The Wrap-Up: Wrest Point TSLW Round 6

Round six of the Wrest Point Tasmanian State League Women’s season saw the Grand Final rematch between Glenorchy and Clarence, Tigers notch their first win of the season against Lauderdale, and Launceston continue their run of wins in the first ever Northern derby. 

This round saw some highly anticipated matches, Olivia Clayton looks at the key talking points from each game.

Glenorchy 9.6 (60) def. Clarence 7.2 (44)

Goalkickers:
Glenorchy – N. Daniels 2, E. Barwick 2, J. Tate Turvey 2, K. Stanford, N. Lynch, M. Sutcliffe

Clarence – J. Williams 5, M. Wise, C. MacPherson

 Best Players:

Glenorchy – K. Stanford, T. Corrie, J. Tate Turvey, E. Barwick, B. Barwick, S. Davis

Clarence – D. Elliston, G. Mitchell, J. Williams, M. Wise, H. Scott, C. MacPherson

1. Glenorchy win Grand Final rematch

Glenorchy took on Clarence in the Grand Final rematch, and much like last season’s decider, this was another close contest, with the Magpies running out 16-point winners.

Clarence were in front by five points at the end of a pulsating first quarter as both teams traded blows, before the Magpies regained the lead to be up by seven at half time.

The game continued to ebb and flow in the third, with the scores tied at 44 a piece at the final change before the Magpies got the better of the ‘Roos in the final 10 minutes of the match, hitting  the lead to win by 16 points.

Natalie Daniels, Elise Barwick and Jasmine Tate-Turvey kicked two each for the Pies in an even team performance, while Katie Stanford, Thomasa Corrie and  Tate-Turvey were Glenorchy’s top three bests on the day.

2. Clarence suffer from Deja vu

The 2018 Grand Final saw Clarence in front for the first three quarters by a few points. Glenorchy kicked a couple of scores late in the final term to win the Grand Final by two points.

This match took a similat turn, with the ‘Roos matching or bettering the Magpies for periods of the opening three and a bit quarters before being overrun.

Jessie Williams was a bright spot for the ‘Roos, kicking five of her side’s seven goals to continue her strong campaign. Ruck Darcy Elliston and skipper Grace Mitchell also stood tall, to be named first and second best for the visitors ahead of Williams.

https://www.facebook.com/tasmanianstateleague/videos/2301369943474666/

Tigers 11.18 (84) def. Lauderdale 1.0 (6)

Goalkickers:
Tigers – M. Neal 2, L. Ellis 2, M. Polley 2, K. Baker, R. Roberts, P. Flakemore, G. Millar, T. Darwin

Lauderdale – O. Hudson

 Best Players:

Tigers – M. Neal, M. Bones, P. Flakemore, C. Brooke, E. Doyle, E. Brereton

Lauderdale – M. Goldsmith, C. Kenny, K. Teders, C. McManus, C. Stewart, C. Knowles

1. Tigers win first match of the season

Round six saw the Tigers notch their first win of the season defeating Lauderdale by 78 points.

Lilly Ellis kicked her first two goals this season after switching to the forward line. Star midfielder Marla Neal, and Tasmania Devils player Maci Polley also kicked two apiece.

A head count was also called with 40 seconds remaining on the clock in the final term. Play resumed in the Tigers forward 50 which resulted in the Tigers snagging one last goal right before the final siren sounded.

Marla Neal, Maggie Bones and Paige Flakemore were the Tigers top three best on the day, but it was an all the more significant day for the club with captain Kristy Baker announcing with a tearful speech that she will be stepping down from captaincy duties due to work commitments.

Baker has been such a pioneer of the club and female football and will no doubt still have some impact on the side whether it is playing or just as a supporter.

2. Lauderdale continue to develop as a side

Tough weather conditions hindered both sides on Sunday.

Lauderdale player, Olivia Hudson acknowledged that the conditions were tough.

“Sunday’s weather conditions for the game definitely required the team to perform much cleaner around the ball, which in some parts made it harder to move the ball forward.

“I think our reaction time on the day might’ve let us down too, so we will be working on that in the coming training sessions,” she said.

Margaret Goldsmith, Charlotte Kenny and Katie Teders were Lauderdale’s top three players on the day.

Hudson was the only player to score for the side in round six, and has now kicked all of Lauderdale’s goals this season – having kicked one in each of the last three matches the team has played.

“At training we have focused on our forward structure a lot,” Hudson said.

“I think the girls now have confidence in me around the goals and I trust I can execute when given the opportunity. Being a forward is new to me since I started playing, so I’ve been lucky in snagging a few.”

Launceston 7.12 (54) def. North Launceston 1.0 (6)

Goalkickers:
Launceston – B. Rattray 2, D. Bannister 2, A. Green, S. Beeton, D. Taylor

North Launceston – G. Nicolson

Best Players:

Launceston – A. Green, A. Carey, C. Thuringer, G. Hill, H. Whyte, D. Bannister

North Launceston – A. Anderson, M. Cuthbertson, J. Clifford, S. Townsend, M. Carins, B. Farrell

1. Launceston’s strong backline a major challenge for opposition

Launceston continued their run of wins in round six, defeating North Launceston by 48 points.

The Blues have proven to be a strong side this year, with lots of talent making it hard for the opposition to score, as evidenced by restricting the Northern Bombers to just one scoring shot.

Coach, Ange Dickson, said the team could take plenty from the result.

“We were happy with the win on Sunday.

“Our backline was fantastic to limit them to only one scoring shot for the game. We controlled the game well and managed 19 scoring shots ourselves, but we were very inaccurate in front of goal this week which was a little disappointing.

“Overall, we were happy to get the four points and we will regroup next week and work to fix those little things.”

Star Blue Abbey Green continued her dynamic campaign with another strong performance in the ruck.

“Abbey Green was fantastic once again,” Dickson said.

“She dominated the ruck contest all game and continued to rack up a high number of contested marks.

“The backline group of Ashlee Carey, Hayley Whyte, Chanette Thuringer, Nicky Ristrom and Georgia Hill were outstanding once again. They are really starting to gel well together and are making it extremely difficult for the opposition to score against us.”

2. North Launceston tackled strong opponent

North Launceston were matched with a tough opponent in round six but were able to hold their own for periods during the game.

Coach, Dean Smith, agreed that facing the ladder leaders was a great challenge for his developing team.

“As it [was] expected it was a big challenge for our young team to take on the Launceston Blues. With the AFLW experience they now have in their team it’s going to be a challenge for every team in the competition this season.

“We were extremely pleased with the way our girls pressured them and fought out the whole game,” Smith said.

“The standout for the match from our perspective was the brilliant game young Alex Anderson had on Chloe Haines, taking the honours in that battle was a great achievement for someone straight out of U17s last year.

The likes of Jodie Clifford, Maggie Cuthbertson, Sophie Townsend, Maggie Carins and Bonnie Farrell were again impressive for North Launceston, who will no doubt take plenty out of this meeting with one of the competition’s most experienced sides.

“It was a very good team effort overall considering what we were up against,” Smith said.