By Tash Gunawardana
To help get you pumped for the second round of women’s football, the second women’s preview has dropped.
Premier Division:
Chirnside Park: In round one, reigning premier Chirnside Park kickstarted their season and showed why they will be hard to beat again this season after downing Whitehorse Suns easily in the Grand Final rematch. From their round one performance, we can see that Chirnside are still hungry for more success in 2021 and each team that comes up against them will need to play their best football for four quarters to stand a chance of defeating such a well drilled team.
Inside Word: It was a big day at home for Chirnside with a whole club memorial for club legend Alan Cousins and Emma Robson (50 senior game milestone) and the unveiling of the senior women’s 2019 premiership flag. The Chirnside women’s teams were run out on Kimberley Reserve to open their 2021 season.
“At 2:30pm, the senior ladies (we) came head-to-head with a grand final rematch against Whitehorse Suns,” team stalwart Carly Robson said. “The Chirny girls were ready to make an impact from the first bounce and were ecstatic to walk away with a 61-point win. Both teams (Chirnside Premier and Division 3 women’s teams) have been keeping the momentum from the weekend braving the rain and wind on the training track eager to take on Vermont.”
Donvale Black: Donvale Black did not have the start to the season they would have hoped in round one with a 46-point demolition from Blackburn Black. They will have their work cut out for them in round two when they clash with Whitehorse due to their injury issues.
Inside Word: “We’re a bit battered and bruised coming off a horror run of injuries in the space of three hours on Saturday,” senior coach Alan Chung said. “We know of the great contest and talent that the Suns provide and will have to do the simple stuff better and more often. Get our hands on the ball from the get-go and outmuscle in all the contests. We’re a really balanced team and will require our best efforts on every line to control the momentum.”
Blackburn Black: Blackburn Black will be hoping to remain undefeated when they come up against South Croydon Blue on Anzac Day. It is a big day for Blackburn Black and South Croydon Blue to be part of the standalone Premier women’s Anzac Day clash and expect both teams to honour the day in the best way they know possible by putting on a great spectacle of women’s football.
Inside Word: “This will be a hard-fought game against opponents who have like ourselves, steadily climbed the divisions from where we first met them in Division two in 2018,” Blackburn Black Premier women’s coach Leann Gill said. “In what will be an amazing day for both clubs, with six senior teams all playing at Morton, I’m sure both teams will be keen to display the best of women’s football. Looking forward to the day and the challenge.”
South Croydon Blue: South Croydon Blue will look to get back on the winners list after they went down by a point in an enthralling round one encounter to Vermont.
Inside Word: “Really looking forward to round two with both women’s teams having the privilege of playing on Anzac Day at Blackburn,” senior coach Simon Hammersley said. “It will be a massive day of local footy with six games between the two clubs and should be two competitive women’s games. Round one was a fantastic day for the club and the women’s program which debuted 21 new players across the two teams. The Premier team met a well-seasoned opponent in Vermont and stepped up to the higher speed and intensity of the game really well in a very even contest.”
Vermont: Vermont coach Tim DaSilveria was impressed with how his team’s one point triumph in round one over South Croydon. “I was really proud of how our girls held on, with virtually no fuel left in the tank, but equally impressed with the doggies in their first game up. Happy to take the four points.”
Inside Word: “Round two will be a big test for us against the reigning Premiers Chirnside Park are a good side who are well drilled and structure well,” Vermont coach Tim DaSilveria said. “Whilst injuries aren’t helping us at the moment, we’re really looking forward to seeing where we are at against Chirnside.
Whitehorse Suns: After a disappointing loss to Chirnside Park, Whitehorse will hope they can get on the board in 2021 when they face another top team in Donvale.
Inside Word: “Played a tough opponent in Chirnside Park who got over us convincingly,” Whitehorse captain Ciara Knight said. “Looking forward to getting into them again in four weeks’ time. “Playing Donvale this weekend who have always been a formidable opponent, and hopefully chasing the four points against them.”
Division One:
Berwick: You would not have known on the weekend from the way Berwick played that they had a decade break away from women’s football.
Inside Word: “We’re really excited about the challenge ahead on the weekend,” Berwick coach Matt De Poilly said. “Playing against Rowville, coming off a premiership gives us another opportunity to play against a quality Division one opponent. This allows us to gauge where we are at as a team. Last week was a fantastic win for us as a team, but even more as a club after so much hard work was put in by so many people to get women’s footy back to Berwick. We played well for all four quarters, our mids had the luxury of three bench rotations which allowed them to run all day. Our forwards presented well and were rewarded, and our backs were solid after conceding the first goal.”
SBL Wolves: SBL Wolves had a reality check in round one going down to newcomers Berwick by 30-points. If they hope to challenge for the premiership this season, they will need to hope they can bounce back against fellow winless side Boronia Brown.
Inside Word : “This week facing Boronia, will be no easy task as I believe there is not an easy game in Div 1.With a couple of valuable ins this week, the focus will be on track as it will need to be.” Simon Meaghan SBL Coach.
