SCHOOL SPORT VICTORIA STATE QUARTER FINAL

Intermediate Girls Football

Our Intermediate Girls Football team travelled to Ballarat on Monday 10 August to take on Maribyrnong Sports Academy in the School Sport Victoria State Quarter Final.

The day began with less-than-ideal conditions after heavy rain overnight. We arrived at White Flat Oval to find large pools of water across the ground, and after an inspection the oval was deemed unsafe for play. As a result, all players and officials were relocated to Eastern Oval, where the other quarter-final was being played. While the new venue was in better condition, it was still extremely wet and boggy. Due to the conditions, games were shortened to two 20-minute halves.

We knew Maribyrnong would provide a tough challenge and the game started with plenty of intensity. The tackling pressure from both teams was outstanding, and with the difficult conditions, our focus was on gaining territory and avoiding overusing the ball.

Maribyrnong made the most of their opportunities in the first half, kicking several excellent goals despite the wet, slippery conditions. Our girls competed strongly around the contest and worked hard defensively, but we went into halftime trailing by three goals.

The second half was much more even, with CMCB controlling more of the football and spending longer periods in attack. The girls continued to work hard and created opportunities going forward, but found scoring difficult in the challenging conditions. Despite their efforts, we could only add three behinds to the scoreboard.

While the result didn't go our way, the girls should be proud of the way they competed throughout the match. Their effort, resilience and determination against a very strong Maribyrnong side never wavered, and they represented the College exceptionally well.

Final Score: Maribyrnong Sports Academy 4.2 (26) defeated CMCB 0.3 (3)

Best Players: Macey Pinner, Poppy Eaton, Etta Place, Marlie Skinner and Sophie Healy

TEAM: Amelia Brown, Ella Saunders, Etta Place, Elke Fletcher, Georgia Bray, Lexi Jones, Molly Doherty, Marlie Skinner, Forest Jackson-Leahy, Sienna Raco, Macey Pinner, Mr Leigh Millard (Coach), Milla Dalton, Ruby Kelly, Zara Mould, Sophie Healy, Poppy Carter, Elle Gilchrist, Poppy Eaton, April Wainwright, Layla Burn