Category: Girls

Girls show grit in costly loss

Written by Jarryd Barca

The Calder Cannons Under 18 girls have taken a tumble in the 2019 NAB League finals race after falling to the Geelong Falcons by 14 points in Round 7. 

The Calder Cannons Under 18 girls have taken a tumble in the 2019 NAB League finals race after falling to the Geelong Falcons by 14 points in Round 7. 

The undefeated Falcons took a 20-point lead into half time and cemented themselves top spot with two matches remaining.

The 3.2 (20) to 1.0 (6) result at Highgate Recreation Reserve was Calder’s second loss in as many matches after a 4-1 start and puts a dint in their finals hunt, now sitting fifth on the ladder. 

Bu the season isn’t over for the now 4-3 Cannons. 

“We’re good enough, we’ve lost by a total aggregate of 28 points this season and I believe that we are capable of playing finals,” female talent coordinator Russell Humphrey said. 

“We knew it was going to be a tough game against an undefeated side and they outplayed us in the first half. 

“We fell down at half forward all day – just didn’t compete very well. 

“The ball was being rebounded back a lot and we didn’t get it deep enough inside 50, when we did we just couldn’t capitalise.

“Our intensity and endeavour was there all day.” 

Humphrey said the ability to defend the ground all over in the second half was a major positive from the contest, keeping the highly-rated Falcons scoreless in the second half. 

“It was a great defensive effort,” he said. 

“It shows that we’re not far off it. The lessons learned from the game is we need to be a little bit smarter in possession of the footy and have a little bit of composure, because when we did it showed we’re not far off the best team in the competition.” 

Captain Georgia Patrikios was a standout for the home side collecting 31 touches and kicking the sole goal in the final term playing a midfield-forward role.   

“If we win our last two games we’ll give ourselves the best chance of making the finals which is something we’ve been striving towards all season.”

Georgie Prespakis (32) and Alana Barba (22) were the other major ball winners on the day.  

“The players that Paul (coach Paul Tilley) asked to do a job really held their own and stood up tall,” Humphrey said. 

“Girls like Kasey Lennox, Pepper Poultney and Flick (Felicity) Theodore were outstanding in defence.” 

The girls will be leaving no stone unturned heading into the final two rounds of the NAB League season, with the Eastern Ranges and Oakleigh Chargers four and two points ahead of them respectively on the ladder. 

Humphrey said they won’t be relying on other results to go the Cannons’ way.

“We want to finish the year off strongly because of the hard work they’ve all done since November,” he said.

“If we win our last two games we’ll give ourselves the best chance of making the finals which is something we’ve been striving towards all season.”  

Girls go down in gripping contest

Written by Jarryd Barca

The Calder Cannons NAB League Girls have two teams hot on their heels on the ladder after being overrun by an eager Eastern Ranges side on the weekend. 

The momentum in the four-point thriller ebbed and flowed at Bayswater Oval with the Ranges putting their noses in front with just seconds remaining. 

The 4.5 (29) to 3.7 (25) result means the Cannons remain in third position behind the Geelong Falcons and Northern Knights, with the Bendigo Pioneers and Ranges now breathing down their neck on equal points. 

No team in the Under 18 girls competition has recorded more scoring shots than the Cannons when they’ve met them in the opening six rounds, despite their two losses – inaccuracy the common catalyst in their defeats. 

“They didn’t play too badly at all. We started off well, however we couldn’t convert in front of goal and in the end inaccuracy cost us,” Female Talent Coordinator Russell Humphrey said.

“At times our ball movement was really good but our defensive transition was a bit too slow, giving Eastern the opportunity to score easier than we could at times.” 

Tahlia Gillard’s sole goal in the first quarter was enough to give the Cannons the lead at the first break, but with the scores locked at 0.1 to 1.4 the Ranges remained heavily in the contest. 

Cannons youngster Georgie Prespakis extended the lead with an early goal in the second term, but the Ranges eventually woke from their slumber to boot four of the final five goals of the match and emerge with the four points.

Two of those goals came directly after Prespakis’ major, while one was a standalone six-pointer in the third term which subsequently put the Ranges five points in front at three-quarter time. 

Emelia Yassir all but sealed the deal for Calder when she put her side in front in the final stanza, but a goal to Eastern’s Tess Flintoff with 43 seconds remaining meant the victory was indeed snatched at the jaws of defeat.

