7th June, 2025 – Lenny Roberts
Girls win on the road.
Coming off a close loss at home the week prior, the girls got back on the winner’s list with a commanding seventy-one-point victory over the Pioneers at Queen Elizabeth Oval.
Round nine for the girls saw them travel up the highway to take on Bendigo.
There were three new faces in the side with Frankie Shepard, Rhianna Pool and Stella Fordyce-Burke all debuting.
It was a blistering opening term for Dandenong, booting six goals to no score to set up a handy buffer.
Alice Cunnington got involved almost immediately, kicking a behind with the first entry of the game before finding space again and slotting a goal on the run in the second minute.
Bendigo managed to wrestle back some of the play before Lily Snow received a free kick inside-fifty, went back and kicked truly for a major.
Shortly after, Phoebe Pearce got on the end of a scramble kick to give Dandenong their third.
A brilliant assist from Ruby Geurts to Cunnington in the fourteenth minute saw her boot her second of the term.
Kiara Triep then got in on the action by wheeling around on her right and kicking one.
Another from Cunnington, who was tearing apart the game, her third of the term, and the Rays’ six,
It was more of the same to start the second with Snow getting on the scoreboard again after finishing from close range.
That was immediately followed by an impressive goal on the run by Jasmine Whitten, bursting away from her opponent in the forward-fifty.
Scarlett Marsh was elite down back, making a couple of nice efforts in the defensive half.
The home side fought back making the middle parts of the quarter a real battle.
Triep showcased some great running power to make repeat efforts while Molly Reimers was also involved across the ground.
Bendigo found their first in the seventeenth minute after some strong link up play.
A late behind from the visitors was the final score of the half with us going into the break forty-eight points ahead.
There was a shuffle of the magnets in the midfield to start the third. With some new faces getting some opportunity in the guts.
Cunnington added another major of her own just four minutes into the quarter.
Not only was the attack scintillating, the Rays’ defence was unbreakable despite some strong Pioneers attack.
Again, it was Triep who turned lively around goal, slotting one more before Bendigo found their second halfway through the term.
Just before the three-quarter-time siren, Cunnington dribbled home one from the pocket for her fifth.
She found her sixth goal of her day early on in the last, before unselfishly handing it off to Triep in the goal square for her third.
Cunnington hauled in eight marks in company with her six majors from 16 disposals.
Reward came for the Pioneers in the last ten minutes with two majors being kicked in quick succession.
Jasmine Stephenson kicked her first goal of the season after slotting a set shot.
The fifteenth goal for the Rays’ came on the siren through Black putting the cherry on top of what was a great display of football for the yellow & black.
15.7 (97) to 4.2 (26) was the final scoreline.
The girls laid an impressive seventy-two tackles for the match.
Black led the way for touches with 19, alongside Nikita Harris.
The girls next match is against the Oakleigh Chargers on Saturday, headlining a doubleheader with the boys match following.
Dandenong Southern Stingrays 