Match Report: VFLW Round1 vs Darebin
21/04/2025
The Zebras opened their 2025 season with a commanding win over the Falcons
Photography by Jake Phillips
The Zebras 2025 VFLW campaign kicked off on a Sunny Saturday morning as they hosted the Darebin Falcons.
Emmelie Fiedler started the day off great in the middle as she was winning every ruck contest, allowing the midfield first use of the ball.
When the Zebras weren’t getting the ball, their high-pressure defence and tackling intensity meant the Falcons struggled to advance the ball forward, and when they finally did get a clean possession, numerous smoothers ensured it didn’t lead to an inside 50.
Sandringham were now getting on top of the game and unlike Darebin, they were able to capitalise on their dominance as a deep entry saw the ball find open space, where J’Noemi Anderson would get a clean pick up off the ground and snap it around the corner for the first goal of the season.
Once more Fiedler was everywhere in the ruck contest, where she would get the hit out and then follow up her own work to get the loose ball.
Unfortunately, the ball would end up going the Falcons way, but thanks to some cool and calm work by Deanna Jolliffe on the halfback line, followed up by a great intercept mark from Lily Skinner, no damage was done on the scoreboard.
The great work by the defence filtered through to the rest of the team as everyone now lifted their intensity, leading to Lauren Brazzale laying a bone crunching tackle in the forward pocket.
A few minutes later, a deep kick into the forward 50 feel just in front of the outstretched arms of Emily Shepherd, but she smartly paddled the ball in front of her, quickly picked it up and kicked it straight through the middle.
Another clearance was won in the middle by the Zebs and this time the ball found Arianna Clarke on the boundary about 45 meters out from goal, where she’d swiftly pick up the ball and drill the kick from a tough angle for the goal of the day.
All momentum was with Sandringham now, and even when Darebin’s defenders were able to halt the attack, they had no way out of their defensive 50, as a long bomb was intercepted by Jolliffe, who quickly slingshot the ball back in.
She didn’t find a target, but Darcy Guttridge quickly read the play and before a Falcon could do anything about it, she forced a holding the ball free right in front of goal, where Sophie Locke wouldn’t waste any time, as she picked up the footy and snapped a goal from the advantage.
At the end of the first quarter the Zebs were up by four goals as they had only conceded one point for the term.
To the start the second quarter Darebin came out firing on all cylinders, meaning Sandringham were under fire.
Natalie Plane seemed unbothered, as she picked up the ball off halfback and made a clean exit to end any hope of a Falcons goal.
The ball kept coming back into the defensive 50, but a massive spoil by Courtney Aughtie prevented an easy mark directly in front of goal.
Eleri Morris had become an impenetrable brick wall in the backline as she took a huge mark going back with the flight and only a few minutes later she’d take yet another intercept mark.
Skinner would then take matters into her own hands as she would run the ball out to clear the danger.
Morris once more was involved in the play as a wayward shot on goal by Darebin would awkwardly bounce back into play on the goal line, but she would punch it straight through for a rushed behind.
On the attack again, the tall key forward from Darebin managed to get the ball in front of goal, but Jolliffe, who was half the height of her opponent, had no fear as she wrapped her up in a tackle and forced a holding the ball free.
Despite Darebin having all the momentum in the second, the Zebs outstanding defence meant they only conceded one goal and at half time their lead was still a commanding 17 points.
Sandringham raced out of the change rooms looking determined to set the tone of the second half from the first bounce, and that they did.
Shepherd led from the front as a ferocious tackle on the wing made sure possession stayed in dispute.
She’d then follow it up again on the wing as Shepherd would pull in a contested mark, spin around, play on, take a bounce and then put on the jets to out pace any Falcon that was in the vicinity.
Shepherd would then kick the ball into the 50, finding open space out in front of Zoe Besanko, where she would be in a race against her opponent.
One second, they were neck and neck, the next, Besanko was a full head in front, allowing her to scoop up the ball and bang through the goal.
The flood gates had now opened as Locke would draw a holding free from 40 meters out on a slight angle, where she would have no problems drilling the set shot.
Locke was straight back at it, this time taking a huge mark in attack, once again kicking a goal from the set shot for her third of the day, giving Sandringham a 34-point advantage going into the last quarter.
Despite the large lead, all the scoring had been done at the grandstand end, so with Darebin heading that way in the fourth, the game was by no means over.
The Falcons got on the front foot, but once more the Zebs backline was impossible to get past, and even when the ball did make its way into the 50, some high IQ football from Anderson saw her dodge through traffic, sell some candy and launch an attack off the rebound.
Darebin managed to get the first goal of the quarter, but it was quickly answered when a long bomb went to a one-on-one contest in the goal square where Guttridge would beat out her opponent to take the mark and kick the goal.
In the end Sandringham would walk away with a comfortable 32-point victory.
Sandringham Zebras: 4.1 4.1 7.3 8.5 (53)
Darebin Falcons: 0.1 1.2 1.3 3.3 (21)
Disposals: Imogen Evans (21), J’Noemi Anderson (19), Natalie Plane (17)
Goals: Sophie Locke (3), Emily Shepherd (1), Darcy Guttridge (1), Arianna Clarke (1), Zoe Besanko (1), J’Noemi Anderson (1)
The Zebras’ will look to continue their winning ways next Saturday against the Casey Demons at RESA Park.
Written by Thomas Dev Sandringham FC Media