2025 VAFA live stream: Old Scotch v Caulfield Grammarians (Premier Women’s Grand Final)
A dogged fightback from the Caulfield Grammarians wasn’t enough to deny Old Scotch from going back-to-back in the VAFA Premier Women’s division. WATCH THE REPLAY of the thrilling grand final.
A late fightback from Caulfield wasn’t enough to stop Old Scotch from going back-to-back in the VAFA Premier Women’s grand final.
The defending champions looked home early in the fourth, before two quick goals from the Grammarians made things interesting, before Old Scotch held on to claim a 4.9 (33) to 4.4 (28) victory at Elsternwick Park.
Scoring was a battle through the opening term with both teams strong in defence to start proceedings.
Marguerite Purcell was able to break the deadlock in the 18th minute, kicking the first goal of the contest after taking a contested mark through contact and kicking truly from about 40m out.
Old Scotch needed an answer in the second quarter and vice-captain Mia Cowan delivered, putting a booming kick right into the goalsquare for Jordan Mifsud to soccer it off the ground to bring the deficit back to just one point.
The ‘scoring end’ proved to be a fruitful one for Old Scotch as they closed out the half in style, with Mifsud kicking a set shot, before providing an easy assist for Lucy Murphy to kick her team to a 20-9 advantage.
Despite the momentum going against them, Ebony Angelopoulos was able to hit back with a set shoe of her own from a tight angle to cut it to four at halftime.
Much like the first, the third term was kept largely in contest and the two looked destined for a goalless quarter.
That was before Cowan overcame four behinds to kick her first of the afternoon, using her strength inside the forward arc to get free and kick Old Scotch to a 16-point lead heading into the final quarter.
Errant kicking prevented Old Scotch from killing the game off early, with Nat Barbara keeping Caulfield alive with a much-needed goal to bring it back to 11 midway through the term.
That gave Caulfield a huge boost, with Chloe O’Malley bending a set shot from 40m to get the fans behind the posts up and about, setting up a grandstand finish.
They had their chances late, but couldn’t land the decisive blow, as Old Scotch’s defence found enough to hang on for another flag.
“It feels amazing. It was such a hard-fought win. That last quarter felt so long, but we hung in there and backed ourselves,” vice-captain Mia Cowan said.
“It was very hard (in the fourth). I didn’t have a heart-rate monitor on, but if I did it would’ve skyrocketed.
“(The club) has the best culture, the best people. We’ve got an amazing coaching team and all the support staff. It’s incredible, I love the club.”
Jordan Mifsud was crowned Best on Ground in the win.
PREVIEW
Belief is the key word shaping Caulfield Grammarians bid for a piece of history.
This weekend, the Fields will chase their first VAFA Premier Women’s premiership when they face off against Old Scotch in the grand final.
Sunday’s game will be live streamed on KommunityTV from 2.30pm at Elsternwick Park.
Click the link below to watch Saturday’s VAFA games live.
Old Scotch, the reigning premiers, will enter as favourites having won the second semi-final between the two sides a fortnight ago.
In that game, the Fields almost overturned a 25-point margin at three-quarter-time but eventually fell by six points. Last week in the preliminary final, they came from behind to beat St Kevin’s.
It’s why belief is so strong for coach Danielle Di Stefano and her side.
“We have tended to finish games well this season,” she said.
“We pride ourselves on our run and carry game and our fitness which has allowed us to finish strongly. In the first final, Old Scotch managed to jump us, they were just too good early.
“There’s been a few structural tweaks to help adjust it and hopefully we can carry the momentum from the last two weeks into a fast start.”
There is already plenty to celebrate for Caulfield Grammarians this weekend with their reserves side also making the decider, where they will face the same opposition.
The Fields won the Premier B premiership in 2019 and are now looking to climb the VAFA mountain.
“This year is our first with three teams (the third side plays in a lower division),” Di Stefano said.
“The club prides itself on the culture and growth, it’s helped us to have huge numbers which has created depth and helped to attract talent.”
Originally published as 2025 VAFA live stream: Old Scotch v Caulfield Grammarians (Premier Women’s Grand Final)
