UQ Red Lions remain in the hunt with standout QAFL, QAFLW performances revealed
With their season on the line, UQ head coach Ross Clayfield admits his side is ‘looking forward to the pressure’ as we highlight the standout performers of the latest round QAFL and QAFLW. See the full list plus the latest news.
Local Aussie Rules
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Aussie Rules. Followed categories will be added to My News.
It wasn’t on the cards mid way through the season but the University of Queensland are a serious chance of playing finals footy in 2024 and will fight to keep their season alive in the final round of the QAFLW.
The Red Lions have recorded five wins this season, three of those coming in the last four weeks, and sit in fifth place on the overall ladder.
Their 5.14.44-2.3.15 win over Yeronga in round 13 has them one win outside of the top four behind Coorparoo.
“Our number one job was to get the four points and keep our season alive which we did but we weren’t overjoyed with the performance,” head coach Ross Clayfield said.
“The conditions were tough but we never really capitalised or took full control of the game.”
They will now take on third placed Bond University who came away with a 26 point victory when the two teams met earlier in the season.
“Bond have got some really athletic, tall and strong footballers at both ends and in the ruck, great midfielders that like to take the game on and wingers that bounce back with heaps of energy,” he said.
“We have to bring the energy, the physicality and be more clinical when we get opportunities.
“If we give ourselves a sniff hopefully some belief grows and then anything is possible from there.”
Laura Roy would be looking to continue her solid run of form after she finished with 26 disposals, 23 contested possessions, 10 clearances and seven tackles against Yeronga.
“We like to play Laura in the midfield because she’s really combative and epitomises what we want our team to be about,” Clayfield said.
“When you’ve got Jane Childes, Gabi Simpson who is improving every week, Harriet Knijff who’s had a breakout year and Laura in that mix, we think we’ve got a pretty competitive midfield.
“We’ve got great tall targets and a solid backline so we think we match up all right.”
Clayfield said he was looking forward to Saturday’s clash.
“We have been talking about finals a little bit but our key focus has been on development these past two seasons,” he said.
“We haven’t won as many games as we’d have liked this year but we’re really excited with how we’re developing as individuals and as a team.
“Things have somewhat fallen into place and now that we have an opportunity to play finals, we’re looking forward to having a little bit of pressure on us.
“Hopefully that fires the girls up as I’m looking forward to seeing how they respond, knowing there’s a clear consequence of winning or losing this week.”
Discover all the top performances from the weekend’s action below.
QAFL
Mitch Conn and Jono Freeman (Noosa)
It wasn’t the result the Tigers were after, going down by 30 points to a high flying Morningside outfit but midfielder Mitch Conn was again a standout performer. The new Noosa recruit had 36 touches for the day to go with his seven clearances and four tackles. He was well supported by Jono Freeman up forward who bagged five goals for the day.
Garrett Mcdonagh (Morningside)
In a possession dominated game, Mcdonagh was everywhere for his side as he capped off a terrific defensive battle. The star half back had 29 touches, three contested possessions, two intercept marks and a goal. Keegan Downie kicked four majors upfront while former Lion Nakia Cockatoo finished with 21 disposals, seven clearances, five tackles and two goals.
Tom Hickey (Palm Beach-Currumbin)
Hickey honestly may as well be written in permanent marker given how frequent he features on this list. The former AFL star finished with an insane stat line of 35 disposals, 33 contested possessions, five contested marks, 20 clearances, 45 hit outs, three tackles, an intercept mark and two goals. Tom Thynne was also prominent with 29 touches, nine clearances and 17 contested possessions while upfront Ben McInneny kicked four goals.
Daniel Bowles and Bailey Gordon (Wilston Grange)
Despite the loss, Bowles was one of the standouts for the Gorillas as he finished with 34 disposals, 12 contested possessions, three contested marks and six intercept marks. Gordon was also strong with 27 touches, 14 contested possessions, six clearances, two tackles and two goals.
Zac Smith (Surfers Paradise)
Smith was enormous for the Demons on Saturday who picked up a crucial victory over Broadbeach. The ruckman finished with a huge 65 hit outs to go with his 26 disposals, 17 contested possessions, seven clearances and two tackles. Harrison Fraser was also strong with a solid overall performance and two goals.
