Waratah atones for regular-season losses to beat Saints
A DYNAMIC forward-half performance has propelled Waratah to an 84-point win over St Mary’s in the NTFL Women’s Premier League elimination final.
Following two losses to St Mary’s during the home-and-away season, Waratah came out with a point to prove, bursting out of the blocks to kick four unanswered goals in the first seven minutes.
The forwardline trio of Lisa Miceli, Aggie Singh and Stephanie O’Brien was on fire throughout the match, creating multiple scoring opportunities and combining for 11 of the team’s 15 goals.
St Mary’s stemmed the flow in the first quarter after the initial onslaught, and had multiple inside 50s before hitting the scoreboard courtesy of a good crumbing goal from Ciaralii Parnell.
In the second quarter O’Brien put her mark on the game, kicking three goals, including a difficult set shot from near the boundary line.
St Mary’s struggled to penetrate a Waratah half-back line led by Megan Hunt and Isobel Hartog, going scoreless for the quarter.
Waratah extended its lead in the second half, with Megan White kicking two goals and Singh bouncing a clever goal through from 40m a highlight.
The heavy conditions suited the Waratah players, with their bigger bodies helping them control stoppages.
“We were pretty worried about the wet weather, but I think it worked in our favour,” said O’Brien, who finished with a tidy 5.1.
“We were just really concentrated on getting our heads over the footy on the ground and just trying to get it out of the mess and get it long.”
For Saints, skipper Isabelle Porter and Emma Stark stood out.
Waratah will face PINT in next weekend’s elimination semi-final.