VFLW Practice Match Report: vs Williamstown

31/03/2025

The Zebras VFLW side had their first hit out for 2025 in a practice match against Williamstown

Photography by Anthony Vella

The Zebras VFLW side took on the Williamstown Seagulls at the Trevor Baker Oval last Saturday in a six-quarter practice match.

Emmelie Fiedler set the tone early in the ruck as she was convincingly winning every hit out around the ground and giving the midfielders first use of the ball, something Charlotte Simpson was relishing as she collected the first clearance of the game.

To start off, it was heavily congested in the middle as neither side could get into open space due to the high pressure nature, but Arianna Clarke thrived in this type of environment, laying a massive bump to beat her opponent to the ball.

Erica Fowler was also working well in the tight spaces, making a brilliant smoother right as Williamstown were about launch a deep kick inside 50.

A few minutes in and now the game was opening up, and thanks to an incredible pick up off the ground by Emily Shepherd on the wing, she was able to send the ball forward leading to the first goal of the game.

Fowler was continuing her amazing work rate as she grabbed a huge intercept mark off half back and only a few seconds later, she had followed up the play into the midfield for yet another touch.

The ball was living between the arcs as both sides had set up a wall on the halfback line, which was proving difficult to break through, but a full speed Shepherd once more launched into the pack and cleanly picked up the ball, ran around the corner and kicked it straight through the goals.

Rene Caris then joined the list of goal scorers as her banana kick that looked to be just short bounced through after two diving Seagulls players outstretched arms fell just short.

At the end of the first, three straight goals to one saw Sandringham have a 12 point advantage.

The Zebs started the second well and truly on top having multiple entries inside 50, highlighted by Sophie Locke swiftly manoeuvring her way past defenders, before selling some candy and launching a kick into the pocket.

Unfortunately, this dominance couldn’t be capitalised on as Williamstown defenders keep making great defensive plays to halt the Zebras attacks.

Every time the Seagulls managed to clear the danger though, the ball was sent right back their way, and this time, instead of finding a clean exit, Zoe Barbakos executed the perfect chase down tackle for a free kick. 

Eventually Sandringham would break through as Zoe Besanko received a blocking free kick from a ruck contest in front of goal, where she would calmly slot through the set shot.

The Zebs dominance wasn’t being shown on the scoreboard just yet, but thanks to their great defence, at the end of two quarters, they were up by 13 points.

After a break, both teams came back out where Williamstown had their patch of dominance, but J’neomi Anderson made a great smoother, soon followed by a Shepherd to Bella Enno handball chain out of halfback to escape the danger.

Both sides were struggling to get entries into the forward 50, so the Zebs put in a long bomb from the arc, which bypassed the forward line and with the aid of a friendly bounce, went through the middle for a goal.

Yet again the Seagulls were on the attack, but Abbey Tregellis would simply not give up trying to clear the ball as she had several possessions in a short span in the backline. Caris helped her out as she snatched the ball out of the opposition’s hands deep in the pocket for a clean exit.

Sandringham had weathered the storm and as a team their defence passed the test as they didn’t concede a single point in the third, meanwhile momentum had shifted and thanks to some high pressure in the forward half, some Seagulls mistakes led to yet another Zebs goal.

Going into the fourth the scores were 40 to 13.

The game was starting to slow down as the players began to tire out, but the Zebs pressure and intensity was still there as they forced multiple holding the ball frees and Williamstown struggled to string together two possessions as a result.

Eventually off a counterattack, Sandringham was able to get out the back which saw Chole Bailey grab the ball, run into the goal and right as she was being tackled, she dribbled through her shot for the teams seventh goal of the day.

Williamstown had managed to get on top now, but with Fowler taking a huge pack mark and Grace Hodder cutting off a promising attack with an intercept mark, the Zebs still had a 14-point lead at the end of the fourth.

Several changes were made on both sides for the final two periods.

Jade Cilia was able to make a nice move off halfback evading several defenders to clear the ball. Bailey would then rake in a great mark in the forward fifty, but a light breeze pushed the set shot onto the post.

Cilia was proving impossible to pass for Williamstown as she collected several more intercept marks in the middle of the ground and wasted no time in trying to catch them out on the rebound.

To begin the sixth and final period, the pressure was still through the roof, leading to multiple entries and the ball living in Sandringham’s forward half.

Barbakos was starting to take over in the middle of the ground, where she would find Bailey for another shot on goal, soon followed by her spinning around the defender to launch an attack into the 50.

This time the kick would find open space but thanks the fleet of forwards, a Seagulls player was pinned for holding the ball, where Tregellis snapped up the ball and ran into the open goal.

In the end a very well drilled Zebras side would win by 16 points.

Sandringham Zebras:      3.0      4.2     6.4    7.4    7.9   8.10  (58)

Williamstown Seagulls:   1.0      2.1     2.1    5.3    5.2   5.2    (32)

Written by Thomas Dev Sandringham FC Media