ERGFL REVIEW

By Alyce Collett

The Eastern Region Girls competition was back, and back with a bang after a weekend off due to the Queens Birthday.

In the Under 18 Premier Division, Mt Evelyn are back on the winners list, after a win over East Ringwood. Although the margin was only 33 points, Mt Evelyn were able to restrict the Roos to scoring only one point for the match, which came in the second quarter.

In what some may describe as a bit of an up and down season, Mt Evelyn sit fifth on the table with three wins on the board.

In Division One, Seville came up against top of the table North Ringwood and came up short. They were only 13 points behind at quarter time, but Seville struggled to score after that. They didn’t score for the next two quarters, and were only able to score 1.1 in the last.

In the end it was a 31 point win to North Ringwood.

Despite the loss, Seville are still safely in third place on the ladder. They are a game clear of fourth placed Heathmont, but the Jets have a game in hand.

In the Under 16 Premier Division, Mt Evelyn did not have a great start to their match against the Glen Waverley Rovers, trailing at quarter time. Things definitely turned around in the second quarter for Mt Evelyn, and the margin was 16 points in their favour at half time. Mt Evelyn were able to restrict the Rovers of Glen Waverley to only three points for the entire second half on the way to a 26 point win.

The win sees Mt Evelyn tied for second place on the ladder with Vermont and Montrose.

In the Under 16 Outer East division, Yarra Glen continued their great season, defeating Seville. A lack of scoring opportunities really hurt Seville, as they were kept to only eight (none in the third term) scoring shots, compared to Yarra Glen’s 13.

Paris Saunders kicked three goals for Yarra Glen, while Hayley Burgess and Chelsea Clinch each kicked singles.

In the most one sided match of the round in the division, Upwey Tecoma had a thumping win over Olinda – Ferny Creek. The end margin was 111 points, with Olinda Ferny Creek restricted to only two behinds for the entire afternoon.

Emily Wellington stared in front of goal for Upwey Tecoma, kicking 6, while Mikayla Porteous, Amy Fox and Zahra Ryan each kicked two.

In the final game of the round, Emerald had a comfortable win over Yea. Emerald hit the scoreboard hard all afternoon, having 19 scoring shots to Yea’s two. In the end it was a 81 point win for the Bombers.

Molly Webb and Saige Van Haren were the stars in front of goal for Emerald, kicking six and five goals respectively, while Asha Close was Yea’s only goalkicker.

As the ladder sits right now, Yarra Glen are undefeated on top, followed by Emerald and Upwey Tecoma on five wins apiece. Healsville are fourth, followed by Seville. Olinda Ferny Creek, Yea and Worawa bring up the rear of the ladder with one win each.

In the Under 14 Outer East division, Mt Evelyn had a great win against Emerald. Emerald’s scoreless first half cost them dearly, with the half time margin already 42 points. They did score in the third term, but the margin just kept growing and growing, and in the end it was 65 points.

In the tightest contest of the round, Olinda Ferny Creek got over the line by the skin of their teeth, defeating Worawa by the smallest of margins. Worawa lead by 23 points heading into the final term, but Olinda Ferny had a massive fightback and snatched the win.

Grace Belloni was Olinda Ferny’s top goalkicker with two majors, while Aliyah Gumbula and Shai Gregory each kicked two for Worawa.

Healesville’s season didn’t get any better, this time losing to fellow cellar dweller Belgrave. Healesville didn’t score a goal until the third term, but by that stage Belgrave were way ahead and in the end were 54 point winners.

Monbulk continued their great season, defeating Jetstream. Like Healesville, Jetstream didn’t score a goal until the third term, and like Healesville the margin was already out of reach.

Ruby Ross was the star up forward for Monbulk, kicking five majors, while Caitlin Utting kicked three and Madeline Laven kicked two. Jetstream had two individual goalkickers, Jordan Leslie and Jessica Dixon.

Finally, in the Under 12 Outer East Division, there were wins to Belgrave Black (over Mt Evelyn), Belgrave Pink (over Olinda Ferny Creek) and Healesville (over Yarra Glen).