By Jonty Ralphsmith
Dandenong’s girls held on for a gutsy 8.9(57) to 7.11(53) win over Sandringham on Saturday at Shepley Oval.
The Dragons had a chance to win it at the death, but important defensive pressure from Sophie White on Sandringham’s Grace McIntyre helped ensure the running shot sailed wide.
The Stingrays got out to a 15-point lead before Sandringham closed late, kicking the last two goals to give themselves a chance to win it.
Silky forward Alice Cunnington led the way with three goals in her third match of the season.
Cunnington’s return lifts her season tally of goals to 10, having kicked at least three in every match she has played in 2025.
One of those goals came early in the last quarter, immediately after Evelyn Connolly found the big sticks which helped the hosts open up the match-winning lead.
Lillian Snow finished with 23 disposals and six tackles while Makhaela Bluhm combined 11 disposals with two goals.
Meanwhile, the Stingrays boys will be ruing a big missed opportunity to bank a win against an under strength Northern Knights outfit, going down 11.6(72) to 10.13(73).
When electric bottom-aged forward Marcus Prasad slotted his second at the 18-minute-mark of the third term, Dandenong led by 30 points and looked poised to run away with it.
But the visitors kicked six of the last seven at Shepley Oval, claiming the lead at the 21-minute-mark of the last quarter, and holding on in a tense conclusion.
Winger Toby Sinnema, the hard-running Jasper Russell and forward Jay-De Varlet were among the Stingrays’ best players.
Vic Country summer hub defender and co-captain Max Lee was also flashy as he took a step back towards his best after a concussion-interrupted start to 2025.
The Stingrays girls head to a bye this weekend undefeated at the top of the table, while the boys will look to better their 2-3 record against Calder on Sunday at Shepley Oval.
EVELYN CONNOLLY ON A TEAR
In four Coates League games in 2025, Evelyn Connolly has booted 13.11 for the Stingrays.
Connolly is well exposed, having played 15 games for 21 goals last season after four goals in four games as a 16-year-old, but she looks to have levelled up considerably in 2025 – and is getting rewarded on the scoreboard.
A smart and elusive 169cm forward with excellent endurance and capable of adding energy in spurts as an on-baller, Connolly missed the Vic Country summer hub but is making herself hard to IGNORE for the U18 national championships squad.
SAM LEWIS ATTRACTING DRAFT INTEREST
Dandenong midfielder Sam Lewis is on the radar of several AFL clubs ahead of the selection of the Vic Country squads for the U18 national championships which kick off next month.
It follows back-to-back 30-disposal, 10-clearance games in a pair of Vic Country trials in recent weeks.
He’s showcased his clean skills, strength and power, while there is also a belief he has the ability to impact forward of the footy.
While a touch quieter with 19 disposals on Saturday for Vic Country, he is expected to be in the Vic Country squad having missed the summer hub.
He played five games in a bottom-ages campaign interrupted by injury.
JAY-DE VARLET’S MOMENT
The smother, the shimmy and the goal.
Jay-De Varlet provided arguably the highlight of the game, aggressively standing the mark, smothering the Northern Knights’ defender’s exit kick, selling candy, dancing around him and finishing on the run from 40.
It’s well established that Varlet has a touch of x-factor but he’s combined that with more consistency in 2025, averaging 14 disposals and five tackles as a forward while also showing moments in both Vic Country trials.
Speed is his most eye-catching attribute, having run a 2.829 second 20-metre sprint at the Rookie Me pre-season testing, making him the third fastest U18 footballer in the country.
Regardless of whether he makes Vic Country, his athleticism and forward craft will keep the Beaconsfield junior on the map.
