The Ulladulla Dockers women’s team took to Dockerlands stadium on Saturday for the final time in 2018, with a big crowd on hand to cheer the girls on. There was a real buzz about the crowd with plenty of old legends and supporters on hand for the past players and family day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Their opponents were the Northern Districts Tigers who came into the game high on confidence on the back of three straight wins. Despite this the girls in purple started well, getting the first forward 50 of the game and looking likely.
The new look midfield were definitely giving the Tigers some headaches early. Fresh from a four-week training camp in South Australia, Cian Maciejewski was at her damaging best, winning plenty of footy while providing plenty of run through the middle. The Tigers started to find their rhythm and posted one major for the quarter, which could easily have been more if not for the skilful intercept marking of skipper Leigha Clough. Northern Districts were up 7-nil at the first break.
The second quarter was probably the worst for the Ulladulla side, with the breeze at their backs the Tigers dominated field possession, heaping pressure on the Dockers and keeping the ball locked in their attacking 50 for long periods of time. There was a glimmer of hope when Kelly ‘Buddy’ Clough earned herself a set shot from about 30m out. A hush fell over the crowd as she went through the goal kicking routine she practises every Tuesday and Thursday for hours on end.
She hit the shot sweetly and the crowd began to roar before a freak gust of wind saw it fall just short. The halftime siren sounded shortly after, Dockettes down 22 zip. The coaching staff called for more numbers to the contest, harder leads and smarter use of the footy through traffic and the girls certainly delivered.
Tiarna Grzona provided a strong target up front, finishing off a great team goal that started with a great contested mark by Jess Andriske on the halfback line. Shannon Lloyd also got in on the action, ignoring the pain of a couple of broken ribs from four weeks earlier to add a goal of her own. Further afield Taylah was doing her best to take a few speccies in defence, while Nicole ‘energiser bunny’ Neil and Shannon ‘killer Caterpillar’ Bradley made sure that the ball was never too far from the Dockers 50, swooping and any loose footy and smashing a few tigers players in the process.
The Dockers looking like they might be poised for a comeback down 34-12 at the final change. The Tigers ran away with it in the 4th quarter but the Dockers had their chances. Cian was unlucky not to add a goal of her own, busting a few tackles and getting a shot away that bounced at a right angle on the goal line. The Tigers added 3 goals for the final quarter but were made to earn every one of them by Jodie, Jess, Ash and Leigha in the backline. The final score Tigers 52 Dockers 13.
It was a shame the Dockers couldn’t go out with a win but as always they gave a great account of themselves and never gave up. The girls finished the year 7th, missing out on finals by two spots. Injuries and player relocations made the second half of the year a bit of a battle, but the enthusiasm and positivity of the playing group has always meant that Saturdays have always been something to look forward to for the coaching staff.
The team had a continual stream of new players showing up to training through the year, which is always a sign that we’re on the right track. The whole club is incredibly proud of the Dockers women’s side and look forward to even bigger and better things in 2019. Thanks to our terrific support staff through the year from Steve and Andrea in the canteen, Steelo, Mike, Tim, Noel and Rob who keep the running at home games, JD for all his help with training and to the world’s best water runner Annette Dyball, who was dedicated the whole year through, we couldn’t have got through the season without you!
