Banner day for BFLW on interleague debut

BALLARAT’S senior women’s interleague team turned a history-making occasion into a triumphant one against Central Victoria last Saturday.

Playing its first-ever interleague game, the BFLW looked like old hands at the concept, emerging victorious over the CVFL by 26 points on a wet and muddy Alfredton Recreation Reserve.

Having controlled the contest from the outset, Ballarat ran out impressive winners 5.9 (39) to 2.1 (13).

It capped a memorable day for the BFLW with its under-18 and under-15 girls teams both recording narrow wins by one and two points respectively.

 

Not to be outdone, Ballarat’s under-13s, 14s and 15s also recorded victories, giving the hosts a clean sweep of the representative games.

Magnifying the senior women’s achievement, its rival Central Victoria entered the clash having won its last eight interleague matches.

It was Ballarat’s intent and pressure that brought the CVFL undone and kept the visitors to just two goals for the match, one apiece in the first and fourth quarters.

 

Victorious coach Danyel Waters said her side had fully embraced its underdog status.

“While it was great to break that streak, just the way the girls brought the heart and the pressure from that first quarter was amazing and we didn’t let up,” she said.

“I couldn’t be prouder of their effort.

 

“We’d been working on our game plan for eight weeks, so today we just needed to trust in what we had been training for.

“Speed, pressure and territory was our game plan today and we absolutely nailed all three of those.”

Waters said the side’s eight-week preparation, while unusual for an interleague campaign, had clearly reaped rewards.

“This is the first time we’ve ever done it (interleague) before, so we didn’t know what to expect,” she said.

“We really needed to make sure we broke down inter-club rivalries and created great connections and chemistry out there.

 

“At the end of the day, that’s what won us the game. The girls played together as one team.

“Nothing surprises me more than when you see a Darley and Redan player arm in arm when they come off the field, but that wasn’t an issue for this group.”

New to the league this season, Waters – who coaches Darley – was keen to acknowledge the contribution of all 24 players who donned the navy blue, pink and white.

 

Redan’s Emma Van Egmond was an obvious standout, winning the best on ground medal as voted by the umpires for an imposing game at centre half-back.

Her rebound out of defence and relentless attack on the ball set the tone for a ferocious BFLW performance.

Her Lions teammate Ingrid Duffy shone on a wing, while the lone Bacchus Marsh player in the lineup, Ella Bradbury, was ever-dangerous up forward, with Ellen Werts (Redan) and Emmerson Hitch (Darley) continually putting their bodies on the line to set up teammates.

 

East Point’s Katie McAloon and Ballarat’s Tilly Ferguson excelled in defence, while Redan’s Madison Hayes was exceptional on the wing and would undoubtedly have figured highly in calculations for the best on ground medal.

For Central Victoria, rucks Taylah Moore and Sacha Pearce, midfielder Teagan Ainslie and Eillish Cumming rated best.

Satisfyingly after a first-up win, Waters said the group had immediately set the bar high for future interleague performances.

 

“We made history and we left a mark … it’s only up from here,” she said.

Joint captain Hitch praised the buy-in of the playing group, labelling it as “massive”.

“Everyone was completely switched on from the start,” she said.

“The moment we were in the rooms for our warm-up, you could tell the energy and the intensity was so up and about.

 

“They’ve been a great team for many years … have won every one of their interleague games in recent years … so we came in as the underdogs.

“I think they were a bit shocked to start with. We really took their strengths away from them.

“We were able to win our one-on-ones and be really hungry. I think our work rate was just better than theirs today.

“It was just great to see us get the win on such an important day for women’s football. It’s been a long time coming (senior women’s interleague) and to finally see the best of the best all under one roof.

 

“You could just tell the girls all embraced each other.

“This is history and it’s embedded. Moving forward it will be remembered for a long time to come.”

In terms of individual performances, Hitch was quick to praise East Point’s Millie Stewart, who with just eight games of football under her belt showed plenty of composure, impressing teammates with her work rate and intensity.

 

While not quite a premiership, Hitch – a key member of Darley’s 2023 to ’25 flag three-peat – said Saturday’s win was up there among her most memorable moments in football.

“Just wearing the Ballarat colours for the first time in senior women’s interleague was special,” she said.

“But to captain the team alongside Rose (Redan’s Rose Russell) is something I’ll never take for granted and always cherish.”