IT was a day to savour for many who had made the dream of creating a women’s team for Kilmore possible.
Perhaps it was poetic justice that one of women’s football’s newest programs was able to topple one of Australia’s most celebrated women’s football programs to deliver their first ever finals win, but for the Blues Sisters, it was only fitting after an electric outing at La Trobe University.
Undoubtedly, Kilmore was feeling some early nerves, particularly in the wake of how it was recovering from a loss to the Fitzroy Stars last week.
Darebin pounced early and kicked the first two goals of the game.
However, this was as good as it got for the Falcons, for coach Andy Stewart had his trump card to play.
Chiara Nardo was sent forward, and she underlined just how powerful her best football was when she completely shifted the tone of the game, kicking two quick goals to bring the Blues back into the contest by quarter time, trailing 13-15.
When Nardo kicked the first goal of the second term, the Blues were in front.
It was a lead they would never relinquish.
While Darebin would eventually respond with a goal, Jade Ventura delivered right on the buzzer to restore Kilmore’s lead of seven points, 28-21.
The Falcons came out of the tunnel the stronger team and kicked the first goal to close the gap once again.
But Nardo was still in the mood to deliver, and her fourth goal was just the tonic midway through the third quarter.
It was a tight battle, with Kilmore leading 37-27 at the final change.
The Blues delivered two significant blows to start the last quarter, with Ventura kicking her second goal, and Brielle Kinnear rewarded for a dynamic game across half forward to deliver the knockout blow.
While Darebin had many questions towards the back end of the game, controlling territory throughout much of the term, it had no answers for Kilmore’s defenders, and the ball was taken down the other end, where Nardo was on the end of her fifth goal, a fitting reward for one of the Northern Football Netball League’s great individual women’s finals performances.
However, it wasn’t all just Nardo in the 8.8 (56) to 4.7 (31) triumph.
Jessica Vilinskis was tough in the clinches throughout the second half, winning crucial contests through the midfield, while Kasey Marsden played brilliantly across half back. Sienna Shinners, Ventura and Kinnear were also brilliant.
For coach Stewart, this was a day worth celebrating, albeit one where he was relieved to get the win after Darebin’s pressure throughout the day.
“They all get along with each other, and not just to come through and deliver a first finals series for the girls, but to make a preliminary final in second division is really good,” he said.
“For them to gel as a team since day one has been magnificent.”
A level-headed Stewart said the Blues needed to work on their starts, saying they couldn’t afford another start like that in the preliminary final.
“We have to start better than that. If we served our start up today against Fitzroy Stars, they would kick five goals and not two. We are a lot better than what we showed, and I have told the girls we are good enough to take this thing out. On our day, we are the best out there,” he said.
“With Fitzroy Stars, I wasn’t there when we beat them earlier in the season, but we put the pressure on and kicked the first goal. If you let them run around and pressure everyone else, the Stars will get it done every time. We have to sustain that pressure on Sunday and bring our best football.”
Stewart praised the work of his defenders, believing it was the main reason why Kilmore took the win.
“We brought in Jenaya Stewart for her first game after injury, Shazi Cappello in the backline, Kasey Marsden, without her at centre-half-back, we probably wouldn’t have won. She’s been a great pickup, and she came from nowhere, in the army at Puckapunyal, turned up at training one night and hasn’t left since,” he said.
The preliminary final appearance means Kilmore has four senior football teams represented in the finals all at once, which is a first for the club. It is an importance not lost on Stewart.
“I’m more than proud of all the girls just with all the effort they’ve put in from last year through to now, the effort of the club supporting the girls. There would be 80 to 100 people on the track with all the women’s, the 19s, the reserves and the seniors all out there. It’s all one group and they train together, which is really good,” he said.
