Women’s Premier Division MOTW: Bombers fizzle against commanding Warriors

Image Courtesy of Zak Kaczmarek

 

Written by Michael Shillito

Macquarie University Warriors vs. Sydney University Bombers – Macquarie University Oval on Saturday 29 June 

With three teams so far ahead of the rest of the field, any clash between two of the top three teams will be pivotal to how the double-chance in the finals shapes up. The stakes were high for the university derby at Macquarie Uni Oval on Saturday afternoon, as the Warriors played host to Sydney Uni.

The return of VFLW players who missed last week bolstered both teams for this match. But in the end, despite the high stakes, it was a mismatch; as the Warriors dominated from start to finish.

Little time was wasted by the home side in establishing their dominance. The Bombers struggled to get the ball anywhere near their forward 50, while the Warriors were creating no shortage of opportunities. Three goals in the first quarter saw the home side leading by 19 points at the first change. The Warriors would add four more in the second term, and by the long break the Warriors had 44 points on the board while the Bombers had not drawn a flag from the goal umpires.

The Warriors had winners all over the ground. A well-drilled midfield were picking up the lion’s share of possession, starving the Bombers of any opportunity to work their way into the contest. With plenty of entries into the forward 50, there was no shortage of chances for the forwards to lead and create scoring chances. On the rare occasions when the Bombers were able to go forward, the miserly Warriors defence denied them any use of the footy.

The Bombers’ only score of the game, a behind, came up in the third quarter. But the Warriors, even with their foot off the gas after such a one-sided first half, were still far too good for a shell-shocked Sydney Uni side who had looked slow and flat all day. The Warriors added two more goals in the third quarter, leading by 56 points at three quarter time and well on the way to victory.

It was a day when Macquarie Uni underlined their class and maintained their comprehensive percentage lead on top of the ladder. They denied the Bombers any respite from their relentless pressure in the final term and added two more goals to power their way to a 71-point win.

Amanda Farrugia, as she so often does, led from the front. The Fridge made the Bombers look cold with a red-hot best on ground performance. Sera Kaukiono and Pippa Smyth also featured prominently for the Warriors. The Warriors maintain top spot on the ladder, their hopes of returning to premiership glory growing stronger with each passing week.

It was a difficult afternoon for Sydney Uni. Louise Stephenson, Pippy Clegg and Zoe Hurrell battled hard all day. But the Bombers lacked the firepower to match it with a rampant Warriors outfit who dominated them in every facet of the game. The Bombers remain in third place but are now a game out of the double-chance zone.

In other games, we saw an extraordinary performance by East Coast Eagles racking up a massive score of 209 to defeat the scoreless Newtown Breakaways at Kanebridge Oval. UNSW-ES returned to the winning list with a 43-point win over Inner West at Picken Oval. And in a thriller at Waratah Oval, Southern Power got over the line by just five points against UTS AFC.

Match Results

Macquarie University –3.1 | 7.2 | 9.3 | 11.6 (72)

Sydney University –0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 (1)

Macquarie Uni Goals – A Farrugia 3, L Russell 2, M Kiely 2, S Freeman, J Thorp, M Brydon, A Albury

Macquarie Uni Best – A Farrugia, S Kaukiono, P Smyth, E Herron, L Houghto, M Kiely

Sydney Uni Best – L Stephenson, P Clegg, Z Hurrell, J Lew, S Gillon, R Kenny

 

Keep up-to-date with all AFL Sydney related news by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter