Railways and North Albany each had a player celebrate her 50-game milestone in the Great Southern Football League Women’s competition on Friday night, as the teams faced off in round two at Tigerland.
Tigers’ Kirsty Smith and Kangas’ skipper Lucy Barnett both ran through their banners in honour of their 50th GSFLW games, with Smith going on to be crucial to the Tigers’ first victory of the season.
Railways and Mt Barker hosted round two matches at Tigerland and Sounness Park, respectively.
In Albany, the Tigers celebrated an emphatic home ground win over the Kangas, taking their season’s maiden victory by 84 points.
The Tigers came out strong, booting seven majors and nine behinds in the first half and keeping the Kangas scoreless.
The visitors confined the Tigers to four minors in the third term as the leaders missed some key chances in front of goal, and notched a minor of their own.
However, the Tigers made a final push in the last, booting four majors to widen their winning margin, with the final result 11.20 (86) to 0.2 (2).
Smith had a great day out to celebrate her 50 games — only the second woman in the Tigers to hit the milestone — booting four majors for the home team.
Abby Duncan was also superb in the front line, notching another four for the Tigers, while Taiah Curtis, Amarlie Weinert and Georgia Whitelaw chipped in with one apiece.
Duncan, Smith and Curtis were named among the Tigers’ best for the night, alongside Vaghla Hill, while Lucia Edwards, Kimberley Duncan, Michala Sandy, and Abbie Bootsma were outstanding for the Kangas in a losing affair.
Denmark-Walpole kicked things off in Mt Barker with a clinical win over Royals.
The Magpies made a strong start which was key to their eventual win, putting two majors on the board as the Lions trailed with one.
The Magpies kept their edge through the second term and found their rhythm in the third, booting another three majors to get ahead by a convincing 21 points.
Grace Dempster was the star in the Magpies’ front line, scoring two majors, with Rebecca MacDonald, Abby Needs and Anabelle Simpson also notching a goal each.
Chanel-Rose Jetta and Taylor O’Dea both booted majors for the Lions before the half-time siren — their only two for the match — and the Lions struggled to keep up going into the second half, managing only two behinds for the rest of the game.
Unwilling to roll over and let their opponents make a clean getaway, the Lions kept the defensive pressure on in the final term, confining the Magpies to two behinds, but it proved too little too late and the Magpies claimed the win 5.6 (36) to 2.2 (14).
Dempster, Needs, Esme MacDonald, and Siri Matthews were the Magpies’ best, while Jetta, Nicola Thomas, Nardia Humphries, and Cheyane Hardy were the Lions’ top performers.
The final match of the night between Mt Barker and Albany was the lowest-scoring of the round, but the Sharks still made a statement with a 28-point win against the reigning premiers.
The Sharks made a slow start with one behind, while the Bulls stayed scoreless in the opening term, and the home side struggled through the second term with two behinds, while the Sharks found their stride and booted two majors.
By the second half it was the Sharks’ game to lose, and they kept the momentum all the way until the final siren, notching another two majors and four behinds, while the Bulls couldn’t get another chance at the goal.
Vice-captain Emily Wray was a star for the Sharks with two majors, and Gillian Chan and Aleisha Scanlon booted a goal each to add to the haul, finishing on 4.6 (30) to 0.2 (2).
Wray was key for the winners alongside Samantha Waltho, Sian Lucas, and Natasha Bower, while Zoe Keley, Charlotte Ballard, Libby Morris and Zoe Kestel shone for the Bulls in the loss.
In the youth girls’ competition, North Albany and Albany recorded clinical wins, keeping Railways and Mt Barker scoreless, and Royals notched a convincing 11-point victory over Denmark Walpole.
The competition returns on Sunday with a triple-header at Retravision Stadium for Pride Round, with the opening match between Denmark-Walpole and Railways bouncing down at noon.