“I thought Flick (Felicity) Theodore and (Zoe) Hardiman played really well,” Humphrey lauded.

“Our bottom age players again contributed throughout the whole day and continue to show signs which is very promising, it was really good to see the continual improvement from Kasey Lennox, Neve Crowley and Tahlia Gillard. 

“It was a disappointing loss but it’s not the end of the world at all. We look forward to the game against Geelong on April 28,” he added. 

“It’s going to be a challenge for our girls to come up against a Geelong side that has had a big run of success over the past few seasons. 

“If we play our Cannons brand of football we’ll give Geelong a run for their money.” 

The Futures girls program also finished on Sunday against Eastern, with the girls recording a win-loss ration of 1-2 over the three-week program. 

The girls went down 7.7 (49) to 4.3 (27) but showed major signs of improvement after matches against the GWV Rebels and Oakleigh Chargers as well. 

Alisa Magri kicked two goals in the contest, while Zoe Penno – her first ever goal – and Brooke Byron scored one each. 

“The improvement of the girls over the 13-week program is a credit to the hard work and commitment of both players and coaches,” Humphrey said. 

“Massive thanks go out to the parents for bringing their girls to both training and games.”

Cannons respond in style

Written by Jarryd Barca 

The Calder Cannons responded to its only loss of the NAB League season in Round 4 with an impressive victory over the Murray Bushrangers on the weekend.

The Round 5 contest at Highgate Recreation Reserve proved to be the girls’ fourth win in five weeks, placing them in third position on the ladder with just four matches remaining.

The usual slow starts that have been incumbent on the girls’ season to date went out the window, recording the only three goals of the first term to establish a decisive deficit. 

It was six goals to five thereafter, the Cannons keeping the Bushrangers at bay and holding onto a 9.7 (61) to 5.4 (34) result.

The resilience shown by the Cannons will please the coaches after the Bushrangers outscored them in the second term and booted the opening two majors in the final quarter to reel in a reachable margin.

But the leaders stood up when it mattered most to ensure all four points remained with the home side. 

“From the coaches box knowing you’ve got the different leaders – Flick (Felicity Theodore), Georgia (Patrikios) and some of the other girls stepping up in that last quarter – all of a sudden we’re back on top and kicking another goal and it comes from unselfish play like Zoe Hardiman giving a flick over the top just to get someone involved,” Under 18 girls forward coach Luke Russell said.

“That’s leadership and that’s what changes a game. You have so much more confidence in the girls to do the right things.” 

The Cannons recorded 40 more disposals for the game and out-tackled their opponents (48-45) at the same time.

Russell said he was proud of the side’s response to its loss against the Chargers the previous week.

“We spoke a lot about widening the ground and really using our runners,” he said.

“The big thing was it’s just a football game, we lost, we’re still getting to play footy and footy is the fun thing, it’s about making training fun and making the atmosphere fun.

“Wanting to improve is a big thing as well, we keep telling the girls to maximise training time to improve and get better each week, have fun doing it but improve.”

The Cannons are enjoying a solid season in the reformed NAB League Girls competition after celebrating a win on just two occasions during 2018. 

“(Four and one) is a lot better than being one and four I reckon, there’s not as much pressure on us at the moment, but obviously the main thing is the improvement in the girls, one and four and every girl improving would be just as good as being four and one and the girls are improving,” Russell said.

Captain Georgia Patrikios (one goal) and midfield counterpart Alana Barba (two goals) starred with 24 and 21 possessions respectively, while Georgie Prespakis increased her goals tally to 10 for the season. 

Russell sung the praises of some other key performers. 

“Zoe Hardiman was huge, especially her leadership in the forward half,” he said.

“Tahlia Gillard is a 15-year-old 187cm and just getting better and better, they’re not going to be able to go with her, she should have gotten five more free kicks. Down back ‘Flick’ Theodore with that run, Kiara Delia and Kasey Lennox really set us up. 

“Barba and (Laura) Cocomello around the contest really give us something different and you can see the difference between us and other sides having two people that are really contested. Neve Crowley as a 15-year-old playing centre-half forward every week is getting better and Gloria Elarmaly’s attack on the ball was really impressive.”

