Senior Womens
After a disrupted finals campaign last year, the girls were excited that they had the chance to play through and compete for a grand final this year. First, though, the imposing task of taking on Healesville who had been the better of the two teams each time they played through the year. Last week that Upwey had been very physical with them in their punishing Semi-Final victory, so the message was to be hard at the footy and physical around the contest.
And physical it was! The Healesville coaches had implored their girls to bounce back from that loss with renewed effort, run and physical pressure.
An early goal to Healesville set the Olinda girls back on their heels a little as Olinda adjusted to the increased pressure and physicality of the contest. They could win the ball around the ground but using effectively proved to be very challenged as Healesville applied continual pressure and squeezed opportunities. The Healesville ruck, who has played well against us in all games, used her strength at stoppages to control the middle and give the Healesville followers first use of the footy.
The girls hung in the game through the first half but found scoring a challenge. Maddie Collins crept up the ground to find the footy but was often under pressure when trying to kick. No side has challenged her this year as much as Healesville did on Sunday. Lily Carlin and Claire Hyett, as they have done all year, won more than their fair share of contest through the middle of the ground but their forward entries were repeatedly repelled by the Healesville defenders. When Olinda did finally score, the centre stoppage gave Healesville the chance to quickly get the goal back. It was the same story for every goal kicked during the match.
The girls came into the halftime break 27 points down, but by no means finished yet. It was the closest Olinda had been to Healesville at half time all year and towards the end of the second quarter, some of the link-up footy that had given them many scoring opportunities against Pakenham last week was seen. When Olinda could play this brand of footy they looked like the better team, but the Healesville experience and superior strength in the contest made it impossible to sustain. Young gun Grace Belloni took plenty of contested marks but was also at the bottom of almost every pack.
Repeated knees to the mid-section in the ruck contest saw ruck Chelsea Wilson doubles over in pain and unable to continue. The physicality of the ruck contests had knocked Chelsea around all day, making it hard for her to keep up with the Healesville ruck who had been dominant around the ground. Hard nut Kylie Verbakel put her hand up to run with the Healesville ruck and the midfielders were instructed that they might not win many of the taps and so they had to work to their midfielders. Kylie was great in shutting her down around the ground, but credit to their ruck, she is strong and fit and was the big difference between the two sides.
The defensive unit was strong all day as they have been all year. Sophie Caldwell put her hand up to run with dangerous Healesville forward pocket and she had her measure most of the day. Casey Seymour proved she is one of the best full-backs in the competition as she nullified so many Healesville forward entries and Ness Bateman’s footy smarts saw her get to, and win, many contests. Leah Cody’s defensive intercepts save many goals and Alex Gunn is a wrecking ball at every contest.
The second half saw us really match Healesville’s intensity and gameplay. Chelsea returned in the final quarter to play up forward and had an immediate impact and the difference between the two team over the half was only 6 points. The girls never gave up and proved that they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Well done girls on an amazing year! There has been significant adversity with injury and illness with up to 10 players unavailable for some matches throughout the year. For a team that has been only together for 2 seasons, they have done phenomenally well to challenge the top teams for the flag. More game time, improvements in skill and game play and stronger bodies that come through experience will only make them a better side, but more importantly, they are a tight unit that payoff each other and are part of a legacy for female football in Olinda that will last a very long time!
Juniors
Finals Fever!
5 amazing games of finals footy were hosted at home on Sunday and what a day it was for the Olinda teams!
Firstly, the mighty U11s continued their amazing season with a resounding victory over arch-rivals Monbulk. From the outset, the team used a structured approach to the game, using the width of the ground and great gameplay to out-use the footy. Ollie Willard was sublime in his thinking and ball use. Connor Lourey had a day out, kicking two goals as Jack Ford and Syd Higgins kicked a goal each. Archie Green also played some clever footy, often being the outside link-up player. They’re a smart little outfit for the U11s and we can’t wait to see how far they can take their season!
The U12s had a chance to keep their season alive against a strong Healesville side that has had their measure all year. The girls have really found some form late in the year and were really looking forward to the contest. In a tight affair that was really difficult to score in, the sides went in at halftime with scores locked! Could it happen? Could they find a way to win? The third quarter stayed tight as Reagan Seamer and Lulu Rayner got to contests and took great marks. The run of Willow-rose Gordon and Lili Denovan kept us in every contest whilst Mae Barry’s height and clean hands were great around the ground. At three-quarter time, Olinda was only 8 points down! Could they do it?!? Unfortunately, Healesville found another gear in the last and kicked three unanswered goals to get their victory. Well done girls, you’ve had an amazing season and your footy has improved incredibly. It’s been fantastic to see all the new girls to the sport and to see how they’ve improved over the season.
Next came the legendary U13 Boys team. Once they got through their re-grading, they had a fantastic season. They are a great bunch of young men and Spida has them in tip-top shape coming into finals. Mt Evelyn turned up with the heat though and the boys had to endure a tough first half. Jess Desta had a slow start but eventually found the footy and kicked a match-winning 3 goals. The leadership group showed tenacity to wrestle the game back into their control. Rio Neish was best on ground with Will Belkiron, and they brought into the game players such as Fletcher Brown, Jarrah Bellemo and Ollie Millwood. James Thornton has proven to be a goalscoring machine this year as he posted another. Well done boys – through to the Grand Final!!
The U15 Boys came up against the powerhouse Healesville side. Coach Scott was really happy with the efforts the boys put in against a side they haven’t gotten with 100 or so points all year. They were jumped in the first quarter and Healesville’s unrelenting pressure and intensity throughout the game is something that the mostly bottom-age players will learn. It was a free hit against Healesville as they have the second chance and Scott is looking for them to take their games on and embrace the finals. Lachie Tonkin was given a tagging role on a player that has been dominant against them and held him to minimal kicks. Cass Hine continued his dominant season, whilst Jethro Harrison and Tom Ford all played well. They’ll be up against Woori next week. Good luck boys!
The U16 Girls team came out fighting with finals energy. Claudia Pitts returned from injury to have a season-best performance, whilst Tilly Oleskowski also had a string of solid ball wins. Kyah Barry’s tough game saw her amass a huge number of possessions, along with Jackie Ring, Maeve Higgins, the Mcdermotts, Jewel & Bridie, and Celia Clarke all playing very well – yet all of these efforts along with the rest of the team were not enough to hold back the tide of Belgrave’s attacking style of football and intense defence. The U16 girls walked away with their heads high though – charged up to finish stronger in 2023.
The U17 Boys also played a great brand of footy to see off a challenging Mt Evelyn outfit. Coach Paddy felt that some of his leaders were a bit flat, possibly after playing seniors in a physical encounter on Saturday, but this meant that players such as Jacob Bateson, Tim Rickard, Abel Teese, Bon Sullivan and Tavish Aitken had to stand up and they did. Goal scoring was hard but the boys toughed out a strong win. Christian teBoehorst led the goal kicking with 3, along with Lachie Bates and Ned Ford. They’ll get to play league benchmarks, Woori Yallock, next week who were challenged by Belgrave but ultimately successful. Good luck next week!
