Saints continue their run towards finals with pivotal win

12/04/2021

The Southern Saints continued their winning streak and move up the ladder towards finals, as they won a pivotal encounter against Williamstown by 10-points on Saturday at Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval.
 

Conditions were tough for football, as the rain came and went throughout the day and a breeze swirled across the ground. 

Williamstown were kicking with the breeze in the first quarter and got the fast start with two quick goals. 

The Saints responded well and soon had their first, as an impressive piece of play and kick forward by Alex Hynes allowed Tayla Kearns to run into an open goal. 

The ball remained in the Williamstown forward half for most of the quarter, but the Saints defense was resolute under pressure and they went into quarter time just two goals down. 
 

With the wind in their backs, the Saints looked to press the issue in the second quarter. 

Gabi De Angelis was working hard across half-forward applying good pressure, and she was soon rewarded for her effort as she hit the scoreboard. 

The Saints continued to push forward with Rebecca Neaves positioning herself well across the ground to repel any counterattacks. 

Unfortunately, the Saints failed to capitalise on their forward pressure and went into halftime down by 2-points. 
 

The Saints came out strong in the third quarter against the wind, and it was Kearns who gave them the lead as she put through her second of the day. 

The Saints defense were tested, but they showed determination and fight, with Lucy Bourke leading the way. 

Williamstown eventually broke through and got a goal on the board to cut the margin to just 3-points going into the final break.
 

The tension could be felt around the ground in the fourth quarter, as the result was an important one for both team’s finals chances. 

The Saints did all the attacking early — Jacqui Vogt was showing a clean set of hands around the contest to push the ball forward, and Kearns and De Angelis both looked dangerous. 

Tara Bohanna had competed exceptionally in the ruck all day, and she pushed forward for the last quarter and was able to mark and goal from distance to give the Saints the lead. 

With the game on a knife’s edge, another foray forward was spectacularly marked on the goal line by De Angelis to give her two and the Saints the win, as they were able to run out the game and came away 10-point victors.
 

Saints coach Dale Robinson spoke about the importance of the victory looking forward to finals and next week’s game against the undefeated Collingwood. 

“Getting that four points on the board today is what we really wanted,” she said. 

“It wasn’t pretty at times, but (it’s) something we can keep growing from.” 

“Collingwood have been undefeated this year — they gave us a really good test in round two and it’s only going to get harder next week.” 
 

The Saints now improve to 3-3 for the season.  

They play the undefeated Collingwood in Round 7 at Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval on Saturday April 17 at 10am. 

Final Score:

Southern Saints:              1.0         2.4          3.4       5.5                       (35)

Williamstown:                  3.0         3.0          4.1       4.1                       (25)

Goals: Kearns 2, De Angelis 2, Bohanna

Best: Vogt, Neaves, Capsalis, De Angelis, Kearns, McLean

Written by Will Michael - Sandringham Football Club Media