By Jonty Ralphsmith
A competitive first half was overshadowed by a disappointing finish for Gippsland Power’s girls at Shepley Oval on Saturday morning, Sydney Swans Academy winning 10.11 71 to 2.7 19.
Trailing by just two points at halftime, Gippsland failed to register another score, struggling to get hands on it around stoppage in the second half as Sydney dominated possession and territory.
The Power had the ascendancy in a dour first quarter scrap, but the Swans exposed them out the back on multiple occasions, kicking the first goal of the game on the quarter time siren from a rebounding slingshot.
Pakenham local Bonnie Williams gave Gippy a lifter two minutes into the second quarter, stepping through traffic and snapping truly from 40 to give the Power the lead.
That goal initiated a flurry of four goals in eight minutes, as the teams traded blows, with Mia Smith-Clark the other goalscorer for Gippsland.
Highly-rated bottom-aged halfback Ella Stoddart stood up in the second quarter, taking intercept marks and showcasing her strength and penetrating kick.
Bunyip’s Bec Fitzpatrick was excellent in traffic, finishing with 24 disposals to continue her strong start to the season for Gippsland, while smooth-mover Ash Perkins (Pakenham) and strong marking Addison Howe also playing their roles well, while Jas Sowden lit the spark in a big first half.
In the second part of the double header, Warragul Industrials product Alixzander Tauru shone brightest in Gippsland’s boys’ 10.16 76 to 9.12 66 victory over Sydney Swans Academy.
The physical Swans jumped Gippy early, kicking the first three of the game to get out to a 21-point lead before star bottom-ager Willem Duursma got the Power on the board.
It took until after the halftime siren for Gippy to claim the lead for the first time, Xavier Lindsay putting his head over a hardball and winning a free kick and slotting the ensuing set shot.
The teams traded blows for the next quarter-and-a-half, setting the scene for a climatic finish.
Having presented well all day, it was Vic Country trialist Asher Eastham who sealed the result with a contested mark deep in attack and snap around the body to put his team eight points up late in the game.
Max Donohue had two important aerial contests late when Sydney looked to advance it but the main man was Tauru, whose late intercept mark was emblematic of a mammoth afternoon.
Having earned a Vic Country trial after a solid start to the season, the 191cm defender took a game-high 10 marks, to go with 15 disposals, showcasing his competitiveness and strength.
At Belvedere Reserve, the class of Dandenong’s forwards was a decisive factor in a comfortable 7.14 56 to 6.11 47 win over Geelong.
The Falcons broke even in the midfield, but the Stingrays were more potent when going inside 50, Zoe Besanko leading the charge with 2.4, five marks and 19 disposals.
Coach Josh Moore was full of praise for Officer’s Kayla Dalgleish who was courageous in the midfield, demonstrating her tenacity for the second straight week.
After being one of the few to perform strongly in the loss to competition pacesetters Oakleigh, she won 14 disposals and was busy again on Saturday.
“She’s shooting up the ranks after going really well at the preseason testing,” Moore said.
“She’s been doing a lot of the tough inside work both games as a midfielder and I’m keen to showcase her as a forward because she’s super quick and agile around forward 50.
“She’s a tough competitor so cracks in as a mid which is great, but she has more talent to showcase.”
Jemaya Bressan went back to her favoured wing position in the second half, having shown positive signs as an inside midfielder, and utility Makhaela Bluhm was also strong when thrown into defence.
The only slight sour note on the day was a head clash between defenders Georgia Templeton and Cranbourne’s Kheely Cornwall which ruled them out of much of the contest, but they were not concussed and will play against Gippsland this week.
