QUEENSLAND’S top flight female football league will be in action over the weekend with a full five-game round on the agenda. Round 6 takes place across the state, with the QAFLW one of the few state leagues taking place as AFL Sydney, the SANFLW and WAFLW all having league-wide byes and the VFLW only just starting its season this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The QAFLW heads into Round 6 with the competition’s shape clearer than ever, as Coorparoo chase a sixth-straight win and a resurgent Southport look to make a statement in what shapes as a defining weekend of the season. Round 6 is also Sir Doug Nicholls Round, celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and their contributions to Australian football.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
ROUND 6 FIXTURE:<\/strong> Graham Road will host Aspley and Southport in what looms as the most consequential game of the early afternoon. The Sharks arrive having absorbed a gut-punch in Round 5 – surrendering a 19-point three-quarter-time lead to Coorparoo and ultimately going down 3.7 (25) to 6.2 (38) in one of the great QAFLW comebacks. That result snapped a two-game winning run and left the back-to-back premiers sitting at 3-2, staring down the barrel of a mid-season hole if they cannot respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aspley sit at 2-3 and the Hornets very much a side searching for consistency. Their wins have come against the bottom two – Moreton Bay and Broadbeach – and while their close defeat to Wilston Grange suggests a team competitive with the best, converting those near-misses into victories is the challenge they have yet to solve. The Hornets’ best has been encouraging: Ella Smith<\/a> has been outstanding in defeat, Monique Corrigan<\/a> provides a genuine ruck presence, and the likes of Isabella McDonough<\/a> and Lucia Liessi<\/a> remain dangerous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Southport, this is a must-win because a third loss in four rounds would put genuine pressure on a top two berth. Steph O’Brien<\/a> and Olivia Meagher<\/a> headline a stacked team this season, while the experience of Ella Maurer<\/a>, Kiara Hillier<\/a> and Gabrielle Biedenweg-Webster<\/a> should be the difference. A Southport win, but Aspley will make them earn it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ladder implications will be firmly at one end of the equation when the Gorillas tackle Moreton Bay at at Hickey Park. Wilston Grange, after grinding through the previous fotnight, responded with a confidence-restoring 10.4 (64) to 9.4 (58) win over UQ last weekend – a game that was a genuine arm-wrestle before Zimmorlei Farquharson<\/a>‘s five-goal haul proved the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Lions are 0-5 and yet to register a win in their second season at the level. They have shown spirit – most notably in Round 5 when Broadbeach had to work hard for its maiden victory – and Grace Pearson-Smith<\/a> continues to compete hard week in, week out. But the talent gap between the Lions and a fully motivated Wilston Grange side is significant. Jasmine Ware<\/a>, Kadie Fletcher<\/a> and Tshinta Kendall<\/a> alongside Farquharson represents as formidable a list of threats as any in the competition. A big Wilston Grange win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Neptune Homes Oval on the Gold Coast hosts a clash between two sides coming off contrasting results last round. Broadbeach’s first-ever QAFLW win last weekend – a 7.13 (55) to 5.0 (30) victory over Moreton Bay – was one of the highlights of the season so far, and the question now is whether that breakthrough can generate momentum. The Cats’ standouts, Jasmine Single<\/a>, Alicia Withers<\/strong> and Drew<\/strong> Barnes<\/strong>, gave them a real look in the second half against the Lions; taking that into a game against a familiar opponent will be a significant developmental test.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Maroochydore is 1-4 following last week’s 14.11 (95) to 0.2 (2) capitulation to Bond University, the sort of afternoon that tests a group’s resilience as much as its ability. The Roos’ campaign has been characterised by moments of genuine quality – Sophie Schulze<\/a> continues to be one of the more exciting young players in the competition – and this is a fixture that represents a real opportunity to get on the board themselves. A close contest is possible, with a Broadbeach win perhaps slightly favoured at home. The Cats’ maiden victory should provide a fillip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The game of the round falls in the late timeslot at Jack Esplen Oval, where Morningside host the unbeaten Coorparoo Kings – and the competition’s most intriguing storyline continues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Coorparoo’s Round 5 victory over Southport was the sort of performance that separates good teams from great ones. Trailing by 19 points at three-quarter time, Jacinta Baldwick<\/a> and Ayla Fetahagic<\/a> led a five-goal last-term blitz that left the reigning premiers stunned. At 5-0 and mounting an irresistible claim to top spot, the Kings now face the most complete challenge the competition has to offer. Edie Fraser<\/a> and Chelsea Chesterfield<\/a> have provided forward line depth and penetration that has hurt teams all season, while Sarah Perkins<\/a> has added significant experience to the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, Morningside is a side capable of ending Coorparoo’s unbeaten run. The Panthers sit at 3-2 and are playing with genuine confidence – Laura Roy<\/a> has been exceptional across the first five rounds, and the supporting cast of Indiana Williams<\/a>, Ally Lappin<\/a> and Coco Garton<\/a> makes them a dangerous team. The Panthers also showed last month they can win the close ones, edging Southport by a point in the grand final rematch that announced their credentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The determining factor will be Morningside’s capacity to limit Coorparoo’s damage through the middle and convert on opportunities when they come. Jack Esplen Oval is a fortress when the Panthers are up and about, and a match between two sides who have every reason to push hard should produce the night’s most absorbing football. The edge goes to Morningside at home, but Coorparoo’s ability to win ugly – as they showed last weekend – means the result is very much in the balance. University of Queensland arrive at 2-3 and with a point to prove after last week’s narrow defeat to Wilston Grange. The Red Lionesses have been more competitive than their record suggests – Luka Yoshida-Martin<\/a> has been excellent all season, and Eva Sartor<\/a> has been one of the hardest-working players. But Bond University at home presents a very different proposition. A comfortable Bull Sharks win, with the margin to reflect the gap in firepower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Aspley vs. Southport | Saturday May 16, 2:00pm @ Graham Road
Wilston Grange vs. Moreton Bay | Saturday May 16, 2:00pm @ Hickey Park
Broadbeach vs. Maroochydore | Saturday May 16, 4:45pm @ Kombumerri Park
Morningside vs. Coorparoo | Saturday May 16, 4:45pm @ Jack Esplen Oval
Bond University vs. University of Queensland | Saturday May 16, 4:45pm @ Bond University Oval<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bond University have been the most dominant side in the competition on aggregate and arrive at Bond University Oval in superb form – 4-1, with a five-round scoring differential that dwarfs any other team in the league. The 95-point demolition of Maroochydore last week was comprehensive even by their standards, with Evy Reeves<\/a>, Shannon Nolan<\/a> and Kendra Blattman<\/a> forming a midfield and forward combination that has been near-impossible to contain. Jasmyn Davidson<\/a> and Annabel Lynch<\/a> have been bright throughout. The Bull Sharks’ Round 4 comeback over Morningside – overturning a three-goal deficit in the final term – underlines a side with both talent and character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n