Women’s comp is tight at the top

The Women’s competition is so close between the top three teams that ladder positions are changing on a weekly basis.

Sawtell Toormina Saints dropped off the top rung after their loss to Port Macquarie Magpies, with these two teams now split be percentage only.

It was a tough, tight encounter between the two sides in the Port Macquarie twilight with neither team able to kick a goal in the opening term. By the last break Sawtell held a slender two point lead courtesy of Port’s goal kicking struggles which saw seven scoring shots result in just one major.

This was eerily reminiscent of the first match between the two teams that resulted in a draw despite Port having significantly more chances to score. On this occasion Port were able to somewhat address their kicking woes to post one goal three in the final term and hold Sawtell scoreless to sneak away with the in by seven points.

Ella Abi-Saab and Cambridge McCormick managed one goal each for Port, while their efforts were matched for Sawtell by Claire Steindl and Keira Basset.

Port Macquarie Magpies 2.9 (21) defeated Sawtell Toormina Saints 2.2 (14)

In the match at Woolgoolga it was evident the progress that both Northern Beaches/Grafton and Coffs Harbour Breakers have made.

The joint venture team is very much learning on the run, having entered the competition 12 months behind their competitors. Tough losses in the past two rounds seem to have steeled the players resolve and they competed much better this week despite missing several key players.

Coffs Breakers struggled to compete last season but find themselves on top of the ladder after four rounds. A year’s worth of experience and development, combined with the addition of several new players has added dimensions and confidence to the Breakers game.

The key part of the match was the second and third quarters where the Breakers were able to keep their opponents scoreless. This meant they headed into the last quarter with a 46 point lead. The final term was an absolute arm wrestle with each team only able to add two behinds which meant that the Breakers leap to the top of the ladder while Northern Beaches/Grafton can take great heart from they way they competed when the match was seemingly beyond them.

Captain Katika Adams continues to lead from the front with a further three goals, with three other players contributing. Ashleigh Miller booted the sole major for Northern Beaches/Grafton.

Coffs Harbour Breakers 8.8 (56) defeated Northern Beaches/Grafton 1.4 (10)

For full results click here.