James Murphy
THE second round of Limestone Coast Women’s football was held at Blue Lake Sports Park on Sunday, with more comfortable wins this week.
There are now three teams with two wins and after just two weeks the ladder has started to take shape.
NORTH GAMBIER 9.8 (62) d KONGORONG 1.2 (8)
North Gambier kicked off the day with a 54-point triumph over Kongorong.
The Tigers look to be a frontrunner this season and their good spread of talent was on show again on the weekend.
A 13-point opening quarter set up a handy lead, before North added three goals in the second term to extend the margin.
The Hawks had a scoreless first quarter, but managed to hit the scoreboard in the second.
A goal and a behind would be the only impact Kongorong had for the match, both coming during the second quarter.
The Tigers continued to build on their lead in the third term and another two goals put them well and truly out of reach.
A 2.4 return in the final stanza wrapped things up and at the final siren there was 54 points between them.
After new recruit Chloe Newton impressed on her debut in Round 1 with 11 goals, it was Alice Tentye who led the scoring this week.
She had five goals for the match, while Newton had two.
Stella Davis and Jasmyn Plew-Jones had one each, while it was Grace Altschwager who received the best-on-ground honours.
Tess Andrews put in her usual hard work around the contest and her efforts earned her second best, while Tenyte, Georgia Gentile, Newton and Fiona Young also earned a mention.
For Kongorong it was captain Sarah Lucas who stood tall.
She was named best on ground after popping up around the ground and fighting hard to deny the Tigers easy forward entries.
Jasmin McKinnon was the only goalkicker on the day, while Jade Longbottom, Riley Buckingham and Sophie Longbottom also featured highly in the best players.
MILLICENT 12.11 (83) d NANGWARRY 1.1 (7)
Nangwarry made its debut in the Limestone Coast Women’s Football League on Sunday.
The Saints had a bye in Round 1, but a fitting clash with its fellow Saints from Millicent was on the cards for Sunday.
It was not the fairytale start Nangwarry would have hoped for, with just one goal and a 76-point loss the result.
A four-goal opening term set Millicent on its way, while the second quarter was a more even contest.
A goal at both ends was added to the scoreboard, with Shandeen Balshaw scoring Nangwarry’s first ever goal in the competition.
Unfortunately, that would be the only success for the game, with a behind during the same quarter bringing the Saints to their final score of seven.
Millicent added three-goals-five during the third term, boosting the lead to 50 points heading into the last.
Another big quarter followed with four goals and at the end of it all Millicent claimed an impressive victory.
Alannah Pratt put in a best-on-ground performance for the winning Saints, while Macy Burns and Lucy Pretty led the scoring with two goals each.
Chloe Gronn was another standout, while Sieanna Laslett, Lana Shepherd and Kelsie Wilkinson were also impressive.
For Nangwarry it was no surprise to see Balshaw at the head of the best players.
Skye Virtanen and Reese Balshaw were others who featured highly for the newcomers.
CASTERTON SANDFORD 5.16 (46) d KYBYBOLITE 1.2 (8)
Last year’s minor premier Casterton Sandford continued its 2024 success, this time with a good win over Kybybolite.
The first half was an even contest and the Cats were up by eight points at the first change and only five at the main break.
They picked up the intensity in the third quarter and found plenty of opportunities up forward.
However, an opening was left as the Cats kicked one-goal-four while holding the Tigers scoreless, leading by 15 points at the final change.
Another scoreless quarter followed for Kyby, but Casterton Sandford stepped things up.
They put in a game-high return of 23 points, finding the big sticks on three occasions.
At the end of it all the Cats claimed a 38-point win.
Madalene Cleary topped the scoresheets with two goals, while Emily Pitts, Carlie Smith and Elise Thurman had a goal each for the Cats.
Jamie Wachtel was the only player to find the big sticks for Kybybolite.
The best of the Cats was Holly Smith, while Milly Thomas, Smith, Pitts and Maddison Cotten also performed well.
Despite the loss, Amelia Frick, Dellie Brown and Sophie Owen were the top performers for Kyby.
MUNDULLA 6.8 (44) d SOUTH GAMBIER 0.2 (2)
Sunday’s final game had reigning premier Mundulla defeat South Gambier.
The northern Tigers slowly pushed out to a steady lead, with a goal in the first and another in the second quarter.
At half time Mundulla led by 14 points, before a three-point third quarter slowly edged it out to 17.
The 2023 champions raised the bar in the last term, over doubling their score to put through four goals and two behinds.
That resulted in a 42-point triumph and was enough to keep Mundulla at the top of premiership table by just under six per cent.
Goals were shared around on the day, with all eight coming off a different boot.
Kellsie Turner was one of those goal kickers and she was named Mundulla’s best on ground.
Natalie Twigden and Zoe Hawker were also impressive, while Erin Horsnell and Kate Maddern rounded out the best.
For South it was no surprise to see captain Jarrah Altschwager back at the top of the Demons’ best players’ list.
She was joined by Ella Guest, Taysha Marshall, Abby Thompson and Sophie Wight.
