Demons fire in decider

DOWN IN HISTORY: South Gambier claimed the inaugural South East Women’s Football League premiership after accounting for Millicent in the grand final clash on Sunday at Vansittart Park. Picture: JAMES MURPHY

SOUTH Gambier made history at Vansittart Park on the weekend, as the Demons were crowned the inaugural South East Women’s Football League premiers.

Up against Millicent in Sunday’s grand final clash, South was the favourite for the honours, undefeated in the minor rounds.

The Demons started strong with a goal and a minor score in the opening term, with Kendell Saffin bagging the first major for her team to see it lead by seven points at quarter time.

With the Saints left scoreless for the term, they pushed hard in the second to try and find a foothold in the game.

However, Millicent was only able to record a minor score before half time, while the Demons replicated their first-quarter tally, with Jasmine White claiming her first goal for the match.

A 13-point margin was extended to 15 after the long break, as South scored two minors, while holding the Saints scoreless in the third term.

Millicent was not about to go down without a fight, as it recorded a major and a minor to narrow the scoreline in the final quarter, but South was able to answer for both of those scores.

White was in impressive form and bagged her second goal for the day early in the fourth, while her marking and work around the ball was a fine display of her well-developed skills.

But it was Tess Clark who took out the best-on-ground honours for the Demons, with her presence once again invaluable to the side.

Her work around the ground was vital in moving the ball forward and her pace was something the Saints’ midfielders struggled against.

Paris Ackland was also quick on her feet for the Demons, while Leyna Bruggemann and Charlene Riley were solid in defence and provided strong hands for the team.

For Millicent, Olivia Fuller was a standout, as she held her own in the ruck and contested marks.

Emma Laucirica was also dominant on the field with strong marks and accurate kicks.

This was complemented by some solid work from Carly Knaggs and Jenna Brown, who were not afraid to tackle.

However, despite these valiant efforts South proved too polished for the Saints and they had to settle for the runner-up position.

When asked if he was happy with how his team performed on Sunday, South Gambier coach Chris Edmonds responded with pride.

“I’m happy with the whole season, it’s been absolutely fantastic and I’m really proud of them,” he said.

With the Saints demonstrating themselves as a capable side this year, Edmonds said they had some key strengths which South needed to account for during the game.

“All of the sides have improved a lot, but Millicent have always been really strong with their marking and are probably the best kicking side in the competition,” he said.

“We knew we had to stop their run-on play and so our tackling and our ability to fight the ball in the contest was really important.”

Edmonds said in the lead up to the game the Demons had their focus set on one skill in particular and how the team exhibited this on game-day was an influential factor in the result.

“The last two weeks we practised and practised our chest marking, because we knew it was our biggest weakness – the ball just kept turning over,” he said.

“But we were taking most of our marks Sunday and that was a big difference.”

Finding it hard to narrow down his best players on the day, Edmonds said he was impressed by the efforts of the entire team, but he mentioned a few he thought were exceptional.

“We had Tess Clark and I like our back-line – Misty Dalton and Kaylene Nuske – and Jasmine White was outstanding,” he said.

When questioned about how many players he expected to return to compete next season, Edmonds said he knew one thing was for certain.

“Whoever sticks around will be a Southy,” he said.

“They’re not going to another club, they’re absolutely smashing it.”

In reflection of the season, Edmonds praised the opportunity for women’s football in the Lower South East with enthusiasm.

“It took me about three or four weeks to get into the swing of it, but it’s really exciting,” he said.

“They are really keen and this has a great future ahead of it.

“I’d encourage any young girl who wants to get out and have a go, to pick a club and come out next year.”

In other games, the consolation final between East and West Gambier saw the Bulldogs secure the win and the associated third place finish for the 2017 season.

With a final score of 3.3-21 to 1.8-14, accuracy proved to be the bane of the Roos, as Lesley MacDonald scored the only major for her team.

East on the other-hand, was led by Breanna Forster on the scoreboard, who bagged two majors, while Kiara Beck claimed a single, along with the best-on-ground honours.

The first game of the day saw North Gambier and the All Stars battle it out for the wooden spoon, where the latter accounted for the Tigers 1.4-10 to 1.2-8.

UNDER PRESSURE: Millicent’s Jenna Brown and South Gambier’s Jasmine White both played solid games for their teams as they went head-to-head in Sunday’s South East Women’s Football grand final. Picture: JAMES MURPHY