Great Southern Football League women’s side place fourth at Nutrien Ag Solutions Country Championships

The Great Southern Football League finished last in division one of the women’s competition at the Nutrien Ag Solutions Country Football Championships at the weekend. A 53-point loss in the third-place playoff against Great Northern on Friday quelled their hopes of finishing the carnival in winning fashion. Great Southern lost their opening match of the campaign at Lane Group Stadium on Thursday by 36 points to Great Northern. Four unanswered goals to Great Northern in the first half put the Great Southern side on the back foot before three goals in the second period ensured they slumped to a 1.2 (8) to 7.2 (44) loss. Captain Tiarna Delli-Benedetti, Emma Henderson, Laura Cinanni and Kathryn Slattery all shone in a losing affair while Gracie Gibson snagged the only goal. In the later game on Thursday, Kimberley eased past the Great Southern with a 46-point victory. The Great Southern were kept scoreless in the 0.0 (0) to 7.4 (46) loss with Samantha Waltho, Kimberley Williams, Maggie Smit and Sophie Coates among the better players in a losing side. Slattery, Coates, Cinanni and Abbigail-Louise Ballard performed well in their third and final qualifying game but the Great Southern ultimately fell to a 46-point defeat, failing to score as South West powered to a 7.4 (46) to nil result. That set up a third-place playoff with Great Northern on Friday, the Great Southern going down 1.1 (7) to 9.6 (60) in that contest. Megan Green, Williams, Sian Lucas and Leah Field (one goal) all stood out in a disappointing finish to their campaign. Great Southern coach Collin Pass said it was a tough campaign. “It was a great experience, we’ve had a lot of youth come up with us so they have got to see what we’re aiming for and what we’re aiming to achieve,” Pass said. “Obviously we were a bit off the eight-ball this year coming up against some really good competition. “I think some of the teams played a better brand of football to us. “It probably doesn’t help that we’re six months out of our season and they are just coming out of theirs. “Tiarna (Delli-Benedetti) really enjoyed the captain role, she’s a really positive and energetic person which is great for the energy around the group. “Sian (Lucas) and Sophie (Coates) are natural leaders in their own right and Sophie was a stalwart down in defence. “Kathryn Slattery was great coming back from a year off with surgery and all of the young ones had good performances as well.”