VIC METRO has defended its Youth Girls’ National Championship title in emphatic fashion, holding Western Australia scoreless to run out 95-point winners.
The only two sides to have won the competition faced each other at the MCG in a curtain-raiser to the Richmond-Hawthorn match on Friday night.
Despite a scoreless opening nine minutes, Metro set the tone early through a combination of strong pressure and constant entries inside its forward 50.
Captain Katherine Smith was rewarded for her hard work inside 50 by kicking the first goal, and Metro was 19 points ahead at quarter-time.
Hard running from West Australian midfielders Courtney Hodder and Maddison Ugle in the second quarter wasn’t enough to get their team on the scoreboard.
By contrast, Metro’s Isabel Huntington ran rampant, kicking four second-quarter goals and taking several strong contested marks.
Her fourth set the ground alight – regaining her feet after a trip in the centre square, she outran two defenders, scooped the ball up one-handed, dodged around an opponent and kicked truly for an excellent goal.
Western Australia lifted its intensity in the third quarter, constantly tackling and harassing their opponents, but still remained scoreless.
Rachel Adams was calm in defence, thwarting several shots at goal and setting up teammates further up the ground, but at the last change Vic Metro was 69 points ahead.
Western Australia slowed the play down in the last quarter and had its highest number of forward 50 entries, but the Vic Metro defence remained resolute.
Vic Metro 3.1 8.2 10.9 14.11 (95)
Western Australia 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 (0)
Goals
Vic Metro: Huntington 5, Hayes 3, Struylaart 3, Prespakis 2, Smith
Western Australia: Nil
Best
Vic Metro: Smith, Huntington, Prespakis, Ripari, Struylaart, Vesely
Western Australia: Hodder, Ashley, Ugle, McGuire
