Southport travelled to Brisbane on Saturday to take on the Wilston Grange Gorillas at the home of Coorparoo AFC at Giffin Park for QAFLW Pride Round.
Seniors
In the Seniors, the Sharks defeated the Gorillas by 14 points.
Southport trailed at three quarter time but finished strongly to win 6.9 (45) to 5.1 (31).
It was a tough start to the game with neither team able to get ascendency.
Southport kicked the first goal of the game through Hannah Davies halfway through the opening quarter.
Wilston Grange kicked a goal extremely late in the quarter to only trail by 2 points at quarter time.
Two minutes into the second quarter the Gorillas kicked their second goal of the game to take the lead off the Sharks.
Ten minutes later Hannah Davies kicked her second goal of the game to take the lead back for the Sharks.
As they did in the second quarter, the Gorillas kicked a goal early in the third quarter to take back the lead again.
This time though they kicked another goal within a minute to lead by eight points.
The Sharks cut the lead back to two points with a goal to Caitlin Wendland midway through the quarter before the Gorillas kicked their third goal of the quarter a few minutes later.
Trailing by seven points at three quarter time, the Sharks cut the margin back to a point a minute into the last quarter thanks to a Rianna Schipp set shot at goal.
The Sharks then hit the lead midway through the last quarter after a quality goal from Steph O’Brien.
Breward then put the nail in the coffin late in the quarter with a set shot to help the Sharks win their 11th game of the year.
Kristi Harvey was the pick of the Sharks with her ability to take intercept marks and gain territory both forward and in defence.
Fellow South Australian Caitlin Wendland was sensational in the midfield with 15 contested possessions and eight clearances.
Steph O’Brien continued her great form with another 26 disposals, and Lilly Pearce was dominant in the ruck with 51 hit outs.
After the game, Peter Doherty said, “Credit to Wilston Grange, they really challenged us, but I am really proud of the girls to finish the game well and go home victors.”
“There are going to be times in the finals when things aren’t going our way, and we need to wrestle back momentum like we did today.”
“We will learn a lot from today’s game, and we look forward to finishing the home and away season well before we head into finals.”
The Sharks who sit on top of the QAFLW Seniors ladder, have two more games of the home and away season, which will both be played at Fankhauser Reserve.
This week, Southport’s Seniors play Coorparoo on Saturday at 2pm.
WILSTON GRANGE GORILLAS 1.1 2.1 5.1 5.1 (31)SOUTHPORT SHARKS 1.3 2.5 3.6 6.9 (45)
Goal Kickers: Hannah Davies 2, Rianna Schipp, Steph O’Brien, Caitlin Wendland, Georgia Breward
Best Players: Kristi Harvey, Caitlin Wendland, Lilly Pearce, Stephanie O’Brien, Alessia Smythe, Maddy Baldwin
Click here for QAFLW Seniors’ fixtures, results and ladders
Click here for Southport’s Football Home Page
Reserves
In the Reserves, the Sharks defeated the Gorillas by 111 points.
Kaitlin Mercer kicked nine goals in the Sharks 17.11 (113) to 0.2 (2) victory.
The Sharks got off to a great start kicking five goals to zero in the first quarter.
Then in the second quarter they kicked a further three goals to lead by 48 points at half time.
In the third quarter, the Sharks kept their foot on the pedal, piling on another six goals and in the last quarter they extended the lead to over 100 points.
Southport Coach Mal Smith said, “It was a great team win, and I’m really proud of the girls.
“Of course, Caitlin was the headline with 9 goals, which was an amazing achievement, but I thought everyone played their roles.”
“The most pleasing thing is we played how we wanted to for four quarters.”
This week, the Reserves play Coorparoo on Saturday at 12pm at Fankhauser Reserve.
WILSTON GRANGE GORILLAS 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.2 (2)SOUTHPORT SHARKS 5.1 8.3 14.6 17.11 (113)
Goal Kickers: Kaitlin Mercer 9, Grace Parkinson 2, Matisse Hunter 2, Sarah Ingram 2, Victoria Winstanley, Indira Maradani
Best Players: Kaitlin Mercer, Serina Balanda, Sarah Ingram, Grace Parkinson
Click here for QAFLW Reserves’ fixtures, results and ladders