Crucial St Mary’s player Danielle Ponter could be back for crucial prelim final
St Mary’s are hoping star forward and AFLW premiership player Danielle Ponter will be fit to return for their crucial prelim final against PINT.
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St Mary’s have received some good news from the injury room with ace forward Danielle Ponter expected to be fit for the crucial Women’s Premier League prelim-final against PINT.
Ponter, a two-time Adelaide Crows’ AFLW premiership player, left the field in the first minute of the knockout first semi-final against the Darwin Buffettes with what many people thought was a season ending shoulder injury.
But coach Paul Magher played down the significance of the injury this week, saying he had spoken to Ponter and was confident the star forward and cousin of Hawthorn great Cyril Rioli would line up against PINT on Saturday.
Magher said a series of X-rays and scans on the 23-year-old’s shoulder had shown no breaks or serious damage.
“The information I’m getting is there is no damage, but there is some soreness there which makes it a bit of a wait and see on whether Danielle plays this week,’’ Magher said.
“I didn’t see her at recovery this week, but I’m led to believed she’s been with the physios the last couple of days.’’
Ponter is no stranger to shoulder injuries in a playing career that has taken her to the pinnacle of women’s football in this country.
A Crows premiership player in 2019 and again last year, the daughter of Saints’ seven-time premiership defender Shane Ponter and the niece of Essendon legend Michael Long, was always going to play top level football.
Magher said Ponter’s goalkicking and general footy smarts were crucial parts of the St Mary’s jigsaw as they look to snap a 13-year WPL premiership drought stretching back to the 2009-10 grand final when they beat Waratah by 35 points.
Magher’s first season in charge has produced a major turnaround with the green and gold jumpers winning 13 of 14 matches since losing the first three games of the season.
A win over minor premier PINT on Saturday will elevate them to their first WPL grand final since 2012-13 when they lost to Waratah.