Coolangatta, Wilston Grange and Coorparoo were winners in Round 5 of the QWAFL
MATCH OF THE ROUND
COOLANGATTA 7.10.52 DEFEATED ZILLMERE 2.5.17
It was a wet old night down at Len Peak Oval on Saturday, but it was clear from the opening bounce that both teams had brought their A game in this top of the table clash.
Zillmere were the better looking team in the first quarter, but unfortunately for the Eagles they couldn’t make the most of their forward pressure, wasting a string of opportunities at goal.
Two late goals in the first term to Coolangatta saw the momentum shift and from there the Bluebirds assumed control of the game, using the footy cleverly in the greasy conditions.
Despite a mountain of forward half pressure and countless entries inside the forward fifty, Coolangatta managed just one major in the second quarter.
Some terrific defensive work from Emma Pericic and Alexandra Anderson helped the Eagles stay in touch at half time, but Coolangatta looked well on top leading 27-9 at the main break.
The Bluebirds stepped it up a notch in the third quarter, stringing together some brilliant plays in the wet to stop the Eagles run.
Rosalie Admanson was again a crucial target for Coolangatta, bagging three for the game and two in the third to put the nail in Zillmere’s coffin.
Leah Kaslar played another outstanding game for the Bluebirds, her work rate and tackling pressure unrivalled in the second half.
The Eagles put in a spirited effort on a cold, wet day away from home, but in the end Coolangatta took the chocolates, running out 35-point winners.
The Bluebirds now move to 4-0 for the season and with wins over Coorparoo, Yeronga and Zillmere they are undoubtedly the team to beat.
Coach’s thoughts
Aaron Russell – Coolangatta
“I though considering the real wet and greasy conditions that we were pretty clean, particularly in the third and fourth quarter, we were able to pick it up off the deck and still get our running game going.
“We knew that they (Zillmere) were going to come out tough and have a red hot crack from the get go so we wanted to make sure we matched them for effort and intensity.
“We though our half-forwards probably weren’t playing forward enough or putting enough defensive pressure on, but we definitely turned it round and make amends in the second half.
“We had an emphasis on getting numbers to the footy and our defensive side of the game and it was definitely a great team effort tonight.”
Jacob Simmons-Bliss – Zillmere
“We’re absolutely pleased with the effort the girls displayed today, we played an outstanding game of football.
“We didn’t make the most of our opportunities up forward and Coolangatta did so I think that was the difference tonight, but we played a great physical running brand of footy in tough conditions.
“We are under a really heavy training load at the moment so we don’t expect to have perfect performances, but tonight I can’t question the effort, the application to our game plan and the players displayed a consistent four quarter effort.”
WILSTON GRANGE 10.7.67 DEFEATED GRIFFITH MOOROOKA 1.5.11
Wilston Grange returned to QWAFL competition for the first term in nearly three weeks on Saturday, battling it out with Griffith Moorooka at PBI Oval.
The Gorillas showed signs of rust in the first quarter, but quickly found their feet as the match progressed, putting together a beautiful three goal second term to take a commanding 32-point half time lead.
Griffith Moorooka were much better this week, winning clean football out of the middle and taking the lions share of clearances around the stoppages in the second quarter.
Tahlia Randall and Klarindah Hudson were welcome additions to the Reds lineup this week, playing key roles across the midfield and half-back line for Griffith Moorooka.
As the game progressed, Wilston Grange began to hit their straps, sharing the ball beautifully in a game that featured nine different goal kickers for the Gorillas.
Brie Weatherstone played another great game up forward for Wilston Grange and Heidi Thompson was outstanding all afternoon in the midfield, a late goal putting the icing on her huge day.
Unfortunately for both sides, play was stopped halfway through the third quarter after an ambulance was required for Sam Virgo after a concussion.
Although Griffith Moorooka showed vast signs of improvement from last week, the Gorillas were too strong in this one, running out 56-point winners.
Coach’s thoughts
Ron Kemp – Wilston Grange
“I was fairly happy, we worked pretty well – obviously the skills were a little bit rusty and we missed a couple of easy goals but I was happy the girls kept working.
“You could see as the game went on that we started to link and started to look for each other, I was really happy with the work rate that the girls put out.
“There was some good run and carry and a couple of times we came off half back untouched and scored through good disposal work and finishing, if we can do more of that we will put pressure on the big sides.”
Glenn Hogetts – Griffith Moorooka
“We were pretty good this week, at the start of the week we only had 14 available, so considering the circumstances I was happy.
“Our clearance work around the stoppages was really good, we were getting our hands on the ball first which was good.
“We played them (Wilston Grange) in a practice game and lost heavy, so this is an improvement and the confidence is slowly coming and I’m seeing improvement each week.
“All the girls put in 100% effort, I can’t fault them, they chased and closed them down and put some scores on the board, that is all I can ask.”
COORPAROO 12.9.81 DEFEATED YERONGA 2.4.16
It isn’t any secret that Coorparoo and Yeronga have a fierce rivalry and both clubs were out to prove a point this weekend after starting the season 1-1.
The first quarter was played with the ferocity and intensity that everyone expected, but it was the Navy Roos who made the most of their opportunities, booting four goals to one in the opening 20 minutes to give them the edge.
Coorparoo were full of confidence after giving Griffith Moorooka a hiding last weekend and it was clear that the Navy Roos were back to their scary good form of 2014, dominating Yeronga in the first half.
Yeronga tried hard to stop the run and carry game from Coorparoo, but the Navy Roos were far too good in the early going, sharing the ball beautifully to lead by 33-points at the main break.
After half-time it was all Coorparoo, the Navy Roos clearance work, intensity and commitment to playing man on man footy was the difference maker in a big 65-point win.
Hannah Sexton played a fantastic game for Coorparoo, kicking three majors and setting up a few others in a dominant performance.
Expect the Navy Roos to be an extremely tough team to knock off now after finding some legitimate form and moving into second on the QWAFL ladder.
Coach’s thoughts
Bernie Cantrell – Coorparoo
“We set out from the beginning of the week to match them (Yeronga) in intensity and play man on man footy and I thought we did that.
“That’s the best four quarters I’ve seen the girls play this season, we executed our game plan well and played at a high intensity all afternoon.
“The major improvement so far is the sharing of the footy, we used it really well today and our quick ball movement has improved out of sight.
“We just need to keep working on our man to man game, quick hands and good deliveries, but I was very happy with the performance.”
Scott Stephens – Yeronga
“We came up against a good team today, Coorparoo really came to play and our girls unfortunately didn’t, they were well and truly outplayed for all four quarters.
“They (Coorparoo) just attacked the football better, they were a lot cleaner and when they added scoreboard pressure it was really tough.
“Nat Thomas and Sophie Cooke played really well, they were both very good all day, but overall there are very few positives, I think the girls learnt a really good lesson today.
“We know that we are developing and we will learn from this and use it to keep going and keep improving so we can eventually be the club we know we can be.”
By Grant Hitzman – @granthitzman
