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FLYING FALCONS MAKE IT 5 OUT OF 5

Tuesday, July 21, 2020 - 10:58 AM
Reserves
On a blustery Sunday at Blue Steel Oval the Reserves women finally got to stretch their wings and clasp their talons around some prey. 
The team had a blistering start kicking four goals in the first quarter with the breeze. Courtney Collard slotted our first, and with our structures working to move the ball forward and lock it in, three more goals hit the bacon and griddle in quick succession.
 
Swan Districts came out trumpeting in the second quarter and kept us goalless, but we fought hard to limit their ‘comeback’ to one goal. The pressure of the likes of Zoe Smith and Lily Hayward forced the Swan’s to make errors in their 50.
 
We returned the favour in the third quarter by keeping the Swans goalless while also doubling our score. Our forwards out marked their direct opponents and our midfielders held the wall, taking intercept marks and tripling our forward entries compared to that of our opponents by the end of the match. Dina De Ruyter proved to be a running force around the middle.
The Swan’s frustration showed in the third quarter with some ruffling of feathers, but the Falcons rose above the fracas. Amber Ugle-Hayward’s goal after the siren that sailed past the fingertips of the defenders was the perfect way to respond.
 
While we tired slightly towards the end of the third, we came out flapping hard in the final quarter, demolishing Swan Districts 73 to 16. 
 
Our hard work to build on last year’s momentum, as well as our strategic recruitment of new players and elevations from our Roger’s Cup team, was evident on the scoreboard. 
 
Courtney Collard finished with four goals and Amber Ugle-Hayward was close behind with three goals. In her debut game for West Perth, Erin O’Brien and her yellow shoes proved a formidable force in the midfield, earning her the Player’s Player Award. Club favourite and all-round stalwart, Kat Bennett, took out Best on Ground.
 
Next Sunday we take on South Fremantle at Joondalup Arena, and we hope to see the passionate Falcons fans out in force.
 
Rogers Cup
After an elongated pre-season of the likes nobody ever predicted we finally had the chance to enjoy some live footy. The women of West Perth started the shortened season perfectly by adding to the three wins from the Saturday with two of their own. The Rogers Cup girls set the tone early with a solid win over East Perth before the Reserves dominated the Swans with an emphatic 10+ goal victory.
 
In great conditions, the Rogers Cup team lined up with 12 debutants, so needless to say of lot of excitement and nervous energy filled the changeroom. This energy was put to great use in the first quarter when West Perth jumped out of the blocks and commanded the possession count.
 
Sarah Henderson’s experience and height in the ruck and Kayla van den Heever’s strength in the contest gave the West Perth midfield first use and allowed them to lead the clearances, which also allowed them to control territory with multiple inside 50’s, the reward for the consistent entries came midway through when Tia Smith swung around a pack to kick truly.
 
Kayla, one of the 12 in her first game, picked up the tempo of Rogers Cup footy very quickly and played a pivotal role in the early dominance for the Falcons, but a devasting blow came when an unfortunate tackle when wrong and Kayla was forced from the field with what looked to be a season ending wrist injury. Indianna Servaas finished off the quarter by jumping on to a loose ball to kick the Falcons second and take that lead into the first break 2.0 (12) to 0.0 (0)
 
The second quarter while uneventful on the scoreboard was highlighted by the sheer pressure that the Falcons were putting on East Perth, Jess Roper certainly wasn’t letting size or age be a barrier with her ferocious attack on the ball or ball carrier and this was followed up by all the falcons who were definitely hunting in numbers. By halftime the Royals had only managed a solitary behind.
 
The second half required a more determined effort and none better than Leuk Nelson-Marsden, whose four-quarter performance earned her Best on Ground accolades, one special moment was a deft tap on from the bottom of the pack which resulted in the second goal.
 
Any time that East Perth looked like breaking forward they ran into a determined backline of Karla Stagg and Liliana Grassenis who relentlessly halted any drive and again kept the Royals to a solitary point, while Jeevna Heer managed to add another goal to give the Falcons a 19 point lead into the last quarter. 3.3 (21) to 0.2 (2).
 
The last was about being able to hold nerve and guts it out, with East Perth going to the end where all the scoring had taken place it was going to take the Falcons all they had to ensure the win and East Perth certainly did all the attacking. The backline lead by Natalie Bennett and Chelsea Mills-Campbell were able to foil all but one attempt at goal resulting in a 7-point win for West Perth.
Final Score 3.3 (21) to 1.8 (14).