OLD Collegians advanced their pursuit of the perfect home-and-away season with a round 14 victory over Nirranda.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Warriors had a 75-19 home-court win on Saturday as they outclassed the Blues in a ruthless display.
Star goal shooter Steph Townsend had a day out for the winners, shooting 53 goals.
A first-quarter blitz set up the win, as the Warriors built a 25-3 lead.
By half-time their advantage was 45-10 and a century of goals looked a possibility.
But the young Nirranda line-up kept at the difficult task ahead of them and were able to hold the Warriors to 30 goals in the second half.
Old Collegians coach Lisa Arundell said she was not only happy about her team’s winning form but also the way they were playing.
“At the start of the season we were winning but not playing well, but we are a lot better now,” Arundell said.
“The girls have a lot of faith and trust in each other and everyone has settled into the roles they need to play for the team.
“I thought today we started really well and Sophie (Ballinger) and Steph (Townsend) are teaming so well together in goals.
“They have both really knuckled down and they have taken their game up a notch.”
Arundell also praised the work of Jodie Maybery, who she said created many scoring opportunities for the Warriors through strong work in defence.
For the Blues, Kristy Ludeman and Bridget Foster, who shared duties at wing attack and centre, tried hard and headed their best player list.
Panmure leapt from third to second on the ladder with a convincing 68-40 win over Timboon Demons.
The disappointment of defeat cut deeper than usual for the Demons, who needed to win the home-court encounter to retain any hopes of playing finals.
The loss sees them anchored in eighth position on the ladder, three game adrift of the top five.
The Bulldogs are in some rare form, having won their last seven games — a streak they are likely to extend when they come up against Nirranda next weekend.
Jorgia Brown was their best player against the Demons.
She received good support from Madeleine White and key defender Emma Roache.