North Ringwood: In round one, North Ringwood came up against a talented young side in Park Orchards in the grand final rematch of Division One. It was a tight tussle with the lead changing hands many times throughout and coach Julian Hansen was proud of his team of how they managed to kick away in the final term and it was good to see how his side will fare in Division One.
Inside Word: “I see that FTG won its round one fixture as well so we expect another tough game,” Hansen said. “To be honest we anticipate all games to be tough which is great, but we expect to be competitive. Our list has grown which now gives us depth. We have a good blend of younger and experienced players complimented with quality new players that joined us from other clubs.”
Park Orchards: It was not the start that Park Orchards were after in round one as they were defeated by 26-points by North Ringwood after they kicked away in the last. Park Orchards will hope they can even the ledger at 1-1 in round two when they face East Ringwood in the opening round two clash at 10:30am from East Ringwood Reserve. Park Orchards will know that East Ringwood will come out strong and prove that they belong in Division One after they were left scoreless and went down by 131-points.
The Basin: Wow, the Basin had the best possible start they hoped for kicking 18 goals and 23 behinds and now they are ladder leaders with the bye in round two.
Inside Word: “Well, we definitely didn’t expect that kind of result in round one,” The Basin Senior Women’s Coach Mat Bailey said. “We have been really putting in the hard yards at training for such a long time without playing a game. And it’s easy to miss the progress being made. Well round one really showed us what were capable of as a side. There were a lot of fears and doubts that came with such a new group and players that I really didn’t know from a bar of soap, but we as a coaching panel were so excited to see them all gel like that.”
East Ringwood: In round one, East Ringwood were taught a 131-point lesson by the Basin. East Ringwood will look to get their season back on track on their home deck against Park Orchards on Saturday. With both East Ringwood and Park Orchards vying for their first win of the season, expect this match to be great viewing of women’s football.
Boronia Brown: Boronia Brown will be in search of their first victory in 2021 against SBL Wolves as they travel to Belgrave South Recreation Reserve, after they were outgunned by Ferntree Gully in the Love Me Love You Cup to raise awareness for mental health.
Inside Word: “South Belgrave will be a tough contest after making the Grand Final in 2019,” Boronia Senior Women’s Coach Scott Nicholas said. “Welcome back Sheridan Faull after moving home from London, and congratulations to Senior debutant Ali Gottliebsen.”
Ferntree Gully: A 32-point win for Ferntree Gully over Boronia Brown and in round two they will hope they can pull of their second consecutive victory in Division One when they play North Ringwood. It is a bit of the unknown for both Ferntree Gully and North Ringwood, as neither of the teams have played each other before.
Inside Word: “Playing a side we’ve never played before but they’re coming off a premiership in 2019 and a handy round one win, so we know they’ll be a strong challenge,” senior coach Tim Cavanagh said. “We’ve got a few handy players out from round one, but it just creates more opportunities for other girls to step up, everyone has a role to play. If we start this week how we finished last week’s game, we’ll give ourselves every chance of taking home the four points.”
Rowville: Following their premiership glory in Deakin University Senior Women’s South Division, Rowville are excited and hungry for more success after a long layoff. After a bye in round one, they will commence their season in round two.
Inside Word: Rowville women’s coach Sean Alston said, “we’ve recruited some new talented players who have fitted into our culture beautifully.” After an 18 month wait, Rowville will play their first home game in round two. “We’re very excited to unfurl our premiership flag in round two after such a long wait,” Alston said. With Rowville working on constant improvement after being the 2019 premier, expect them to be vying for finals once again and the team to beat in the Division One competition.
Division Two:
Ringwood: Ringwood were on song in round one defeating Montrose to tune of 60-points at Jubilee Park. In round two, Ringwood will clash with Heathmont. Expect both teams to leave nothing left in the tank in this second and third place clash at Heathmont.
Inside Word: “Round one went really well for us, we were impressed with the girls’ efforts and the skill level, it was awesome for the club to come away with a win our first ever game,” Women’s Football Coordinator Zoe Price said. “While the scoreboard may not reflect it, Montrose were very competitive considering they didn’t have the rotation on the bench, it was clear they’d all been playing football for a while. This week we’re lining up against Heathmont and it’s still all a little unknown, but we are coming in excited and keen for another win.”
Heathmont: In the opening round, Heathmont felt excited but apprehensive about their first match against a strong team in Surrey Park. As a new team Heathmont did not know how they would go but they showed Surrey and the rest of the competition that they belong in Division Two with their eight-point victory.
Inside Word: “This week we meet Ringwood at home,” Heathmont Senior Women’s Coach John Haynes continued. “This is a big weekend for the Heathmont Football and Netball Club with the Men’s Senior team and Netballers playing on Friday night at our new and improved facilities at the Hangar! We play on Saturday afternoon and we are looking forward to the challenge that Ringwood will present us. We need to play our best football to be competitive this weekend, but we are up for the test. Our girls work well as a team and their skills are improving week by week. No matter what the score or the outcome, the Heathmont women’s team will not give up and will play the whole game out. That is why Kane (assistant coach) and I are proud to coach these wonderful women.”
