by Daniel Viles
Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad for Southport
Southport won its second QAFLW Reserve Grade premiership in just the third year of its existence defeating Bond University by 20 points at People First Stadium in the Grand Final.
After being trapped in defence for most of the second quarter, the (Great White) Sharks scored the first five goals of the second half before the Bull Sharks added appropriate respectability to the scorecard with two late majors.
Southport winger Mikayla Nurse was rewarded for her heavy involvement in both attack and defence with the Best on Ground award. Captain Serina Balanda cannot have been far behind with an outstanding game in the centre of defence.
Bond University were left to rue a series of missed opportunities in the second quarter, dominating territory but scoring five behinds, two from set shots, in six minutes.
Jasmine Single and Evie Emmett created a series of opportunities for the outgoing premiers with strong runs through the middle of the field, while Evy Reeves and Mikayla Sekáč got through a mountain of work in the last lines of defence.
Alicia Gordon opened the scoring the Sharks in the second minute when she took a strong contested mark to the right of goal from a Nurse pass and then accurately accounted for the crosswind.
A series of missed set shots either side of quarter-time was ended by Bond winger Hannah Garland eight minutes into the second term; her free kick at right half-forward was advanced to the goal square when the player on the mark ran early.
Bond’s sequence of behinds began and ended with missed set shots, Izzy Lowe hitting the post and Sarah Heptinstall fading right, while late inclusion Annabelle Foat missed narrowly with an opportunistic snap.
The other two minors were courtesy of the hard tag from Holly Wall on prolific goalscorer Tshinta Kendall. In the space of 32 seconds, Wall screened Kendall from a loose ball trickling towards goal, then redeemed a poor kick-in with a strong tackle to force another point. The respect of each for the other’s work was evident after full time.
Having weathered the storm, Southport regained the lead three minutes before the main break when Aasha Elliott, outstanding when running of defence all match, counter-attacked from left halfback which led to a Sunny Lappin kick falling just short of goal from 70 metres out. Defender Georgia Hutton was deemed to have rushed the behind under insufficient pressure and Scarlett Featherstone put the Sharks in front for the last time.
The marking work of vice-captains Leigh Alder and the retiring Alessia Smythe five minutes into the third term produced a loose ball in front of Featherstone. Unable to handle cleanly, she soccered on a tight angle to double her personal tally.
Lilly-Ann Ryder’s first goal of the quarter was relatively straightforward, winning a free kick for a push in the back, checking that her nose was okay, and then kicking truly.
Her second was stunning. After Balanda won the ball at centre halfback and Lucy Wallace attacked through the corridor, Ryder kicked from 55 metres over the defence to give her forwards something to chase. They needn’t have bothered; Ryder had scored a Grand Final classic.
The Sharks’ tackle pressure never wavered. Nurse won two free kicks late in the third with strong hits, but it was Jess Maher who shook People First Stadium twenty seconds into the final quarter running down a goalbound Aleah Stringer.
Six minutes in, Liz Hills won a 50-metre penalty and scored from the goal square, while the win was secured seven minutes later after Lappin marked next to the goal square from a charging Elliott.
Kendall and Stringer released some of their frustration with late set shot goals to ensure the scoreline was a better reflection of the match.
Admiration was widespread for Bond University coach Emily Otto who is surely one of a very small number of women to have coached in a Grand Final five days after giving birth. Percy Otto accompanied his mother to the stage at the presentation ceremony.
With the win in the Bond University QAFLW Grand Final later in the day, Southport became the second club to win both Seniors and Reserve Grade state league titles in one year following Bond University’s double triumph in 2023.
Sunday 25 August, 12pm at People First Stadium, Carrara
SOUTHPORT 1.2 (8) 2.3 (15) 5.5 (35) 7.5 (47)
BOND UNIVERSITY 0.2 (2) 1.7 (13) 1.8 (14) 3.9 (27)
Replay
Southport
Goals: Scarlett Featherstone 2, Lilly-Ann Ryder 2, Alicia Gordon, Liz Hills, Sunny Lappin
Best: Mikayla Nurse, Serina Balanda, Holly Wall, Lilly-Ann Ryder, Aasha Elliott, Jess Maher
Bond University
Goals: Hannah Garland, Tshinta Kendall, Aleah Stringer
Best: Sarah Heptinstall, Annabelle Foat, Aleah Stringer, Makayla Sekáč, Andi Heard, Hannah Garland
Best on Ground: Mikayla Nurse (Southport)
Find all your information about the Bond University QAFLW at the Competition Hub.
