Tag: NAB League Girls

Patrikios earns All-Australian honours

Calder Cannons graduate Georgia Patrikios has been named in the 2019 NAB AFL Women’s Under-18 All Australian team.

The announcement comes just two weeks after being named Vic Metro and AFLW Under-18 Championships MVP after a stellar campaign representing the Metro.

The 2019 NAB League Girls captain was one of 10 players from the NAB League competition to be selected in the squad.

Patrikios, a prolific ball-winner who led the Cannons to this year’s grand final played at Ikon Park, averaged 22.8 disposals, 2.8 clearances and 4.5 tackles during the carnival – justifying her spot as one of six midfielders.

The 18-year-old is also set to make her VFLW debut tomorrow for Essendon in its clash against Williamstown at Downer Oval.

The club would like to congratulate Georgia and wish her all the best as she dons the sash for the first time tomorrow.

Cannons fall short in big dance

Calder Cannons girls show bravery in grand final heartache

Written by Jarryd Barca 

The Calder Cannons Under 18 girls lost no supporters when they fell 33 points short of the Northern Knights in the 2019 NAB League grand final. 

A large crowd flocked to the Ikon Park stands to watch the first edition of NAB League grand final since the competition underwent a name change from the TAC Cup in previous years.

Calder cruised to the big dance after a massive win against the fancied Geelong Falcons in last week’s preliminary final in Dandenong.  

But that momentum couldn’t continue.  

The undefeated Knights kicked with a slight breeze advantage in the opening quarter and managed to kick three unanswered goals in what proved to be match-winning. 

Despite the Cannons’ brave efforts to neutralise the contest thereafter, they were unable to make the most of their forward opportunities in the 6.3 (39) to 0.6 (6) result.

Cannons Laura Cocomello and Georgia Patrikios embrace after the final siren. Photo by AFL Photos.

“Despite not winning the premiership cup in the end, the girls’ efforts over the course of this season has been worthy of much more than that,” Female Talent Coordinator Russell Humphrey said.

“Just to make the grand final and being a part of the occasion was a fantastic effort, they all played to the best of their abilities and that’s all we could ask of them.

“The better team won on the day.”

Captain Georgia Patrikios was her usual self and worked tirelessly up and down the ground to lead the entire field for total disposals (24) and inside 50s (six). 

Terira Fry (seven disposals and three rebound 50s) tried hard in defence all game, while Georgia Sampson’s improvement over the course of the season continued in another impressive performance in the ruck.

Zoe Hardiman (nine touches and six tackles) and Georgie Prespakis (20 disposals) were also named in the best players.

Calder limited Northern to a solitary goal in each term after quarter time but inaccuracy again plagued the side as they sent the ball forward on countless occasions but to no avail.

“The coaching staff was proud of the way the girls managed to battle out the entire game and never give up – that’s the Cannons way,” Humphrey said.

“We would like to congratulate them on a great achievement this season. To all the girls graduating – you’ve done the whole club proud and all the best with your footballing future.

“We look forward to seeing the bottom-age players continue their improvement.” 

Cannons looking forward to big dance

The Calder Cannons booked a ticket to the 2019 NAB League Girls grand final after comfortably cruising past the Geelong Falcons in the preliminary final last Saturday at Shepley Oval. 

The 7.4 (46) to 1.5 (11) triumph means the undefeated Northern Knights await at IKON Park this Saturday – where the two will do battle in the final game of the year at 2pm. 

Calder was able to maintain possession across the field and deny Geelong any access forward for the majority of the contest, while their pressure (83 tackles – their highest tackle-count of the season) was also crucial in the final result.

The collective buy-in from the entire playing group impressed the coaches and supporters on the day.

Captain Georgia Patrikios’ drive through the middle of the ground (29 touches and six inside 50s) paved the way for her side’s forward entry flurry in Dandenong, while one of the league’s best tacklers, Alana Barba, was again a stand out in the clinches laying 13 tackles. 

Three goals in the opening 10 minutes of the game to Alisa Magri, Emelia Yassir and Barba helped set up an early 20-point lead to the Cannons.

And from there they were hardly challenged.

The momentum continued – albeit with less scoreboard impact – as the Cannons went into the main break with a 19-point lead.

Impressively, the away side never rested on their laurels. A goal within two minutes of the second half to Zoe Hardiman was the only major of the premiership quarter.

Knowing the Falcons wouldn’t give up, the Cannons continued to put the foot down in the final stanza.

Hardiman’s second meant the grand final was all but finalised, before Magri put the nail in the coffin with a quick snap in the dying seconds.

The massive win means the Cannons now have the chance to claim their second premiership.

“Every single player played their role for the team and that’s what gives us this chance that we have,” Girls Talent Coordinator Russell Humphrey said.

“If we can play with the same intensity we applied in the Geelong game then we will give ourselves a chance to win this weekend.

“We’re all looking forward to it – the players, the coaching staff and all of the parents.”

Powerful win sends Cannons to finals

Girls show poise, eminence against Gippsland

Written by Jarryd Barca 

The Calder Cannons Under 18 girls jumped into third spot on the ladder at the conclusion of the 2019 NAB League season following a dominant 31-point win over the Gippsland Power on Mother’s Day.

The 5.7 (37) to 1.0 (6) result at Morwell Recreation Reserve sends Calder into the finals series on a two-game winning streak, now bracing for a clash against the Geelong Falcons in one of two preliminary finals to be played in Dandenong this Saturday.

It was a must-win game for the Cannons with the Oakleigh Charges breathing down their necks heading into Round 9.

With the Northern Knights and Geelong Falcons having the top two spots sewn up, a Chargers victory against the Bendigo Pioneers means the Cannons qualified by two points and percentage, with the Eastern Ranges closing out the four finals spots. 

