MATCH OF THE ROUND
YERONGA 11.12.78 DEFEATED WILSTON GRANGE 3.0.18
Wilston Grange have come crashing back down to earth after their remarkable 8-point win over Zillmere last week, outclassed by a cleaner and hungrier Yeronga outfit on Saturday.
The Devils looked primed and ready from the opening bounce and Hayley Newberry got Yeronga off to the perfect start, slotting one from 35 meters in the opening two minutes.
Wilston Grange had plenty forward pressure in the first quarter, but the Gorillas couldn’t make the most of their opportunities and the Devils were hell bent on making them pay.
Some beautiful ball movement and link up play from the returning Jordan Zanchetta helped the Devils control the midfield battle and a late goal from Tia Broughton saw Yeronga up 27-points at quarter time.
The Gorillas switched on in the second quarter, returning to the physical brand of footy that has been so successful for them.
It was an arm wrestle for most of the second term and it took Yeronga the best part of 12 minutes to find their only goal of the quarter through Jade Ransfield.
Wilston Grange fought hard for the entire second quarter and finally found a breakthrough via Katie McGlade to pin the margin back to 28-points at the main break.
Yeronga came out white hot in the third quarter, kicking two majors inside five minutes to put all the pressure on the Gorillas.
The Devils run and carry through the corridor carved Wilston Grange up for most of the third term and the Gorillas were getting smashed around the stoppages.
Nat Thomas played sensationally for the Devils, while the returning duo of Zanchetta and Bates helped Yeronga massively around the contest.
Shannon Campbell again played a key role for Wilston Grange down back, but Jade Ransfield had the last laugh, booting four to steer the Devils to a big 60-point win.
Yeronga are clearly one of the top three sides in the competition now and it will be interesting to see what the Devils can do in the back half of 2015.
Coach’s thoughts
Scott Stephens – Yeronga
“There is still so much we need to work on, but if you had of told me we were going to have a 10 goal win before the game, you’d take it any day of the week.
“Looking at our stats at the end of the game, they only had two inside fifties in the second half, which is fantastic, but there is a lot around our half forward/forward structure that we need to work out.
“The one thing that was pleasing tonight is that the girls kept getting their hands first on the football, we’ve spoken about that the last couple of weeks, but to Grange’s credit they made us earn it.
“I reckon it was probably a three quarter effort tonight, we just need to work on ways to get that extra quarter in and get on top.
“We are 3-2 now so we are on the right side of the ledger, I think after the bye next week we need to work on stringing a few wins together so we are ready to challenge the top sides.”
Ron Kemp – Wilston Grange
“It was just again not four quarters of pressure and if you look at the good sides this year it’s about who can apply pressure and who can take it and we didn’t do that.
“When you get a good running side like they’ve (Yeronga’s) got, they can carve you up, and it only really takes a 10-15 minute period for them to kick 3 or 4 and then you’re chasing tail all day.
“We just didn’t play enough one on one and you can’t let the Zanchetta’s, Bates and Nat Thomas’s run free or they will really hurt you, and they did.
“I think our skill level was down tonight, we didn’t hit our targets and the overall pressure wasn’t where I wanted it to be, but I’m fairly happy where we’ve started the year, we just need to keep working for four quarters.”
UQ 1.0.6 DEFEATED BY COOLANGATTA 16.16.112
Coolangatta once again proved why they are the best team in the QWAFL this season, playing another cracking four quarter game to smash UQ by 106-points.
The Bluebirds first quarter starts have been sensational this season and Saturday was no different, booting five in the opening term to lead by 31-points at the first change.
Like most teams this season, UQ struggled to keep up with the elite pace that Coolangatta possess and the Red Lionesses struggled to move the ball forward for most of the game.
Breanna Koenen was again a gun for the Red Lionesses, the crafty midfielder playing a crucial role on the ball that stopped a lot of bleeding for UQ.
Rosalie Adamson continued her great season in front of the sticks, booting four for the day, while Leah Kaslar and Teena McIlveen starred for the Bluebirds in the middle.