The Cannons sit third on the table with a healthy percentage of 205.90 heading into their Round six clash against the fifth-placed Eastern Ranges this Sunday. 

Cannons fall short in late comeback

Calder Cannons vs Oakleigh Chargers – Round 4

Written by Jarryd Barca

The Calder Cannons Under 18 girls lost their first match of the season in their Round 4 clash against the Oakleigh Chargers at Highgate Recreation Reserve.

Another slow start by Calder saw them chasing the Oakleigh tails for the majority of the contest after conceding the opening four goals of the game.

There was no doubting the girls’ effort after successfully outscoring the away team in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as the Chargers held on for a tough 7.2 (44) to 5.4 (34) result. 

Tahlia Gillard was solid up forward booting two majors for the Cannons, while Emelia Yassir, Alana Barba, Kasey Lennox, Mali McLeod and Terira Fry were also named in the best players. 

Gloria Elarmaly can also hold her head high after laying seven tackles in the contest – the equal-most in the game with Chargers’ Nicola Xenos. The 18-year-old half-forward is fifth in the NAB League for total tackles this season. 

The Cannons were held scoreless in the first term and it was the third time this season they have trailed their opponents at quarter time. 

Two more goals to the Chargers in the second quarter before the home side’s first major meant the Cannons had to fight hard to wrestle back the momentum, trailing at the main break by 18 points.

The side re-grouped and came out to play in the third quarter with the Chargers unable to re-stamp their first-half authority. 

The Cannons’ two goals were cancelled by a double from Oakleigh, setting up an exciting fourth term.

A grandstand finish was on the cards in the final stanza with the Cannons firing off four scoring shots to one. 

But the two goals two behinds outcome wasn’t enough as the Chargers hung on for dear life in a hard-fought 10-point contest. 

The result sees the Cannons girls drop to third on the ladder, who’ll look to bounce back this Saturday when they host the Murray Bushrangers at Highgate Recreation Reserve. 

Goal kickers: T. Gillard 2, A. Magri, F. Theodore, G. Elarmaly

Best players: E. Yassir, A. Barba, K. Lennox, M. McLeod, T. Gillard, T. Fry 

Stats leaders: E. Yassir (14 disposals), G. Patrikios (three marks, four inside 50s), G. Elarmaly (seven tackles), M. McLeod (three rebound 50s)

J

Girls raring for “biggest challenge” yet

Written by Jarryd Barca

The Calder Cannons Under 18 Girls are eager to take the field this Sunday ahead of what will be their biggest challenge of the season so far, according to head coach Paul Tilley.

Calder is one of three undefeated teams in 2019 and is looking to stretch its winning run to four weeks when it hosts the Oakleigh Charges at Highgate Recreation Reserve. 

“Oakleigh will be our biggest challenge so far this year,” Tilley said.

“They move the ball pretty well, they have a pretty good game plan, they switch the ball, they run the ball. 

“They have a couple of good solid players who move surprisingly quick and kick some really good goals so it’ll be interesting to see how we actually stack up against them, it’ll be a good challenge. 

“They drew with Northern and Northern I thought were probably, and I still think they will be, finals contenders easily.” 

The girls only won two matches last year in Tilley’s first season at the helm, who believes going back to the basics is the catalyst for the side’s rise in fortunes. 

The Cannons averaged 24.2 points per game last season compared to this year’s 49.3, albeit just the three matches have been played. 

“The first couple of games that we played (last year) we got beaten rather comprehensively and so we actually looked at it and thought ‘you know what? We’re probably not as good as we thought’,” Tilley explained. 

“We just went back and started teaching a little bit more about the game itself and we started really concentrating on skills. So much so that I think we played Geelong who were eventual premiers and we only got beaten by a few goals against them and it was only one quarter that let us down. 

“If we had have played them earlier they probably would have beaten us comprehensively, and we won the last two games, so we’ve taken that same philosophy into this year, teach the girls about the game. 

“A lot of girls who come to us, they’re the best from where they come from, but they all tend to play on the ball for their local clubs.

“When they come here they don’t know how to play back, they might not know how to play forward, so it was a bit of an eye opener for me teaching the young girls how to play football.” 

Asked whether the internal mood amongst the players has changed since last season after winning three from three, Tilley said the confidence levels in his players are always soaring. 

