THE TAC Cup Girls ladder experienced plenty of movement after round four, with a new ladder-leader emerging. Geelong now sits at the top of the ladder after a 70-point win over the Chargers, overtaking the Northern Knights. After finishing at the bottom of the ladder last season, Gippsland now sits in fifth place after coming off two wins and a draw in the last three rounds. Meanwhile Dandenong moved off the bottom of the ladder thanks to a convincing performance against the Sandringham Dragons. 

Dandenong Stingrays 5.6 (36) defeated by Sandringham Dragons 8.3 (51)

By: Peter Williams

In one of the most thrilling matches of the year, Sandringham Dragons claimed an important 15-point victory over Dandenong Stingrays at Doveton. The Dragons moved to a win-loss ratio of 2-2 after the win, while the Stingrays remain remarkably winless despite being competitive in every match. It was a tight tussle for most of the contest, with the Dragons getting out to as much as a 24-point lead at one stage, before the Stingrays booted three consecutive goals to get within three points. Luckily late goals to Alice Burke and Eliza McNamara iced the game, but it was quite a contest.

It was a captain’s day for both sides as Jemma Owen and Jordyn Allen produced sensational performances for their respective teams. Owen provided great run-and-carry from half-back down the wing, while Allen played a strong role at half-back before going forward, taking a contested grab and hurling her team back into the match with a great goal. Isabella Shannon also starred for the Stingrays, while Courtney Jones was a consistent performer across the four quarters.

For the Dragons, they had no shortage of contributors, with Burke, Abbie McKay, Isabella Eddey and Georgia Emberton among the top players. Laura Amelung was damaging at ground level and always looking dangerous up forward, while Brooke Struylaart was equally threatening up the other end. Lucinda Cripps did her best for the Stingrays in defence, while Sarah Hartwig was consistent alongside Cripps.

Bendigo Pioneers 2.4 (16) defeated by Eastern Ranges 4.9 (33) 

The Eastern Ranges continued their undefeated streak with a 17-point win over Bendigo. But the Pioneers fought hard throughout the match, keeping the Ranges to just four goals on Tuesday. The win means that the Eastern Ranges sit third on the ladder while Bendigo moved up to eighth spot. 

Laura McClelland continues to be the leading goal-kicker in the TAC Cup Girls competition after kicking two goals to back up her four-goal performance against the Chargers. McClelland was the Ranges’ only multiple goal-kicker with Mikala Cann and Marina Taverna each kicking one. Lauren Szigeti continues to improve each week and played a wonderful game against the Pioneers. Usual suspect and co-captain Emerson Woods had another great game in Eastern colours, continuing her great run of form. 

For the Pioneers, Kate Douglass wandered up forward to boot a goal for the home side and played a great all-round game. Megan Williamson shone once again with another dominant performance, backing up her best-on-ground performance last round. Maddie Baldwin and Jemma Finning also backed up their solid performances last week and gave their all in Bendigo’s 17-point loss. 

Murray Bushrangers 7.4 (46) defeated Western Jets 3.3 (21) 

By: Taylah Melki

A dominant first quarter helped the Murray Bushrangers set up an impressive win, ultimately coming out 25-point victors against the Western Jets. The Bushrangers came out firing in the opening quarter, hitting targets and booting multiple goals and applying immense pressure to the young Jets side. After quarter time, the Jets did well to restrict the Bushrangers, booting two of their own goals, keeping the eventual winners to just one goal per term in the final three quarters.

The Bushrangers piled on four goals to one in the first term with Millie Brown bagging two goals in the opening term. They capitalised on their scoring opportunities when going forward and applied plenty of forward pressure to trap the footy inside 50 for most of the quarter. The Bushrangers looked dangerous each time they went forward and took plenty of big grabs in the forward 50 to set up shots at goal.

Rebecca Webster was at her damaging best again for the Murray Bushrangers, racking up plenty of touches and competing hard for the footy. Her work in and around the contest was impressive and her effective ball use helped her teammates get into damaging positions in the forward line. Millie Brown was also a key player for the Bushrangers, scoring two goals in the opening term of the game. Tamara Smith impressed for Murray, competing hard to win the footy and laying some good strong tackles to help trap the ball inside their forward 50.

For the Western Jets, Caitlin Gashi showcased her speed and evasive skills to move her way through contests and win the footy. Isabella Grant also showed her speed and ability to run and carry the ball, while Caitlin Greiser was a force to be reckoned after bagging three goals for the game. Greiser showed accuracy in front of goal and a lot of composure to score all the majors for her team.

