Live stream: Oakleigh Chargers take on Dandenong Stingrays in Coates League girls preliminary final

Free-flowing Oakleigh were forced into full-on finals mode by Dandenong to secure their spot in next week’s final game of the Coates Talent League girls season. Check out the REPLAY.

Oakleigh Chargers had to dig deep in an attritional second half to see off the challenge of Dandenong Stingrays and advance to the final weekend of the Coates Talent League girls competition.

After kicking three goals in the first half to take a 23-8 lead into the halftime break, points were at a premium as the Chargers were forced to battle hard against the relentles Stingrays.

Two goals from Dandenong in the third quarter suddenly had the Chargers on edge and there was only 12 points in it at the final change.

Neither side could kick a major in a tense final term as Oakleigh picked up the scrappy 4.8 (32) to 3.0 (18) win.

PREVIEW

They haven’t lost a game for over four months.

And if last weekend’s form is anything to go by, it will take an almighty effort to topple them on Saturday.

Oakleigh Chargers hit the Coates Talent League girls preliminary final against Dandenong Stingrays fresh off a 53-point win over the Sandringham Dragons, following a home-and-away campaign which yielded just one loss from 14 starts.

Catch the game LIVE from Highgate Reserve on KommunityTV. Kick off is at 11.30am.

Finishing on top of the ladder with a whopping percentage of 297, the Chargers last let a win slip in Round 4, when they fell to the Gold Coast Suns by 11 points.

Watch Sunday’s Coates League boys clash between Sandringham and Dandenong here

Leading the way in the quarter-final crushing were Emma McDonald, Bailee Martin and Abbey Vicino with two goals apiece.

Oakleigh Chargers skipper Sienna Tallariti

A multi-pronged attack has been one of the Chargers’ most potent weapons this season with four players kicking 16 or more goals. They make up four of the competition’s top 10 scorers.

Vic Metro representative Amelie Gladman has 19 majors for the season – ranked equal fourth in the competition – while fellow state reps Chloe Bown (18), McDonald and Martin (16 apiece) have also fired. And not far off the leaders are Lucy Murphy (14 goals) and Jacinta Baxter (13).

Standing in the way of a grand final berth is a Stingrays outfit which claimed the scalp of Gippsland Power in last weekend’s elimination final to the tune of 71 points.

Key tall Elli Symonds was among the Stingrays’ best on ground, impacting the contest in the ruck and up forward with 18 disposals and a goal. Touted as a fourth midfielder with a defensive edge, Symonds has turned heads this season, earning a Vic Country state rep guernsey.

Speedy midfielder Jemma Reynolds continued to star last weekend, netting 19 disposals off the back of a campaign which has hauled in 11 mentions in the best from 15 matches – equal-second of any player in the league.

Key tall Elli Symonds has had a big season.

Combining with Kayla Dalgleish (20 disposals), the Power’s midfield had a battle on its hands, and it’s a duo the Chargers would be well wary of.

Meanwhile, Stingrays forward Evelyn Connolly sits third on the goal-kicking table with 20 majors from 14 games – hitting the scoreboard in each of her past three outings.

Finishing fifth at the end of the home-and-away campaign with a 10-4 record, the Stingrays have only met the Chargers once this season, falling by 50 points in Round 1 – but plenty of ground has been made since.

With a spot in the decider up for grabs – and the winner to play Geelong Falcons or Eastern Ranges – can the underdogs cause a boilover?

Originally published as Live stream: Oakleigh Chargers take on Dandenong Stingrays in Coates League girls preliminary final