TAHS AGAIN RULE WOMEN’S FOOTY
WARATAH won its seventh Women’s Premier League flag in convincing fashion yesterday when it dethroned reigning premier the Darwin Buffettes.
Waratah won by 35 points, kicking the first four goals of the match on the way to a 9.5 (59) to 4.0 (24) win.
It was a triumphant return to coaching for Tahs boss Colleen Gwynne after relinquishing the role to focus on an assistant job with the new Adelaide Crows women’s side.
“We came with a plan and they executed it beautifully, even if at one stage in the second quarter we kind of lost our momentum,’’ Gwynne said.
“The message at half-time was to get it back and run with it and they managed to do that and never let it go.
“It was a committed team effort, I was mightily impressed with the whole team and how they ran in numbers and put the Buffaloes under enormous pressure.’’
They were the dominant side for most of the first half. Lisa Roberts around the ground, Madeline Gault in her first senior grand final and Sharona Bishop across half back taking control.
The red and whites began like a team on a mission, Tarryn O’Hehir’s mark and goal from a Sue Nalder pass and goals from Amy Chittick, Nalder and Gault when she burst through to convert from the square opening up an early 24-point lead.
The same theme applied to the second quarter when Tahs’ kicking to position and strong overhead marking shot them to a 31-point lead.
Late goals to Rhiannon Banner and Kylie Duggan on the half-time siren got the Buffettes back to 19 points.
But the third-quarter stampede failed to materialise. Third-quarter goals to the hard working Gault, Nalder and Amy Chittick from a big mark in the goal square shot Tahs to a match-winning 34point lead at the last change.
A red card shown to Buffette Tikesa Docherty-Cole in the third quarter further slowed the Buffettes’ momentum, Duggan’s second goal the only positive as Tahs took control of the match.
The last quarter produced a point for Tahs as the intensity of the match fell away, the red and whites content to play out time with their seventh WPL flag locked away.