VFLW Match Report – Round 2

VFLW Round 2 Sunday 7th March

La Trobe University, Bundoora

Darebin Falcons 3.8.26 def by Hawthorn FC 7.7.49

The home game crowd were treated to a great start from Darebin this week in bright sunshine at La Trobe Uni. From the first bounce, Cubasch tapped directly to Simpson, who sent the ball deep into the Falcons forwards. Samara David got the first goal for the game against her previous side, and Alyssa Misfud kicked a second from some strong Falcons attacking pressure. The hard running and commitment to the game plan in this first quarter set the tone for the battle of the birds, and the Falcons led the Hawks by 3 points at the end of the quarter.

In the second quarter, the Falcons were immediately under pressure. Katie McAloon went down with an injury as she got a defensive kick away at the 3- minute mark of the 2nd quarter and was then unfortunately off for the game. Despite this loss, the Falcons battled hard to defend as the Hawks took the momentum. Darebin ran with numbers and looked create some attacking opportunities but were just unable to score. Hawthorn started get on top with scoreboard pressure, and the Falcons went into the half time break 18 points behind.

Darebin started the 3rd quarter in a more positive fashion, sending the ball straight in to their attack but were unable to convert. Darebin had most of the play and connected some great passages. Finally, a centred kick into the attacking 50 from Meyer was rewarded with a good marking contest, crumbed by David, by hands to Cowley Du Parquet, who was able to pop it over to the beautifully positioned Kathleen Roe who ran in and kick Darebin’s 3rd goal. Falcons went into the last break still trailing by 16 points, and perhaps ruing some missed chances.

The final quarter saw the Falcons continuing their attack on the ball, looking to put the ball out the front and run on to it. It was impressive to see the commitment to getting to the ball first but at times the Falcons struggled with accuracy. Darebin were again unable to score a goal for the quarter, despite some great play, and the final siren sounded on a 23 point loss.

Coach Mitch Skelly said he was pleased to note several good stats from the Round 2 game, including the dominant 8 centre clearances to the opponents three. He also noted inside 50’s in Darebin’s favour with a strong 37-27. This highlighted the need to lock down more effectively when the ball was in our inside 50.

The injury early in the game to McAloon did have an impact on the midfield rotations, but Sabine Cowley Du Parquet in her second VFLW game really stepped up and embraced the chance to play in the midfield and across the forward.  Sidney Cubasch was lively and looked dangerous in attack, and Steph Simpson was leading from the front with her consistency and strength around the field. Skelly was pleased with the promise from Round 2’s performance. He will be looking for his team to bring in the ball a bit quicker, to give our forwards more chance, and for the team to take confidence from the depth of experience in our team.

DAREBIN

Goal Kickers: K. Roe, A. Mifsud, S. David
Best Players: S. Cubasch, S. Simpson, S. du Parquet