Heading into the main break, the Bluebirds had a nearly insurmountable 55-point lead and all the momentum.
Coolangatta continued their dominance in the second half, kicking eight more goals to put the game to bed and down the Red Lionesses by a wide margin.
Despite the loss, UQ were never embarrassed at any point of the clash and managed to hold their own for small periods of the game.
A late consolation goal to Claudia Wharton helped the Red Lionesses get on the scoreboard, but Saturday afternoon was all about Coolangatta.
It is going to take something special to knock the Bluebirds off their perch this year, that’s for sure.
Coach’s thoughts
Michael Swann – UQ
“We knew it was going to be a tough one going in, so it is pleasing from our perspective that the girls fought it out to the end.
“Our attack at the footy was pretty good, we still have a lot of work to do clearing it out of spaces and there are elements of our game that we think we need work on, but considering the side we were up against it was an improvement.
“Cooly showed today that they are a really quick side and that’s where we need to get, we have a development plan and we just want to keep improving.”
Aaron Russell – Coolangatta
“The win is great, but the most pleasing thing for us was our ball movement, the fact that we hit those targets and our general efficiency.
“We wanted to come out of the blocks early and we did, but we also put in a solid four quarter effort and played pretty well.
“There were some really good individual pieces of play today, but overall it was a really good team display, we had a focus on winning match ups and the girls did that.
“For now we just want to keep maintaining the level we are at and play with a level of consistency every week, if we do that it will help us in the long run.”
ZILLMERE 3.6.24 DEFEATED BY COORPAROO 11.10.76
Both sides have been looking forward to this grand final replay since round 1 and again it was the 2014 QWAFL Premiers who took the chocolates, dominating the last quarter to win by 52-points.
The game started as many would have expected; high tackling pressure, extremely intense and a big emphasis on work rate.
Maxine Timms got the scoring underway for the Eagles, but the Navy Roos quickly bounced back with one of their own through Dania Herdman.
It was an arm wrestle for the first half and it was clear that neither side was going away without a fight.
A late second quarter goal to the returning Hannah Sexton handed Coorparoo an 11-point lead and some much needed momentum heading into the sheds at half time.
The back and forth contest continued in the third quarter, with both teams seriously struggling to find the goals.
Emma Pericic was again a star for Zillmere in defence, her one on one play and courageous contested marks stopping the Navy Roos from scoring countless times.
Neither team could bag a major in the third term and the four points were well and truly up for grabs with the Navy Roos leading by just 13-points at the last change.
Unfortunately for the Eagles they completely switched off in the deciding quarter, conceding 8-goals to undo all their hard work.
Sheena Sidin played a cracker for the Navy Roos, dominating in the ruck in the last quarter to help Coorparoo win the bulk of the centre clearances.
Coorparoo’s brilliant pressure and slick ball movement was the difference in the end and the win now moves the defending premiers to 4-1 this season.
The Navy Roos are officially back.
Coach’s thoughts
Brendan Terry – Zillmere
“I was really thrilled with the performance, we asked for a little more toughness this week and the girls definitely gave us that.
“We had a 10 minute lapse that cost us the game and Coorparoo completely took advantage of the lack of effort in the period.
“Our running play and certainly our contested marking in the forward fifty was great, our seniors players stepped up this week and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone in the comp play as well as Rachel (Anstey) in the first half.
“I think we are a little behind at the moment, the competition has gone up a notch and we have to put in four quarters to win, but we have charted that and believe we can lift.”
Bernie Cantrell – Coorparoo
“I was happy with the performance this weekend, the man on man footy was a little better and we played a better team game.
“The difference in the second half was we used the ball a little cleaner and took our opportunities up forward.
“Sheena (Sidin) was amazing today, she loves pulling on the Coorparoo jumper and her commitment to the ball was incredible, I can’t fault her.
“We played five new girls this week and we are excited we can give girls those opportunities, we just hope to keep improving and be the best we can.”
By Grant Hitzman – @granthitzman
