By Mathew Asciak
Two established Lions will make their first appearance in the Seniors for 2023, with Claire Cashman returning to the line-up after suffering an injury in preseason and Tara Chetcuti has earned her first call up after putting in some great performances in the Development side.
Chetcuti has been an important figure of the back six for the Development team in 2023, featuring in each of their 5 matches, four of which have been victories. Making way for Chetcuti is back flanker, Julia McArdle, who will feature in the Development team fixture.
Key defender Cat O’Bryan will be unavailable for selection this week, while Steph Filbay returns to the Senior team in place of Jemma Laffey.
Malayla Rodezno will assume the key ruck role for the Development team and the final inclusion for the Development team is Lisa Anderson who re-joins the fold.
Match Preview:
A resilient display in the 2nd half of the Seniors clash against Kew was not enough to overcome the 6-goal deficit at half-time.
Tayla Dinuccio (9 disposals, 7 tackles, 7 clearances, 1 goal)was a bright spark for the Lions across the four quarters, her exemplary work rate was rewarded with a well-deserved goal in the 3rd term, a term that saw the Lions keep Kew scoreless.
Time in forward half and clearances were the primary barrier towards succuss against Kew, it will be an area of the game the Lions will look to amend for the round 7 clash. Lauren Collis (7 disposals, 6 tackles, 1 clearance) continues her rich vein of form in 2023, securing best afield honours for the 2nd week running.
Regina Said (11 disposals, 6 tackles, 1 mark) was the primary ball winner for the Lions, constantly offering a forward option, especially in the 2nd half when the Lions established forward half territory.
The Grammarians Senior team are also looking to return to the winners’ list, as they are in a winless streak of their own with two weeks without a win. Their round 6 clash against West Brunswick was a tight affair, with the margin only the Grammarians just 10 points adrift at three-quarter time but would not be able to hit the scoreboard with any majors in the final term, going down by 11 points.
Chloe O’Malley has been a consistent goal threat throughout the season, kicking a major in all six matches.
The Development team returned to the winners’ list against Kew, continuing their strong debut season in the VAFA Reserves. Despite playing one game less than this week’s opponents, the Lions sit in 3rd position with 4 wins from 5, with a superior percentage over the Grammarians who sit in 4th.
A strong defensive effort by the Lions in the fourth term stifled a resurgent Kew who threatened to overrun the Lions in the closing minutes. Defensive pair Soma Griffin and Chloe Catalano were immense in the following exchanges, with multiple defensive efforts that preventing certain goals.
Lily Primerano was a standout for Coburg in midfield, showing a clean pair of hands in tricky damp, slippery conditions. Her repeat efforts, tackling pressure and attack on the ball in the final term did not unnoticed by the coaches, earning best afield for her performance.
Seniors:
IN: Cashman, Chetcuti, Stepan, Filbay
OUT: McArdle, Rodezno, O’Bryan, Laffey
Development:
IN: McArdle, Laffey, Rodezno, Anderson
OUT: Chetcuti
Team Line-ups:
Seniors:
B 30 DACIA ABELA 12 AMY MITCHENER 4 LAILA ZAYAT
HB 10 AMY DUGUID 46 KIANA MINCHIN 36 MICHELLE SLIWINSKI
C 9 LAUREN COLLIS 45 CLAIRE CASHMAN 23 SHERIDAN BENNETT
HF 19 GEORGIA SAMPSON 6 REGINA SAID 1 HAYLEY BABER
F 29 STEPH FILBAY 58 ELSA MANGAN 65 TAYLA DINUCCIO
R 39 TASH PHIPPS 41 KAYLA KOROPECKYJ 5 MORGAN MCNALLY
INT 33 TARA CHECUTI 67 TEAH STEPAN 11 ISABELLA HAYES 15 MIA D’AGOSTINO
EMG 38 ABIGAIL ADAMS 68 CHLOE PERRETT 27 JEMMA LAFFEY
Development:
B 35 SOMA GRIFFIN 7 DJ UMAKI 38 ABIGAIL ADAMS
HB 71 JEN SMITH 28 LISA HALFPENNY 24 JULIA MCARDLE
C 68 CHLOE PERRETT 31 LILY PRIMERANO 34 TAYLAN MERRICK
HF 37 LOUISA CAVANAGH 16 JACQUI BROMILOW 21 EMILY BALABUROV
F 48 CHLOE CATALANO 14 MIKAYLA KOTAS 27 JEMMA LAFFEY
R 56 MALAYA RODEZNO 13 NATALIE TODARO 18 ALANA WENBAN
INT 52 LISA ANDERSON
Match Details:
Round 7 | William Buck Premier Women’s | Premier Women’s Reserves
Coburg Lions vs Caufield Grammarians
Piranha Park
Saturday 27th May, 11:40am (Reserves 9:40am)
*Coburg teams are subject to VFLW and Top Up player availability
#WeAreCoburg #LionMode
