The Australian Oil & Gas Review

Creating WA female football history

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SWAN Districts have stamped their authority on this year’s Mundella West Australian Women’s Football League grand finals, winning all three premiershi­ps at Rogers Cup, Reserves and League levels.

The history-making clean-sweep was set in stone in the last game of the day that saw the league girls walk away 29 point winners over the Coastal Titans (Subiaco).

Unlike the slim margins that have separated the two sides in recent encounters, the Swans maintained their composure at every change and restricted their opponents to a goalless second half to win 2.3 (15) to 6.8 (44).

The Swans found momentum early in the piece, with opening goals to Emily Mcguire and Kellie Gibson helping them to a healthy 10 point lead at the first change.

From then on, it was all Swans as they were clean, quick and rarely wasteful in front of goal.

While the Titan's Dana Hooker and Captain Hayley Miller notched up plenty of ball and tried to inspire a comeback, it never arrived.

Consecutiv­e second term goals to the Swan's Rhonda Williams left the Titans with an 18 point deficit at half time. Though attempting to shift their defensive structure and play extras down back, the Titans still couldn’t find the solution to their woes.

Alicia Janz was inspiratio­nal in the ruck for the Swans, while her skipper Kara Donnellan gave the Titans plenty of headaches around stoppages and team mate Ebony Antonio joined in on the party with a nifty third quarter major.

As the clock ran down in the final minutes of the game the Swans faithful began to chant, and the history making feat was complete – they had taken away all 3 Premiershi­p Cups for 2017.

Skipper Kara Donnellan was rewarded for her hard work and walked away with Lou Knitter Best on Ground award. The league-level Swans now continue their dominance of the local league in recent times, with this premiershi­p their fourth in five seasons.

Head Coach Nicole Graves said “it was a wonderful day for the footy club and proves our pathway programs are amongst the best in the country”.

Graves who is also the General Manager of V Swans, the Regional and Indigenous Developmen­t arm of the Swan Districts FC, commended her club for having the vision to be inclusive and embrace female football in the most positive ways.

Swans also had 14 players drafted into the Inaugural AFLW competitio­n, including Crows Co Captain Chelsea Randall and Fremantle Dockers Captain Kara Donnellan.

 ??  ?? Swan Districts’ female teams have recorded a historic clean sweep in 2017, winning premiershi­ps at Rogers Cup, Reserves and League levels.
Swan Districts’ female teams have recorded a historic clean sweep in 2017, winning premiershi­ps at Rogers Cup, Reserves and League levels.

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