Tara Murray
The hard work paid off for Point Cook Centrals as they won the Western Region Football League women’s division 2 premiership.
The top side all season, the Sharks showed why they had only lost one game for the season, beating Caroline Springs, 9.8 (62)-4.1 (25) on Saturday.
Sharks coach Leanne Meyer said on Sunday it was pretty surreal to have claimed the title after so many ups and downs through the year.
“You don’t have much control when the players are on the field,” she said. “Everything has built up to that moment throughout the year.
“You’re relying on effort, I’m absolutely proud of them, they deserve this after putting in so much effort.”
The last time the Sharks faced the Lakers, in the final round of the regular season, the Lakers caused the Sharks only loss of the year.
It was the loss they needed to have according to Meyer.
“We didn’t show up on that particular day and we didn’t play our brand of football,” she said.
“A lot of the senior women said after the game we don’t want to feel like that again with such passion.
“We then didn’t lose again.”
The Sharks did all the attacking in the first quarter, but only had six behinds to show from it. Meyer said it was just about settling down and focusing on their processes.
“They were a bit nervous,” she said. “Caroline Springs were defending well too, but we weren’t centering the ball we were just kicking and hoping.
“It was a bit of panic stations. Once we got them settled and played our style of footy, hard and contested footy, it was game on.
“I told them to focus on doing their best and not the outcome.”
After quarter time the Sharks got their kicking boots on. They would kick 9.2 for the rest of the game to come away with a big win.
Meyer said every player played to their ability which was all they asked from them. She said the premiership wasn’t just for the players, but the group that supported them week in and week out.
Mandy Seath kicked five goals for the Sharks in the win. Mary Daw was awarded the best on ground medal.
Leah Moss and Kathryn Howard were among the other standouts.
It was a big day for the Sharks girls. After catching a bus to the ground in Yarraville together, they stuck around to watch the men’s division 2 complete the perfect season.
Both teams then headed back and spent the night celebrating.
“It was an amazing day for the club and the Point Cook community.”
The Sharks are set to play in division 1 next season.
Meyer said it will be a whole new ball game.
“We will have to take our football to the next level next year,” she said. “The ladies earned it and deserve to be in division 1.”
