Saints take care of business on Easter Sunday

01/04/2024

On a brisk Easter Sunday morning, the Southern Saints and the Darebin Falcons went head to head at Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval. 

Three Key Takeaways

- Hunt maintains dominant form.

- Tackle pressure taken to new levels.

- Strong team defence restricts the Falcons' scoring

Photography by Anthony Vella

First quarter

Both teams charged out of the gate, eager to stamp their authority and dictate how the game would be played.

We seized the lead early on, with great tackle pressure resulting in a clean inside-50 to Chloe Hunt at the top of the goal square. Hunt scored the opening goal of the contest in the fourth minute of play.

After repeated entries, Hunt's hot hand got a freekick in scoring range and finished it off for her second and the Saints' second of the first quarter.

Our collective defence was solid, rebounding any and all of Darebin's entries.

Winnie Laing (16 disposals, 6 tackles) set the tone around the ball with her intensity and pressure on the Darebin ball carriers.

The Saints lead by 13 points at the break.

Second Quarter

The second quarter was marked by courageous defensive efforts and a desire to keep the ball away from our defensive-50.

Georgia Foran's (13 disposals, 3 marks) many skilful defensive efforts kept Darebin from scoring numerous times, with marks on the goal line and quick rebounding to set off handball chains in transition.

Following another defensive hold, we regained ground and locked the ball in the forward-50. Sophie Phillips' near heroics above set off a sequence of shots on goal.

Piper Phelan's stunning goal at the 17-minute mark put the Saints up 20 points at halftime.

Third Quarter

Maddi Torpey (23 hitouts, 13 disposals) began the quarter with a bang, directing feed to the forwards. Torpey intercepted the ball again, and she quickly passed it to Hunt, who took a clean mark. Hunt calmly slotted her third of the day.

We applied more pressure, with the defensive line positioned along the centre square. The pressure on the ball persisted, and the quarter ended after repeat stoppages on the centre wing.

Fourth Quarter

Eva Nikolitsis marked a ball 25 metres from goal soon after the quarter began. A stunning set shot gave us a game-high 31-point lead.

Darebin's pressure brought them back into the game, forcing us deep into our own 50. We showed courage by foot trying to exit the defence, but a mistake resulted in an intercept mark inside 50 and a goal to the Falcons, their first of the day, at the 11-minute mark of the fourth period.

A solid response to the setback resulted in us locking the ball forward of centre. Nikolitsis (12 tackles), Tregellis (10 tackles), and Hynes' (10 tackles) strong pressure acts set the standard for our side from start to finish as we walked away 25-point victors on Easter Sunday.

Southern Saints: 5.4 34

Darebin Falcons: 1.3 9

Goals: Hunt (3), Nikolitsis, Phelan

Written by Tom McQuillan - Sandringham FC Media