Tigers overcome the Bloods’ tough defense

Friday night saw us take on West Adelaide at Richmond Oval in somewhat perfect conditions for football. Lots of chatter outside our inner sanctum about this game being connected to last season, but our focus was purely on this being Round 6 – a game that we needed and wanted to play well in.

After some challenges with injuries and COVID, West Adelaide fielded one of their strongest teams for the season, so we prepared for them to be at their very best. Brooke Tonon was available this week, while Marie Martino made her Glenelg debut after a strong preseason and some excellent form throughout the Development season to date.

A strong start for us this week saw us put four goals on the board in the first quarter, whist conceding only one. We could not have wished for a better start.

Credit to West Adelaide, they lifted their defensive intensity around the ball and the following two quarters became a dour arm wrestle. We weren’t able to take our limited chances, but West Adelaide were able to take theirs, kicking a goal in the second quarter and a goal in the third quarter to make our lead just seven points heading into the final quarter.

Credit to our team – they lifted significantly in the last quarter and took full control of the game. We kicked three goals and defensively restricted the opposition to keep them goalless for the term. Whilst the score line was a 26-point win, in truth, it was a lot closer and harder than the margin showed.

Unfortunately, our Development team suffered a 6-point loss. Whilst they came home really strong, a slow start to the game was a bridge too far. A tough lesson to learn, but the team is well positioned to finish their season strong this weekend against a formidable opponent in North Adelaide.

We are really looking forward to the challenge of playing a tough Round 7 opponent in North Adelaide, who have built into their season nicely winning the last three games. We play this Saturday 26^th March at Norwood Oval – Seniors kick off at 1:40pm and the Development at 3:40pm.

– Jason Fairall, Senior Coach

Goal kickers: Chelsea Packer (2), Ellie Kellock (2), Molly Scott (1), Piper Window (1), Jess Searle (1)

Best: Jess Bates, Ellie Kellock, Chelsea Packer, Sarah Goodwin, Madisyn Freeman

Final score: WAFC 3.7-25 def GFC 2.1-19

Goal kickers: Melinda Speechley (1), Demi McCarthy (1)