VFL Women's Round 16 2016 - Darebin Falcons v VU Western Spurs
- Aug 7, 2016
- 3 min read
Darebin’s stars led the way to their sixteenth straight victory over a bold VU Western Spurs outfit at AH Capp Reserve.
In an intriguing clash marked by the Spurs’ determination to take the Falcons head-on rather than play safe lock-down footy, the Falcons flexed their muscle when they needed to and won 18.8 to 7.2, spearheaded by an extraordinary five-goal performance from Katie Brennan.
The Falcons opened in style as they capitalised on the midfield dominance of Daisy Pearce and rucks Lauren Pearce and Norieul Kinross. In an ominous first ten minutes they kicked four goals to threaten to blow the Spurs out of the water. The besieged Spurs’ defence struggled to man up on their direct opponents, let alone counter the danger of hard-running midfielders Jess Dal-Pos and Karen Paxman.
When the Spurs won the ball, it seemed Darebin had nullified every option for disposal. Turnovers abounded as the Falcons held a 21-point lead at the first break.
If imitation is the greatest form of flattery, the Falcons would have greatly appreciated the fight they had on their hands in the second quarter. The Spurs, who had kicked just eight goals in their previous three clashes with Darebin, won the ball, were quick to play on and were happy to get in the faces of the best Falcons.
After Darebin playing coach Jane Lange goaled inside of fifteen seconds, the Spurs showed the growth they have made in 2016 as they turned one-way traffic into gridlock. Midfielders Bree White, Shell Scott and Kylie Nicolaci and ruckman Caroline Hardeman looked as dangerous as their opponents.
When the Spurs wrested the ball out of stoppages, their spread and clever ball movement had more than an echo of the Falcons’ game style.
The Spurs had the run of play in the first half of the quarter and Nicolaci made the most of a spacious forward line to goal on the run. However, the downside of the Spurs’ frenetic pace was that when they lost control the momentum reversed with a vengeance. Darebin forward Katie Brennan, dominant early but wayward on goal, found an extra gear and kick-started a seven-minute Falcons’ burst where their ball movement was simply overwhelming. Brennan, Paxman, Lauren Pearce and Lauren Arnell goaled as the Falcons blew the half time margin out to over nine goals.
The Spurs maintained their game plan in the third quarter and steadily more and more of their players worked their way into the contest. The attack on the ball shown by defenders Ricki-Lee Martinuzzo and Tayla Dinuccio provided the springboard for a coast-to-coast goal to Ash Gunn before key forward Alex Quigley converted from another impressive passage of play.
Darebin did enough to keep their lead ticking over while their lesser lights continued to put a case forward for finals selection. Natalie Exon’s pace and ability to push into space set up Brennan’s fourth goal while defender Brooke Howells, ably filling the void left by the injured Shevaun Hogan, ran forward to kick her first goal in VFL Women’s.
After two quarters of fair battle, the Falcons reminded the Spurs who was boss with another game-bursting run in the final quarter. Paxman, Arnell and Dal Pos got in on the act before Brennan provided another classic for the highlight reel with a huge pack mark and long bomb for her fifth goal. It was as if the Bulldogs’ marquee had hit AH Capp Reserve determined to put her name at the forefront of any discussion as to the best player in VFL Women’s.
The Spurs were to be applauded for taking the Falcons on at their own game. At the end of the day however, no one can play that game better than the Falcons themselves.
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