EASTERN Ranges earned a second crack at Oakleigh Chargers in this year’s Coates Talent League Girls Grand Final after defeating Geelong Falcons by 20 points amid challenging conditions at Highgate Recreation Reserve.

Geelong Falcons 2.3 (15) lost to Eastern Ranges 5.5 (35)

GEELONG FALCONS:

#5 Ava Bilyk
Defender | 167cm | 07/07/2008

Stats: 24 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 1 inside 50, 5 rebound 50s

An exciting couple of years await for the Vic Country Under 16s MVP who has slotted into Geelong Falcons’ back half with ease. She racked up seven disposals in the first term while also laying four tackles and looking lively from the back half. Often under siege and pressure, she took a couple of good intercept marks, and while working on her opposite side will be a focus in the coming years, is able to provide some dash and smarts turning defence into offence.

#7 Sara Howley
Midfielder | 173cm | 29/01/2006

Stats: 17 disposals, 2 marks, 8 tackles, 2 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s, 1 behind

Eastern ensured Howley could not get the time and space she would desire, and the conditions did not make it any easier on the Vic Country Under 18s MVP. She had a quiet first term but worked into the game even having a shot on goal that just missed in the pouring rain. She really started to get going in the third term with a crucial early clearance and her defensive pressure went right up.

#8 Mekah Morrissy
Wing | 159cm | 16/01/2006

Stats: 18 disposals, 5 tackles, 1 behind

Seems to thrive in the wet conditions after her 40-disposal outing against Gippsland Power in similarly tough adverse weather. She can be cleaner at ground level, but her second, third and fourth efforts are as good as anyone’s. She attacks it so hard and is quick once having the ball to dispose of it, having big first and third terms against the wind in particular.

#32 Rebecca Clottey
Forward | 166cm | 05/05/2006

Stats: 13 disposals, 3 marks, 14 tackles, 1 inside 50, 1 goal, 1 behind

Really finished the year off on a high and reminded people what she is capable of. Her defensive pressure is elite, but she also got her hands on the ball and looked to provide a spark with a goal out of nothing throwing the ball on the boot inside 50. It was the Falcons’ first and did give her team a lift, though she also gave away a 50m penalty shortly after. Clottey has some serious upside and plays with white line fever but it is a great point of difference for a player in her role.

EASTERN RANGES:

#6 Tayla McMillan
Midfielder | 161cm | 25/05/2007

Stats: 27 disposals, 14 tackles, 4 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s

Wet conditions rarely faze the clean and classy small who brought her own ball to the game to finish with equal game-highs in disposals and tackles. She had seven touches and five tackles on the board by quarter time and ramped it up in the second to be up to 17 disposals and seven tackles by the main break. She found the ball all over the ground and used her speed where possible to zip and zag and create space for her side. An all-round star.

#10 Jordyn Allen
Defender | 166cm | 12/11/2007

Stats: 16 disposals, 1 mark, 10 tackles, 2 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s

Provided crucial drive out of the back 50 and down the ground, Allen looked lively turning defence into offence and working hard to get into ball-winning positions. She was forced to make a few errors in the conditions, but showed quick hands and was good in traffic with her work. One who will thrive on the big Ikon Park ground this Saturday.

#11 Grace Belloni
Midfielder| 174cm | 09/09/2006

Stats: 27 disposals, 3 marks, 7 tackles, 5 inside 50s, 3 rebound 50s

Has hardly put a foot wrong all year and that continued on the weekend where she was once again one of the Ranges’ best. Her offensive work to bomb the ball forward, as well as her defensive work to lock it up around the stoppages or when in the defensive half of the ground, Belloni was the main reason the Ranges raced out to an early lead with her centre clearance work. She provided run off half-back from the stoppage as well during the third term and finished the game strongly after 16 disposals in the second half.

#12 Georgia Knight
Forward | 164cm | 11/10/2006

Stats: 8 disposals, 2 marks, 2 tackles, 3 inside 50s, 1 goal, 1 behind

After a couple of quiet first two finals, Knight got on the board early with Eastern’s third goal of the game. Under pressure the crafty forward managed to get ball to boot and snap around her body to bounce home and give her side an 18-point lead just three and a half minutes into the match. While her craft inside 50 is her bread and butter, Knight also showed great pressure in the forward half as well.

#13 Georgie Brisbane
Forward | 175cm | 13/12/2006

Stats: 12 disposals, 2 tackles, 1 inside 50

The Eastern skipper worked hard in the wet, and though not her ideal conditions for a marking player, Brisbane showed great second and third efforts at ground level, applying pressure and putting her body on the line. Not always reflected in her stats, the captain does all the team things well and is clean at ground level.

#28 Asher Fearn-Wannan
Defender | 175cm | 14/12/2007

Stats: 7 disposals, 1 mark, 5 tackles, 3 rebound 50s

Fearn-Wannan is a high impact-per-possession player who used the ball well from defence and also took a nice intercept mark too. She got involved in everything and though she only finished with the even disposals, did well to mop up time and time again. Her defensive pressure at ground level also caught the eye.

#42 Brylee Anderson
Defender| 172cm | 23/03/2008

Stats: 17 disposals, 3 tackles, 4 rebound 50s

The double bottom-age Vic Metro Under 16s MVP finished with the third most disposals for her team and the most outside the midfield group. Anderson often took the kickouts and cleared the ball from danger, while also having a big second term when Geelong started to build some ascendancy to head into half-time with 11 disposals. Provides both rebound and an aerial presence, as well as winning the ball by hand in transition.

#43 Scout Semple
Forward | 162cm | 03/10/2008

Stats: 7 disposals, 1 tackle, 1 rebound 50, 2 goals

Ultimately helped set up the win for the Ranges with two goals in two minutes. She kicked her first off the first inside 50 with a snap around her body, then got held in a marking contest and converted the set shot from 25m out. While her only downside was getting pinged holding the ball on the wing during the third term, Semple was very lively and dangerous in the front half, always looking likely to score.