IN Round 2 of the NAB League Girls, Geelong Falcons and Calder Cannons made it two from two, while Northern Knights and Oakleigh Chargers split the points, and Eastern Ranges and Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels went down after Round 1 wins. Subsequently, Bendigo Pioneers, Murray Bushrangers and Dandenong Stingrays recorded their first wins of the year.

BENDIGO PIONEERS 1.1 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 3.3 (21)
EASTERN RANGES 0.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.6 (18)

GOALS:

Bendigo: E. Snell, C. Mitchell, J. Jolliffe.
Eastern: J. Grace, S. Gibbs.

BEST:

Bendigo: E. Gretgrix, E. Snell, T. Slender, M. Tupper, B. Hards, H. Stewart
Eastern: T. Flintoff, M. Church, M. Di Cosmo, L. McClelland, J. Richardson, S. Gibbs

Bendigo Pioneers bounced back from a narrow loss to the GWV Rebels last week by knocking over Round 1 winners, Eastern Ranges in Round 2. Jordyn Jolliffe booted the only goal of the first term and the Pioneers led by her straight kick. Eastern hit back with the only goal of the second term courtesy of Jess Grace to take a one-point lead into the second half. Bendigo again found an avenue to goal with Chantelle Mitchell converting, before Serena Gibbs added a second one for Eastern in the final term. The Ranges had hit the front, with a few minutes left, before Elizabeth Snell became the hero in the final two minutes with a match-winning goal to hand the Pioneers a three-point win. Eloise Gretgrix was best on ground in the win, well assisted by the strong Bendigo midfgield inSnell, Maeve Tupper and Brooke Hards, while Tara Slender was terrific in defence. Tess Flintoff and Madison Church stood up for the Ranges, while Laura McClelland never stopped trying throughout the contest. Next week, Bendigo travels to Geelong to take on the reigning premiers, while Eastern hosts Oakleigh Chargers at Healesville.

GWV REBELS 1.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 3.3 (21)
CALDER CANNONS 2.0 | 3.2 | 7.5 | 12.7 (79)

GOALS:

GWV: R. Saulitis, L. Sykes, S. Molan.
Calder: G. Prespakis 7, A. Magri, T. Crook, I. McNeill-Wren, F. Theodore, T. Gillard.

BEST:

GWV: L. Sykes, M. Caris, S. Molan, I. Robson, C. Leonard, K. Tomkins
Calder: G. Prespakis, F. Theodore, G. Patrikios, L. Cocomello, E. Yassir, G. Elarmaly

Calder Cannons made it two consecutive wins, with a 58-point victory over Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels. After a tight first half which saw the Cannons lead by just seven points at the main break, Georgie Prespakis moved to full-forward and became a dominant force in the air and at ground level. She piled on seven majors in just a half in the forward 50, equalling the goals record set by three other players. While she was the name on everyone’s lips, Felicity Theodore deserved plaudits for multiple goal assists and a goal herself in that second half, while Georgia Patrikios was also impressive as the Cannons eased her back into the contest after missing Round 1. For the Rebels, Renee Saulitis kicked a ripping goal early, while Sophie Molan continued to battle hard throughout hte contest. Maggie Caris was a dominant force in the ruck, while Lauren Sykes was named the Rebels’ best in the victory. Next week the Cannons take on the winless Sandringham Dragons, while the Rebels host the Dandenong Stingrays at MARS Stadium with both teams sitting at 1-1.

MURRAY BUSHRANGERS 2.2 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 6.3 (39)
WESTERN JETS 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 2.3 (15)

GOALS:

Murray: E. McPherson 2, O. Barber, T. Verhoeven, M. Trethowan, A. Morphett.
Western: N. Wright, C. Weston-Sirett.

BEST:

Murray: A. Favell, T. Brett, O. Barber, C. Hargreaves, S. Locke, K. Adams
Western: E. Georgostathis, I. Grant, N. Wright, T. Kolevski, H. Herring, E. Kiely 

Murray Bushrangers put their disappointing round 1 defeat to the Northern Knights behind them to boot five first half goals and set uop a 24-point win over Western Jets. There was no sign of the team that struggled to score against one of the competition favourites, as the home side booted two goals to zero in the opening term, then added three more by half-time to lead by 30 points at the main break. Western slowed the momentum in the third term, kicking the only score of the quarter in a behind, then booted two of the final three goals to cut the final deficit to 24 points. Emilee McPherson was the only multiple goalkicker in the game with two, as the Bushrangers shared around their majors, with Olivia Barber getting on the board and also named among the best. Abby Favell and Teagan Brett were impressive in the victory, while for Western, captain Elisabeth Georgostathis was terrific once again, as was Isabella Grant who backed up her opening round form with another strong performance. Nikita Wright booted one of Western’s two goals, and was also among the Jets’ top players on the day. Murray hosts Gippsland Power next weekend at the Swinburne Centre (Punt Road) as the two Country teams meet halfway, while Western travels to RAMS Arena to take on the Northern Knights.

