Elimination Final: Southside Demons 56 defeat West Coast Warriors 41
The Southside Demons came out of the gate flying taking a nine-goal lead at the first break. The goal circle was consistent in their efforts, with Kelsey McPhee (19), Georgia Ettridge (16), Club captain Meg Gallager (15) and Brooke Marques (six) all making impact.
The side were able to maintain their lead throughout the match with a strong defensive end, Kate Bunten, Chanel Gomes and Abbey Hanley all doing everything in their power to hold the Warriors.
The Warriors fought until the very last second as their season came to a close. Jamaica Jauncey was exception in goals, taking 32 for herself, joined by Beryl Friday (five), Hana Stokes (three) and Emily Dwyer (one). Their mid court were persistent despite the scoreboard, with Honey Harrington, Kaylssa Rasmussen and Gardenia Asiata pushing hard down the court.
Demons Wing Defence, Kate Bunten told Streamer Commentator Bec Nitschke the team are proud of themselves for making the Finals series, with it being the first for many of their athletes.
“We felt like a real unit out there, I feel like we can take the Comets next week,” Bunten said.
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Qualifying Final: Western Roar 56 defeat Comets 42
The Western Roar have guaranteed their fifth straight Grand Final appearance in a dominant display over the Comets.
Both sides keen defensive pressure kept them relatively low scoring in the first quarter, but Roar continued to build and build as they found a lead as high as 15 at three quarter time. Maddie Hunter was a gun in the mid-court, finding crucial intercepts to turn the ball over. Sophia Lamers (34) and Asha Parsons (22) flexed their reliable combination in goals.
The Comets showed some serious defensive pressure throughout the game, from the likes of Liz Dronfield, Mia Henderson and young gun Kianah Davey who were all able to find deflections and change pace.
Jasmah Haywood once again demonstrated her strength of volume in goals with 33, joined by Sloan Burton’s nine. The side will have a second chance at the Grand Final spot next week in the preliminary final.
Roar’s Maddie Hunter told Streamer Commentator Fran Williams that the sides training on Monday was so strong that they felt confident going into the match.
“We’ve been going up and done all season and we thought no we need to lift,” Hunter said.
“We will just be focused on working as a unit, hopefully we can go back-to-back.”
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Men:
In the Qualifying Final, the West Coast Warriors escaped in a thrilling one-goal win over the Western Roar moving straight into the Grand Final. The Comets took the win over the Rangers by four-goals and secured their Preliminary Finals slot alongside the Roar.
21/U:
The reigning premiers have guaranteed back-to-back grand final appearances, with the Western Roar beating the West Coast Warriors by six. The Warriors will face the Rangers in the Preliminary Final, who ended the season of the Comets last night by eight.
