2024 Round 01 Senior Women’s Match Report
Good afternoon Parents, Sponsor, Friends and Players,
Christmas is arguably the best season, Easter also quite good although brief. However everyone knows footy season is the greatest and Tis the season.
Picture this....It's 22 and a ½ degrees. Ground is looking like a lawn bowls rink. 10 debutants. Josh Freezer has just given one of the all-time spine-tingling inspirational jumper presentations. Season launch lunch upstairs with Tom Hawkins and Its Ella Bennets birthday. If you thought it sounded like a royal wedding minus the drama then you would be close but mistaken. It was simply just Round 1 for the Old Melburnians Football Club. Truly had all the makings of a great day at Elsternwick and with Tom Hawkins in attendance you would think an accurate day in front of goals..........
Season 2024 started in swashbuckling fashion for the Omelettes. A 64 point victory can attest to that. Right from the first bounce the Lette's asserted dominance all around the ground. Amelia Kogler and Ellen Williams continued on from their stellar debut seasons by winning the ball at ground level while G Dunlop in her first outing as Skipper was reading Ella Bennets taps like it was a children's book such was the ease. While Emma Chamberlain and Phoebie Faulks put a small deposit down on a house on each of their wings such was their authority. Bethany Zmak in her debut provided some respite for Ella in the ruck and showcased her strength in the contest. A huge ask playing her first game and going into the ruck! While the backline was not really troubled for most of the day Isabella Rankin-Ward, Koti, Niesha Happell and Em Fraser were able to mop up any loose balls in defence while Holly Hunt in her second season provided some run and dash from the half back flank. For all the dominance around the ground though the Omelettes were only able to kick 1 goal 3 behinds for the quarter.
After a stern talking to at quarter time where words were exchanged the Omelettes got their act together and added another 2 goals in the second quarter........ unfortunately they also added another 7 behinds. Questions were starting to be asked about what the players got up too the night before the game such was the inaccuracy in front of the sticks. However, in true Omelette fashion the team was able to slam on 4 goals in the third quarter and put to bed any resistance from the Brunswick Renegades. In the forward line debutants Millie Peterson and Sarah Casserly were applying immense pressure while also getting the ball moving forward while Eloise Faulks was dominating whether the ball was in the air, ground or in the opposition hands. Wherever the ball was El Faulks was. Very exciting to have her back after a year on the sidelines with an ankle injury. Ella Bennets put through her first goal of the season on her birthday mind you and celebrated in style while Liv McAusland in her debut also put through a neat goal off the pack. Millie Predator Nelson was proving clinical up forward marking everything while also showing some class when in unfamiliar territory down back! While Ciara McAdam nearly took mark of the century while also working in and out of forward line creating space and taking some pleasant marks.
The final quarter saw the Omelettes add another 2 goals to the total (only two behinds!) but also saw players play in some different positions. Lilly Fully in her very first game of football provided a target and took a nice mark on the flank. Bea Chirnside channeled Joel Selwood when she ventured into the midfield. Crashing through packs and making her presence felt. Lily Hede showcased her beautiful skills by taking some telling marks on the wing while also providing some lace out drop punts to the forwards. Olivia Fairchild had a bout of leather poisoning throughout the game. Collecting possessions on the flank with brief forays into the middle while also chiming in with a goal! Prue Harvey also on debut showed her class around the ground with a booming left foot and ability to crash packs.
Brunswick to their credit never gave up and proved to be hard at the ball all day. In all seriousness though it was a dominant display from the Omelettes in what was a really deserving round 1 win. The team have been working extremely hard on their skills, working with each other and of course fitness over the last three months and it really showed. 10 debutants in round 1 is an enormous achievement for the club and a sign of an exciting future.
SCORE
Old Melburnians 8.18.66
Brunswick Renegades 0.2.2
GOAL KICKERS
Eloise Faulks 4, Olivia Fairchild 3, Em Fraser 1, G Dunlop 1, Ella Bennetts 1,
BEST PLAYERS
Eloise Faulks, Prue Harvey, Georgia Dunlop, Ella Bennetts, Millie Nelson, Ellen Williams
PARENTS/SPIRIT AWARD Presented by Gaz Rankin-Ward
Georgia Phelan in her comeback from a serious knee injury showed great resilience by not missing a session for the last 3 months and it showed in her poise and polish with ball in hand
BEST ON GROUND
El Faulks (read paragraphs above but in a nutshell dominated)
Always thank you to our volunteers on the day. Gaz, Bridge McDonald, Steph Barnett and Annie Hatfield.
Huge thank you to Sam Cooper for going out to the airport on Friday to pick up all the new football jumpers for our debutants after being placed in quarantine. Rumours our opposition for next week planted some contraband in our order to avoid playing us.
ROUND 2
Round 2 see's the omelettes on the road down the Chandler as we take on Marcellin Sheagles at Marcellin College starting at 2pm. Huge test for the team but a really exciting one with Marcellin being last year's premiers. They may have also knocked us out in the preliminary but that is just a distant nightmare now. Round 2 will again see us with at least 4 debutants again as well as some returning jets in Jess Gough and Clare Fraser.
See you at the footy on Saturday!
Kind regards,
Yox