The Spurs celebrate their grand final victory. 69519 Picture: KRISTIAN SCOTT
BY KATIE LAMBESKI
VICTORIA University St Albans Spurs ended Darebin’s five-year reign with a supreme VWFL grand final victory at Coburg’s Mantello Holden Oval on Saturday.
The Spurs showed no fear of failure after their qualifying final loss to the Falcons, claiming their first premiership since 2004 with a stunning 79-point win.
The opening quarter was played at a frenetic pace as both sides adjusted to the magnitude of the occasion.
St Albans managed to wrest the early advantage at the end of the last quarter, kicking the last two goals of the first term.
Darebin was left to rue some missed opportunities in their forward half, scoring only three behinds.
St. Albans on the other hand executed well, scoring 4.1 to take a hold on the game.
At half-time, the Spurs’ coaches asked their chargers to continue the job. The players followed instructions to the letter, utilising their running game to run over the Falcons.
In a last-quarter procession the Spurs added a further five unanswered goals to record a 16.6 (102) to 3.5 (23) win.
St Albans’ Karen Paxman was awarded the Lisa Hardeman medal for best on ground, while Amy Catterall kicked five up forward for St Albans.
Darebin Falcons won the VWFL reserves grand final after defeating the St Albans Spurs by 26 points earlier in the day.
It was a smart, skillful performance from the Falcons as they overpowered the gutsy challengers.
The first quarter was perhaps indicative of the game itself. It saw the Spurs claw back from a couple of goals down, only for Darebin kick away with two goals of their own. The game tightened in the second quarter, Darebin was wasteful as the Spurs found chances hard to come by.
The Falcons took a 4.7 (31) to 2.1 (13) advantage to the main break.
It was the Spurs’ turn to control the majority of play in the third quarter, but couldn’t take advantage.
Darebin managed to add two of their own to take a 25-point lead to the final break. St Albans pushed Darebin early in the fourth, but couldn’t convert on the scoreboard. Neither side scored, as Darebin recorded a win to be crowned premiers. Gemma Anderson was awarded best on ground, while Alana Tully, Emma Shortis and Christina Polatajko were stand-outs for the Spurs.
