International v Gambier Centrals

The ninth round of Steeline Bendigo Bank Limestone Coast Football Association women’s action took place last weekend and some big individual performances stole the show.

For the first time International’s senior women had the pleasure of wearing the club’s special Indigenous Round playing strip and the side did not disappoint.

Facing a Centrals side that has battled personnel and results wise in recent weeks, the undefeated Inter would have been confident of more success.

The ladder leaders came out of the blocks on a mission and took control of the game from the first whistle.

The midfield group of Evany Rex and Skye and Leonie Robertson found plenty of the ball to create scoring opportunities to put the Lions on the back foot.

With the likes of April Hockey and Ella Doody presenting well and looking dangerous up forward, it felt like a matter of time until the black and blue broke through.

And before too long it was Doody, who got the party started and sent the home crowd into a frenzy.

She became an unstoppable force for the Centrals’ defence as everything her boot touched turned to gold slamming goal after goal into the back of the net before half time.

The devastating passage of play had already put the result beyond doubt and everyone started asking how much International would win by.

Strong work from Elly Bachman and Satomi Unanaya down back ensured International remained in control for the remainder of the contest.

Although the Lions also stepped up their defensive pressure in a more even second half, they still had trouble containing Doody.

The striker was too fast for her opponents and found herself on the end of a nice play setup by Rex.

To complete the dream day out, Doody calmly put the shot away to finish with a remarkable five-goal solo effort.

Despite the all-round dominance throughout the day, Doody was the only individual on the scoresheet in the crushing 5-0.

Central welcomed back Olivia Gwilym with open arms in the defence, but had to find a way to replace Janaye Donaldson to a season-ending knee injury.

Delta Weise and Wanita Robinson gave the Lions some hope with a few chances, but they were never able to get past the home side’s defensive structure.

International coach Ricky McRobert was impressed by how his women gained the upper hand almost instantly.

“We took control of the game right from the start,” he said.

“The team pushed hard, applied great pressure and amazing distribution, finding both Ella (Doody) and April (Hockey) in great positions on multiple occasions.

“It was another great performance by the team, who continue to push forward.”

Naracoorte v Millicent

There were also NAIDOC Week celebrations at the Naracoorte Sporting Complex where the home team welcomed Millicent.

The travelling team made the most of the occasion coming away with its first win for more than a month.

After Millicent was only just able to field 11 players, the game got off to a slow start until the visitors eventually developed some cohesion.

They were able to make life difficult for Naracoorte, moving the ball up and down the pitch.

Millicent received some reward for its hard work when Lauren Potter made the most of a corner and sent her team into the lead.

The big breakthrough from the set piece ended up being the difference between the two teams as the second half was an arm wrestle.

Naracoorte showcased plenty of promise and development with captain Hinerau Te Tau-Mita leading from the front with strong support from Kassie Temel and goalkeeper Samantha Freeman.

But their best efforts were not enough to push team to that elusive win.

Blue Lake v Apollo

On paper the closest contest of the round was held at Malseed Park where second placed Blue Lake faced off against a confident Apollo team.

Both sides were hungry in search of an important win and did not take a backward step.

Without the expertise of coach Jamie Stephenson, Hamish Calderwood and Paul Prentice steered the Apollo ship and the team responded.

Isobelle Fewster and Daylia Daylia hit the Rangers defence hard to show the visitors were here to make an upset.

With Bella Calderwood and Deni Atkin also working hard in the midfield, the blue and white pushed hard but could not find that elusive goal as Rangers’ goalkeeper Richelle Huntly stood firm.

Despite being on the back foot, the Blues made their move in the second half with the likes of Kendell Saffin, Kayleen Vanua and Chelsea Frost putting the foot down.

Play was suddenly exclusively in Blue Lake’s half as the game became an intense physical battle.

Despite both sides having their moments, a nil-all draw was the fair result from a tightly contested clash.