Southport claim regular season bragging rights as we reveal the QAFL and QAFLW’s top 25 players of the round
A combined effort of 91 disposals from a Surfers Paradise duo headlined the top performers this week as we highlight the round’s top QAFL and QAFLW standouts. See the full list plus the biggest SEQ Aussies rules news.
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Southport has won back bragging rights over its cross-town QAFLW rivals.
The Sharks downed Bond University by 26 points in round eight, lifting them into second spot.
Southport coach Pete Doherty was thrilled with the result.
“We’ve been working hard and building towards this, it’s great to get some reward against really quality opposition in the reigning premier,” Doherty said.
“It was a tough game, it was hard to build momentum, they were pretty strong at the contest, we were able to just create a couple of key moments at key times.”
Doherty believed the key to his side’s triumph lay in how well they disrupted Bond’s possession chains, noting they can often take the footy from one end of the field to the other with ease.
“They score really quickly when that happens,” he said.
“Bond is a super well-drilled team, they were really disciplined in the way they set the field up and hold their shape.
“They certainly got a score on the board early by doing that to us.”
The Bullsharks got within eight points of Southport at three-quarter-time, but the Sharks kicked away late with three unanswered goals.
It was a stark turnaround from the sides last met in round two, when Bond wound up 20-point victors on their home turf.
“We learnt a lot from that first game, and in fairness our personnel has changed a fair bit,” Doherty said.
“We’ve been able to get closer to our right make-up. We’re still learning about players, particularly when you’ve got a lot of Academy players it’s about trying to find that right balance.”
“We’ve improved our talent depth and we learnt a lot from that first game as well.”
Doherty was particularly impressed with Jo-Anna Baltais’ shut down role on potent Bond forward Arianna Clarke, who only managed one goal.
“Clarke’s a super player and we’ve got a lot of respect for her, Jo executed her role really well,” Doherty said.
“We thought our wings set-up really well and helped us out defensively. There were a couple of times where we were under a bit of pressure … really pleased with them, and I thought Tayla Gregory really stood up under the ball and was great in the air.”
Southport’s attention now shifts to an away match at Wilston Grange in round nine, while Bond will host Yeronga South Brisbane.
QAFL Top Performers (Round 10)
Aaron Wilson (Maroochydore)
Wilson was a standout for Maroochydore as they stamped their name on the round ten winner’s list. He booted five majors and marked strongly with four contested grabs. Also had 14 disposals.
Will Fletcher (Sherwood)
Fletcher was a shining light in Sherwood’s loss, not only racking up the footy but hitting the scoreboard. He finished with a stat line reminiscent of Dylan Moore’s effort for Hawthorn the week before last, with 27 disposals - nine of which were contested - and four goals.
Liam Dawson (Aspley)
Dawson was back to his best against Morningside as the Hornets now make it a three-way tie at the top of the table. Dawson finished with a team high 30 disposals, 12 contested possessions and four contested marks. He also recorded eight intercept marks for the game as he was well supported by Connor Stackelberg who kicked four and Coen Harker who finished with nine tackles.
Nathan Horbury (Noosa)
It was a matter of so close but yet so far for the Tigers in their three point defeat against Gold Coast heavyweights Palm Beach Currumbin. New victorian recruit Nathan Horbury was strong all over the park as he finished with 27 touches, eight contested possessions, four clearances, six tackles and a goal.
Silivelio Lemana-Pakau (Redland-Victoria Point)
We almost had to double check the stats sheet at the end of the match for the Sharks midfielder who finished with a whopping 22 contested possessions. As a whole he had 28 touches, four marks, 16 clearances and two tackles to help cap off a 27 point victory over Broadbeach. The front men were also key as Matt Hammelmann finished with six, Clay Cameron kicked five, William Johnson had four and Jarrod Huddy had three.
Fletcher Clare (Mt Gravatt)
In what was an extremely tough day at the office, Clare was everywhere as he finished with 36 disposals, 19 contested possessions, five marks, 11 clearances and three tackles.