“It’s a true testament to the way these girls have handled themselves over the course of the season,” girls talent coordinator Russell Humphrey said post-game.

“Their form over the course of the year really does warrant a finals spot and I know that we have what it takes to be really competitive.

“They just have to believe in themselves, stick to what they’ve been doing and play with the confidence that they have in the past two weeks and much of the season.” 

While the away side recorded just 20 more disposals, their pressure around the ball meant the Power only managed to send the ball inside 50 on 10 occasions – the fewest the Cannons have conceded this season. 

Calder took 75 marks and took full control of the ball to dictate all four quarters. 

Sixteen-year-old Georgia Sampson, Terira Fry, Zali Friswell, Alana Barba, Zoe Hardiman and Makeisha Muller were named as the Cannons’ best players.

“I thought Sampson was terrific in the ruck and around the ground as well,” Humphrey lauded the young ruck. 

“Zali Friswell is another that stood out to me on the day and Terira Fry – particularly her tackling pressure – was fantastic, it was a significant aspect that helped us win the game.”

Captain Georgia Patrikios led from the front foot from the opening bounce and kicked the entire first quarter score of 2.1 – the behind a poster.

Further majors to Muller and Georgie Prespakis meant the Cannons took a commanding 27-point lead into half-time.

The game took a slow turn in the second half. Zoe Hardiman booted the only goal for the Cannons, whose 10 points for the half was enough to consolidate a spot in this year’s finals series. 

“Our chances of making the finals seemed quashed a couple of weeks ago when we let a couple of games slip through our fingers,” Humphrey said.

“While we may have been buoyed by other results going our way, all we could control were the games in front of us.

“The girls had two must-win matches and won them both. We’re all very proud of where they’ve come but there’s more work now to be done.” 

The preliminary final will take place from 2:15pm at Shepley Oval immediately following the clash between the Northern Knights and Eastern Ranges.

The winner of both matches will meet in this year’s grand final to be played at IKON Park on May 25. 

NAB League Girls finals fixture announced

The Calder Cannons Under 18 girls will play in a do-or-die preliminary final against the Geelong Falcons this Saturday, May 18 at Shepley Oval, Dandenong in a preliminary final.

The match will be played at 2:15pm, directly after the Northern Knights and Eastern Ranges also do battle.

The winners of both matches will face each other in the 2019 grand final at IKON Park on May 25.

It is the first time in the competition’s three-year history that preliminary finals will be played involving the top four teams.

All games will be live video streamed via the NAB League app.

Geelong bodes as a tough match-up for the Cannons after losing just one match this season.

But a brave showing by Calder in the side’s gallant Round 7 loss against the Falcons means the spot in the big dance is well and truly up for grabs.

The Cannons were inaugural girls premiers in 2017 and leap-frogged their way to third spot on the ladder on the weekend with a win over the Gippsland Power.

In the lead-up to the finals, NAB League girls supporters can now watch replays of every home-and-away match up to Round 8, with Round 9 to be uploaded during the week. Champion Data stats feature for all games as well. Download the NAB League app.

Calder Cannons girls keep finals dream alive

Ball in Cannons’ court

Written by Jarryd Barca

The Calder Cannons Under 18 girls have kept a finals berth in sight after downing finals aspirant Bendigo Pioneers by 21 points at Highgate Recreation Reserve in the NAB League. 

The stakes were high in the Round 8 contest with both sides locked away on 16 points for the season – with the winner to be the only finals hopeful remaining outside of the top four. 

The Pioneers managed to score the only goal of the first half, but their slender advantaged was short-lived as a rampant Cannons outfit piled on the only four goals of the second half to leave their destiny in their own hands. 

The 4.6 (30) to 1.3 (9) result means the equation is now simple for the 5-3 Cannons – now fourth; defeat Gippsland Power this weekend and qualify.

Female talent coordinator Russell Humphrey said he was proud of the girls’ strength to come back from a dour first half. 

“At half time, even though we hadn’t scored a goal and Bendigo were on top, we were only a goal down so it wasn’t panic stations,” he said.

“The coaching staff were very positive with the girls telling them that they needed to work a bit harder and open the game up a bit more.

“Bendigo were really good early in the match to keep it crowded and not allowing us to open it up.

“Once we did we were able to play more free-flowing footy with plenty of run and the result looked after itself.

“Our ability to keep the ball moving forward, to take the game on a bit more by running and ball use really stood out to me.”

The Oakleigh Chargers were on 18 points going into the weekend, but a loss against the GWV Rebels means Calder remains two points clear in fourth position heading into the final round of the home-and-away season. 

“With one game to go it’s important that our second half momentum from the weekend continues going into the next four quarters of footy,” Humphrey said. 

“We want to finish the home and away season off strongly against Gippsland down at Morwell which is always a hard place to win.” 

A serious foot injury to half-forward Gloria Elarmaly in the second quarter ensured that it was a bittersweet feeling in the dressing rooms post-game. 

The 18-year-old, who last week signed with Essendon’s VFLW side, unfortunately broke her foot in a tackle and required surgery on Sunday. 

“The resilience of the girls to play like they did after seeing their teammate go down with a serious foot injury was really impressive and showed they held the values of the club close to their hearts,” Humphrey said. 

“The club wishes Gloria the best in her recovery.” 

Midfielders Laura Cocomello (17 disposals and five tackles) and Georgia Patrikios (27 and a goal) led from the front with young ruck Tamsin Crook also named in the best players. 

Krstel Petrevski, Isabel Young and Neve Crowley also caught the coaches’ attention with solid performances. 

Humphrey said he is looking forward to taking on the Power this Sunday. 

“We appreciate the mums coming down to Morwell on Mother’s Day and we hope that the girls’ performance is a tribute to their fantastic support over the course of the year,” he said. 

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.