Women defeat Melbourne Uni

The Rovers Senior Women’s side returned to Boss James Reserve for the first time since opening night, taking on Melbourne University. It was a different result than that historic evening, with the girls recording a solid victory.

Empowered by Ned Fallon’s triumphant return, the Rovers took to the field and played the most switched on opening term of their short but illustrious footy careers so far, keeping Melbourne Uni to only two scoring shots for the entire game including one late goal, and came out with a 27 point victory.

The Rovers forwards played with the combined talent and chemistry of a Taylor Swift girl squad, but there wasn’t a Diva in sight as we all took our turn to put a block on and set up a score. Out the back options were aplenty, as a few crucial handballs completely opened up the game and sent that ball careening between the posts. Milly Lindsay kicked an absolute stunner in the first and her accuracy under pressure continued in a great four quarter effort which eventually had her taking out B.O.G. Go Milly! Sonja Mihelyi and Steph Rogerson also played blinders, and their leadership played a key role in us holding our structures and keeping cool when calls didn’t go our way.

On to the midfield, a group of Usain Bolt-esque runners who had Melbourne Uni’s knees knocking together in fear with their killer tackling pressure. Thanks to some fabulous taps by Bianca Lenarcic, we dominated the hit outs, with Alba Skellern, Liv Schenk, Maxine Behnke and Amy Cullen swooping in and kicking forward before the opposition knew what hit em. Taylan Merrick endures as the perfect linkage between midfield and inside 50, continuing to impress with her ability to stay cool under pressure and treat tackles by the opposition like some kind of expendable fashion accessory.

Our superstar backs kept Melbourne Uni to limited scoring opportunities. Like all good leaders, our Captain for the day, Sarah Cleary actually led from the back, setting the pace of the game with a few key turnovers and inspiring everyone on the ground to do their best. Natasha Harrison also did some great work, stealing a few really good marks and kicking it down the line with precision. She even marked it in the square once and stole away a credible goal opportunity from the opposition. Finally, Emma Milliken was at her tagging best, beating her player to the contest on more than a few occasions and showing us all how to stick like glue.

What a well-oiled machine we’ve become! Thanks to Jack Zaina (a fabulous running effort again this week), Shem, and the rest of our Rovers mentors, we’re learning the true value of team work…. and also creative and entertaining ways to distract when on the mark.

This week, the Rovers take on Old Mentonians at the Keysborough Playing Fields on Sunday, starting at 11:40am.

Report by Holly Clark