Coorparoo, Zillmere and Coollangatta were QWAFL Round 4 winners
GRIFFITH MOOROOKA 0.0.0 DEFEATED BY COORPAROO 31.14.200
It was a tough day at the office for Griffith Moorooka on Saturday, running into a winless Coorparoo who were out to prove a point.
The Navy Roos were scintillating from the opening bounce at Alexander Park, dominating the midfield battle and moving the ball freely around the ground to set up their key talls inside fifty.
Coorparoo kicked nine unanswered goals in the first term, blowing the game wide open with their superior clearance work.
Griffith Moorooka bounced back in the second term, slowing the pace of the game down to force Coorparoo into a congested brand of football.
The Navy Roos regained control with a flurry of goals towards the end of the quarter to head into the sheds with a whopping 96-point lead.
From there, it was all Coorparoo, who played with the confidence and efficiency that saw the club win the 2014 QWAFL premiership, running out 200-point winners.
Despite the big loss, Griffith Moorooka played with an outstanding amount of heart all game, never once dropping their intensity or giving into the challenge.
Emma Zielke was a standout for the Navy Roos, bagging seven for the game in a stellar performance.
Coach’s thoughts
Glenn Hogetts – Griffith Moorooka
“The girls were pretty good, the scoreboard doesn’t show how much effort they put into it.
“The second quarter was probably our best quarter, we controlled them a fair bit and we nearly got down to score ourselves.
“The top sides are just elite with their footwork and speed, we just get caught out on that, but tonight I can’t fault the girls they put in 100%.
“They all put their heart and soul into it every week and it’s coming it will just take a bit of time.”
Bernie Cantrell – Coorparoo
“Really, really happy (with the win) a lot of our training is starting to come off and a lot of our new girls are starting to pick up the game plan, so I’m really proud of them.
“We’ve got a core group of new girls ourself, and a lot of them are actually starting to pick up the game plan, so it’s really nice to see the development of them.
“Our all round the ground contest and our man on man footy was great, I was really pleased with that.
“We’ve been pushing all pre-season for the girls to share the footy, individuals don’t win games, so if I can get the girls to put out performances like that every week we will start improving massively.”
ZILLMERE 6.7.43 DEFEATED UQ 3.1.19
Zillmere got back to their winning ways on Saturday with a hard fought 24-point win over UQ at O’Callaghan Park.
The Eagles were determined to bounce back after a disappointing outing against Yeronga two weeks ago, but it was clear from the get go that the Red Lionesses wouldn’t go down without a fight.
UQ threw everything they had at the Zillmere, matching the Eagles for physicality, intensity and skills in a back and forth first half that saw just four goals kicked.
Heading into the main break, Zillmere held a one point lead but the Red Lionesses looked slightly on top with their superior tackling pressure.
The Eagles rallied in the second half however, dominating the third-quarter with increased forward half pressure and an elite running game.
Alexandra Anderson was a star for Zillmere, controlling the movement of the football beautifully through the midfield to steer the Eagles to a gritty 24-point win.
Although UQ were beaten on the day, the improvement of the Red Lionesses has been huge this season, expect them to be tough opponents every week.
Coach’s thoughts
Jacob Simmons-Bliss – Zillmere
“It was a really good contest against a good side and it gave us an opportunity to implement things we’ve been working on the last few weeks.
“The scoreline was pretty even and it was good to see the girls come out and dominate the second half, I think we had 10 scoring shots to one in the second half.
“It was good to go out and play a good contested game, it was a testament to both sides who are quite fit.
“I put the difference down to our superior fitness, we minded our rotation in the third and fourth quarters and had the legs to keep going.
“We knew that they (UQ) were going to be very physical opponents, they are a young good side, but it was good to see our girls have the willingness to work for each other.”
Michael Swann – UQ
“We were really happy with the game, we didn’t know what to expect and every time we played Zillmere before they had been a fair way ahead of us, so to close the gap is a big improvement.
“I think we had some chances to win the game, in the end it was the 3rd quarter that was the difference, they (Zillmere) have a fair bit of polish and experience and shone through in the 3rd.
“We’re really happy with the steps we are taking each week, we just want to continue that as the season goes on.
“Before the season I suppose we didn’t know what to expect, but all our games and especially yesterday (against Zillmere) the girls have surprised themselves with how they can match it with the teams near the top of the table, hopefully we can take some confidence from that.”
COOLANGATTA 5.11.41 DEFEATED YERONGA 4.6.30
This one was always going to be close and Coolangatta and Yeronga didn’t disappoint on Saturday, slugging it out until the bitter end at Peak Oval.
It was almost impossible to split these two teams heading into the round and the first half unfolded as many would have predicted; tough, full of tackling and played at an extremely high intensity.
Yeronga took it to Coolangatta away from home, proving that they well and truly belong up the top of the table, heading into the sheds at half-time with a slender three point lead.
The intensity didn’t drop throughout the second half as both teams fought to win the midfield duel and with 10 minutes left on the clock, it was still anyone’s game.
The Bluebirds running game proved too much in the end for Yeronga, with some silky speed from Coolangatta’s outside midfielders resulting in two late majors and an 11-point victory.
Coolangatta remain the only undefeated side in the competition after Round 4 and will be very hard to be this season, especially at home.
Coach’s thoughts
Aaron Russell – Coolangatta
“It was a really tough game, Yeronga are a really good side and are good opposition, so it was good to see the girls rise to the challenge.
“We pride ourself on our pressure stats, and our pressure dropped off in the second quarter, so at half-time I challenged the girls to amend that and they did.
“We took some really good risks coming out of the backline, that’s what stood out to me, the girls are willing to take those risks late in the game, which is fantastic for me.
“We’ve got a long way to go, but the wins we have is a credit to our work ethic – the girls want to keep earning respect in the competition, they let themselves down a little last year and they really want to show how much they’ve improved.
Scott Stephens – Yeronga
“I thought we played a gutsy game, we fell a couple of goals short with a few girls out, on the road and one less rotation, so I’m really proud of the girls.
“It was a very intense game from the first bounce, there was lots of real solid tackling and I was happy with the effort, the girls had a great attitude throughout the game, they never dropped their head.
“The second half they (Coolangatta) pushed up the ground and pressed really well, we just didn’t have the run in the legs in the end, it was a beautiful move from Aaron (Russell).
“While it was disappointing there are so many positives to take out of the game, to play against Coolangatta and be competitive with one less game under our belt is good, it’s not all doom and gloom.
By Grant Hitzman – @granthitzman