Ned Rosenbrock and Matthew Pearce (Wilston Grange)
It was a strong team effort from the Gorillas in their 35-point win over Labrador in round 10 with just four players finishing with single digit disposals. Rosenbrock was effective with team high 21 touches, six tackles and 13 contested possessions while Marly McGregor booted four majors. Matthew Pearce was also strong all game as he finished with a respectable stat line of 15 disposals, 12 contested possessions, four marks, 10 clearances, three tackles, three intercept marks and a goal.
Aiden Fyfe, Tom Simpson and Jay Foon (Labrador)
The Tigers key players were strong again but needed more from their teammates as the midfield trio of Aiden Fyfe, Tom Simpson and Jay Foon combined for a huge statline. All together they had 87 disposals, 32 contested possessions, 24 marks, 20 clearances, 11 tackles and a goal from Fyfe. Defender Christian Webster was also strong with 27 touches, nine marks and three tackles.
Tom Hickey (Palm Beach-Currumbin)
Surprise, surprise, Hickey’s back again. The former AFL-ruckman has been in superb form this season and despite a number of his teammates performing well on Saturday, Hickey was the pick of the bunch. He finished with 27 disposals, 13 contested possessions, two contested marks, 11 clearances, two tackles and two intercept grabs. He shared the plaudits with Brad Stafford who had 10 tackles and 10 clearances to go with his 18 disposals.
Matt Doran and Jamison Shea (Surfers Paradise)
The Demons cruised to a 153-point win over Mt Gravatt in round 10 with a host of players recording season high figures. Doran and Shea were ball magnets in the centre, combining for 91 disposals, 28 contested possessions, 22 contested possessions, 12 clearances, four tackles and six goals. Rising star Ben Woodburn was also prominent with 32 touches, 21 contested possessions, 14 clearances, nine tackles and three goals.
QAFLW Top Performers (Round 8)
Tayla Gregory and Jo-Anna Baltais (Southport)
Southport’s pivotal victory was touched on above and Tayla Gregory and Jo-Anna Baltais were at the fore. Baltais blanketed potent Bond forward Arianna Clarke to keep her to one goal, while Gregory impressed coach peter Doherty with her work and booted two big majors. Kierra Zerafa continued her great form too, leading all Sharks with 16 disposals and five clearances.
Ella Calleja and Mia Salisbury (Bond)
Calleja and Salisbury were the two top ball winners in the crunch Coast clash between Bond and Southport, with 18 and 17 disposals respectively. Salisbury also put in a great shift in the contest with an equal game-high seven tackles to show, plus three clearances. Calleja also bagged a goal.
Lucia Liessi and Kitara Whap-Farrar (Aspley)
Aspley were on song against Yeronga-South Brisbane and you could throw a blanket over any number of key contributors they had. Lucia Liessi was the lading ball-winner with 30 touches of the footy and played a solid contested game. Kitara Whap-Farrar led the charge up forward, slotting almost half of her team’s goals with five out of 11 majors. Jessica Davy, Louise Tyson and Jessica Stallard were also exceptional.
Chelsea Winn (Yeronga-South Brisbane)
Queensland selected talent Chelsea Winn continued her great season despite the tough result Yeronga-South Brisbane faced against Aspley as they lost by 53 points. Winn was a ball magnet racking up 29 disposals - 13 more than her next best teammate - while she led all comers on the ground with six tackles and 10 clearances.
Lucy Schneider and Grace Roberts-White (Coorparoo)
It should come as no surprise that this Kings pair both earnt selection in the Queensland squad. Schneider continued her stunning form with a mammoth 31 disposals while Roberts-White led the way in at the coalface in a contested match with 10 tackles and eight clearances along with 18 disposals. Both had a big say in the 24-point win over Wilston Grange.
Gracie Roy (UQ)
The Red Lions fell 11 points short in a close affair against Maroochydore, however Roy stood tall in defeat with 22 disposals, seven tackles, and a goal. Another top QAFLW talent that’s included in the Queensland squad.
Jesse McMillan (Maroochydore)
Aming a bevy of solid Maroochydore contributors McMillan led the way for the Roos. She crept forward to sneak three majors but was also potent at the fore of the contest an equal team-high 18 disposals. Didn’t shy from the dirty work indefence either, laying six tackles. Lataya De Pauw was also very good for the Roos.
Originally published as Southport claim regular season bragging rights as we reveal the QAFL and QAFLW’s top 25 players of the round
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