Diamond Creek Women’s storms home to claim maiden NFL Division 1 premiership

A stunning fourth-quarter surge has secured Diamond Creek Women’s a maiden Northern league premiership and capped a near-perfect season.

Diamond Creek Women’s celebrate their premiership victory. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Diamond Creek Women’s cemented its position as the Northern Football League’s best with a historic maiden premiership on Sunday.

A powerhouse of women’s football from their days in the VWFL, the Creekers claimed the NFL Division 1 title with a come-from-behind 22-point win over Darebin Falcons.

In front of a raucous Preston City Oval crowd, the Creekers produced a stunning five-goal fourth-quarter blitz to take the flag.

It completes a near-perfect season, losing just one game for the year and just once in the past 25 matches.

It adds to the club’s two Victorian Women’s Football League titles in 2005 and 2012.

Creekers captain Stacey Cross was awarded the grand final medal as best on ground, while Maykaylah Appleby and Karly Cobern were equally as impressive.

Diamond Creek’s Maykaylah Appleby celebrates a goal in the fourth. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Diamond Creek Women’s celebrate their premiership win. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Inspired by two goals from Cameron Williams, Darebin made a blazing start to the game and took an 18-point lead into quarter-time.

However, Diamond Creek Women’s took control of the game in the second quarter, kicking three goals to close the gap to three points, before storming home in a dominant finish.

Creekers coach Colin Wallington said a couple of tweaks at half-time helped turn the tide.

“At half-time we address a couple of things we needed to and we answered perfectly,” he said.

“Throwing Karly Coburn down back was by far what got us over the line, she was amazing with her drive out of defence when they had the scoring end.

“Over the course of this year, from November all the way to today, we had a gameplan and we stuck to it and believed in what we could achieve.

“It’s been unreal, the last four years have been amazing, to get where we are today.

“In 2020, that COVID year, we didn’t stop, we teamed up with Wangaratta Rovers to run around Australia – we got around Australia in 29 days – and 2020 built us into 2021 and 2022.”

Diamond Creek coach Colin Wallington and captain Stacey Cross lift the cup. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Diamond Creek players congratulate captain Stacey Cross after she won the best-on-ground medal. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Williams finished with three goals for Darebin, while Appleby and Georgia Tait booted two each for Diamond Creek Women’s.

At just 19, AFLW prospect Appleby produced an eye-catching performance with several long bombs helping flip the field for the Creekers, including a 70m bomb from the centre square that almost bounced through for a goal.

Cross and Cobern were almost impassable in defence, holding Darebin scoreless in a third quarter when it had the wind.

Wallington heaped praise on his skipper.

“She’s the heart-and-soul of our football club,” he said.

“She’s been here 15 years now, she’s unreal, to name her captain this year was definitely the way to go because she’s not only a great leader but someone all the girls look up to.

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“Credit to Crossy, when it came into defence, she hit the ball hard – that go hard or go home mentality – she was absolutely deserving.”

Appleby’s Northern Knight’s teammate Lulu Beatty was Darebin’s best in defeat, while Shannon Egan, Mia Haas and Karly O’Malley stood tall.

The Falcons fairytale charge to the grand final fell agonisingly short after finishing the home-and-away season in fourth.

Darebin defeated Greensborough by one point in the elimination final, Montmorency in the semi-final and West Preston-Lakeside in the preliminary final.