Craig Malone (Redland-Victoria Point)
It was a key win for the Sharks with a number of individual players stepping up to the plate. Malone was a menace in the ruck as he finished with 43 hit outs to go with his 14 disposals, 15 contested possessions, four contested marks, five clearances and a tackle. Dylan Smith had four goals upfront while midfield duo Brock Aston and Ethan Petterwood combined for 59 disposals, 23 connected possessions and 14 clearances.
Tom Reeves (Broadbeach)
The cats couldn’t come away with the points on Saturday, going down by 14 points away from home. Reeves did all he could upfront as he booted six majors to go with his 17 touches and two tackles.
Matthew Payne, Tom Templeton and Coen Harker (Aspley)
The Hornets trio were immense on Saturday as they put a halt to Labrador’s impressive form turnaround. Payne, Templeton and Harker combined for 88 disposals, 41 contested possessions, 27 clearances, nine tackles with Templeton and Harker booting two goals each. Connor Stackelberg and Brandon Batchelor were also prominent with the pair kicking nine goals between them.
Will Fletcher (Sherwood)
It was one of the toughest watches of the season for Mt Gravatt who suffered a 196 point defeat on Saturday. The Magpies captain was ruthless all game finishing with 43 disposals, eight contested possessions, two contested marks, four clearances and two goals. Ethan Harris finished with 50 hit outs while as a team they had 17 different goal scorers.
QAFLW
Shannon Nolan, Tahlia Meyer (Bond University Bullsharks)
Shannon Nolan and Tahlia Meyer both racked up plenty of the footy for Bond with 28 disposals each while Courtney Sexton led the way on the scoreboard with three goals in a dominant display.
Demi Norton (Maroochydore Roos)
Norton was a shining light in defeat for the Roos and she amassed 28 disposals. Honourable mention to Abbey Tognazzini also who laid a whopping 13 tackles.
Madeleine Watt, Alannah Welsh and Maddy Baldwin (Southport Sharks)
You could throw a blanket over the Sharks top performers such was the dominant nature of their 75-point win over Coorparoo as their quest for a maiden QAFLW premiership heats up. Madeleine Watt was a spearhead at the coalface racking up 19 contested possessions and 29 touches in total. She also laid 11 tackles. Alannah Welsh had a solid day out, impacting the scoreboard heavily with three goals from 17 touches, while Maddy Baldwin led the goalkicking with five goals.
Laura Roy and Jane Childes (UQ Red Lions)
Jane Childes has continued her superb QAFLW season in UQ’s convincing defeat of Yeronga-South Brisbane, racking up 23 disposals and again leading the way in the contest with a game-high 11 clearances and nine tackles. Laura Roy was the leading ballwinner with 26 disposals and was equally as influential in the contest with 10 clearances and seven tackles.
Zimra Hussain and Kylie Welsh (Wilston Grange Gorillas)
Hussain had plenty of the footy for the Gorillas for 31 disposals - 13 of which were contested - and she thrust the ball forward well with four inside 50s. Welsh had 25 touches and put together a strong contested game highlighted by her 16 contested possessions.
Chelsea Winn (Yeronga-South Brisbane Devils)
Winn, as she so often is, was a shining light amid defeat for the Devils. Won 22 disposals - 15 of which were contested - and also had eight clearances.
Jessica Davy and Emma McNaughton (Aspley Hornets)
Davy was super for a Hornets outfit that downed Wilston Grange by 32 points to firm their premiership credentials. She amassed 31 touches, won nine clearances and laid seven tackles. Emma McNaughton led the way in goalkicking with three goals.
Revealed: 120+ sports stars of the southeast
The new year looms, and athletes have already begun their prep for season 2025. From the track to the pool and everywhere in between, these are the 120+ southeast Queensland young guns you must watch and why. Full list:
Revealed: Gold Coast’s top 10 sports clubs of 2024
From threepeats to shattering longstanding premiership droughts and producing generation next, plenty of Gold Coast sports clubs stood tall in 2024. See the best of the best here.