Results:
Coorparoo 3.5 (23) def. by University of Queensland 4.1 (25)
Maroochydore 1.5 (11) def. by Wilston Grange 5.3 (33)
Zillmere 0.0 (0) def. by Yeronga South Brisbane 24.14 (158)
BYE: Coolangatta Tweed
Friday night thriller:
Fans who attended the first Friday night match of the season were treated to an enthralling contest between two evenly matched sides in Coorparoo and UQ. The Red Lions burst out of the blocks early to pile on four unanswered goals in the first term and have the match looking like a blowout at 25-0 at quarter time. However, the Kings stamped out their nerves and tightened their defences to put the clamps on UQ and restrict them to no further points for the rest of the game.
Coorparoo slowly clawed their way back into the contest through some inspiring performances by Kate Deegan and Abby Anderson. All the pressure was put on UQ to hold off the surging Kings who came within a kick with less than five minutes to go. The Red Lions were playing desperation footy in the dying stages, getting numbers behind the ball and just kicking for territory. But it was through some composure by Nicole Hildebrand in defence that saw the Red Lions hold on to their slim lead for a rousing win.
Gorillas too strong on the Sunshine Coast:
Wilston Grange recorded their third win of the season on Saturday, overcoming a competitive Maroochydore side to draw level with first place on the QWAFL ladder. After a promising performance against Coolangatta last week, the Roos would have fancied themselves against the Gorillas, but were ultimately undone after a goal-less first quarter by both sides. Lions representatives Tahlia Randall and Jamie Stanton were outstanding for the Gorillas on the day and both kicked important goals to give Grange some breathing space. Maroochydore held their own for much of the first half but will rue some costly misses in front of goal which saw them finish with five behinds from six scoring shots on the day. The Roos will get an opportunity to make amends against Coorparoo this week while the Gorillas have the bye.
Devils duo’s big day out:
Jade Ransfield and Demi Leach had a huge day on Saturday against Zillmere, with the forward pair kicking 18 goals between them. Ransfield (eight goals) was the only Lions player on the park for Yeronga this week and worked hard all day to give her team an option inside 50. Leach (ten goals) was low on confidence after being dropped a couple of weeks ago, but hit back in scintillating fashion to put her hand up for a permanent spot in the side. What made the two key forwards’ performance even more promising was the effort they put in by making leads then doubling back to make a second or third lead if they didn’t receive the footy. These are good signs for Yeronga’s forward line depth which was missing the presence of the dynamic Sabrina Frederick-Traub on the day.
The ladder now:
What a ladder we have right now! Four teams currently sit even on 14 points at the top of the table. Yeronga have claimed top spot for the first time this season, with a percentage of 742%. They are followed by Coolangatta Tweed, who had the bye this week, Wilston Grange and UQ. Coorparoo sit in 5th place with 10 points after their loss to UQ, but have already had their early season bye and will be planning on moving up quickly. Maroochydore and Zillmere round out the last two spots on six and zero points respectively.
By Josh Cheadle
Twitter: @JoshCheadle20
