17th August, 2025
Lenny Roberts
Double delight as girls and boys both take home four points
After a bit of a break – we returned to action over in Ballarat where both teams took on the GWV Rebels for rounds seventeen and eighteen respectively.
With all representative and school football over for the year, we fielded some strong sides.
The girls match got underway at 11am.
A rundown tackle by Makhaela Bluhm in the goal square was an early highlight, unfortunately her kick at goal was across the face.
Dandenong held the territory in the opening minutes and eventually got on the board through Jasmine Whitten who goaled in the sixth minute after another great tackle.
We continued to pepper the scoreboard but only behinds.
Evelyn Connolly snuck out the back to kick our second and open up a nice lead.
Fresh off an All-Australian selection, Mizuki Brothwell was strong behind the ball.
The Rebels fought back some momentum in the latter stages of the quarter.
Still, it was a fourteen-point lead for the Rays after one term.
Both Matilda Argus and Nikita Harris were influential through the middle, bringing the heat and finding the ball.
More inside-50s came for us but we were unable to capitalise on anything thanks to some good defense by GWV.
And they eventually found their first major soon after.
We hit back almost immediately through Charlotte Gilmore who strolled in on the run for a goal in the ninth minute.
Nalu Brothwell got involved in the goals department, finishing from the boundary after some great hands by Whitten.
The home side would then put on the next two to trim the margin under ten points going into the main break.
Kiara Triep got us going in the third, finding some space near goals to go back and kick a major in the fourth minute.
The ball was then played between the arcs for the next ten minutes with no team able to break through.
Gilmore was good all day, finishing with 18 disposals and five tackles.
Marlee Black delivered a lace out kick to Connolly, who put through our sixth in the fifteenth minute.
A perfectly-executed tackle by Alice Cunnington set up Georgia Goss for a set shot, unfortunately a near miss.
But just minutes later, she found the big sticks after GWV put through one of their own moments before.
After three quarters, the Rays led by twenty-six points.
It was a stalemate last term with just one goal coming in the quarter.
The girls continued to fight and play hard to eventually hold on and win 8.10 (58) to 4.4 (28).
With Bluhm kicking that sole goal right before the final siren.
Argus led the way with 24 disposals, while Mizuki Brothwell (21), Cunnington (21), and Snow (20) were other great contributors.
A season-best 20 touches for Evi Irving too, who played more behind the ball in this game.
Bluhm (17 disposals, eight tackles) and Molly Reimers (17 disposals, seven tackles) had great games as well.
The final home-and-away game for the girls sees them return home to Shepley Oval next Saturday to take on the Gippsland Power.
Shortly after the conclusion of the girls, the boys match got underway.
Darcy Szerszyn started well, intercepting and rebounding well off the backline.
A great smother and follow up from Lochie Commons saw him draw first blood in the seventh minute.
On return, Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves registered the next clearance before getting forward and marking inside-fifty. He went back and slotted the kick to make it two in quick succession.
Our back six defended brilliantly in the opening term, restricting GWV to no major score.
Tyson Anic looked threatening around goals and helped set up opportunities for us.
A couple of behinds to Callum Smith came before the siren sounded to end the first quarter.
We led by thirteen points after one term.
Jack Lawrence found Hibbins-Hargreaves in some space who went back and added another for his second of the game in the third minute.
Then, some good build up from the far wing saw Tairon Ah-Mu out-muscle his opponent and hit the scoreboard for his first.
The Rebels hit back a few minutes later to halt some of the momentum.
Ah-Mu loomed dangerous again.
But it was GWV who would put on the next two majors to cut the margin under ten points.
Our co-captain, Hibbins-Hargreaves answered soon after, nailing a set shot for his third.
Sam Lewis was one who had a strong game, hunting the ball in the midfield.
Another to the home side before Lawrence marked inside-fifty and converted for Dandenong’s sixth.
Going into the main break, it was the Rays by thirteen points.
Marcus Prasad was injected into the midfield to start the third, hoping to give us some spark through the middle.
It was the Rebels who troubled the scorers first in the second half, trimming the margin again.
But the boys dug deep and would put on the next five to blow open the game.
Ah-Mu kickstarted that run with a strong mark and conversion before Oscar Lonie got involved in the tenth minute, bobbing up for a goal from close range.
Next, it was Lewis (20 disposals) who burst through a forward-fifty stoppage and finished on the right.
Hibbins-Hargreaves added his fourth while Jackson Phillips floated forward to kick one and give us a handy forty-one-point advantage at three-quarter-time.
GWV scored first in the last but we responded immediately through JayDe Varlet, who was among the best on the day.
The home side managed three more majors for the rest of the game while we kicked six more, a free-flowing last term.
Smith added another, Mitch Toner got one, while Commons, Phillips, and Varlet all kicked their second. And to cap it off, Hibbins-Hargreaves nailed his five of the day right on the final siren.
In the end we ran out 18.10 (118) to 9.5 (59) winners.
A convincing victory with twenty-four more inside-50s.
Hibbins-Hargreaves starred with 29 disposals while Smith collected 27 of his own.
Ah-Mu recorded 20 touches to go along with ten marks in a dominant performance.
Like the girls, the boys will head back home for the final game of the home-and-away season to take on the Gippsland Power at Shepley Oval next Saturday.
Dandenong Southern Stingrays 