Grand Final fever hits Coburg City Oval this Saturday, as the undefeated Darebin Falcons take on reigning premiers Diamond Creek Demons in the Victorian Women’s Football League (VWFL) Premier Division decider.
Neither side is in unfamiliar territory – the Falcons have won five of the last seven flags, while the Demons will take confidence from last season’s win over their rivals on the main stage.
Diamond Creek secretary and deputy vice-captain Tanya Hetherington said her side is having a better season than last year, and will not be doing much different as they search for back-to-back premierships.
“It’s been a really good season,” the Demons’ fullback said.
“A lot of people wrote us off at the start of the year for reasons I’m not really sure of, but it’s actually been a better year statistically than last year when we won the premiership.
“In the lead up we’ll just keep it pretty simple… the thing we’ve just got to remember is we know we can beat them, as we proved last year.”
Diamond Creek’s Anna Saxton looks to burn away from an approaching tackler (Photo: Rusty’s Pix)
Knee injuries to Kirby Hicks and star midfielder Katie Loynes mean players such as the Demons’ electrifying winger and co-captain Steph Chiocci and forward Brittany Grech (21 goals) will be even more important.
Other players have been given the opportunity to step up, and Hetherington said there was no pressure on her side.
“It’s really the same (situation) as last year. They haven’t dropped a game, the pressure’s all on them and we’ve got nothing to lose.”
The undefeated Falcons have produced a faultless season to date – including a 68-point semi final win against the Demons – and boast one-fifth of the players drafted by the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne for the inaugural AFL women’s match in July.
Number one draft pick, Melbourne captain and six-time All-Australian Daisy Pearce has enjoyed another outstanding season, while recruits Katie Brennan (QLD) and Elise O’Dea (ACT) have further strengthened the formidable Darebin outfit.
Falcons’ star Daisy Pearce sizes up her options in a sea of opponents (Photo: Rusty’s Pix)
Falcons coach Richard Dal Pos said while he will be looking to combat the Demons’ game plan, his team has a really flexible balance of players and has hit its peak at the perfect time.
“We’ll concentrate on their key players yes, but we have a good even balance of players that I can play virtually anywhere, so it’s up to them to try and nullify us,” Dal Pos said.
“The important thing is that we’re playing good footy now at the right time of the year.”
The VWFL’s marquee day will add to what has been a massive season for women’s football in Victoria, according to football operations manager Jess Smith.
“It’s certainly an exciting time for women’s football,” Smith said.
“The (AFL) exhibition match has obviously started off a new conversation about the future of women’s football as a national competition.”
A total of 28 Victorians were drafted for the landmark AFL match in July, the Victorian side won the National Championships without conceding a game, and just recently, the VWFL has announced it will transferred its governance to AFL Victoria ahead of the 2014 season.
With the growing attention afforded to women’s football and a number of games streamed on YouTube by the VWFL throughout the year, Smith said many people were pleasantly surprised by the league’s top level of competition.
“Usually the feedback from people that come to games is that it’s not what they expected, the skill is much higher than they ever thought,” Smith said.
“We’re trying to build an event where people can bring the family down and have a great day.”
The VWFL Premier Grand Final will get underway at 2.30 pm, and will be preceded by the Reserves game between the Eastern Devils and Melbourne Uni at midday.
Full details: www.vwfl.org.au
