by Daniel Viles
Shark School in Session
A scintillating show of support play from Southport highlighted an 83-point win over Yeronga at Leyshon Park in Saturday’s Bond University QAFLW Featured Match.
No fewer than eight of the Sharks’ fifteen goals were created by rapid ball movement from defence and midfield complemented by off-ball running that stretched the Devils’ defence.
Maighan Fogas (24 effective disposals, 4 clearances) spent her afternoon handballing her teammates into space, most notably Megan Hunt (19 effective disposals, 7 clearances) whose precise kicking unleashed the strong running of Steph O’Brien (15 effective disposals, 8 inside-50s) and Tearnie Brown (17 uncontested possessions, 4 inside-50s).
Yeronga lacked the polish of Southport but played a similar passing game and was rewarded with its highest score to date against the Sharks. Chelsea Winn (16 effective disposals, 5 clearances) played deeper than usual to ensure the effectiveness of her fulcrum position while Farradai Hopkins provided the power, twice clattering through Southport tacklers to launch attacks. Lana Lowery’s ‘sweeper’ role yielded seven intercept marks and ensured that many of Southport’s initial attempts to enter 50 were rebuffed.
The Sharks struck early when Tayla Gregory gathered a messy ball near the goalsquare and evaded the defender to score, but spent much of the next nine minutes defending as Yeronga backed its passing game.
From the eleventh to sixteenth minutes, Southport barely missed a target when passing inside 50. O’Brien found Gregory in the goalsquare with a 40-metre pass, Abbie Pluples weaved through midfield to also find Gregory who set up Dekota Baron for her first, Nakeisha Drew-Perkiss scored on her state league debut when Megan Hunt and Maddy Baldwin found her at centre half-forward, and a Jo Baltais turnover in midfield became Baron’s second and Southport’s 300th in the Bond University QAFLW.
Yeronga found the magic formula first in the second term when Sophie Wheeler sneaked into the goalsquare unnoticed to mark Ameilia Leigh’s free kick from the 50.
Southport nearly hit back three minutes later when Tearnie Brown weaved through the entire field only to narrowly miss to the right, but Baldwin took advantage of a free kick in the left pocket shortly afterwards to score from a tight angle.
Five minutes before the break, Southport produced one of the most brilliant sections of play this year to score three goals in just under a minute of playing time. O’Brien opened the show when she created space in front of goal to hit a low checkside shot. The other goals both began with a hard-won clearance (a wrestling effort from Avalon Pearce and a rapid chase from O’Brien), both featured selfless handballing and running from Baron and Georja Davies, and both ended with Baldwin running into an open goal.
The Devils can be proud of their third quarter in which they frequently worked themselves into goalscoring positions. Hopkins nearly produced a miracle when her burst from midfield ended with a soccered shot from the left pocket narrowly missing.
However, the only two goals of the quarter were in black and white. O’Brien exhibited power and skill to gather a loose ball at right half-forward and then score from 45 metres out before closing the quarter by handballing Shayla Lloyd into space for her first top-grade goal.
The first and last of Southport’s four final-term goals were scored by Scarlett Featherstone, the former with a balletic leap to soccer an awkwardly-bouncing ball in the goalsquare, the latter from a 50-metre penalty but not before some impressive passing finished with her marking on the right flank.
In between, Georja Davies again set up Baldwin, this time from a turnover in defence moved by Fogas and Welsh into scoring range, and Baltais again set up Baron with a turnover just outside the arc.
Yeronga, having conceded goals late in every other quarter, changed the narrative when Leigh marked from Winn 40 metres from goal and then sent her set shot off one step high through the sticks.
Yeronga will begin the return fixtures with a trip to Aspley while Southport hosts Bond University in the eighth Shark Stoush.
Also in Round 7: Aspley completed a perfect first round-robin with a seven-goal victory over Coorparoo; three goals from Maisy Evans saw the Bull Sharks home in a tough U-Clash; and Wilston Grange kept itself on the edge of the four with a 31-point win over Maroochydore.
Saturday 1 June 2024, 2pm at Leyshon Park, Yeronga
YERONGA SOUTH BRISBANE 0.0 (0) 1.1 (7) 1.3 (9) 2.3 (15)
SOUTHPORT 5.1 (31) 9.3 (57) 11.4 (70) 15.8 (98)
Yeronga South Brisbane
Goals: Sophie Wheeler, Ameilia Leigh
Best: Charlotte Millen, Farradai Hopkins, Lizzie Hill, Madi Goodwin, Camilla Burnett, Chelsea Winn
Southport
Goals: Maddy Baldwin 4, Dekota Baron 3, Tayla Gregory 2, Steph O’Brien 2, Scarlett Featherstone 2, Nakeisha Drew-Purkiss, Shayla Lloyd
Best: Steph O’Brien, Georja Davies, Tearnie Brown, Megan Hunt, Rianna Schipp, Hannah Davies
Replay and match statistics
Saturday 1 June 2024, 2pm at Zupps Aspley Oval, Carseldine
ASPLEY 3.0 (18) 6.2 (38) 6.4 (40) 9.8 (62)
COORPAROO 0.0 (0) 1.2 (8) 1.3 (9) 2.4 (16)
Aspley
Goals: Kitara Whap-Farrar 2, Jess Stallard 2, Alanna Perry, Jess Davy, Jasmine Kawa, Izzy McDonough, Lilu Hung
Best: Lucy Pengelly, Brylie Waller, Jasmine Kawa, Louise Tyson, Jaimie Bryant, Anna van de Wiel
Coorparoo
Goals: Chelsea Chesterfield, Grace Roberts-White
Best: Ajla Fetahagic, Emma Zielke, Jasmine Fretwell, Kaitlyn Zelinski, Chloe Gaunt, Mia Teubler
Replay and match statistics
Saturday 1 June 2024, 4:45pm at Bond University Oval, Robina
BOND UNIVERSITY 2.2 (14) 4.5 (29) 5.6 (36) 6.7 (43)
UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND 0.1 (1) 1.1 (7) 2.2 (14) 2.5 (17)
Bond University
Goals: Maisy Evans 3, Ella Calleja 2, Bella Iverach
Best: Maisy Evans, Shannon Nolan, Imogen Evans, Tahlia Meyer, Jemma Blair, Charlotte Taylor
University of Queensland
Goals: Gracie Roy, Gabi Simpson
Best: Gracie Roy, Jane Childes, Monique Piunti, Lauren Middleton, Eva Sartor, Anneliese Neary
Replay and match statistics
Saturday 1 June 2024, 2pm at Domino’s Park, Maroochydore
WILSTON GRANGE 1.0 (6) 4.3 (27) 5.5 (35) 6.5 (41)
MAROOCHYDORE 0.2 (2) 0.2 (2) 0.2 (2) 1.4 (10)
Wilston Grange
Goals: Mia Geere 2, Lauren Shackleton, Summer Hamilton, Haley Jones, Hayley Finning
Best: Zimra Hussain, Grace O’Donnell, Jasmin Rivers, Haley Jones, Mia Geere, Summer Hamilton
Maroochydore
Goals: Lataya De Pauw
Best: Lataya De Pauw, Abbey Tognazzini, Jya Epstein, Claire Drake, Jesse McMillan, Kaiya Hides
Replay and match statistics
Find all your information about the Bond University QAFLW at the Competition Hub.
