ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC
FOOTBALL
FEMALE FOOTBALL GIPPSLAND By ZAIDA GLIBANOVIC THE dominant Boisdale-Briagolong took home the senior Female Football Gippsland Grand Final trophy at the weekend. Ted Summerton Reserve saw the Moe Newborough Allies and the Bombers go head to head in a final clash to dictate 2023’s premiers. The game started off as a tight battle between the two sides, with tensions and stakes equally as high, some of the best footy was played in the first few minutes. The Allies did well to keep the Bombers to one point for the majority of the first term, but the Bomber’s pressure became too much to withstand, and the Allies conceded a goal very late into the quarter. The Moe Newborough side – with a single point of their own coming into the second term – were determined to set the record straight, but it wasn’t meant to be as the women in black and red, applied even more pressure booting two more majors. The scores by halftime were the Allies 0.1 (1) to the Bombers 3.3 (21). Boisdale-Briagolong showed just why they remained on top of the table all year, adding to the Allies’ pain by kicking another two through the big sticks in the third term. The Moe Newborough side never gave up and continued to battle through until the end, despite conceding eight more points, the Allies remained admirable in defeat. Best on for the Allies was Rachael Francis, Jade Abbott, Izabella Rosato, Kaylah Thorburn, playing-coach Lynette (Louie) Patten and Hannah van Breugel. The final scores were Boisdale-Briagolong 6.5 (41) to the Allies 0.1 (1). Coach Patten remained incredibly proud of what her team had achieved over the season. “The Allies played with a lot of guts and determination to try and get the win after last week’s outstanding performance,” she said. “The first quarter was a hard battle with scores pretty tight and Boisdale-Briagolong kicking a goal in the last minute of the quarter. “Having a young and inexperienced team we were able to keep up the pressures throughout the day, but they had overrun us by the end.” The club took to Facebook to say how proud they were of the players for their determination and grit, now looking toward season 2024. The Bombers added to their premiership tally, now having won four consecutive premierships in a row across two different leagues.
