REDAN coach Tim Meaney says he is encouraged by his side’s response to its first loss of the BFLW senior women’s season in a win over a dangerous Bacchus Marsh.<\/p>\n
Lions, led by a stellar performance from Laura Fitzgibbon, held off the plucky Cobras to prevail by 7 points under lights at Maddingley Oval on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Coming off a bye, which followed a 22-point loss to Darley, they were forced to come from 17 points down at half-time, after a 4-goal to 1 second term from the Cobras put the Lions under threat of a second straight loss.<\/p>\n
Meaney could not have been prouder of the fightback, with the win ensuring the Lions will head into a Friday night clash against East Point as one of two 4-1 teams, along with top-of-the-ladder Darley.<\/p>\n
“The girls showed a lot of spirit and a lot of heart to come from behind. It was fantastic,” he said.<\/p>\n
“Credit to Bacchus Marsh, they are a really good side. It’s good to see we have a really healthy competition at the moment.<\/p>\n
“They are a young side and move the ball really quickly and are certainly up and about.<\/p>\n
“Bacchus Marsh will definitely be one of the teams to beat.<\/p>\n
“I was really proud with how our goals fought back.”<\/p>\n
A much-improved second half in which the Lions outscored the Cobras 30-6 came with a big and sustained lift in pressure.<\/p>\n
Meaney praised his players’ for taking ownership of a poor first half<\/p>\n
“The girls really took the pressure acts to another level,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There were a few things the girls weren’t happy with in the first half and to their credit they wanted to change that.<\/p>\n
“It was head down, get the footy and work hard.<\/p>\n
“When the pressure needed to lift, the girls had the belief in one another and it ended up changing the momentum of the game.<\/p>\n
“As the momentum changed, everything else shifted. The girls started playing their natural game.”<\/p>\n
Meaney described Fitzgibbon, who alternated between wing and forward, as ‘sensational’, while Georgie Hassell with two goals, Madison Hayes and Rose Russell were pillars of strength.<\/p>\n
Up from the under 19s, Laura George and Dneeka Rowe both caught the eye.<\/p>\n
Official best for Bacchus Marsh, which slipped to 3-2 and fourth position, were Indi Stanley in her return from injury, Ella Bradbury, Amy Garofalo, Jazmine Dalli, Caitlin Mai and Matilda Rawlings.<\/p>\n
Satisfied with where the Lions’ season is headed, Meaney was equally pleased with how the senior women’s competition was developing, with a new threat in Ballarat quickly enhancing its reputation and Bacchus Marsh and East Point still nipping at the heels of the competition’s two recent benchmarks, including Darley.<\/p>\n
“The competition is in a good position; the back end of the season is going to be really interesting,” said Meaney, who was an interested on-looker at last Sunday’s Dragons-Swans clash.<\/p>\n
“I know our girls are keen for it, as every other team will be.<\/p>\n
“(Playing) East Point this Friday night gives us a look at every team.<\/p>\n
“From there will look to make a few adjustments; we still have a few players to come back in between those who are injured or away at the moment.<\/p>\n
“It will be nice to get everyone out on the track at the one time and see what we’re capable of doing.”<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, Darley claimed to top spot with a 243-point win over Lake Wendouree.<\/p>\n
Thirteen of 16 players contributed goals for the Devils, led by sharpshooter Kim Bessell with seven.<\/p>\n
Vying for best ground honours, Sharni Battye and Ruby Thomas both kicked five, while Leivi Lane and captain Trinity Skenderis booted four each.<\/p>\n
Emmerson Hitch and Diamond Stephenson were also among the Devils’ best.<\/p>\n
Official best for the Lakers were Mackenzie Ansell, Hannah Pearce, Shannon Hearn, Steph Wilson, Maeve Mensch and Genevieve Blake.<\/p>\n
At White Flat Oval, Ballarat turned a 19-point quarter-time deficit into a 19-point win, with Charley Gartlan and Shellby Lonie in great touch for the Swans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
REDAN coach Tim Meaney says he is encouraged by his side’s response to its first loss of the BFLW senior women’s season in a win over a dangerous Bacchus Marsh. Lions, led by a stellar performance from Laura Fitzgibbon, held off the plucky Cobras to prevail by 7 points under lights at Maddingley Oval on […]<\/p>\n