There was a sense of finality this weekend as Round 19 got underway. With three rounds still to go, Preston and Altona relegated themselves with a dour goalless draw at Kim Reserve, before South Melbourne clinched the minor premiership with a 1-4 away win to Bulleen.
Of course no one remembers who the league winners were years down the road, and the Finals race is very much alive for Casey and Heidelberg who are currently separated only by their goal differences in the table. The Comets have the advantage but it is oh so close for the last Finals spot as we enter the finishing straight.
Elsewhere, Sandringham were made to fight for a vital three points against EAP, aware of a fast finishing Box Hill as the defending champions made short work of Cairnlea.
Without further ado, we give you the best performers from the weekend that was.
Starting Eleven
Sian Rogers: She’ll never be the most graceful of contract goalkeepers, but Rogers always looks more than happy to don her Liverpool top and get between the sticks for Sandringham. Against EAP on Friday night, the Sandringham custodian did enough to keep a clean sheet and enable her team’s narrow win for three points that kept them in the hunt for second place. While this mainly consisted of getting her body behind a series of long range shots, a key block on Kariah White in injury time did just enough to prevent an equaliser.
Jaimee Williams: With a rash of players out with knocks, EAP called upon the young Williams to stand-in at right back and were rewarded with a mature performance far beyond her tender years. The U15 prospect started the game and stayed on for most of the contest, proving more than a match for Elaina Vatcky on the Sandringham flank. It was a pity when her night was prematurely ended through injury, but she’d done plenty to catch the eye by then. On the basis of this performance alone, there’s plenty of upside in years to come.
Laura Croft: Casey can always depend on their captain to stand firm as the last line of defence, the one person wall in front of her goalkeeper, but the central defender was also vital up the other end in a thrilling encounter against Bundoora. Trailing at the break, Croft took the game by the scruff of the neck, finishing coolly from the penalty spot to reduce the deficit and also making several important challenges. Direct football might not be to everyone’s taste, but Croft’s balls into the box always looked dangerous on Friday night.
Christie Parton: The Sandringham defender was immense at the back and clinical at the front as she pounced on a defensive error to win the game against EAP for her team. Unmarked at a set piece, the Sandringham captain still had plenty to do as she combined a towering leap with a firm header to score the only goal of the contest past Tori Snelleksz. Her team will now have one eye on the Finals series, as they remain the only team to have beaten runaway leaders South Melbourne this season.
Grace Vincent: Vincent will perhaps admit that she wasn’t in top form at the start of the season, but like her team she seems to be warming up just in time for the business end of the season. The midfield anchor was dominant in the centre of the park for Box Hill on Friday night, linking defence to attack and excelling all night. Influential for most of the night, Vincent was a creative hub for her team as well as a defensive presence when the opposition had the ball.
Morany Chek: Her technical ability sets her a class apart from most of the other midfielders in the league, but it is a willingness to take the game on that makes Chek such an outstanding player. The French midfielder once again showed plenty of flair on Monday night against Bulleen, repeatedly taking on two or three defenders at one go as she notched a well-deserved brace to secure the league for South Melbourne. Both goals were important in their own right, the opener helping to calm nerves on the stroke of halftime before another goal five minutes from time killed off any hopes of a Bulleen resurgence.
Enza Barilla: Bundoora’s pocket dynamo is a massive presence in the team, her contribution over many stellar seasons making her a bonafide legend at the club. Barilla would have felt the Grand Final loss to Box Hill keenly last season, and is determined to make amends this time round. Her team more or less secured a Finals spot as they gained a hard fought point against Casey, with Barilla scoring a goal and assisting another in a best on ground performance.
Padiki Dade: This might very well be a breakout season for the Box Hill midfielder, as she once again turned in a stellar performance on Friday evening. Against Cairnlea, she ran amok on the right wing and caused plenty of havoc in Cairnlea’s half. Dade was involved in two of her team’s goals as well as scoring a beauty herself as she looks to banish the demons from an inconsistent season last year. This might be a springboard to bigger and better things if she can keep it up.
Jaymee Dudley: She might only have played 45 minutes of football on the weekend, but it was a very productive half as Dudley turned the game on its head following her introduction. With Bundoora two goals to the good at halftime, Casey were facing an uphill battle and looking likely to surrender their important fifth spot in the table to Heidelberg. Then the young substitute appeared on the scene, winning a vital penalty before completing the comeback with a 90th minute equaliser. Quite the send off for Dudley, as she now heads off to England to join up with Birmingham City.
Leigh Gray: The Heidelberg striker has been a revelation since joining up midseason, her goals worth their weight in gold as the Bergers embarked on the unlikeliest of charges towards a Finals spot. Gray her usual explosive self once again on Saturday, leading all scorers with another superb hattrick as the hosts put Ashburton to the sword. From the skidding effort that opened the scoring to the goal that sealed her treble as she turned home a fizzing low cross, Gray has consistently shown herself to be one of the deadliest strikers in the league.
Amanda Lawless: It took a while for Box Hill’s leading scorer last season to get back into action, but Lawless is definitely trying to make up for lost time now as she ran the Cairnlea defence off their feet on Friday night. The striker was almost unplayable with her accurate finishing and should have really notched a third goal, but she can definitely be pleased with another successful outing back from injury as she went off with 20 minutes to go.
Substitutes
Kristin Stensholt: The Ashburton defender had a great running battle with Heidelberg’s Leigh Gray for most of Saturday’s contest, before being forced off when the stitches in her knee burst.
Gulcan Koca: Always dependable for Bundoora, Koca was a real spark in midfield against Casey as she saw plenty of the ball – scoring her team’s third goal as well as putting in some excellent passes.
Alexandra Gummer: It was a typical hardworking shift from the Casey midfielder as she won plenty of important tackles and distributed the ball well during their marvellous come-from-behind draw.
Jessica Au: The South Melbourne winger provided a real spark after she came on in the second half, ultimately stroking home the last goal of the night to deny an improbable Bulleen comeback.
Ashleigh Beagley: Bulleen goalscorer Beagley’s presence on the pitch was a matter of circumstance, as she was thrown on in place of an injured Em Coppock before Liana Iaconis’ stretchering off meant she was left on the pitch to score a late scorcher.
Just Missing Out
Jessica Pitts (EAP), Stephanie Tanti (Sandringham), Caitlin Friend (Bundoora), Stacey Papadopoulos (Box Hill), Erin Brennan (Heidelberg), Angie Rassias (Heidelberg), Demi Mihaloudis (South Melbourne), Liv Ellis (Bulleen), Taylah Mure (Bulleen)
Team of the Week XI: Rogers (Sandringham); Williams (EAP), Croft (Casey), C.Parton (Sandringham); Dade (Box Hill), Vincent (Box Hill), Barilla (Bundoora), Chek (South Melbourne), Dudley (Casey); Gray (Heidelberg), Lawless (Box Hill)
Substitutes: Stensholt (Ashburton), Koca (Bundoora), Gummer (Casey), Au (South Melbourne), Beagley (Bulleen)
Many thanks to all those who contributed to this week’s edition of the Team of the Week, including reporters Sean Ellicott, Andrew Bishara, Katie Lambeski and Tomasz Ng as well as numerous match and club officials and players.