DANDENONG Stingrays are Talent League Girls champions. Righting the wrongs of 2022 when the club went through the season undefeated only to fall at the last hurdle, the Stingrays were not going to let history repeat, and after trailing at quarter time, punished an inaccurate Oakleigh Chargers with an outstanding last three quarters to win by 30 points and make it third time lucky in the last match of the season.

The typical heat of a grand final was there from the opening bounce, and it wasn’t until a brilliant individual passage of play from Lily Brittain broke the deadlock in the fifth minute. Oakleigh would respond through majors to top draft prospect Bailee Martin and double bottom-ager Abi D’Intini. However from that moment on, the screoboard – or at least the big sticks – belonged to Dandenong.

D’Intini would kick a consolation major in the last few minutes of the match, but the game was done and dusted by then. In that time, Dandenong had piled on eight straight goals and cemented its place in Talent League Girls history. The major talking point came in the accuracy, with the second and term quarters yielding seven scoring shots apiece but Dandenong slotted 6.1 to Oakleigh’s 0.7. That 30-point differential was the final margin.

Arguably Oakleigh was unlucky not to be on top comfortably through the first half of the second quarter, with the dangerous Scarlett Bown kicking three consecutive behinds to stretch the lead out to seven points in the eighth minute of the quarter. Then, as so often happens, Dandenong had its momentum swing and slammed home four goals to drive a knife into the heart of the Chargers.

There were massive plays all over, but it started with Scarlett Marsh‘ desperate lunge at Chargers’ skipper Zoe Curry as Curry tried to exit the defensive 50. Marsh’s subsequent kick put it deep where Hannah Griffiths clunked a huge contested mark and went back and slotted the goal. Over the course of the next eight minutes, the Stingrays would kick four majors, as Annie Clish, Molly Reimers and then Marsh herself all split the big sticks.

When eventual best on ground medal winner Zoe Zach was first to strike out of the main break, the margin was blown out to 23. Despite the deficit, Oakleigh refused to give in. Bown in particular was working hard alongside fellow forwards, Molly Phillips and Isabelle Godfrey who ran hard despite the growing margin. Ultimately though, four straight misses – including close range shots from Gabrielle Menegola and Emily McKinley – who had worked hard to earn the chances – meant the deficit only shrank to 19 points. Then Shae Anderson‘s classy strike on the eve of the final break deflated any momentum.

The margin was 25 poitns at the final break, and while not impossible, Oakleigh needed the first goal. Unfortunately for the Chargers, it was teh Stingrays – through Clish – who would strike truly, and when Anderson delivered another when she got it over the back in the goalsquare – which almost handed Clish back-to-back majors – it was all over.

Dandenong finished the game one disposal ahead after trailing the count all game, and dominated around the stoppages with 26 more hitouts (43-17) and five more clearances (31-26). The Chargers never gave up and matched the Stingrays’ heat with 91 tackles to 85, but ultimately that inaccuracy during the middle two terms cost the runners-up.

Zach won the medal in an even Stingrays performance, notching up 21 disposals, seven tackles, five clearances, two inside 50s, two rebound 50s and a goal, working well alongside Reimers (20 disposals, 11 tackles, eight clearances, five inside 50s and a goal) in the middle. Marsh (12 disposals, six tackles, four clearances, four inside 50s and a goal and Evi Irving (18 disposals, three marks, six tackles and three rebound 50s) were strong as ever, while Ella Bologa provided run out of defence and both Clish and Marsh were busy in attack.

Erica Rowe (16 disposals, seven tackles, four clearances, three inside 50s and two rebound 50s) was also industrious, while Gabrielle Mehrmann might have only had three touches but kept Martin to just one goal for the game and had several key one-on-one wins.

For the Chargers, Bown finished as the highest disposal winner, moving on-ball in the last term after Grace To left the field injured late in the third quarter. The bottom-ager managed 19 disposals, five marks, six tackles, three inside 50s and unluckily, 0.4. Isabella Mazzei (18 disposals, three marks, four tackles and seven clearances) and Curry (17 disposals, two marks, three clearances, five inside 50s and five rebound 50s) lead from the front, as Martin finished with one goal from 15 disposals, and Godfrey, Phillips and Sophia Green were all among the better Oakleigh players.

OAKLEIGH CHARGERS 2.1 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3.9 (27)
DANDENONG STINGRAYS 1.2 | 5.3 | 7.3 | 9.3 (57)

GOALS:
Oakleigh: A. D’Intini 2, B. Martin
Dandenong: A. Clish 2, S. Anderson 2, L. Brittain, H. Griffiths, S. Marsh, M. Reimers, Z. Zach

RMC BEST:
Oakleigh: S. Bown, I. Mazzei, Z. Curry, I. Godfrey, S. Green
Dandenong: Z. Zach, M. Reimers, S. Marsh, A. Clish, G. Mehrmann

Best on Ground Medal: Zoe Zach (Dandenong Stingrays)