VFLW Match Report: Elimination Final v Williamstown

10/08/2025

Photography by Anthony Vella (Photos 1-10) & Jake Phillips (Photos 11-19)

With the 2025 rebel VFLW Finals officially underway, the Sandringham Zebras provided a tightly contested match against Williamstown in the Elimination Final on Saturday.

From the first bounce, it was a tight contest with both teams having plenty of touches and applying the pressure. Williamstown held most of the territory inside 50 but our defence worked hard, keeping the Gulls to only one goal in the first quarter. Zoe Barbakos was immense, lifting her tackling pressure and winning the ball back inside 50, while Isobel Hartog showed a real presence in the midfield. Williamstown showed why they are a tough defensive team when on their game and took an eight-point lead into the second term.

Our forwards were under pressure in the second but did an excellent job with their possession game dominance. Grace Hodder took a spectacular intercept mark in the back 50, connecting well with Makhaela Bluhm who took a strong mark in the midfield. Ali Hynes was superb defensively, smothering a kick to deny a Seagulls goal. Despite our defensive unit doing everything possible and applying the pressure, a late goal for Williamstown in the closing stages of the second quarter extended the Seagulls’ lead to 16 points at the main break.

We had several opportunities to score a goal in the third quarter but couldn’t quite capitalise. We continued to show desperation around the footy, particularly inside the forward 50, however, despite a goalless quarter for both sides, the Seagulls held onto a 12-point lead with a quarter to play.

As the final term kicked off, we continued to fight off countless Williamstown attacks, working hard in defence. Sophie Locke came in with a sensational tackle to win the football back. Despite some great efforts with our tackle pressure, the siren sounded, confirming a 12-point win for the Seagulls.

Top Performers

Zoe Barbakos led from the front, racking up 15 disposals and applying 10 tackles. Ali Hynes was immense, finishing with 27 hitouts, along with 12 tackles, three marks and three handballs. Stacey Livingstone was instrumental with 11 kicks, three kicks, two handballs and one tackle. Our incredible leader Grace Hodder was sensational in the midfield, finishing with 14 tackles, 10 kicks, seven handballs and three marks.

Sandringham:               0.0        0.1       0.5        0.6      (6)

Williamstown:              1.2        2.5       2.5        2.6      (18)        

Visit the VFL website for full stats. 

As our 2025 rebel VFLW campaign comes to a close, we now turn our attention to season 2026.

Written by Elly Kirlis - Sandringham FC Media