Round 17 results:
Maroochydore 0.2 (2) def. by University of Queensland 8.25 (73)
Coolangatta Tweed 6.2 (38) def. by Coorparoo 9.8 (62)
Wilston Grange 7.3 (45) def. by Yeronga South Brisbane 8.10 (58)
BYE: Zillmere
Kings of the QWAFL:
As the regular season of the QWAFL draws to a close we’re able to crown the minor premiers of 2017, Coorparoo! The Kings registered their ninth win on the trot when they defeated Coolangatta on Saturday, setting themselves up for a double chance to make the grand final in three weeks time. However it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the minor premiers on the weekend, with their title coming under siege by a Coolangatta assault at various points in the match. The Bluebirds were rallied behind a Selina Goodman masterclass, the tall forward playing her best game of the season to kick a couple of crucial goals and set up multiple more. Her efforts helped to keep Coolangatta within touch for three quarters, even taking the lead halfway through the third, before falling away in the fourth and allowing Coorparoo to kick a few unanswered goals. The Kings have earned a home final against Yeronga next week where they’ll have a chance to book a spot in the grand final with a win.
Over and out:
UQ have played their last game for 2017 after coming heartbreakingly close to cracking the top four. The Red Lions’ 71-point win over Maroochydore for the 50th Anniversary Women’s Cup saw them finish equal with Coolangatta on 30 points, but wasn’t enough to pull their percentage up above the Bluebirds’. It’s been a luckless season for UQ, who have been on the losing side of a few close encounters this season which could have turned the tables for them. What’s incredible is in the end is that it was just 24 points which could have seen them playing finals footy. That’s four straight kicks, which hurts even more considering they kicked just eight goals and 25 behinds on the weekend. Despite the disappointing result, the Red Lions have played some exciting footy this year and there’s no doubt we’ll see them go bigger and better in 2018.
And the winner is…:
It’s a tie! Congratulations to Jade Ransfield and Maddi Peeters, the 2017 QWAFL joint leading goal-scorers. The two spearheads were equal on 35 goals heading into the final round where they went head-to-head for the mantle. It was an old-fashioned shoot-out on Saturday afternoon, but with both forwards bagging four goals each, we’ll have two ladies lifting the trophy on Grogan Medal night.
The ladder now:
For the last time this year, we look at the ladder to analyse where each team finished up. Coorparoo are the minor premiers, finishing on 46 points with 11 wins and two losses. Yeronga finish in second on 44 points, meaning they will play the Kings this week for a spot in the grand final. The loser of that match will then play the winner of Wilston Grange vs Coolangatta, who finished third and fourth respectively. Coolangatta may have just scraped in by the skin of their teeth, but will be confident in their position after tying the Gorillas last time they met.
UQ have reason to be disappointed to miss out on finals by the slimmest of margins, finishing fifth with a 5% percentage gap to Coolangatta in fourth, despite winning one more game than the Bluebirds who had three draws. Maroochydore had a solid first QWAFL campaign in 2017, finishing sixth with three wins while Zillmere will be looking to rebuild in 2018 after finishing seventh without a win.
By Josh Cheadle
Twitter: @JoshCheadle20
