DIVISION 4 by Jessica Phipps

Smithfield v Athelstone

An early Saturday morning at Smithfield Oval saw our two bottom teams searching for their first taste of victory for the season. With both teams hoping to leave the infamous bottom of the ladder spot, Smithfield and Athelstone came out strong, however, it was Smithfield that gained control of the game only minutes after the first bounce. The first score of the game came early, and Smithfield was on the board with a goal and two points heading into the second. The Smithfield domination continued into the second and third, with goals from M. Agius, H. Nisbet, C. Sumber, R. Imgraben,

A. Steer and K.Kite. Suddenly, there was a 47-point deficit going into the last quarter, and the win was just about sealed for the home-side. As defeat loomed for Athelstone, they came out into the last quarter with a point to prove. The girls worked hard around the contest and for the first time of the match, the Athelstone girls were working the ball into their forward-line, but sadly the girls were not able to convert off all opportunities. C. Cunningham added Athelstone’s only major to the board, but the late spark from Athelstone soon came to an end as the final siren was heard, leaving the final score at Smithfield’s 56 points to Athelstone’s 9.

With a dominant display by the home-side, Smithfield’s best players included R. Imgraben, M. Agius, E. Grainger, K. Kite, and E. Abdulla. The best players for Athelstone were N. Thompson, M. Heath, I. Bungay, K. Fitzpatrick, and C. Wright, however C. Cunningham’s work in the forward line late in the game must also be praised. Although an easy win for Smithfield, they will be looking to continue their dominant performance into this weekend’s match against Flinders Park, while Athelstone will need to bring their last quarter performance into their upcoming match against Mitcham, as the girls proved they can play, they just need to bring it across all four quarters.

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