GIPPSLAND Power midfielder Lily Milner set the tone early against GWV Rebels, engineering three goals in the opening six minutes to send the Power flying out of the blocks. All three came directly from her work – two assists and a score involvement – in a concentrated burst that showcased everything that makes her one of the more dynamic players in the competition. We break down each moment of her electric opening patch.

BREAKDOWN

TIME PERIOD: Quarter 1, 0:00–6:00
STATS: 5 disposals, 3 goal assists/involvements
SCORE BEFORE: Gippsland Power 0.0 (0) – GWV Rebels 0.0 (0)
SCORE AFTER: Gippsland Power 3.1 (19) – GWV Rebels 0.0 (0)

GOAL #1: 3:44 | Gippsland Power 1.1 (7) – GWV Rebels 0.0 (0)

The opening goal was the product of relentless pressure in the forward pocket rather than a clean set piece. Milner gathered cleanly inside 50 from congestion and immediately looked to move it on. Her quick hands off to Milly Hoghton, who finished truly.

GOAL #2: ~4:58 | Gippsland Power 2.1 (13) – GWV Rebels 0.0 (0)

The second came from the same engine – Milner winning the centre clearance and immediately going long to hit up Jasmin O’Connor, who converted. Two clearances, two goals inside the first five minutes. Her ability to win the ball in congestion and immediately make the right decision under pressure is the defining feature of the patch: she wasn’t just accumulating, she was deciding quickly and accurately each time.

GOAL #3: ~6:11 | Gippsland Power 3.1 (19) – GWV Rebels 0.0 (0)

The third was more hard-fought. Milner drew a free kick at the next stoppage – with the Rebels well aware of what she was doing with ball in hand at that point – and earned the advantage kick deep into the half-forward line. The very next kick found space, and Olivia Holmes ran onto it to make it three unanswered goals with Milner’s kick the catalyst that triggered the scoring chain. Six minutes, three goal involvements.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

FINAL SCORE: GWV Rebels 9.7 (61) def. Gippsland Power 8.7 (55)

The Power couldn’t sustain the momentum in such a wind-impacted day. Milner continued to influence the match in her own right – booting a brilliant snap in the 16th minute of the first quarter after a sharp passage of play — but the Rebels worked their way back into the contest in the second term. Despite spending time forward early in quarter two, Milner was moved back on-ball at the nine-minute mark as the Rebels kicked their third, and she responded with an intercept mark at the 14-minute mark and a thumped clearance shortly after.

In the third, she set up another goal to Summer Harbour with a raking kick into the goalsquare, and continued to carry the load with fierce tackling at half-back in the final term. Ultimately the Rebels ran over the top to win by six points, 9.7 (61) to 8.7 (55).

WHAT DID IT PROVE?

Milner’s opening six minutes were a masterclass in midfield control, not just winning the ball, but doing something with it each time. The three goal involvements came from three different mechanisms: a quick hands-off in close, a clearance-to-goal-assist, and a free kick won under pressure.

What stands out is the decision-making speed: she never held the ball, never tried to do too much. For a player who also finished with seven clearances and seven inside 50s from 22 disposals across the whole game, the purple patch wasn’t a flash of individual brilliance – it was the concentrated version of exactly how she played all day.

The defeat will sting, and the Rebels’ second-half response was a reminder the Power still have work to do as a team. But as an individual statement from Milner, the opening six minutes said plenty.