The Felines Open Women’s and Under 17 team ventured up the highway to Lavington to take their place in the final’s fields at the Lavington sports fields.
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Under 17
First up was the Under 17 team who were playing against Lavington in the qualifying final with the winner earning the right to go straight through to the grand final
The conditions were slightly wet and heavy which made the day remarkably similar to a ‘wet weather’ style of game.
As a result of the conditions, the Felines struggled with the surety around the ball and getting their running game going.
Lavington by contrast were slightly better organised around the pack and contest and were able to keep the ball moving forward which put the Felines back line under great pressure at many times.
Near the end of the first quarter saw one of the great passages of female football during the season. The Felines were pressing with multiple forward 50m entries but struggled to get a good shot on goal.
The Panthers managed to clear the ball and run the ball right to the teeth of the goals before some good defensive work by Issy Bush, Sophie Kelly and Josephine Muscat set up a late effort chance.
The Felines took the ball coast to coast, with Latoya Holdsworth kicking a great running goal.
The start of the second quarter saw another exhilarating goal, this time to Maddie Ibrahim who weaved her way past two players before slotting the goal from 40m out.
The rest of the match was dourer, with the Panthers and Felines both playing tough in close football.
The Panthers were able to find the goals slightly easier than the Felines and after the second quarter always had their noses in front.
Better players for the Felines included Olivia Cheeseman who dominated the ruck contests, supported by Maddison Ibrahim and Ava Loughnan in the centre. Ava at times struggled to break her tag and get clean possession of the ball at times compared to her normal stellar standards. However, Ava kept working all day and by the last quarter was finally breaking free.
Hannah Loughnan also struggled to get clean possession early in the game. However, like her sister, Hannah kept her head high and provided a contest all day. In the final quarter, Hannah was also able to break free and started to threaten the Panthers back line.
The Felines live to play another day and they take on the Wodonga Raiders this Sunday at the WJ Findlay oval in Wangaratta. The winner of this game will progress through to the grand final
The Felines would love all of our supporters to get down to the Wangaratta next week to cheer the team on.
Lavington Panther 5.6-36 defeated Murray Felines 3.3-21
Goals: Georgia Thomas, Latoya Holdsworth, Maddie Ibrahim
Best: Madison Ibrahim, Josephine Muscat, Ava Loughnan, Latoya Holdsworth, Olivia Cheeseman, Hannah Loughnan.
Opens
The Open Women’s team played against the Wangaratta Rovers in the elimination final.
Unfortunately for the, the day got off to a bad start when the centre half forward, Caitlin Somerville had to pull out after testing positive for Covid.
However, the rest of the team shrugged off this unwelcome news and took the game right up to the slightly more fancied Rovers team.
The Felines got off to a good start in the first 5 minutes of the first quarter, dominating position and possession on the field. Sophie Nicholson earned a shot on goal which she pushed just wide.
From there, the Rovers, slowly ground their way back in the game and were able to steadily kick goals throughout the match to put the score board pressure on the Felines.
Otherwise, the match was an even contest with the back line with Kaitlyn Robinson, Jane McInnes and Kaitlin Muscat playing excellent games repelling many of the Rovers 50m entries.
In the midfield, Emily Nicholson as always showed a clean pair of hands with a solid marking display throughout the game. The young guns of Yasmine Budic and Mietta Habets had solid games and the evergreen Claire Megarrity put on a great shimming display as she threaded her way past three opponents in the midfield.
Through most of the second and third quarters, the Felines were able to match the game with the Rovers, however, they struggled to effectively get the ball past the half forward line to get any significant shots on goal.
In the last quarter, the Felines completely dominated the game and outscored the Rovers. However, with the Rovers kicking their five goals before 1/3 time, the result was never really in doubt during the final quarter despite the best endeavours of the team.
The open team now bow out of the finals race, but they can take great heart and pride from their performances during the entire year. Special thanks to the coach Matt Andison who had a significant role in patiently teaching the skills and tactics to the team. The results through the whole season bear testimony to his coaching where the Felines were able to push every team to the final siren.
Thanks also to all the supporter who pitched in during the season to help the team run out onto the ground each week.
Wangaratta Rovers 5.8-38 defeated Murray Felines 1.1-7
Goal: Mietta Habets
Best: Emily Nicholson, Yasmine Budic, Kaitlyn Robinson, Jane McInnes, Chloe Mitchell, Sinead Lang, Mietta Habets
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