By Ant Wingard
Yeronga South Brisbane v Wilston Grange
Wilston Grange 2.0, 6.2, 9.4, 11.6 (72)
Yeronga South Brisbane 2.1, 2.3, 3.3, 4.4 (28)
GOALS, Wilston Grange: D. Gisu 3, M. Campbell 3, S. Campbell 1, C. Daniec 1, I. Collings 1, J. Abbott 1, J. Yorston 1. Yeronga South Brisbane: J. Ransfield 2, C. Burnett 1, C. McDonnell 1
BEST, Wilston Grange: K. Lutkins, S. Campbell, C. Svarc, C. Daniec, M. Campbell, T. Payne. Yeronga South Brisbane: E. Bliss, J. Ransfield, K. Cantrell, M. Walsh, G. Brehmer, J. Zanchetta.
Yeronga South Brisbane have had their finals hopes dashed with a 44-point loss to minor premier Wilston Grange at home on Saturday evening.
Ahead of the first siren, the Devils – who trailed Coolangatta Tweed by a win and considerable percentage – required a hefty victory over the Gorillas to book their ticket but after a gallant opening term, that pipe dream appears lost.
The Devils matched the table-toppers throughout the opening term and lead at the opening break following goals to Jade Ransfield and Courtney Burnett.
Wilston Grange kept in touch in the opening stanza with two goals of their own, but it wasn’t until the second quarter where they really found their groove.
The Gorillas piled on four majors in the second while rendering Yeronga, with their season on the line, goalless to take a 23-point lead as the side’s parted for half time.
The onslaught continued after the break as the Gorillas began to dominate play and kept the ball well within their attacking half throughout the opening minutes.
Their dominance however, couldn’t be replicated on the scoreboard with Wilston Grange struggling to convert their chances and instead settled for a string of behinds.
It wasn’t until QWAFL One to Watch prospect, Delma Gisu, snapped truly in the eighth minute to break the Gorillas’ string of single digit scores.
Michaela Campbell added more in the following minutes to extend the Gorillas’ lead, before Jade Ransfield finally kicked the Devil’s third major as the quarter drew to an end.
With a 37-point lead up their sleeve at the final change, the Gorillas ended one of the most successful QWAFL seasons in recent history with two final goals.
Devils’ forward, Courtney McDonnell added her name to the goal sheet as Yeronga’s premiership defence ended for season 2018.
Maroochydore v University of Queensland
University of Queensland 8.0, 11.2, 12.3, 14.7 (91)
Maroochydore 2.0, 2.1, 4.2, 4.3 (27)
GOALS, University of Queensland: M. Wood 4, M. McGorm 4, G. Collingwood 2, A. Moran 1, J. Childes 1, B. Barnes 1, R. Vetter 1. Maroochydore: J. Sills 2, M. Banks 1, T. Day 1.
BEST, University of Queensland: R. Vetter, C. Wharton, S. Webb, M. McGorm, G. Collingwood, J. Stone. Maroochydore: C. Croyden, R. Crack, J. Sills, A. Hales, T. Dale, T. Gesch.
University of Queensland have stood tall in the final round of the home and away season with a 64-point win over Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast, despite the absence of a number of their key players.
Sabrina Frederick-Traub and Kate McCarthy were omissions from the Red Lions’ side through work commitments, but that didn’t stop the away side from compiling one of their biggest scores of the season against the Roos.
The duo have been responsible for eight of the team’s 16 goals over the past fortnight yet the team looked in no way lost without their forward stars.
Instead, it was Maddison Wood and Marnie McGorm who starred inside 50 with the pair both booting four goals each in the win.
Wood and McGorm were the beneficiary of University of Queensland’s dominance around the ground as Jamie Stone was unrivalled in the ruck and provided their plethora of midfielders first use at ground level.
The Red Lions’ win – their fourth straight – came after a blitzkrieg opening term.
University of Queensland produced a mammoth eight goals in the first 15 minutes of the quarter through five individual goal kickers to extend their lead to 48 points before Maroochydore had even really found their footing in the contest.
After watching the travelling side pile on the majors, the Roos responded with two of their own before quarter time to breath some life back into the game.
The scoring stemmed slightly in the following quarters with the result all but confirmed yet the Red Lions still found crafty avenues to goals.
Gabby Collingwood, who finished with two for the game, continued the Red Lions’ run as Wood and McGorm also joined in on the party.
The third term went the way of the Roos who doubled their score with two majors in the quarter before the Red Lions took control to kick two goals to nil in the final quarter.
Coolangatta Tweed v Coorparoo
Coorparoo 3.1, 7.1, 10.7, 16.8 (104)
Coolangatta Tweed 0.0, 0.4, 2.6, 2.7 (19)
GOALS, Coorparoo: J. Wuetschner 6, J. Govan 3, M. Protheroe 2, T. Groves-Little 2, M. Ingram 1, J. Tawhiao-Wardlaw 1, N. Iduteyiteka 1. Coolangatta Tweed: L. Turney, B. Brymer.
BEST, Coorparoo: J. Wuetschner, J. Tawhiao-Wardlaw, E. Pittman, J. Ellenger, P. Parker, A. Perry. Coolangatta Tweed: M. Whiticker, B. Brymer, L. Alder, L. Turney, M. Roberts.
Coorparoo forward Jess Wuetschner starred for the Kings in their dominant 85-point win over Coolangatta Tweed in Round 17.
Wuetschner booted a round-high six goals and climbed up to second overall in the QWAFL goal kicking leaderboard as the Kings capitalised on their numerous forward 50 entries against the Bluebirds.
Despite the 14-goal deficit between the two teams, it was the second week in a row that Coorparoo had to endure a tough battle within the arcs and much in the same vein as last week, reaped the rewards at the goal face.
Coolangatta proved a tough opposition throughout the four quarters and put it right to the Kings that it wouldn’t be a walkaway victory.
Unfortunately, however, and unlike the Kings, the Bluebirds weren’t able to capitalise on their midfield efforts and struggled to hit the scoreboard.
Fortunately though, and despite their run of five consecutive losses, Coolangatta did enough early in the season to remain in fourth place and seal a finals birth.
Maddie Protheroe opened the scoring account for the Kings inside two minutes before Wuestchner bagged her first soon after.
A small forward, Protheroe, has now kicked seven goals in her 13 games this season as the perfect foil for main targets Jenae Govan and Wuetschner.
The goals continued for Coorparoo with the team scoring seven in the opening two quarters to all but seal the win during that time.
Their dominance continued in the second though as Govan and Wuetschner got to work. The pair, who have kicked more goals combined than any other duo in the QWAFL this season, accounted for all of the Kings’ three majors in the 20 minutes after the main break.
After going goalless for the opening half, the Bluebirds finally got a reward for their efforts and kicked two majors in the premiership quarter via Lucy Turney and Britanny Brymer.
Coorparoo, who were out to prove a point to the other two finals-bound sides, added another six goals in the final term and reached triple figures with just over one-minute remaining.
The Kings’ loss was soured with the loss of defender Hayley Moore, who suffered a broken fibula in a tackle.
