Glenelg v Sturt Round 6 Match Report

Round 6 saw us take the field at Adelaide Oval for the first time in SANFLW history. It was an incredible experience, and our players are still buzzing from it.

Excitingly, Kimmy Fry finally made her debut for the club after a long layoff. Tess Morcom came in late off the emergency list after a long layoff and played her first game for 2021.

This week’s draw to Sturt continues to add to our heartbreaking three weeks of football, as Sturt were able to score a goal with less than 2 minutes to go to level the scores. This result was the difference between us sitting in the top four to now sitting 6^th on the ladder. By no means is our 2021 season over, but we simply must play better for longer periods of time.

A strong start had us with the first three scoring shots of the game, which included a clever soccer off the ground goal to Lucy Armitage. But little did we know that the two behinds would be the trend of our inaccuracy in front of goal for the game. A momentum swing in the middle of the quarter saw Sturt kick two quick goals in succession.

Another strong start to the second quarter resulted in a running goal to Madi Freeman. Every time it looked like we were starting to get on top, Sturt, lead by their dominance in the ruck, were able to find answers and were always able to kick the very next goal. We went into the half time break down 2.7 to 4.1, and despite having more scoring shots and inside 50’s, the difference was our inaccuracy in front of goal, which continued to haunt us.

Despite having all the play in the third quarter, we were still only able to manage the one goal to Madi Freeman and we headed into the three quarter time break with just a one point lead.

Sturt had the early momentum at the start of the last quarter and kicked the first goal, but we responded strongly. For the first time in the game, we were able to put consecutive goals on the board to Lauren Bungey and excitingly Alice Bradley, who kicked her first league goal and was rewarded for her relentless pressure to turn the ball over. Sadly, it wasn’t enough as Sturt were able to turn the ball over in their forward 50 and score the levelling goal with less than two minutes remaining.

The league wide bye has come at a great time for us. Whilst our results have been mixed and we still have a way to go before we are where we want to be, we are very proud of our entire squad for their significant improvement so far this season and for being extremely competitive week in week out.

Goals: Madi Freeman (2), Lucy Armitage (1), Lauren Bungey (1), Alice Bradley (1)

Best: Ellie Kellock, Madi Freeman, Lucy Earl, Jess Bates, Alice Bradley, Lucy Armitage