Coolangatta 8.11.59 defeated Yeronga 4.4.28
It was a fitting battle between two undefeated sides, but it was the second-half that made the difference, with Coolangatta pulling away in the last quarter.
The first half was intense, physical and competitive, but while Coolangatta maintained the effort, Yeronga took the foot off the pedal.
Coolangatta were extremely strong in defence, keeping Yeronga scoreless after halftime. And four rounds in, we officially have a competition frontrunner.
Coolangatta 1.2, 3.2, 4.7, 8.11 (59)
Yeronga 1.4, 4.4, 4.4, 4.4 (28)
Goals:
Coolangatta K. Howarth 3, M. Lowe 2, L. James, H. Sexton, C. Butler
Yeronga D. Leach, E. Bates, J. Ransfield, J. Vandyk
Best:
Coolangatta A. Clarke, J. Membrey, R. Blair, H. Sexton, M. Roberts, S. Goodman
Yeronga C. Bromage, E. Bates, S. Boniface, K. Cantrell, E. Bliss, S. Virgo
Ladder
Coolangatta 1st (4 Wins), Yeronga 2nd (3 Wins)
Coach’s Thoughts:
Aaron Russell, Coolangatta
“We were very happy with our entire game, despite the score line being close at half time.”
“The message to the girls at halftime was that if we tweaked a few little things we could really break the game open and we responded to that.”
“We’ve been in this position (undefeated) last year, it’s something that we keep working on week to week.”
“If you achieve your weekly goals it will get you to the end result.”
Scott Stephens, Yeronga
“We just dropped off our intensity and effort in the second half- and Coolangatta capitalised on that.
“Essentially in the end, they just wanted it more than we did.”
“Sometimes half time can work against you- we went in to the break eight points up thinking everything was going to plan and then our intensity dropped off.”
“We’re not afraid to take risks, in fact we welcome the risks but if it doesn’t pay off it can pay.”
“It was a learning curve for our girls in terms of attitude and intensity.”
Wilston Grange 1.2.8 defeated by UQ 7.7.49
Wilston Grange came out to play, and from the first bounce were up for it, but it was a dominant third quarter from UQ that hurt them in the end,
Alanna Perry shone in her first game for the Red Lionesses, and Tahlia Randall continued to impact for Grange, both girls returning from Under 18 Queensland duties.
It might not have shown on the scoreboard, but the Gorillas walked off the field with their heads held high and if they can play four full quarters like their first half, they can take it to any team.
Final Score:
Wilston Grange 1.2, 1.2, 1.2, 1.2 (8)
UQ 1.1, 3.2, 6.4, 7.7 (49)
Goals
Wilston Grange C. Daniec
UQ C. Bell 2, E. Pericic 2, M. Hunt 2, S. Boller
Best:
Wilston Grange K. McGlade, C. Daniec, M. Cubis, A. Pittendreigh, E. Gerke, G. Mooney
UQ M. McGorm, E. Pericic, A. Perry, T. Joyce, A. Mason, S. Webb
Ladder:
Wilston Grange 6th, UQ 3rd (3 Wins)
Coach’s Thoughts:
Marcus McDonald-Camden, Wilston Grange
“Our first half was very strong, we came out from the first bounce ready for the game.”
“Our third quarter was frustrating as we got a little bit tired and gave away a few easy goals.”
“UQ stuck to their structures which allowed them to get those easy runaways.”
“It was devastating not to come away with the win, but we could all see that the hard work is starting to pay off and if we continue to put those structures into practice we can beat anyone.”
Zillmere 6.11.47 defeated Coorparoo 6.2.38
This one was a nail biter, with Zillmere just holding on in the end. Coorparoo came so close to notching up their first win of 2016 by creating forward 50 opportunities and making sure it showed in the scoreboard.
Zillmere had an extra nine shots on goal, but struggled to capitalise.
Final Score:
Zillmere 2.2, 3.3, 6.8, 6.11 (47)
Coorparoo 0.0, 3.1, 3.2, 6.2 (38)
Goals:
Zillmere K. Guarino 2, M. Timms, T. Harris, A. Gaur, A. Anderson
Coorparoo A. Henderson 2, T. Hansen 2, J. Govan, K. Nankervis
Best:
Zillmere A. Anderson, K. Guarino, T. Harris, S. Law, S. Klose, M. Anderson
Coorparoo C. Rice, H. Cornish, R. Crack, C. Davis, S. Young, A. Henderson
Ladder:
Zillmere 4th (2 Wins), Coorparoo 5th
Coach’s Thoughts:
Jacob Simmons-Bliss, Zillmere
“We started well and we forgot to shut the door on the way past.”
“It was a case of our inaccurate kicking really cost us, and it was a close game because we weren’t able to convert our opportunities into goals.”
“We were pretty happy with getting the win the hard way, and it shows a lot of result especially after some close losses early in this season.
“The biggest deficiency in our game was our inaccurate kicking. Our contests were good, our game plan was executed, but we failed to capitalise.”
3 Things We Learnt:
- The new wave
It was the first game in three weeks in which the Under 18 Youth Girls representatives could play. In the match of the round the young guns excelled, showing that fresh bodies and pizzazz can sometimes trump experience.
For Coolangatta, Arianna Clarke ran riot, Ruby Blair worked her magic in defence and Kalinda Howarth bagged three goals.
For Yeronga, Courteney Bromage produced a best on ground performance for her side, taking her physicality to the next level and bringing the energy that her side lacked.
- Megan Hunt- The Magician
UQ’s Megan Hunt has natural AFL smarts and, most importantly, talent. On Saturday, she was her usual zippy self, bagging two against Wilston Grange.
She proved why she’s one of the best midfielders in the QWAFL, due to her ability to make an impact in front of the goals.
So far this season she’s kicked four goals, which is pretty impressive for a small midfielder. It’s why she has a competitive edge, making it difficult for opponents to shut her down.
- Coorparoo are well and truly knocking on that door
It’s been a tough start to the 2016 QWAFL season for the reigning premiers. But for the first time they came agonisingly close to getting their first of the year, only losing by 11 points to Zillmere.
They made the most of their forward 50 entries, and started gelling together under new head coach, Daniel Selby. This year has given other girls a chance to step up and shine, and that showed on Saturday night. Hopefully they can take this newfound confidence forward to next week, and potentially bring home a win.
By QWAFL writer Jessica Stewart
Twitter: @Jess_Stewart16
