by Daniel Viles
Southport are the Queen Boss Sharks
Southport claimed its first Bond University QAFLW senior premiership with a relentless 35-point triumph over Bond University in the Grand Final at People First Stadium, Carrara.
The Sharks scored two goals in each quarter, a replica of their home win over their Gold Coast rivals in June, and did not concede a point from midway through the second quarter onwards.
Kaylee Kimber took nine intercept marks, the most by any player in a match this year, to become the first defender to be named Best on Ground in a Bond University QAFLW Grand Final since Kate Lutkins in 2018.
Alannah Welsh matched last year’s achievement of her former Burleigh Bombers teammate, Ava Usher, in kicking three goals in a Grand Final at the age of 16; while midfielder Maddy Watt was both the dominant ground-ball winner and the Sharks’ first line of defence, leading all-comers for effective disposals (16), clearances (10) and tackles (11).
For the Bull Sharks, Mia Salisbury and Courtney Sexton (6 clearances each) won plenty of ball for the outgoing premiers, feeding the likes of Ari Clarke through the middle, Tahlia Meyer out wide, and Shannon Nolan who made several shredding runs through the Southport defence.
Havana Harris, in her 14th state league match, finally tasted defeat but was strong both in the ruck and general play, putting her side on the front foot with seven inside-50s.
Bond scored the first goal of the match in the eighth minute when Nyalli Milne’s run-down tackle on Emma Suckling allowed Clarke to pump the ball towards goal. Late contact on Clarke presented Leah Kaslar with a set shot that she swung inside the left goalpost.
Southport responded within two minutes when Ebony Milne’s intercept mark at left halfback began a chain of possession that allowed Megan Hunt, now the first player on record to win QAFLW premierships with three clubs, to find Maddy Baldwin on the lead 40 metres from goal. Her set shot was more impressive for being kicked into a moderate wind.
Kimber’s only major error of the day came three minutes later when her inaccurate kick across the face of goal allowed Sexton and Bella Davies to pressure the lone defender before handballing to Kaslar for her second.
Just before quarter-time, Georja Davies marked in space on left wing, found Welsh on the lead 40 from goal, who in turn found Baldwin marking strongly next to the goal square. Baldwin’s goal produced the fourth lead change of the quarter but the last of the match.
Dekota Baron played a key role in both second term goals for the Sharks. In the seventh minute, after fetching the ball from an empty concourse, Baron found Tayla Gregory with a low pass to the left pocket. Gregory’s set shot went across goal to Georja Davies who marked and then shot truly on a narrow angle.
Five minutes later, Baron charged down an attempted clearing kick from Sophie Balcombe, regathered on the boundary and then centred precisely for Welsh to run into an empty goal.
In between, Bronte Parker scored Bond’s final points of the match when she and Bella Davies followed a deep kick from Nolan, forced an error from the last defender, and then sidestepped to score.
Despite leading by nine points at the main break, Southport could be forgiven for thinking that luck had deserted them when a long shot from Welsh reached the goal line before bouncing backwards. However, Tayla Gregory caught the ensuing boundary throw-in and strode through the defence to score.
Welsh made up for her near-miss later in the quarter when her alertness to play on after a high contact free kick gave her a free shot at goal, albeit from an acute angle.
The Bull Sharks made regular sojourns into their forward 50, but merely confronted Kimber’s masterclass of forcing shots on goal wide, picking off passes to forward targets, and charging out of defence.
The fight showed by Bond Uni was extraordinary: Paris Lightfoot in her final game as captain had her ankle turned in an accidental collision; Balcombe wore a Steph O’Brien kick flush in the face; and Clarke left the field coughing blood after a head clash with Parker. None were absent for long.
Southport secured the title after weathering the first six minutes of the final quarter deep in defence, then scoring through Baron with their first counter-attack. When Welsh scored her third with five minutes remaining, the champagne was taken off ice.
Selina Priest announced her retirement shortly before the match and finished her state league career with 112 matches, 41 goals, one Zielke Medal, and premierships in both her first (2016 with Coolangatta) and last seasons.
With Moreton Bay and Morningside joining the competition in 2025, this Grand Final marks the end of six years of the Bond University QAFLW as an eight-team competition.
Sunday 25 August, 2:30pm at People First Stadium, Carrara
SOUTHPORT 2.3 (15) 4.5 (29) 6.5 (41) 8.6 (54)
BOND UNIVERSITY 2.1 (13) 3.1 (19) 3.1 (19) 3.1 (19)
Replay and match statistics
Southport
Goals: Alannah Welsh 3, Maddy Baldwin 2, Georja Davies, Tayla Gregory, Dekota Baron
Best: Kaylee Kimber, Rianna Schipp, Georja Davies, Maighan Fogas, Kierra Zerafa, Ebony Milne
Bond University
Goals: Leah Kaslar 2, Bronte Parker
Best: Mia Salisbury, Paris Lightfoot, Nyalli Milne, Havana Harris, Skye White, Lexi Samuels
Best on Ground: Kaylee Kimber (Southport)
Attendance: 1417
Find all your information about the Bond University QAFLW at the Competition Hub.
