By JARROD POTTER
VWFL DIVISION 1 – ROUND 18
EVERY foreseeable problem had confronted Cranbourne on Sunday, but the VWFL Eagles pushed through the pain to claim arguably the best win in its history.
The Eagles were down to 17 on the field – after a player was red-carded through the second term.
They were down to one fit player left on the bench for most of the second half after injury also dug in to the line-up.
Cranbourne was down by 19 at the last change and playing the second-ranked VWFL Division 1 side all the way down in Geelong.
But none of these roadblocks could stop the Eagles from continuing their amazing winning streak.
It boiled down to two words that have defined their 2015 journey thus far.
“Ruthless”. “Relentless”.
The fourth quarter belonged to Cranbourne – stoppages, clearances, marks and most important – four crucial goals to put the side ahead in the dying seconds.
Kirsten Mcleod opened the accounts before Steph Binder slotted the second, leaving the side down by 10.
Stepping up as she always has this season, unbelievably her VWFL debut year, Hayley Wildes (two goals) unloaded with an absolute bomb.
How else could you describe a kick from the 50-metre line that sailed through the posts and then some?
Her kick left Cranbourne a point behind, before the side scrambled to draw level.
Ash Fennell unloaded with a chaos-ball to the goal-line – unfazed by which side of the sticks it went through – to push the Eagles ahead before a tense three minutes had to unfold.
Stoppage by stoppage Cranbourne eked the seconds off the clock.
But eventually the Eagles emerged with the one-point win – its 13th in a row – leaving the coach extremely pleased with his side’s ability to stick it out and battle through all challenges.
“That was unbelievable,” Cranbourne coach Kris Smith said. “I didn’t really get nervous but I tried to instil a belief into the girls this year.
“Doesn’t matter what happens or where we are, we can win the game. If we stick to the processes and structures then we’re tough to beat.
“We used the words Ruthless and Relentless – got to be stronger, harder for longer, got to be relentless on our attack in the final term.”
The fitness base that has seen Cranbourne run over the top of both the Magpies and Tigers – finals challengers for the crown the Eagles seek – showed Smith the hard yards in pre-season training and on the track have paid off.
Wildes, Danielle Hardiman, Tess McEvoy, Cara Moody and Bianca Jakobsson continued to put their hands up in the best while Tamara Tomamichael continues to rapidly improve in her limited time in the Division 1 side.
“They were dominant in the first half, but we chipped away and maintained composure in the second half … and fitness played a key – we’ve got a really good fitness base,” Smith said.
“Against Seaford and Geelong, we’ve shown in the last quarters we can go the four quarter effort and these matches mirrored each other – up against the wall three quarter time- and steamrolled them by the end.”
The Eagles – VWFL Division 1’s minor premiers – face Seaford in a qualifying final on Saturday from 3pm at Shepley Oval.
Even with its impressive 16-1-1 record and the way his side has stormed into the finals – knocking off Seaford and North Geelong in a three-week window – Smith isn’t pretending that his side is unbeatable.
“There is no favourite in this league,” Smith said.
“Anyone of those three sides can win it – no underdogs and no favourites – all sides are capable of going the distance.
“I’ve seen our girls and the other two up close over the last three weeks and they’re all fantastic, so we’ll be up against it again this week, Seaford is a quality team and at full strength.”
Also importantly – showing the mindset of the Eagles heading into their maiden Division 1 finals campaign – the minor premiership is just that … minor.
“It’s nice to tick off, but in reality you don’t get anything for it,” Smith said.
“There’s no cup, no medal, just a nice little tag – the ultimate glory is what we’re after.
“We’ve made the finals and put ourselves in the best position possible – but getting to the grand final, that’s what the next two weeks are about.”
