Seagulls soar to victory
BARWON Heads pulled off a 43-36 victory in a tug-of-war battle against Ocean Grove on Saturday.
The scoreline was close at every major break, but despite being level in the fourth quarter, Barwon Heads managed to pull away to win the match.
Coach Olivia Wilson was pleased at the Seagulls’ ability to come home strong in a close game.
“Leading into this year we knew we would have quite a few close games. In previous years we fell short in our ability to get over the line in tough matches, but yesterday we came home strong which was awesome,” she said.
Tough conditions posed challenges for all players, particularly defence.
“The defenders had a tough day out … they definitely had to stay persistent and do their work,” Wilson said.
“Both goalers played well … the accuracy wasn’t always great but they had plenty of the ball which helped.”
Ocean Grove coach Elyse Howard said the club has struggled to fill their team amid a revolving door of ins and outs.
“We started the year with a full and well balanced side, and for reasons outside our control we’ve had players out which does make it hard,” she said.
“We were in it, but not in it enough and our decision making let us down a bit.”
The Ocean Grove team also faced an uphill battle by the lack of a goal attack, resorting to filling the position with players who prefer the goal shooter role. However, the Swans can be reassured that they are still a competitive side despite significant player omissions.
“Kelsey Ollis has been a shining light for us the past three weeks. Her consistent performance in goalkeeper has been so crucial for our season so far,” said Howard.
“Another positive has been it’s given some B-graders the chance to step up and play in the side.” Ocean Grove Best: Barwon Heads submitted. — M.