“I think what they’re seeing is what we’ve asked them to do is working so that does give them a little bit more confidence to try stuff out during the game,” he said.

“We ask them to do certain things and they are trying it because they know it can work and so I expect that that will continue to increase as well.” 

The Cannons couldn’t have asked for a better start to the year and sit rather comfortably in second position on the ladder, but it hasn’t all been smooth sailing, trailing their opponents multiple times in the first three weeks. 

“We actually need to make the most of our opportunities, we probably have the ball inside 50 just as much as the opposition but we just don’t put it through the goals,” Tilley said.

“I think last week against Sandringham, and nothing against Sandringham – they’re a young side and all that – but we were off the boil in the first half and I can’t really put my finger on it, but you just know when a side isn’t there collectively, and basically after half time it clicked.

“Maybe it was because the girls had to wake up early to go to Sandringham! I don’t know, but it’s not that Sandringham played more exceptional football but we played quite poorly. 

“After half time we started sticking to the game plan and we started doing what we know we can do and eventually we ran over the top of them.”

Tilley expects to see much of the same from his side on Sunday, urging the players for a better start to the contest. 

“If you look at the first game, we weren’t leading at quarter time but I think we were something like one goal seven before we started putting goals through,” he said.

“We really need to make the most of our goal kicking. Some of the girls who I think are rushing probably have a little bit more time to take those shots, some of the choices that they actually make could probably be a little bit better as well.”

Be there at Highgate Recreation Reserve from 1:45pm to help steer the girls to their fourth consecutive victory of the season. J

‘Team first’ mentality steering girls forward

Written by Jarryd Barca

The Calder Cannons Under 18 Girls have won three matches in as many weeks to kick-off their 2019 NAB League campaign in superb fashion.

The first-round 27-point win over the Western Jets was backed up by an eye-capturing 58-point win over the GWV Rebels at MARS Stadium in Round 2 – where rising star Georgie Prespakis booted seven goals.

But the come-from-behind win against the Sandringham Dragons on Saturday means the Cannons remain one of three undefeated teams in the early stages of the year, sitting just behind the top-of-the-table Geelong Falcons on percentage.

Girls manager Russell Humphrey puts the strong start down to an even contribution from the whole team. 

“Everyone is working really well together, all of the girls are really buying in and understanding their roles and because of that the results are looking after itself,” he said.

Sandringham kicked the only goal of the first half in tough conditions on the weekend, before the Cannons put through four majors – three of which coming in the final stanza. 

“In the first half on the weekend we went away from that ‘playing as a team’ style but the second half we were sharing it better and the players were definitely doing better things,” Humphrey said. 

“I’ve just been really impressed with the whole team effort. Everyone is doing something on every game day and contributing to the results that we’re seeing. 

“In particular, we’ve seen very consistent performances over the weeks from Emelia Yassir, Krstel Petrevski, Georgie Prespakis and Laura Cocomello.”

Head coach Paul Tilley said while he’s impressed with the fast start in 2019, it doesn’t surprise him. 

Calder won just two games in 2018 in Tilley’s first season at the helm. 

“About three games into last season we probably weren’t where we wanted to be, so we took everything back to basics,” Tilley told nableague.com.au.  

“We worked hard on teaching the players the basics in terms of skills and knowledge of the game, and I think that was reflected in the last few games of 2018.

“This season has just been a carry-on from that.

“We were lacklustre early (against Sandringham), but the girls realised that if they wanted to win the game, they had to start doing what they knew and sticking to the game plan – which they did.

“We had players like our captain Georgia Patrikios, Georgie Prespakis and Gloria Elarmaly who took the game into their hands and that’s where it started. Krstel Petrevski was a great performer again for us and then you had girls like Laura Cocomello, Felicity Theodore and Emelia Yassir, but the game was won across the board with all of them putting in an even performance.”

The girls will look to make it four wins on the trot when they host the seventh-placed Oakleigh Chargers at Highgate Recreation Reserve this Sunday. 

Despite winning just one match from three attempts, the Chargers have recorded the fourth highest points as a total aggregate in the competition. 

“We’re really looking forward to another challenge, they’re a quality side and we know we have to start a lot better than our last game against Sandringham. We can’t start slowly,” Humphrey said.J