VFLW Match Report: Round 14 vs Essendon

17/08/2026

Sandringham produced a determined four-quarter effort against Essendon, fighting back from an early deficit and twice closing to within striking distance before eventually falling to Essendon by 13 points at NEC Hangar.

We showed plenty of fight throughout the contest, with our pressure, defensive work and ability to create scoring opportunities keeping us within reach of the Bombers until the final stages.

Essendon struck almost immediately, finding the opening goal just 17 seconds into the match, but we quickly settled into the contest. Maya Louvel-Finn set the tone with a strong tackle on the wing before later producing a stunning full-stretch intercept mark at right half-back to prevent another Essendon forward entry.

The opening term was scrappy, with both sides finding it difficult to maintain possession, but our defensive pressure continued to create opportunities. Bridget Koczek repeatedly frustrated Essendon's forwards, while Courtney Aughtie and Emma Stuber were also influential around the contest.

After spending much of the opening stages defending, we finally found a way forward.

Jordan Membrey surged down the ground before her kick fell short, but Zoe Barbakos was perfectly positioned to collect the loose ball. Showing plenty of determination, Barbakos turned herself inside out before dribbling the ball across the line for our opening major.

We continued to build momentum late in the term, winning a centre clearance and sending the ball quickly inside 50. At quarter-time, we trailed by just six points, 15-9.

We continued to build in the second term, using a short and sharp style of ball movement to work our way up the ground. Ava Bibby found Deanna Jolliffe with a composed kick, while Alana Porter combined with teammates on the wing before sending the ball into the forward pocket. Aughtie was also busy, fighting through a tackle and clearing the ball from congestion.

Our defensive pressure remained a feature, with Barbakos producing a strong rundown tackle while Louvel-Finn, Jolliffe and Aughtie all contributed important moments behind the ball.

We finally received our reward when Emmelie Fiedler won the ruck contest and Indi Sherritt collected the clearance. After Stuber hunted the loose ball, Sherritt regained possession and found Chloe Saultry on the lead in the forward pocket. Saultry made no mistake, slotting the goal to reduce the margin to just four points, giving us further belief.

Essendon managed to respond with a late major before half-time, leaving us 10 points behind at the main break, 27-17.

The third quarter belonged largely to Sandringham in terms of territory. Sherritt immediately applied pressure with a strong tackle, while Kyla Forbes showed composure in defence by taking the ball backwards before helping move it forward down the wing.

Membrey provided an important target, marking before finding Louvel-Finn, who in turn located Lily Skinner. We spent significantly more time inside our forward half and began to dictate the terms of the contest.

Despite the increased pressure, scores remained difficult to come by, with Essendon registering the first score of the half after 11 minutes. The Bombers then added a goal, but we refused to let the game get away from us.

Sunday Hollingsworth produced another crunching tackle before we finally found a breakthrough.

Bibby won the hit-out, Charlotte Taylor collected the clearance and fed Sophie Casey on the outside. Casey then delivered a brilliant bullet pass to Bibby, 25m out directly in front of goal. Bibby never looked like missing, calmly converting to register her first VFLW goal.

The Bombers added another behind late in the quarter, but we had significantly improved territory and pressure, trailing by just 12 points heading into the final term.

Koczek was outstanding in defence, first producing an important spoil before later taking a stunning contested mark in the goal square. Fiedler also showed her strength with a contested mark in the defensive goal square, allowing Stuber to take possession and assess her options under pressure.

As Essendon began to gain momentum, our pressure once again lifted. Taylor produced a massive tackle on the wing at a crucial moment, while Casey followed up with another strong tackle on the 50m arc to keep our hopes alive.

Mackenzie Williams produced a critical smother before Saultry gathered the ground ball and found Barbakos. With Membrey presenting in space, Barbakos picked her out and Membrey raced towards goal to finish the passage with a major. The goal reduced the margin to 12 points and sparked a surge from the Zebras.

We began piling on the forward pressure, forcing Essendon into mistakes. Membrey's pressure was again crucial, chasing an Essendon defender whose hurried kick went straight to Saultry.

She made no mistake, kicking her second goal of the afternoon to become the only multiple-goal kicker on the ground and bring us within just one goal.

With the momentum firmly behind us, we continued to push forward, while Casey produced another important intercept in defensive 50 to keep the Bombers from breaking away.

Essendon ultimately managed to find a late major and another behind to steady, but our fight throughout the final term was a strong feature of the afternoon.

We ultimately went down 49-36, but the 13-point result doesn't tell the full story of a contest in which we repeatedly fought our way back into the game.

From Louvel-Finn's defensive efforts and Koczek's intercept work to Taylor's pressure, Saultry's two goals and Bibby's maiden VFLW major, there were plenty of positives to take from a side that refused to concede ground.

Following our bye this week, we’ll conclude our VFLW season against the Casey Demons at Casey Fields on Saturday 30 August at 10:05am.

SANDRINGHAM 1.3, 2.5, 3.5, 5.6 (36)
ESSENDON 2.3, 4.3, 5.5, 7.7 (49)

Goals
Saultry 2, Barbakos, Bibby, Membrey

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