Shannon McFerran was one of the Spurs’ best players on Saturday. 65289 Picture: SARAH MATRAY
BY KATIE LAMBESKI
VICTORIA University St Albans Spurs failed to advance directly to the Victorian Women’s Football League grand final, suffering its first loss to the season by 18 points to Darebin in the second semi-final on Saturday.
The Spurs, who have been the dominant team all season, will take on Diamond Creek this Sunday for the right to play Darebin in the grand final.
The Spurs reserves side defeated Darebin by two points to advance to the grand final. Darebin’s senior side proved its class with a 9.6 (60) to 6.6 (42) win. It was a high-pressure contest from two great sides that had been fighting each other for top spot all season.
The first quarter saw neither side take control of the game. It was very much a scrappy contest in the second quarter, but the finals experience and power of Falcons saw them out to a three-goal lead at half-time.
The Spurs lifted their intensity in the third quar-ter but could not affect the scoreboard. As a result, Darebin pushed out to 27-point lead halfway through the third.
St Albans was able to claw back the margin to 19 at the final break, but Darebin led by O’Connor and Ham-
mond, managed to answer
St. Albans’ challenge in the last quarter and win by 18 points.
The Spurs with Belinda Hately, Jen Plumb and Danni Teasdale leading, were gallant in defeat. They will play Diamond Creek next week in a preliminary final.
St Albans reserves made history against Darebin on the weekend, becoming the first in the club’s history to play in a grand final.
In what was a game to remember, the Spurs managed to produce a last-minute goal to win 5.8 (38) to 5.6 (36).
It was a close game all day, characterised by many changed leads and momentum swings. Both sides adapted to the intensity and pressure of the game early in the first quarter, though St Albans grabbed an early one-goal lead at quarter time.
It was then Darebin’s turn to control the game in the second quarter as they kicked two unanswered goals to lead by a goal.
St Albans then managed to take a small three-point lead to the final break in a tense third quarter.
The final quarter was very much like the three before it. The game reached its crescendo when, after five minutes to bombarding the Darebin defence, and with a minute remaining, Brooke McKinley scored a goal to send St Albans through to the grand final.
