WE headed down to Gippsland last week to check out the V/Line Cup competition for the Under 16s Girls, with draft eligibility ranging from the 2020 to 2022 draft. We summarised each game, mentioning some of the players from each team which caught the eye.

Bendigo Pioneers:

lost to Western Bulldogs NGA by 16 points

Bendigo had some standouts with Tara Slender being the pick of the bunch on the day. Her courage in defence was terrific, taking a number of strong contested marks, and positioned herself well in marking contests. With ball-in-hand, Slender tried to move the ball quickly and take the game on as well. Katelyn Hazlett was another who impressed, showing off her hard running and long kicking. In one instance she sidestepped an opponent and handballed to a teammate while copping contact to allow a teammate to goal, then hit the scoreboard herself. Lily Denhouting and Shelby Hooker were others who caught the eye at times, with Denhouting trying to break the lines off half-back, and Hooker having a nice kicking action and strong defensive pressure. Maeve Tupper played last season with the Bendigo Pioneers as a small forward, and again was prominent in the loss.

lost to Geelong Falcons by 36 points

Tupper was named best by the Pioneers was her impressive work again, while one that stood out was Imogen O’Neil. She took a courageous mark going back against multiple opponents and was strong in defence in her efforts to clear the defensive zone through rebounding. She just patrolled Bendigo’s backline superbly. Slender was one again a standout, starting in the ruck and moving well around the ground with clean hands, good defensive positioning and a strong mark. Eliza Bell had a few really nice highlights, including a thumping kick out of the middle but just bounced the wrong side of the post, and she was also really strong one-on-one. Hooker was good at half-back and pushing up through the middle with some strong intercept marks, while Denhouting showed good speed and skills.

Geelong Falcons:

defeated Southern Stingrays 2 by 81 points

For Geelong, it was a huge team effort, but Kara Stacey was named best on from a top performance on the wing. She read the play well and attacked the footy, creating space for her teammates. Darcey Moloney started onball and did a good job up forward in the second half, creating opportunities and setting up goals. Annie Lee played at half-back, then moved into the midfield in the second half, showing off her clean skills and smarts. Mia Van Dyke is remarkably three days away from only being eligible for the 2023 draft, but still the late 2004 born tall half-forward kicked two goals and stood out, while Elizabeth Dowling was also impressive starting down back before going forward and booting three goals.

defeated Bendigo Pioneers by 36 points

Another impressive team performance from the Falcons who powered out of the blocks early, and raced to a 45-point lead by the final break, while they conceded three goals in the final term, they were clearly the best team on the day. Tess Craven was one that impressed, showing great strength overhead and at ground level, a really nice kick and a good mover. She was not afraid to take the opposition on and fend-off opponents, while remaining composed. Moloney was once again impressive, with her highlight being a powerful kick from 30m out straight in front to boot a goal off general play. Van Dyke showed off a textbook kicking action, finding space and always looking dangerous inside 40. Rhiarn Shaw was impressive with her game smarts, dribbling the ball along the ground and beating two opponents to set up a teammate for a goal. Tamika Lewis showed great game smarts with her decision not to blaze away tight against the boundary line near the behind post, instead looking into the corridor and hitting up a target for a goal assist. Lucy Were was also prominent inside 50 with three goals.

Gippsland Power:

lost to Southern Stingrays 1 by 33 points

Gippsland’s Kiana Te Huia who showed great acceleration and power off the mark, taking the game on with some runs along the wing, while also applying good defensive pressure. Lily-Rose Williamson was terrific in the first half before copping a knock. Williamson showed great run out of defence, looked to break lines and take the game on. She also showed good strength to shrug off the tackler. Holly Booth was admirable in defence with her body positioning and pressure, taking either the mark or clearing the ball under pressure. Macie Gilmour booted the Power’s only goal in the first term off a step in what was an impressive effort, while Abbey Hardwick was strong in defence. Charli Abbott showed her smarts to be able to not take possession but kick into space to try and gain some extra time, while Laura Meneilly showed good pressure.

lost to North East Border by 80 points

In Gippsland’s second game of the carnival, the same three that stood out in game one were also impressive in game two, with Williamson the best with her great combination of power, speed and composure. She does not feel rushed and seems to use the ball well whenever she has it. What she does that very few at her age do, is she directs traffic while on the move, telling her teammates to move in a certain direction so she can put it to their advantage. Te Huia copped a knock to her leg late in the game, but her acceleration and power is superb, as is Holly Booth’s strength and consistency in defence. Ruck, Grace Matser was good above her head and a consistent kick playing between the middle and up forward. Others who had some promising signs included Siarra Peters, who was a good mark and solid kick, and Taylah McNaughton who moved well through traffic.

Goulburn Murray:

lost to Southern Stingrays 1 by 24 points

It was a low-scoring game and while Goulburn Murray were strong defensively, they went down to Southern Stingrays by four goals. Charli Dorrity was named Goulburn’s Murray best in their loss to the Southern Stingrays, along with Alana McMillan who has some great speed and acceleration. McMilan has that agility to weave through opposition players and is a really eye-catching player. Georgia Gall‘s height and strength around the ground proved important, while Ruby Davies and Maya Ingram were also named among the best. Maddison Bloor was Goulburn Murray’s sole goal kicker on the day.

lost to Western Bulldogs NGA by 36 points

In the final game of the round that was reduced to 10-minute quarters due to a player in the previous match being taken to hospital, Goulburn Murray went down to the Bulldogs by six goals. But one player who was unbelievable was Gall, who played a terrific four quarter effort. Gall hauled in contested marks in each third of the ground and would create run through her booming kick. She had the kick out duties, as well as provided a marking target through the middle, then had a shot on goal late in the game but just missed. Jemma Jeffrey kicked the only goal of the final term after being awarded a free kick for too high, and converted the set shot. Mani Foubister was really impressive with a run-down tackle to stop a certain goal early on, then also created some offensive drive out of the backline with run and carry along the wing. Chloe Locke was equally impressive running both ways, showing good composure under pressure to step around an opponent and kick long, then save a certain goal 20m out with a fantastic tackle.

