All NAB League Girls clubs have now posted a win in 2019 after the Gippsland Power triumphed on the weekend, while the Eastern Ranges and Oakleigh Chargers surged into the top four following Round 7.

Gippsland (12th on ladder, 1-6 record) was facing a seventh straight loss when it fell 19 points behind the GWV Rebels (11th, 1-6) approaching half time in their clash, but the Power responded to claim a gutsy 5.4 (34) to 4.4 (28) victory at Shepley Oval.

A goal to Megan Fitzsimon with just over three minutes remaining in the match broke a deadlock and put Gippsland in front, with the Power then having to withstand a GWV set shot after the siren to tie the game that ultimately fell short.

 

Gippsland head coach Scott Armour said his young playing group was “ecstatic” to break their duck in 2019.

“They were so happy to finally get reward for effort,” Armour said. “I think we’ve been in most games at some point, but we just haven’t put it all together. To do that on the weekend was just fantastic.

“The Rebels almost got away from us in the second quarter, but for us to pile on three goals in the third term just showed some of the character we’ve got in our younger girls. I think we had five 16-year-olds (in 2019) out there and only eight top-agers.”

Armour said the current form of the Power’s 17-year-old cohort had him “looking ahead to next year with confidence”.

“Megan Fitzsimon was fantastic through the midfield (16 disposals and one goal against GWV) and Grace McRae is another 17-year-old who took some really important marks around the ground (also a game-high 24 disposals),” Armour said. “Matilda Van Berkel (15 disposals and 11 hitouts) was great at centre half back and through the ruck, and Chandra Abrahams’ intensity in the first quarter helped set us up.

“Then we had our top-agers like Nikia Webber – who kicked two goals – and our captain Maddy Shaw, whose rebound off half back was so important for us. Shanara Notman injured her leg five minutes into our Round 1 match and hadn’t played since then, but she came back and her move from the forward line to centre half back during the game was possibly one of the reasons it started swaying our way.”

 

Meanwhile, Eastern (3rd, 5-2) jumped into the finals frame with a tense five-point win against the Tasmania Devils at Rams Arena on Sunday, 3.3 (21) to 2.4 (16).

The Devils played the first of two invitational games in Round 7 on Friday night against the Western Jets (10th, 2-5) – also at Rams Arena – when they were easily defeated 5.8 (38) to 0.1 (1). That night, the likes of Jets captain Elisabeth Georgostathis (game-highs of 24 disposals and seven tackles) got a hold of Tasmania, but it was a different story against the Ranges.

The Devils led Eastern for much of the fourth quarter, but a major to Serena Gibbs with two minutes left in the game sealed an important victory for the Ranges. Gibbs kicked two of Eastern’s three goals and also had 14 disposals and 11 hitouts to be named her team’s best player, while Tasmania’s Mia King was the most prolific player on the ground with 20 touches.

 

Oakleigh (4th, 4-2-1) also snatched a top-four spot following a strong defeat of fellow finals aspirants the Dandenong Stingrays (7th, 3-4) at Shepley Oval, 7.7 (49) to 2.4 (16). The Chargers first took the lead just before quarter time and never looked back, restricting Dandenong to just one goal after that point.

Hard-nosed performances from Joanna Lin (18 disposals, six tackles and one goal - pictured, left) and Taylah Morton (16 disposals, five marks and seven tackles) saw them named among Oakleigh’s most influential players.

 

One of the reasons why the Ranges and Chargers are now in the top four is because the Geelong Falcons (1st, 7-0) enjoyed a victory over the previously third-placed Calder Cannons (5th, 4-3) at Rams Arena, 3.2 (20) to 1.0 (6). The Falcons did all the damage with a three-goal first half and prevented Calder from scoring until early in the final term.

Geelong’s dominant defence was led by Abbey Chapman (14 disposals and game-highs of five marks and five rebound-50s) as well as Daisy Smith and Elizabeth Dowling, who both recorded three rebound-50s.

 

The Northern Knights (2nd, 6-0-1) then sent the previously fourth-placed Bendigo Pioneers (6th, 4-3) down the ladder with a comprehensive 9.10 (64) to 1.5 (11) win at Epsom Huntly Reserve. Alyssa Bannan starred for the Knights with three goals from 18 disposals, while Jessica Fitzgerald was also instrumental in the result with 14 touches and a game-high six inside-50s.

 

Also in Round 7, the Murray Bushrangers (8th, 3-4) snapped a three-game losing streak in accounting for an inaccurate Sandringham Dragons outfit (9th, 2-5) at Norm Minns Oval, 5.6 (36) to 1.11 (17). Murray’s Olivia Barber had no trouble finding the goals with three majors from 15 disposals, while her skipper Millie Brown racked up 22 touches and a game-high six rebound-50s.