The Southern Saints have suffered their first loss since Round 1, succumbing to Hawthorn by 33 points in wet weather at Box Hill City Oval on Sunday afternoon.
It was a scrappy day out that saw both sides control periods of play throughout the match. But with equal scoring shots on goal by three-quarter time, it was Hawthorn who had proved more effective in front of goal.
Trailing by 15 points at the last break, the Saints were unable to turn the game on its head, with the Hawks adding two more to run out 33-point winners on their home deck.
READ: Bruised Saints fight back
Saints head coach Peta Searle said she could not fault the players’ effort but believes that coming up against a bigger-bodied Hawthorn side proved difficult for her young squad.
“I think we got intimidated a little bit. We need to still hold
The home side drew first blood when Emily Gilder slotted a goal midway through the opening term, and with the Hawks playing AFLW midfielder Melissa Kuys as an extra in defence, it proved a difficult task for the Saints forward line to make their opportunities count early.
With Hawthorn able to hold the ball in their forward half for most of the second quarter, the Saints defence, led by Leah Olsen and Meg MacDonald, were admirable in holding them back for much of the term.
READ: McKenzie leads late surge
But
The Saints responded through Kate Macqueen, who kicked the Saints’ first goal in the third minute of the third term. But the joy was short-lived as Hawthorn vice-captain Tamara Luke slotted one down the other end a minute later.
The Saints successfully held control of play for the remainder of the term but failed to take their chances, kicking 1.4 for the quarter.
Trailing Hawthorn at the last change, the Saints needed to implement a winning strategy, but the Hawks proved too strong.
Olivia Flanagan capped the game for the home side when she soccered through a goal with less than three minutes remaining.
In a touching tribute, both teams gathered arm-in-arm in the centre circle for a minute’s silence after the final siren to pay their respects to the recently-deceased Eurydice Dixon.
— Southern Saints VFLW (@stkildafcw) June 17, 2018
Searle said there were plenty of positives to take out of the game.
“If you want to talk about game possession, it was probably 50/50 right up to the 10-minute mark of the third quarter. We were certainly able to hold our own and go back at [Hawthorn] for periods of time,” the head coach said.
“Hawthorn played their way and we couldn’t force them into a slow play. There was too much
“There were five or six minor things that added up to the scoreboard being the way it was. But they are all things we can improve on quickly.”
Searle also praised Tayla Gordon in her first game for the Saints, with the left-footer showing promise on the wing.
Another new face in the red, white and black was AFLW player Lauren Arnell, who joins the Southern Saints for the remainder of the
Become a member of the Southern Saints
Searle said it was an easy decision to have Arnell come to the club.
“I coached Loz for about eight years at the Darebin Falcons. As soon as she got traded to Brisbane, it was pretty straightforward for us,” she said.
“She gives us a bit of leadership, and you always feel a bit safer when you can swing her behind the ball.
“Our list is so young in terms of games played, so it was really important to have Lauren’s experience. And her knowledge is outstanding as well; it’s almost like having a coach on the ground.”
The Southern Saints face another tough assignment this Saturday when they host the undefeated NT Thunder at SkyBus Stadium.
SOUTHERN SAINTS 0.2.2 0.2.2 1.6.12 1.6.12
HAWTHORN 1.0.6 3.3.21 4.3.27 6.9.45
GOALS K. Macqueen
BEST G. Walker, L. Olsen, R. Watts, M. Macdonald, A. Allsopp, A. Brown
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Southern Saints vs NT Thunder