Northern Knights 7.11 (53) defeated Greater Western Victoria Rebels 6.1 (37)

By: James Halley

Round four of the TAC Cup Girls competition saw the Northern Knights looking to keep their undefeated streak alive against the Greater Western Victoria (GWV) Rebels at South Morang. The Knights ended up defeating the Rebels in a see-sawing affair. Northern was able to defend impressively against the wind in the final term, as throughout the rest of the game it was a three-goal breeze.

The Knights had many positives to bring out of the match as Alexandra Pronesti showed her worth in the forward half, kicking two early goals and being an imposing figure in the match. She often demanded two or three Rebels opponents as they noted how dangerous she could be early. Abigail Bennett was also instrumental in Northern’s win. She was important for the Knights in transition as she could break the lines and get through the traffic. When the game was standing still and becoming more like a rugby scrum, players like Bennett were needed to stand up to get the ball onto the outside and create scoring opportunities. Jessica Fitzgerald was also a prominent ball-user early in the contest. She seemed to be everywhere, gathering lots of touches and being a big presence on the ground. In one instance she kicked an impressive goal in general play, managing to convert while being tackled, which added to her day out.

Although it was not the Rebels’ day, they could still draw some positives out of their defeat. Nyakoat Dojiok looked really lively and gave the Rebels a spark late when she was pushed to half-forward from the wing. Her running capabilities were really impressive, especially on the wing. When she was pushed forward she created three chances on goal but could only convert one, but that one was a goal to behold on a highlight reel. Sophie Van De Heuvel was instrumental up forward, kicking a goal from the boundary which was a sight to see. Georgia Clarke was also key for the Rebels down back as she took many intercept possessions and was often trusted with distributing the ball out of the back half.

Gippsland Power 6.2 (38) defeated Calder Cannons 5.5 (35) 

After round four, Gippsland is the feel-good story of the TAC Cup Girls competition so far. The Power got their first win of the competition in round two, drew the undefeated Murray Bushrangers in round three and defeated the reigning premiers in round four. The Cannons sure put up a fight at Morwell though, only going down by three points in a close encounter. 

Nikia Webber was dominant in front of goal, bagging a crucial three majors for the day. Webber has been one of Gippsland’s most consistent players and she continued her solid form on Tuesday. Meanwhile Tyla Hanks had another blinder as she dominated in the midfield throughout the game. Usual suspects Amy Dunn, Jazz Ferguson and Emily Haeusler also played a big part in the Power’s nail-biting win at Morwell. 

It was no surprise that Madison Prespakis dominated for Calder. Prespakis continued her dominant season in the midfield and dug in deep for the Cannons throughout the match. Forward, Georgia Marsland came in for her first match of the season and kicked a goal to give Calder its biggest lead of the match. Georgia Patrikios backed up her great performance last round with another solid outing on Tuesday, as did Grace Dicker. 

Oakleigh Chargers 0.3 (3) defeated by Geelong Falcons 11.7 (73)

The Geelong Falcons put on a clinical performance against Oakleigh, locking the ball in their forward half for most of the match. The Falcons were on the ball right from the opening bounce, with their midfielders and forwards working in tandem to put the home side under pressure right away. Their defenders held down the fort in the defensive 50, preventing Oakleigh from scoring a goal throughout the whole match. This win sees the Falcons take first spot on the ladder and solidifies that they are serious premiership contenders. 

It was a hot footy at the start of the game with the ball often being stuck in congestion, but Geelong’s Denby Taylor was pivotal in penetrating the ball from the back-line to allow her team to surge forward. Taylor’s long kick got the ball moving for the Falcons and was key in their 70-point win. Captain, Lucy McEvoy was clinical through the midfield and up forward, bringing her teammates into the game with slick hands and clever kicks. Olivia Purcell was the standout midfielder of the day with incredible running and her innate ability to leap over opponents to take some great marks. Purcell tackled hard as usual and was able to burst through the congestion to clear the ball into space. Renee Tierney made the forward-line her own with a swagger of goals, and played one of her best games of the year. 

Nicola Xenos dug in deep for the Chargers all day and made the clubroom end of the ground her own. Xenos rebounded the ball extremely well off the half-back line and was able to get Oakleigh out of trouble at times. Alana Porter had a solid game at Warrawee Park with plenty of one percenters. Porter was able to get the hard ball, lay some great tackles and ran hard all game for the Chargers. Chloe O’Malley was another Oakleigh player who did not stop trying all day. O’Malley went in hard for the ball and got plenty of it, playing a consistent all-round game for the home side.