Albany all but secure finals place in GSFLW, Royals make it six straight and Tigers record big victory

Albany appear set to play finals in the Great Southern Football League Women’s competition after a fifth win of the season on Friday night. The Sharks have an impressive win-loss record of 5-1 after six rounds of the 2023 campaign and sit 16 points clear of fifth-placed Mt Barker. Royals have already booked a top-four spot after six straight wins this season and the Sharks will need to lose their remaining four home-and-away games in convincing fashion if they are to miss the finals. At Collingwood Park in round six the Sharks were too strong for North Albany, running out 20-point winners. A terrific opening half set the tone for the visitors as they led by 21 points at half-time, with Alethea Ball and Amarlie Weinert impressive in attack. The Sharks had the only three goals of the first half and they extended their buffer to 28 points by three-quarter time. Despite a strong challenge from the Kangas, who won the final term, it was the Sharks who prevailed 5.6 (36) to 2.4 (16). Hayley Williamson and Emma Walker provided great drive for the Sharks in the triumph, while Ball and Weinert each kicked two goals. Sian Lucas also kicked a major while Emma Gooderson and Abbigail-Louise Ballard were named in the best players. The Kangas were held to two points for three quarters but got reward for effort in the final term as two goals from rising star Mabel Markey broke the drought. Pippa Wilson, Christina Gill, Lucy Barnett and Nicola Boland were the best performers for the home side. In the second match at Collingwood Park, Railways kept their top-two hopes alive with a big victory over Denmark-Walpole. The Tigers are only one game behind the second-placed Sharks after a crushing 30-point win. A four-goal first-quarter blitz set up the 7.8 (50) to 3.2 (20) win for the Tigers, with midfielder Laura Cinanni kicking two majors. The winners were best served by Ksharna Coyne, Stefanie Boyle, Abigail Livingstone (one goal) and Amy Kennedy. The Magpies could manage only one goal in the first three quarters and added some respectability in the last stanza but they fell to a fourth loss of the season. Laura Webster was superb for the Magpies while teammates Stephanie Dunlop and Isobelle Venn toiled hard and captain Sophie Coates won plenty of the ball. An inaccurate Lions outfit made it six wins on the trot, downing Mt Barker at Sounness Park in the other round six fixture. At half-time the Lions had 2.8 on the board and they managed only five behinds after that but still won by 18 points. Gracie Gibson and Hayley Ashboth were the goal kickers for the winners, while teammates Shennolah Kungah-Gibson, Paige Ogden and Nardia Humphries played key roles. The Bulls started ferociously and led at quarter-time in an encouraging sign but they eventually went down 2.13 (25) to 1.1 (7). Ella Higgins, Jolene Olde, Libby Morris and Rachel Adams were the Bulls’ best and Mikayla Balloch kicked their goal.