Tara Murray
It was heartbreak for Caroline Springs as its premiership dreams ended by the barest of margins in the Western Region Football League division women’s grand final on Sunday night.
Facing Spotswood in the final game of the year for a third straight year, the Lakers went into this one as the underdogs.
The two teams had one premiership each from their previous two battles.
The Wolves had finished top of the ladder this year, while the Lakers had finished third and had to come through a preliminary final.
On Sunday night, the two teams put on an absolute thriller. It was hard contested football, with neither team giving an inch.
The Wolves led by one point at quarter time, then the Lakers led by the same margin at half time.
Two goals to one in the third quarter gave the Wolves a five point lead heading into the final quarter.
The Lakers kicked the first goal of the final quarter to lead by one point.
The Wolves levelled the scores and then managed to get an all important behind to take the front.
It was a nervous last few minutes with the Wolves having a number of repeat inside 50s.
The Lakers managed to get it forward in the last minute and got the ball right to the goal line. The siren would go with the ball deep in the Lakers forward line.
The Wolves had done enough to wipe away the disappointment of last year’s grand final loss, with a 5.5 (35)-5.4 (34) win.
Lakers coach Alex O’Shea said they threw everything at Spotswood.
“It was a great game of footy, it went down to the wire,” she said. “Congratulations to Spotswood, very well deserved.
“They were the best team all year and top of the ladder and they have fought just as hard as we have.
“I’m just extremely proud of my girls and the way that they fought for four quarters and played our style of footy.
“I told them to have your head up high, we may not have won today [Sunday] but I felt like we were true winners throughout the season in our team environment, you can not ask for more.”
O’Shea said the message was to play their game and give it everything that they had.
She said they did that but weren’t quite able to do the job.
“When it’s your moment, take your moment, take your chance and I felt like our girls really did that today, we took it to the now premiers,” she said.
O’Shea said the final few minutes the game could have gone either way. She said it was hard being ahead and trying to defend the lead and then switch to trying to win the game.
The Lakers kept winning the ball in their defensive 50, but struggled to get it in their half of the ground with Spotswood having set up a wall.
“They won, well deserving winners and our girls fought right to the end, I couldn’t ask for more,” she said.
“You never know how long is left, the crowd was getting involved .You know move on for next year.
“I told everyone we’re back for another next year and we’ll see how we go.”
Shekeine De Satge kicked two goals for the Lakers, while Kyah Tessari, De Satge and Nikki Perrett named their best.
The grand final was the Lakers fourth in a row and their fourth in five completed seasons since having a senior women’s team.
O’Shea said their female program was one that the club was proud of.
“Caroline Springs Football Club really values the women’s’ program at our club,” she said
“We’re always willing to promote the juniors and work with the juniors between the junior and senior women’s program.
“We’re very proud of that and we’ve worked hard with the committee and also those involved just to be a trail blazer in women’s footy in the WRFL.
“It’s something we are very proud of and excited about for the future.”
In the division 2 women’s grand final, West Footscray beat Wyndhamvale, 6.7 (43)-6.5 (41).
The Roosters led all day and had to hold on as the Falcons came home hard in the final quarter.
