James Murphy
THE final minor round of Limestone Coast women’s football is upon us, with Round 9 of the 2024 competition once again split across two locations.
After last week’s Friday night fixtures, this round returns to the usual Sunday format.
Nangwarry will host two games, while the other two will be played at Penola.
The match of the round will likely be played at the latter venue, when Kybybolite and Kongorong go head-to-head in a battle between third and sixth.
Despite their ladder positions, both teams have won three matches and only percentage separates the pair.
Kyby has been in decent form of late with a big win over Nangwarry last week.
The previous round they held ladder-leader Mundulla to three goals and while still going down, showed they could limit the powerhouse side with a strong defensive effort.
Kongorong is also on a bit of a hot streak and has won its last three matches, making up for a slow start to the year.
Evie Sealey has topped the Hawk’s best players for two weeks now and will be out for another strong outing, while the likes of team captain Sarah Lucas, Zara Dirk and Riley Buckingham will be others worth watching.
Dirk had a field day against Nangwarry a couple of weeks ago with five goals and she could pose another threat in front of the big sticks.
Jade Longbottom and Eadie Mustart are others who have been strong in front of goals, but Kongorong has plenty of versatility in attack and anyone could step up on the day.
Kybybolite has no shortage of its own talent with Taylor Ryan, Madeleine Huggins, Dellie Brown and Elle Treloar all carrying form into the weekend.
Ryan and Treloar were dangerous in attack last week, while Brown is as tough as they come in and around the contest.
The match looms as an interesting one and could go either way, with Kyby possibly holding a slight edge.
Following their battle, home team Penola will clash with South Gambier.
The Eagles have found themselves nestled in fourth position with only percentage between them and sixth place.
As such a win will be vital this week to ensure they remain in the main finals pool.
It should be an achievable feat, as South sits down in seventh place with two wins for the year.
Those came at the expense of an understaffed Casterton Sandford and Millicent, which has only one win to date.
Regardless, Penola will need to keep its wits about it and will no doubt look to the likes of in-form captain Caroline McGrath, Heidi Berkin, Alice Rainsford and Amanda Wurst.
That only scratches the surface of the Eagles’ talent pool and there are plenty of players who can step up when needed.
Angela Broad is dangerous in front of goals and will be a major threat to the Demons’ defence, while McGrath’s season has been nothing short of impressive and she will need to be kept under wraps.
South has looked to its own captain on many an occasion, with Jarrah Altschwager having another good season.
Sophie Wight enters off a strong performance prior to last week’s bye, while Ella Guest and Lucy Pridham have also been among the best players in recent rounds.
Penola should prevail, but will want to start well to prevent any chance of an upset.
Down at Nangwarry it is likely the margins will be a little greater.
Casterton Sandford and Millicent open proceedings and providing numbers are not an issue, the former will be the favourite heading in.
The Cats have had a rocky couple of weeks with player availability causing havoc on what could otherwise have been a solid season.
They should still be up to the challenge and despite those hurdles enter the round in fifth position with three wins.
The Saints have had a tough year and despite some close battles, have only managed to defeat Nangwarry so far.
A win to end the minor rounds would be a good confidence boost, but the Cats should have this one in the bag.
The final match will have second-placed North Gambier take on a winless Nangwarry.
The home-ground advantage is unlikely to prevent a hefty loss, with Nangwarry having lost by over 100 points in five of its six games.
The Tigers on the other hand have only lost one match and with the likes of Tess Andrews, Chloe Newton, Penny Coleman and Laura Chester – to name only a few – all in good form, it is almost impossible to mount a case for the Saints.
Following this week’s games, finals will kick off the following weekend with the top eight sides all qualifying.
However, the top four will contest the feature A finals series, while positions five to eight will contest the consolation B finals.
ROUND 9 SCHEDULE – SUNDAY, MARCH 17
Nangwarry Oval – Casterton Sandford v Millicent, 11am; Nangwarry v North Gambier, 12.35pm.
McCorquindale Park – Kybybolite v Kongorong, 11am; Penola v South Gambier, 12.35pm; Mundulla – bye.