NORTHERN KNIGHTS 2.0 | 3.1 | 4.3 | 6.3 (39)
OAKLEIGH CHARGERS  1.0| 3.0 |4.2 | 6.3 (39)

GOALS:

Northern: E. McKenzie 2, A. Bannan 2, M. Appleby, T. Pulcino
Oakleigh: E. Harley 3, M. Bertuna, N. Xenos, K. Kearns

BEST:

Northern: C. Fitzgerald, B. Gutknecht, M. Plunkett, P. Chisholm, G. Newton, G. Ceravolo
Oakleigh: M. Hill, N. Xenos, G. Larkey, G. Lagioia, E. Harley, C. RowbottoM

It was a tight contest with both the Northern Knights and Oakleigh Chargers going toe to toe for the entire match. The Knights held a narrow lead for most of the game but in the final term the Chargers came out firing to edge ahead. But in the end neither side could be separated with the Northern Knights sealing a goal in the dying minutes of the game to tie it all up, claiming the first draw of the season. Oakleigh applied plenty of pressure across the ground and stopped the attacking flow of the Knights for large parts of the game, causing some uncharacteristic errors at times. Emily Harley proved to be the key up forward for Oakleigh nailing three goals to keep her side in it, while for the Knights Alyssa Bannan and Ellie McKenzie chipped in with two goals apiece. Speedster Mimi Hill impressed throughout the game for Oakleigh with her timely touches, clever positioning and ability to break away from packs. Star midfielders Britney Gutknecht and Gabby Newton were their dominant selves racking up plenty of touches and hitting up targets. Northern Knights are set to face off with the Western Jets at RAMS Arena while the Oakleigh Chargers will make the journey to Healesville to play the Eastern Ranges.

GEELONG FALCONS 4.4 | 7.5 | 8.8 | 11.9 (75)
GIPPSLAND POWER 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 2.5 (17)

GOALS:

Geelong: R. Tierney 4, M. Skinner 3, L. McEvoy, L. Gardiner, J. Robinson, D. Moloney.
Gippsland: G. McRae, C. Robinson.

BEST:

Geelong: P. Sheppard, L. McEvoy, R. Tierney, D. Moloney, L. Lesosky-Hay, L. Gardiner
Gippsland: N. Webber, G. McRae, M. Fitzsimon, C. Abrahams, M. Van Berkel, M. Shaw

An almost flawless display across the ground saw the Geelong Falcons trounce Gippsland Power by 58 points at Deakin University, helping them soar back to the top of the table. The Falcons’ forward line was a clear feature early as Renee Tierney and Mia Skinner caused headaches for Gippsland’s defence in the first half, combing for all of Geelong’s seven first half goals in deep roles inside 50. With the attack running smoothly and the likes of Lucy McEvoy and Paige Sheppard providing unrelenting service from midfield, Geelong’s defence also stood up well to keep the Power goalless for three quarters of the game. But a final quarter lapse on Geelong’s part saw Gippsland’s Cailin Robinson take full advantage to slot through her side’s first major of the day, with Grace McRae adding to the total in the face of another three Falcons goals. Darcy Moloney and Laura Gardiner finished among a long line of Geelong standouts, with the bite-sized Elise Vella also doing a few neat things. Gippsland star Nikia Webber was her side’s clear best from half-forward and through the midfield, while McRae was another valiant trier alongside Chandra Abrahams, who fought well in the engine room, and Megan Fitzsimon. With a perfect record intact, the Falcons will now go on to face Bendigo at Deakin once again on Sunday, while the 0-2 clash with Murray in an all-country clash at the Swinburne Centre in Richmond on Saturday.

SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.11 (17)
DANDENONG STINGRAYS 1.2 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 5.7 (37)

GOALS:

Sandringham: S. Rothfield.
Dandenong: B. Vernon, I. Shannon, A. Liddle, J. Radford, G. Howes.

BEST:

Sandringham: C. Cody, M. Purcell, T. Grasso, S. Hartwig, E. McNamara, E. Angelopoulos
Dandenong: M. Layfield, T. Smith, J. Radford, Z. Hill, S. Stratton, H. Thomas

Dandenong Stingrays have run out 20-point winners against an inaccurate Sandringham Dragons outfit at RSEA Park, Moorabbin. The Stingrays had the same amount of scoring shots as the Dragons, but converted five of their 12 attempts compared to the Dragons’ one. The one goal came in the first term when Soph Rothfield converted a set shot to match Brooke Vernon‘s major which came after back-to-back 50-metre penalties. Despite never having the game under control, the Stingrays booted the final four goals of the match, and when Isabella Shannon broke through to give the Stingrays a four-goal lead, it looked done and dusted. The Dragons relentlessly attacked in the final term, but missed some golden opportunites and it will be a great learning curve for them going forward. Marguerite Purcell and Eliza McNamara were huge in the midfield with Alice Burke for the Dragons, while Tyanna Smith and Shannon were tough for the Stingrays. Molly McDonald got better as the game went on, while Zoe Hill and Sarah Hartwig were consistent as ever up their respective ends. Next week the Dragons take on the undefeated Calder Cannons, while the Stingrays face the GWV Rebels at MARS Stadium.