against East Burwood confirmed a few more things about the playing group here at Mooroolbark,” Mooroolbark Coach Domenic Ciancio said. “They are continually exceeding my expectations and every week we learn a little more about how we want to play our footy and how we want to be perceived by our peers. Our challenges continue this week against the benchmark of the competition. We are so excited at the challenge ahead. Regardless of the outcome I know one thing for sure. These ladies will give everything on Saturday no matter what.”
Coldstream – BYE
Division Four:
SBL Wolves Teal vs Vermont Gold: SBL Wolves plays Vermont Gold at the Vermont Recreation Reserve. Vermont Gold is second on the ladder and will be heavy favourites in the match as they search for their eighth win of the season.
Vermont Gold – “With most of the team now available for Saturday’s game against SBL, we are looking forward to seeing where we are as a team, over the next few weeks,” Vermont Gold Coach Brett Munyard said.
Tip: Vermont Gold
South Croydon Red vs Boronia Gold: South Croydon Red clashes with Boronia Gold at Cheong Park. South Croydon Red are currently third in Division Four and they will be keen to secure their sixth win of the season and keep in touching distance of the second placed Vermont Gold especially with finals on the horizon. Boronia Gold will just be looking to notch up their first win of the season and gain a bit of pride and confidence in the remaining matches of the season.
Tip: South Croydon Red
Eastern Devils Black vs The Basin Green: It is the top four clash between the top of the table Eastern Devils and the fourth placed The Basin Green at the Mulgrave Reserve on Saturday morning. The Basin Green will be looking for a big game from current Division Four goal kicking leader Patricia Boxell (17 goals) and hope other players can present as forward options so they can try and defeat the Eastern Devils Black.
The Basin Green – “We are keen to attack the footy early this week, with a similar style to when we faced the Devils a few rounds ago,” The Basin Green Coach Kirsty McConnell said. “We hope to work on carrying that momentum through the entire game, ensuring we break through and find that gut running mentality as we work towards the end of the season.”
Tip: Eastern Devils Black
