Southern Saints Mid-Season Review

27/04/2021
 

The season has flown by so far, and somehow we’re halfway through! 

Here’s a quick recap of the highlights from the halfway point of the Southern Saints season and some of the expectations for the remaining eight games.

Season recap

It’s been a tough season for the Saints so far with three wins and five losses through the first eight games. The girls started in fantastic fashion with an 18-point win over Essendon to kick start the season, but they quickly fell back down to earth with three tough losses in a row. 

We’ve been treated some great performances in the last four weeks with big wins over Darebin and Williamstown. A narrow loss to Collingwood followed, but the intensity and effort from the girls couldn’t be faulted against the ladder-leaders. A similar result came in round eight against the Western Bulldogs, but supporters can see the effort bubbling and the skills growing before their eyes which is pleasing.

Overall, while it’s not the start coach Dale Robinson might have been hoping for, it’s hard to fault the effort of the playing 22 week in and week out. The team’s getting better every week, and sitting sixth on the ladder gives them a real shot of playing finals football this year. 

From the coach: 

Head coach Dale Robinson acknowledged the tough start, but she couldn’t fault the girls effort. 

“We’ve got a really good group of girls who are making gains and getting better each week," she said.

 "The effort that they’ve been putting in and the growth I’m seeing has been exceptional.”

On her job: 

“I absolutely love it — I live and breathe it week to week,” she said.

“My philosophy is to really improve the girls each week — especially the girls who want to make the next level — that’s the part of coaching I really love.” 

On her hopes for the rest of the season: 

“It’s really just a growth mindset and allowing the girls to get out and play football and keep improving,” Robinson said.

“That’s the most I can ask for, that they go out with their best efforts and bring that intensity.”

From the co-captain:

Deanna Jolliffe has played every game for the Saints this year, sharing the captaincy duties with Tara Bohanna and Frankie Hocking who currently sits out with injury. 

Sharing a similar sentiment to her coach, she’s confident the team is on an upward trajectory heading toward the pointy end of the season. 

“It hasn’t been our best start to the season — not the one we were hoping for,” she said.

“We lost three in a row, and that wasn’t the start we were hoping for, but we’ve pulled a few wins together and (we’re) just staying in finals contention at the moment.” 

On her hopes for the rest of the season: 

“We want to make finals.”

“We don’t want to be a push over team, we want to be a team that others are scared to play,” she said. 

On the captaincy: 

“You don’t really think too much about leading the team, you just want to keep playing your role and trust everyone to do the same.”

“It’s not a spotlight on the captain, we’ve all got different leadership roles inside of the team, regardless of captaincy,” she said. 

“(Frankie’s) been a really good off-field captain for us and (Tara) and I have just been rotating each week.

“The added support from the AFLW girls coming back has been great too, couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Best win:

The team’s best win came in Round One when matched up against Essendon. There were a lot of unknowns heading into the new season, but the team was able to step up and put on a fantastic show to the travelling supporters who had made the journey out to the Hangar in Essendon. It was the first half that set up the result, as the Saints led by 30 points just two quarters in.

Time has told just how strong the win was, as Essendon now sit fifth on the VFLW ladder with a percentage of 153%. 

Robinson was full of praise for round one win. 

“Our best win was probably against Essendon," she said.

"You go into a season with a lot of unknowns, but we played a lot of great footy that day.” 

"Round seven against Collingwood was also right up there in terms of intensity,” she said.  

Toughest Loss:

An eight-point loss to Geelong in round three springs to players and coaches minds as the toughest loss for the Saints, particularly due to the crazy conditions on the day. 

The Saints could only scrap one goal from the four quarters going down 16-8 at Deakin University. 

“Tough conditions in terms of weather and everything else — it was just one that got away,” Robinson said. 

The best photos so far...

Photos by Tommy Colaci and Tony Vella

Top performers:

The Saints have had a balanced contribution across the ground in the first half of the season, as we have seen an extended list of players perform to a high standard.

However, the coach and co-captain pointed to the efforts of two players for their consistent and impressive performances so far.

“Madi Capsalis would be the one that’s definitely up there — she’s shown her capacity to influence games.” Robinson said.

Capsalis brings youth and exuberance to the side and plays with power and aggression. She is a hard-working midfielder who can also break the lines with her speed making her a dangerous weapon and valuable asset to the Saints' side.

Joliffe raved about the work of fellow midfielder, Hannah Stuart.

“She’s just so consistent in the midfield — she’s a leader in there as well.”

“She’s always helping everyone out, seems to know what she’s doing and plays with such confidence."

Stuart is tough and reliable in the middle. She is a clearance machine and her contested work is second to none. The Saints are lucky to have her and she will be important to their run towards finals.

Season projections:

The Saints have had an up and down season with some good wins and some tough losses. 

With several teams separating themselves from the pack, the Saints find themselves in a battle for finals as they sit sixth on the ladder and level with multiple teams on three wins and five losses.

With only the top six teams playing finals, the Saints have a big second half of the season coming up if they’re to make a run towards the premiership.

Make sure you show your support in the remaining rounds and help get them over the line.

Go Saints!

Written by Seb Mottram - Sandringham Football Club Media