As women’s footy continues to mature, our club is proud to host many players that were part of the early foundations of a growing league. Fifty games may not seem like much when you’ve had the opportunity to play in a league since childhood, but for those who haven’t had a league to play in until adulthood – it’s a big deal. It means you joined a club when historically you’ve been told the sport wasn’t for you. It means you pushed through and are now part of a thriving community and can watch your elite counterparts on the big screen playing AFLW. This season we commenced our rollout of players celebrating their 50th game with our power forward Kingi (Noleine Kingi).

Kingi brings great strength and a level head to the forward line and can find the goal from anywhere across the arc. With an absolute ripper of a mark taken in the first half, it was looking good for an extra sweet torpy goal from 35m out, but unfortunately, the high winds coming in from the pocket stole the opportunity right at the last second.

From the get-go, it was clear it would be a sluggish game. Conditions were pitiful, after a big downpour in the first quarter and on and off rain ensured a heavy ball and slippery conditions throughout the game. Endless ball ups meant our poor rucks, Eliza Cole and Lloydy, were worn down to their bone. We saw brave efforts from Jose (Josie Brown), putting her body on the lines with impressive smothers and chase downs. Goals were streaming through from St. Bedes. The damage would have been even more severe if it weren’t for the work of Kath and her desperate last line of defence efforts.

A big welcome back to Goosey (Vanessa Lusinni), who has clearly been studying the textbook in her downtime, knowing exactly where to be and masterfully switching up the play. Not to encourage gambling, but we have seen some real payback from moving players out of long term positions on a gamble. Erin O’Connor proved she’s not just a force in the backline but has the hunger for the ball in the midfield. Another surprise risk was TBag swapping into the back pocket and using their bulldozer strength to push the ball out of the goal square instead of in! Newcomer Gina is giving us much to look forward to with her debut performance.

The wind was as unforgiving as the opponents who entered Round 5 with some very convincing wins under their belt, and we can certainly see why. The speed and accuracy of St. Bede’s were something to applaud. Sash Dougherty made her debut as acting Head Coach this week, stepping in for Le, who is off due to Covid. A challenging game to start, but she was calm under pressure, and her gentle but assuring tone was welcomed by the players. A promising career ahead for this player/coach!

We don’t talk about Bruno, and we don’t talk about the final score this week.