Blues move up the women’s ladder

Gina Cardillo gets a handpass away to a Northern Beaches teammate against the Lismore Swans. Photo: Green Shoots Marketing

A BURST of three unanswered goals in the final term by Northern Beaches turned an arm-wrestle into victory over a brave Lismore Swans.

Scores were level at three-quarter time but the Blues, led by Jess Midavaine in front of goal, won by 20 points to climb up to third position on the ladder ahead of the Swans.

Midivaine finished the game with four goals but coach Adrian Roberts said the whole team stood up when it mattered most in the final stanza.

“We had to win the quarter, that was all,” Roberts said.

“I think what we’ve been practicing at training has really come off. The connecting, the overlap, the run, the handpass, I felt in patches was really looking good.

“And we had the run. They didn’t have any subs but we’re going to get stronger and better as well so happy with the win.”

Lismore travelled down with just 14 players and even though the Blues loaned them a couple of players in each half to make it a 16-on-16 contest, Swans coach Ken McPherson could sense his team was tiring late after jumping out of the blocks quickly and earning a 14-point lead at the first change.

“With the breeze going against us and the girls getting tired I sort of had that little bit of a feeling,” McPherson said.

In the past two weeks the Swans have played last year’s grand finalists for two honourable losses that have encouraged their coach.

“I think we’re competitive with them which is really good and that’s all I can ask of my girls is being competitive,” he said.

“The scoreboard will work itself out at the end of the game but as long as we’re at their level or better I’m happy.

“I feel that we can be and we will be. I can’t wait for round two.”

The Blues clinical finish meant they got to sing their new song with all the girls standing around a lyrics sheet to sing out a tune based on ‘I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside’.

Some of the words were confused but Roberts was clear on the value of the win.

“It was an unknown playing them (Lismore) for the first time but I think to get some momentum in our season it was an important win to have,” he said.

“At home especially.”

NORTHERN BEACHES 1.1 3.3 4.5 7.7 (49)
LISMORE SWANS 3.3 4.3 4.5 4.5 (29)
Goals – N.Bch: J.Midavaine 4, S.Bower, L.Gee, S.King. Swans: A.Keen 2, K.Murphy 2.

THE Coffs Breakers unbeaten streak continues but the reigning premier didn’t have it all its own way against Grafton.

Grafton kicked the first goal of the match at Ellem Oval through Mackenzie Bagnall and held sway with the Breakers throughout the first term.

Called to action by the scoreboard, the Breakers kicked away in the second quarter and put the result beyond doubt in the third.

The League’s leading goalkicker Amy Johanson added to her tally with five goals to make it 13 from the first four matches so far this year.

Shannon Goodenough, a member of the Breakers’ leadership group said playing with key midfielders missing provided challenges the team to overcome.

“We’ve got a few of our major players out so it was everyone playing in different positions,” Goodenough said.

“Really stepping out of your comfort zone and helping your teammate, using the voice and communicating. Really pushing hard to be a team.”

Grafton was unable to maintain its strong start but the ball movement they showed against the Breakers was a big improvement on what the Tigers produced in Round 1 against Northern Beaches.

“We played like that in Port as well. The girls are improving week in, week out,” Grafton coach Warren Bagnall said.

“We set goals and I think we met them today and with three new players in the team.”

The Tigers had 17 players which afforded them the luxury of having a player on the bench and team manager Chris Goodall said leadership from the more experienced players is helping enormously.

“The communication on the ground is improving a lot, they’re getting to know each other. As ‘Bags’ said, every week we’re getting two or three new players who’ve never played before and then the older players just bring them along, get them to training and have a chat to them on the field,” Goodall said.

“We’ve got a couple of really experienced players out there who aren’t afraid of having a chat and telling people where they need to go and that’s what’s helping out there.”

From the outside many in the AFL North Coast community could be forgiven for thinking the Breakers have just picked up where they left off after last year’s grand final win but Goodenough said that isn’t the case and she admits to being a little surprised by the Breakers’ hot start to the season.

“We had a lot of players drop out after last year or sort of retire injured or move away, so we have I think 12 new players this year so to come out with the same intensity, the same results and everything that we finished with last year is really great,” she said.

GRAFTON 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 (7)
COFFS BREAKERS 1.5 5.10 8.11 10.13 (73)
Goals – Breakers: A.Johanson 5, D.Watson 3, B.Grace, R.Goodenough. Graf: M.Bagnall.

A GOAL by Chloe Grey in the final quarter is all that stood between victory and defeat for Port Macquarie and Sawtell/Toormina.

The 6-point win by the Magpies has seen them move up to second place on the ladder. Sawtell/Toormina was playing its first match in almost a month and the result means the Saints haven’t collected any points yet in 2021 but coach Bec Minichilli is encouraged by what she saw at Wayne Richards Park.

“They tried so hard, they have the biggest amount of heart I’ve ever seen from a Sawtell/Toormina girls team,” Minichill said.

“They’re definitely not the most skilled team but they’re the most determined and they support each other.

“We’ll get there (a win) really soon I reckon.”

The Saints led at quarter time courtesy of a goal to Fiona Lane then Port Macquarie managed to have the majority of possession for the rest of the encounter but couldn’t convert their opportunities.

At the final break the Saints still led by a point after another goal to Lane and her sister Alyssa playing just her second game in the women’s competition. Port had kicked 2.6 to that stage and could’ve rued inaccuracy in front of the sticks were it not for Grey kicking a major early in the last term.

Port’s co-coach Braden Saggers was happy with the four points but knows the Magpies have a higher standard of football within them.

“We’re capable of better footy than that. We showed it the week before and again in the second half,” Saggers said.

PORT MACQUARIE 0.1 1.4 2.6 3.7 (25)
SAWTELL/TOORMINA 1.1 1.1 3.1 3.1 (19)
Goals – Port: S.Hudson 2, C.Grey. Saw: F.Lane 2, A.Lane.

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WOMEN’S LADDER

	P	W	D	L	WIN %	F	A	%
Coffs Breakers	4	4	0	0	100	244	35	697.14
Port Macquarie	3	2	0	1	66.67	71	46	154.35
Northern Beaches	3	2	0	1	66.67	116	92	126.09
Lismore Swans	4	2	0	2	50.00	144	117	123.08
Sawtell/Toormina	2	0	0	2	0.00	25	93	26.88
Grafton	4	0	0	4	0.00	34	251	13.55

ROUND 6 FIXTURE – SATURDAY, MAY 29: SIR DOUG NICHOLLS ROUND 2021
COFFS BREAKERS vs PORT MACQUARIE at Fitzroy Oval – the Old Camp Yaam Nguura Jalumgal, Coffs Harbour
(U/17s vs Sawtell/Toormina – 9.50am; Women – 11.40am; Reserves – 1.30pm; Seniors – 3pm)
LISMORE SWANS vs SAWTELL/TOORMINA at Oakes Oval, Lismore
(Women – 12.20pm; Seniors – 1.50pm)
CASINO LIONS vs NORTHERN BEACHES at Queen Elizabeth Park, Casino
(Seniors – 2.50pm)
GRAFTON vs NAMBUCCA VALLEY at Ellem Oval, Grafton
(U/17s vs Glen Innes – 11am; Reserves vs Northern Beaches – 1.30pm; Seniors – 2.50pm)