MID SEASON ERWFL REVIEW – Belgrave

By Alyce Collett

After strong pre–season form, Belgrave’s Senior Women’s side haven’t quite had the season to date they would have liked or hoped for.

The season opener could not have gone much better for the Magpies, comfortably defeating Upwey Tecoma by 40 points. Things came crashing back to Earth the following week though, beaten by Healesville by 26 points, and then they lost to Monbulk the week after that. They got back on the winners list in round 4, defeating Thornton-Eildon. They have lost four games in a row since, to Healesville, Upwey Tecoma, Yarra Junction and Monbulk.

As the ladder currently stands, Belgrave sit 4^th. They are two games behind 3^rd place Yarra Junction, but only one game ahead of 5^th placed Upwey Tecoma, and the Tigers have a game in hand after their round 8 match did not go ahead as scheduled. The safest option for Belgrave to guarantee their place in the finals is to win every game possible for the remainder of the season.

Scoring has been a bit of an issue for Belgrave so far this season. They have only kicked a score larger than 30 once this season and have gone scoreless in at least one quarter most weeks. 

If you add quarters that were goalless but they still scored to the equation, that figure increases to every week except for round 1. One positive thing Belgrave should take note of is the fact that they were the ones who restricted the undefeated Healesville to their smallest victory of the entire season, so they have the ability to match it with the top teams, they just can’t quite get over the line.

Belgrave have been closest to knocking off Healesville this year. Photo – Belgrave Football Netball Club Facebook.

On an individual note, Belgrave’s top goalkicker is Jessica Weisgerber, who has kicked seven goals so far this season. The highest individual game tally was Weisgerber and Chelsea Carnell’s three goals each against Upwey Tecoma in round 1. Players that have been named in the best players list on a regular basis include Amy Spicer, Ashleigh Hilder and Brett Dwelly.

Looking ahead, here’s how the rest of the season looks for the Magpies:
Round 9 – Saturday 29^th June at 5:30pm against Healesville at Home  
Round 10 – Saturday 6^th July at 10am against Yarra Junction at Yarra Junction Reserve
Round 11 – Saturday 13^th July at 10:15am against Thornton-Eildon at Thornton-Eildon Football Ground
Round 12 – Saturday 27^th July at 12:05pm against Upwey Tecoma at Upwey Recreation Reserve
Round 13 – Saturday 3^rd August at 11am against Monbulk at Home  
Round 14 – Saturday 10^th August at 4:45pm against Thornton-Eildon at Home