Knox: Knox will look to kick more than a behind when they come up against fellow winless team Montrose in round two. It was a round one result that Knox hopes is not repeated for the rest of the season. Expect Knox to come out determined in round two as they try to avoid going winless from the opening two rounds.
Inside Word: “I was really impressed with how we went v Kilsyth in round one considering we had only 14 players for the majority of the game,” senior coach PJ Jordan said. “Our effort was first rate which included our tackling, and we were only 10 points down at three quarter time, but we tired in the last quarter conceding a few goals. We’re excited for this week vs Montrose as we are playing on our main oval at 2pm as the men are playing after us in a night game. Hoping for 16+ players this week and if we play like last week, I expect us to be in the game once again.”
Montrose: After a 60-point thumping in round one, Montrose will try to bounce back over fellow round one struggler Knox. Senior women’s coach Peter Weston said “although undermanned on the day (or should I say under-womaned with no bench at all, all day), the ladies put in a fantastic effort still competing as hard for the ball in the last quarter as they were in the first. I cannot recall being prouder of a team after a seven goal loss as I was last Saturday.”
Inside Word: “This week we travel to Knox to take on their senior women’s group at 2pm,” Weston continued. “The team has been struggling with numbers all pre-season, but we have been able to recruit four new players this week which has been great. Our ladies are all super excited to see what we can achieve with a full team and a couple on the bench (as is the coach).”
Surrey Park: After a competitive eight-point defeat last week, Surrey Park are determined to move on quickly by taking the four points home in round two over Kilsyth in their first home game at Surrey Park Reserve. Club Communications Manager Grace Sketcher said, “the night game did increase the slippery conditions and certainly made for many contests and ground ball play.”
Inside Word: “Our defensive pressure in the centre and backline is promising so we’re hoping that plays to our advantage against Kilsyth this week who snuck away with quite a few scoring opportunities last week,” Sketcher said. “Hopefully we can also slot more than one through the big sticks this week.”
Division Three:
Chirnside Park Gold: Chirnside Park’s second team was in fine form in round one with a massive 62-point statement victory over Coldstream at Kimberley Reserve.
Coldstream: It was a bruising clash for Coldstream’s inaugural women’s side, as they only scored one point for the whole match in their 62-point loss at the hands of Chirnside Park Gold. Yes, it was a disappointing start to the women’s campaign at Coldstream but expect them to bounce back hard in round two with experienced coach Glen Murray in charge. In round two, Coldstream will look to make history and register their first-ever women’s football win when they come up against Boronia Gold.
Croydon North MLOC: Round one was a hard round for Croydon North MLOC from the onset, as they had only 16 players available for the game and no interchange and no rotations for four quarters. In round one, senior coach John Hayhurst said that “my assistant coach Ken Hayhurst and I learnt a lot about our 16 players and their skills under the intensity of match day.”
Inside Word: “We have seven players unavailable this week V Chirnside Park,” Hayhurst said. “So limited bench again, Ken and I believe we might be able to get a few wins on the board this season. The first two games this season are grading games for all divisions and from round three the divisions will be finalised and away we go.”
Boronia Gold: After a sub-standard result in their opening round clash going down to Fair Park by 56-points, Boronia Gold will hope to turnaround their fortunes when they face Coldstream in round two. Boronia Gold were happy with huge improvement in a short amount of time in their first round such as improved ball movement and pressure reduced the opposition scoring shots from 25-17 in three weeks with more players stepping up with on field leadership.
Inside Word: “Looking forward to playing new club Coldstream,” Another strong week on the track with some more experienced players coming into the side. Congratulations to Anna Moulday playing her first game in brown and gold.” Scott Nicholas said.
FairPark: It was the perfect start to FairPark inaugural women’s football team with a massive 56-point win over Boronia Gold. FairPark showed in round one, they do not lack composure and drive. Every other team in the competition should know to expect for a hard-fought contest for four quarters. As senior women’s coach Simon Aloi said what “they lack in experience, they have in spirit, work ethic, and where they have come in a few short months to not being able to kick straight to winning a game by 10 goals, is a testament to the hard work they continue to put in.”
Inside Word: “Our round two opponent Donvale, I must admit I don’t know a whole lot about, but I see of all teams that lost, their game was the closest,” Aloi said. “Having a said that has about three to four players who have actually even played football before you just want them to come in with the mentality that each side is better than the next so they stay hungry to improve, and with a bit of luck we can get over the line against Donvale also.”
Blackburn Red: In round one, Blackburn Red were made to earn it against Donvale Green overcoming them by three points at Donvale Reserve. Blackburn Red will take a lot of confidence out of their opening round clash into round two and who knows they might be able to go undefeated.
South Croydon Red: South Croydon Red were able to get their season off on the right track against Croydon North MLOC.
Inside Word: “Round one started off very well with a convincing team performance,” senior coach Declan Bourke continued. “Using our run and carry we were able to get the win over a very physical opposition. It is a privilege to be playing on Anzac Day, and we are looking forward to the challenge against a strong team.”