North East Border:

defeated Gippsland Power by 80 points

Picking best players in the North East Border side was very difficult, with so many impressive players in the team’s 80-point win. Elly Robilliard was one who stood out, particularly in the second half with some long kicks and great defensive tackles. She was also strong one-on-one the marking contest. Keeley Skepper was also very good out of defence, with a nice penetrating kick and good movement from the back half. Leela Rosser proved to be a handful up forward, booting a few goals and having another few opportunities with her strength a handful for opposition defenders. Sarah Egan showed off her lightning quick set of wheels with a huge run down the wing in the second term, while Madison Gray had a very classy moment where she picked up the ball in the second quarter, put on the after burners and kicked a goal under pressure.

defeated Southern Stingrays 2 by 52 points

Egan’s speed and X-factor was on show in the second big win, booting three goals and named among North East Border’s best in victory over the Southern Stingrays’ second side. Rosser booted another two goals and is shaping as a promising forward, while Skepper’s continual impressive work from the defensive 50 stood out to be named North East Border’s best on the day. Meg Allan has proved to be strong overhead and was impressive in the second game, while Gray and Zali Spencer were also named among the best.

Southern Stingrays:

defeated Gippsland Power by 33 points

For Southern Stingrays, Georgia Grimmer was dangerous up forward for four quarters. She just booted the one goal early on, taking a strong mark and using her powerful kick. She has clean hands and gave her team scoring opportunities, missing a few chances but always looking a chance to score. Paige Stone looked slick through the midfield, a player who moves well and was impressive by foot, while Jennifer MacDonald laid a great run-down tackle on the wing and also had very nice speed. Alexei Guy-Toogood and Jaide Anthony both hit the scoreboard with multiple goals.

defeated Goulburn Murray by 24 points

Grimmer was again busy against Goulburn Murray in the Stingrays’ four-goal win, booting two goals and acting as a presence up forward. Jemma Radford was named the Stingrays’ best, and she stood out in the back half, while Guy-Toogood and Jessica Stepanavicius both booted a goal in the win. Maddison Stained has good strength and power out of a stoppage to be able to kick forward, while Isabella Ciavola is strong defensively and able to lay some good tackles. Alexandra Smith has some eye-catching speed, while Ashleigh Richards provides a target, with strong hands overhead.

Southern Stingrays 2:

lost to Geelong Falcons by 81 points

While they were well beaten on the day by Geelong Falcons, Southern Stingrays’ second side had a few strong contributors named in their best. Abbie Power was named the losing side’s top player, while Georgia Pabst and Skye Haslem were also impressive. Zali Hazledine hit the scoreboard with the Stingrays’ only major in the second term.

lost to North East Border by 52 points

The Stingrays’ second side had another comprehensive loss to another strong side in North East border, but there were still some solid highlights in the match. Rhianna Clemow was named the Stingrays’ best in the win, while Alisha Liddle booted the sole Stingrays goal and provided some excitement up forward. Haslem and Rhiannon Murray were also named among the Stingrays’ best, as was Aurora Smith.

Western Bulldogs NGA:

defeated Bendigo Pioneers by 16 points

Western Bulldogs Next Generation Academy had a number of impressive players, with Jemima Woods standing out with her ability to play anywhere. She showed some great offensive and defensive traits, and in one instance she was able to kick across her body under pressure and hit-up a target laterally. She spent the second half in the back line and provided good run out of there, and just has a level head with good composure. Crystal Summers was busy in the opening term, booting two ripping goals both from general play, with her second being from a tough angle without much time. She moved well and also played in defence in the second half. Ally Trigg was also impressive and looked to have the smarts and kicking ability to put it to the right spots and was another standout on the day.

defeated Goulburn Murray by 36 points

It was another impressive performance from the Bulldogs as they overcame a strong defensive unit in Goulburn Murray to record a six-goal win. A really strong team performance, there seemed to be very few standouts with so many good little efforts from a lot of the players – 12 of which were worthy of notes from our end. Shelby Nolte caught the eye with a terrific intercept mark from a kick-in 40m out early, then nailed the long-range set shot goal. She got involved in the back half winning the football and kicking long, and used her body to be a presence at half-back as well. Summers and Woods were among the better players again, with Summers booting two goals and taking some strong marks, always thinking ahead of time, while Woods was so clean above her head and kicked a very nice goal from a clean grab and turn. Ella Friend was clinical in front of goal with two majors, showing good courage in the air, strong hands and a textbook action. She kicked one goal from a set shot and one from general play with a quick snap under pressure. Others who were impressive were Jorja Hammond who created some good opportunities inside 50 and constantly looked dangerous, Dina Gattek who moved well at half-back and had a couple of great defensive efforts with tackles and blocks, and Tahlia Meier, who moved well through traffic and was strong overhead for a smaller player. Victoria Jewell showed great acceleration out of the stoppage, but had a funny moment at one point, bursting away from the centre clearance and kicking inside 50, the only problem? She had run the wrong way, but it was luckily marked by her teammate in defence.

Note: Names were taken from the V/Line Cup Record, with SportsTG results system overriding them where they differed.