A STRETCH of five games in as many days saw Round 5 of the NAB League Girls season completed, while a couple of Round 2 make-up games were also on the agenda. Tasmania made the most of a quick turnaround to register consecutive wins in no time, while Oakleigh remains undefeated after the game of the season as Calder and Sandringham also registered points. All that, and more in our weekly wrap.

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CALDER CANNONS 0.2 | 1.3 | 4.5 | 4.5 (29)
NORTHERN KNIGHTS 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.3 (15)

GOALS:

Calder: A. Magri 3, H. Cashmore
Northern: T. Mills, S. Mooney

DC BEST:

Calder: G. Prespakis, T. Gillard, Z. Friswell, E. Yassir, A. McDonald
Northern: A. Jordan, T. Pulcino, M. Barnes, T. Hurst, T. Delgado

The first reshuffled Round 2 fixture saw Calder Cannons overcome the Northern Knights by 14 points under lights on Thursday. It was a hotly contested game throughout, with neither team giving the other an easy go at anything. The Knights dominated possession and disposal counts, but it was ultimately the class and composure of the Cannons that saw them come out on top.

Georgie Prespakis was unsurprisingly the standout for Calder in the engine room, shaking an attempted tag to top the disposal count, even finding herself playing off half-back at times as well. Over-ager Tallia Pulcino topped Northern’s disposal charts alongside 2023-eligible Ava Jordan, both working hard through the midfield all game. Cannons’ Alisa Magri snagged herself three goals for the game to help spearhead her side to victory.

Round 6 sees the Cannons taking on the winless Gippsland Power at Ronald Reserve in Morwell on Sunday morning, while the Northern Knights will play the Brisbane Lions Academy at La Trobe University in their first NAB League game, later on the same day.

DC MEDAL VOTES:

5 – Georgie Prespakis (Calder)
4 – Ava Jordan (Northern)
3 – Tahlia Gillard (Calder)
2 – Tallia Pulcino (Northern)
1 – Megan Barnes (Northern) 

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DANDENONG STINGRAYS 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.1 | 4.2 (26)
OAKLEIGH CHARGERS 2.1 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 4.3 (27)

GOALS:

Dandenong: A. Clarke 3, A. Richards
Oakleigh: C. Rowbottom 2, T. Morton, K. James

DC BEST:

Dandenong: A. Clarke, Z. Hill, J. Anthony, A. Jordan, F. Crank, A. Richards
Oakleigh: C. Rowbottom, S. Reid, A. McCulloch, B. Vickers, E. James, T. Morton

Oakleigh Chargers defeated the Dandenong Stingrays by a single point in Seaford on Friday night, as the two flag fancies locked horns for the game of the season thus far. In what was a tense and highly contested affair, the cream ultimately rose to the top as Oakleigh held on to win 4.3 (27) to 4.2 (26).

The Chargers skipped away early before three-consecutive Amber Clarke goals gave Dandenong the ascendancy. Having absorbed a heap of pressure, Oakleigh hit back and snuck ahead via the boot of Charlie Rowbottom, who popped up at the clutch moments with a couple of big contested marks and resultant goals.

Rowbottom was again best afield with her important work rotating forward through midfield, while Stella Reid led all comers with 29 disposals. Alexandra McCulloch and Brooke Vickers were important figures down back, as the likes of Tayla Morton and Jorja Jackson were lively inside attacking 50.

Clarke very nearly proved Dandenong’s hero with three of the Stingrays’ four goals, leading from the front as Zoe Hill and Jaide Anthony thrived in defence, and Abbey Jordan added some grunt in midfield. Unfortunately, star Stingray Emily Shepherd was helped off during the second term and played no further part in the game.

Dandenong’s next assignment comes against a red-hot Tasmania Devils outfit on the Apple Isle in Round 6, while Oakleigh is set to face Sandringham in somewhat of a regional rivalry.

DC MEDAL VOTES:

5 – Charlie Rowbottom (Oakleigh)
4 – Amber Clarke (Dandenong)
3 – Stella Reid (Oakleigh)
2 – Zoe Hill (Dandenong)
1 – Alexandra McCulloch (Oakleigh)

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BENDIGO PIONEERS 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 (15)
TASMANIA DEVILS 0.2 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 7.7 (53)

GOALS:

Bendigo: E. Snell, O. Di Donato
Tasmania: A. Bissett 2, K. Hennessy, A. Prokopiec, M. Edwards, E. Maurer, B. Barwick

DC BEST:

Bendigo: E. Snell, O. Di Donato, T. Williams, T. Slender, S. Orritt, E. Gilligan
Tasmania: C. Ransom, J. Webster, P. King, M. Gaffney, A. Crooks, A. Bissett

Tasmania Devils overcame a slow first quarter to tighten the screws and restrict the Bendigo Pioneers from scoring in the last three quarters for a memorable 38-point victory at La Trobe University. The Pioneers flew out of the blocks in the opening term with Elizabeth Snell and Octavia Di Donato getting on the board to see the Pioneers race to a 13-point quarter time lead. Little did anyone know, their score would not increase after quarter time, as the Devils came to play for the rest of the match. Despite kicking the last seven goals of the game, only two of them came in the next two quarters – with the third term yielding none – for a narrow four-point final break lead. The floodgates opened up in the last quarter as Tasmania piled on five-straight majors to run out 7.7 (53) to 2.3 (15) victors.

