GDFNL finals 2023: East Geelong advance after one-point win over Werribee Centrals as injury toll gets worse

East Geelong held on for a nail-biting qualifying final win. But the Eagles’ injury toll is mounting as they strive to go back-to-back.

East Geelong got the win over Werribee Centrals. Picture: Mark Wilson

An injury-hit East Geelong has advanced to the GDFNL semi-finals after a nailbiting one-point win over Werribee Centrals at St Albans.

The Eagles lost Claudia Cook in the second quarter but managed to hold on as the margin stayed within a few points for the entirety of the match, with defender Sarah Perrott standing tall with pivotal intercepts throughout the thrilling contest.

The victory gives the Eagles an important double chance against Winchelsea as they strive to go back-to-back under coach Justine Radford.

The win is even more significant given they did it without Molly Neeson, who is out for the season with an ankle tear, goaler Jenelle Baker (broken thumb) and Cook.

It means the Eagles could be down to eight players for their clash with the Blues with Baker remaining a chance to return from injury.

But Radford is confident the Eagles can still challenge for the premiership with their strong depth, especially considering they went all the way last year with the same number of players.

Alanna Cottrill stood up after Claudia Cook went down. Picture: Mark Wilson

“Obviously we are hoping to have a really strong finals presence this year against all of the top five sides,” Radford said.

“It is a really tight contest with all of those sides and unfortunately we are carrying a few injuries at the moment but we have been able to play girls consistently in different positions and rotate throughout the season so we have a shot of going back-to-back.

“We are down to eight players again but we did win last year with eight players so don’t count us out yet.

“I think to be honest it could have gone either way (on Saturday)in the end but composure is key in those circumstances and I think our spectators played a huge role. We’ve got a really supportive club and they help motivate the girls on the court and we just fight until the end.

“The biggest lead of the game was about three goals so it was a tight game throughout the whole match and unfortunately we had Claudia Cook go down with an injury in the second so that was a bit of a disturbance for the girls but fortunately ‘Dolly’ Cottrill and Laura Rowe stepped into that wing defence position.

“Sarah Perrott who has been a recent addition to our side probably midway through the season after Steph Boyce went away on a holiday so she took some pivotal intercepts throughout the match and they definitely helped us to get the win.”

Originally published as GDFNL finals 2023: East Geelong advance after one-point win over Werribee Centrals as injury toll gets worse