FOOTBALL fans descended to Kalangadoo on Sunday when round seven of the Limestone Coast Women’s Football League was played in windy conditions.
After two split-rounds, all five matches were held on the same venue and proceedings were opened by a low-scoring contest, with a four-point win to West Gambier/Port MacDonnell over North Gambier.
Despite the slow start, goals were a more familiar sight in the remaining contests.
South Gambier continued its strong form, defeating East Gambier by 35 points and Mundulla proved too strong for Glencoe, to win by a 25-point margin.
The Penola Eagles flew past Casterton Sandford with ease, to win by 58 points and the final game of the day saw Kalangadoo struggle on home turf, to lose by 46 points to reigning premier Kybybolite.
WEST GAMBIER/PORT MACDONNELL 2.4 (16) d NORTH GAMBIER 2.0 (12)
WEST Gambier/Port MacDonnell scored its first win of the season in the bottom-of-the-ladder clash against North Gambier.
Heading into the contest, both teams have failed to get close to tasting success this season, which placed added importance on the match
The day began at a slow pace, as only eight scoring shots were produced across the four quarters.
North in particular, struggled to make an impact on the scoreboard, as they failed to score a point in the entire first half, while the Roos took advantage to score two goals.
West’s important early goals were courtesy of Ebony Lawson and Jayde Richards, which saw the Roos enjoy a 14-point lead at the main break.
However, the tables turned in the second half and it was the Roos who could not trouble the scorers in the third quarter, while North broke through to score its first goal of the game.
The Tigers continued to pile on the pressure in the final quarter, with another goal to close within two points.
But the two goals from Lorrelle Walker and Kate Payne were not enough for the Tigers, as the Roos scrambled two behinds in the closing stages to win the clash by four points.
Megan Hein was best on ground for the winning team, while Holly Smith continued her strong form and Melissa Freitag was the top Tiger.
SOUTH GAMBIER 7.7 (49) d EAST GAMBIER 2.3 (15)
SOUTH Gambier’s Kendell Saffin continued her golden goal kicking form on Sunday, with four goals in her side’s 35-point win over the Bulldogs.
Saffin’s four majors consolidated her position as the leading goal kicker and backed up her 10-goal performance last week.
The Demons dominated the first term, with five scoring shots to one, but could not land a killer blow, with just one straight kick.
South booted four goals in the second quarter to race out to a comfortable 29-point lead, while the Bulldogs landed their first major of the game, off the boot of Jemma Heraper.
The contest paused for a moment during a slow third quarter, which only saw four behinds registered, as both sides struggled to battle the windy conditions.
Despite a second East goal from Neave Delaney, South eased to victory and snatched third spot on the ladder from Millicent.
Saffin was joined by Jasmine White (2 goals) and Skye McPherson (1) to score majors for the Demons, while Lauren Frost received best-on-ground honours from Samara Telford.
Olivia Turner continued her solid form with another top performance for the Bulldogs despite the loss.
MUNDULLA 5.7 (37) d GLENCOE 2.0 (12)
MUNDULLA jumped a game clear of its rivals to tighten its grip on a top-two ladder position after a 25-point win against Glencoe.
The Murphies struggled to land a blow without scoring for the entire first half, while their opponents eased to a 24-point lead.
Amy Bruce led Mundulla’s charge with two goals, while Jenna Kennett, Tracey Poulton and Brooke Ballinger all scored a major each.
Sarah Edwards was a standout for Glencoe in the midfield and Alice Tentye’s two second-half goals gave her side some respectability.
Tessa Marra continued to be a key-player for the winning side, with her second best-on-ground performance in as many games.
She was followed by Ballinger – who went hard at the ball all day – Hailee Witmitz, Amy Bruce and Melanie Jarrett, who also impressed in the win.
PENOLA 10.6 (66) d CASTERTON SANDFORD 1.2 (8)
PENOLA rebounded from two losses, to produce the most dominant display of the day, with a crushing win over Casterton Sandford.
The 58-point, percentage-boosting victory saw the Eagles fly from eighth to sixth position on the ladder.
The Cats could not withstand the Penola pressure and failed to boot a major score until the final stages of the match when the Eagles had already advanced to a 10-goal lead.
Penola’s Shakayla Summerhayes was a force in the forward line with four goals next to her name, while Shandeen Balshaw and Amanda Wurst contributed with two majors each.
Georgia McPeake was the standout for the Cats, with her goal earning best-on-ground honours in the defeat.
Penola’s big win was an impressive way to end its minor-round season, as the Eagles will enjoy a bye before the finals in a fortnight’s time.
KYBYBOLITE 10.5 (65) d KALANGADOO 3.1 (19)
THE Kalangadoo Magpies proved no match for the 2018 premiership side Kybybolite, despite enjoying the home ground advantage.
The northern Tigers continued their dominant campaign with another superior four-quarter display.
Hayley Sellars has been a formidable target in front of goals all season and continued her run, with her second five-goal haul in a row.
Goals were also kicked by Sophie Henschke with three, plus Tyler Atkinson and Georgia Irvine with one a-piece.
Lilly Gill’s hard work around the ground stood out to be rewarded with her first best-on-ground honours for the season.
Sellars, Susannah Maber, Parker Lees, Annabel Mould and Casey McElroy were also strong performers for the triumphant team.
For the home side only two players could find the big sticks – Jessica Stone and Emmason Illsley – with two and one respectively.
Reanna Wetherall impressed for the Magpies to be the top performer on home turf, supported by Jamie Ryan, Illsley and Jessica Stone.