In a game that fiercely contested, Claire Ransom was clean and composed with ball-in-hand, using it well around the stoppages, while Jemma Webster and Perri King created their own space from the back half going forward. Meghan Gaffney was particularly busy in the first half, while Amy Bissett slotted two majors, and Amy Prokopiec was close to having another day out, but just missed a couple of chances. The Devils had a fairly even team performance across the board on the day. For the Pioneers, Snell put in a four-quarter effort to be their best, while Di Donato and Tegan Williams held up in the back half – with Di Donato also spending time forward early – and Tara Slender was her usual reliable self all around the ground.

DC MEDAL VOTES:

5 – Claire Ransom (Tasmania)
4 – Elizabeth Snell (Bendigo)
3 – Octavia Di Donato (Bendigo)
2 – Jemma Webster (Tasmania)
1 – Perri King (Tasmania)

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GIPPSLAND POWER 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.2 (20)
SANDRINGHAM DRAGONS 4.2 | 7.2 | 10.4 | 12.4 (76)

GOALS:

Gippsland: H. Booth, H. Woolfe, P. Tracey
Sandringham: C. Murphy 5, E. Angelopoulos 3, M. Zielinski 2, J. Betts, P. Staltari

DC BEST:

Gippsland: G. McRae, G. Matser, M. Van Berkel, L. Williamson, Y. Duursma, I. Makai
Sandringham: S. Hurley, E. Angepoulos, C. Murphy, J. Anderson, C. Ryan, P. Staltari

Sandringham Dragons are on the board in season 2021 following a comprehensive 56-point victory over Gippsland Power in Morwell East. The game started off relatively evenly with both sides kicking goals through Charli Murphy and Hayley Woolfe respectively, but the scoreboard began ticking over for the visitors as they piled on six consecutive goals before the Power scored a late one to cut the half time deficit to 32 points. The dominance continued in the third term with three more majors going the way of the Dragons, before an early Holly Booth goal in the final term got the Power back on the board, prior to the Dragons finishing off with a 12.4 (76) to 3.2 (20) victory.

The tall-small duo of Murphy (five goals) and Ebony Angelopoulos (three) was a damaging one, often creating space and providing either a marking target or defensive pressure inside 50. Sofia Hurley was a standout best on ground though, dominating around the stoppages and often reading Grace Matser‘s taps who took control at the ruck stoppages. For Gippsland, Grace McRae was as reliable as ever, whilst Matilda Van Berkel and Lily-Rose Williamson tried hard in defence. The depth of the Dragons was on show though, with the likes of J’Noemi Anderson, Pia Staltari and Charlotte Ryan all having impacts on the game, as Mia Zielinski slotted two goals.

DC MEDAL VOTES:

5 – Sofia Hurley (Sandringham)
4 – Ebony Angelopoulos (Sandringham)
3 – Charli Murphy (Sandringham)
2 – Grace McRae (Gippsland)
1 – Grace Matser (Gippsland)

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WESTERN JETS 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 (1)
TASMANIA DEVILS 2.1 | 2.4 | 4.6 | 5.9 (39)

GOALS:

Western: Nil.
Tasmania: A. Edmand 2, P. King, B. Barwick, A. Prokopiec

DC BEST:

Western: M. Ham, P. Ryan, C. Baskaran, J. Woods, C. Tyrrell
Tasmania: P. King, C. Ransom, M. Gaffney, M. Brazendale, J. Webster

Tasmania made it two wins in three days against the Western Jets in their reshuffled Round 2 fixture on Monday, in a remarkable effort where they lead from the first goal. Despite having less than 48 hours’ rest, the Devils looked to control the game for most of the day, rarely conceding a mark inside defensive 50 and transitioning well on their way to the 38-point victory.

Perri King and Claire Ransom were the major players for Tasmania all day, controlling the tempo of the game with ball in hand and being consistent ball winners in the midfield and, in King’s case, up forward as well. For the Jets, star bottom-ager Montana Ham battled hard all day through the midfield, whilst fellow 2022 draft eligible talent Paige Ryan was a shining light in the Jets’ backline.

Western Jets next come up against GWV Rebels at MARS Stadium on Sunday morning, while Tasmania will welcome Dandenong Stingrays to Penguin Reserve on Saturday afternoon in Round 6.

DC Medal Votes

5 – Perri King (Tasmania)
4 – Claire Ransom (Tasmania)
3 – Montana Ham (Western)
2 – Paige Ryan (Western)
1 – Meghan Gaffney (Tasmania)