ROUND 13 vs Port
Manaia Huta plays her 25th VFLW game (the first 16 were with Darebin).
Also, she is 21yo this day!
And NEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWW Lisa Hardeman medallist!
This ground was rebuilt just a few years ago, and is a sandy craphole.
We’re fighting and tackling harder than Port. But our attacks are not good: twice in rapid succession we kick to a sole Port player in the goal square.
Spoiler: this is one of those game where you can watch the replay and repeatedly say “oh, that’s when we failed to finish top of the ladder”:
We go deep and Manfre, Huta, and Wilson stay calm and get Sutton a set shot.
Which she utterly botches.
That ball does not appear to be on the line between Reese and the goals.
I agree with Mr Cloke:
“18 inside fifties for one point: that’s bullshit”
Ryan gets elbowed in the face by Dudley.
Ump says “I’ll allow it”.
Brains can win you a premiership:
Port not just bombing with the wind. Willing to chip short to advantage.
We are smashing them on the clearances (20-10 at half time), with Dicker Molan and Chaston top of the stats.
ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY LET FEDE HAVE A SNAP AT GOAL.
Chaston has a bad habit of looking at the ump after they are tackled high. Both times the ump has pinged them for stopping and expecting competence. This one creates an inside fifty, and goal.
1-19, eek
El does bounce back to kick the next goal of the game.
Mia follows up. We trail 13-19 at the last break: the wind is a problem but not at all Casey-like. Ex-Bomber defenders Caruso and Liv Barton lead the disposal tallies with 16 and 15.
OUTTA NOWHERE! Orritt goals!
Scarlett making Port see red!
It’s 19-21 with 8 minutes left.
We win inside fifties 36-21 and lose 19-23
Dicker has 21 disposals, 10 clearances, 13 tackles, 6 inside fifties…
Orritt and Chaston kicked their first goals for EFC today.
Most of today’s standouts for us today are obvious per the stats, but special credit to Meg Ryan as CHF/ruck (an aggressive 16 disposals and one grab hands) and Maddy Pearson (particularly in the first half, where she repeatedly beat back attacks with good reading of the conditions).
Crap; I just remembered the mark Meg was not paid twenty from goal with the wind directly behind her. When the result is <6 points, moments really matter.
Prespakis watched (at least briefly) from outside the main gate, because dogs aren’t allowed in.