It was a hard-fought contest from the Blues who never gave up in their clash with the Southern Saints, only narrowly missing out on the win.

In wet conditions, the Blues fell short against the Southern Saints on Saturday morning at home.

Now at three consecutive losses, the Blues will need to win the remainder of their games if they want to have a chance at playing finals.

The Saints - who now sit on top of the VFLW ladder - led for the entirety of the match and managed a six-point win to conclude the game. 

Quarter one

The game started off with a big tackle from Laura Roberston who was rewarded with holding the ball. The first five minutes of the game were dominated by the Blues, who controlled play inside 50. Maddie Di Cosomo kicked well in the middle to try to move the ball forward, along with Eliza Wood. With their contested-marking skills, the Saints managed to keep the Blues scoreless during this time and score a major themselves. A dribble kick from the opposition in the next section of play led to a second goal 13 minutes into the term. Plenty of stoppages came inside Blues territory before a behind from Wood. Octavia di Donto and Gen Lawson-Tavan moved the footy swiftly down in the defensive end to prevent further score for the Saints.

Quarter two

The rain was making controlling the footy difficult for both sides. A kick from the boot of Millie Klingbeil set Ashlee Thorneycroft up for the Blues’ first goal for the game directly in front. Vanessa Murphy showed her defensive pressure around stoppages and Kasey Lennox gathered the ball well. Back and forth play up the ground made scoring opportunities for both sides difficult, but the Saints accuracy on the run gave them another two majors within minutes. A big passage of play from Murphy, Di Cosmo and Tayla Kolevski gave Emily Hurley a kick for goal, which she finished nicely. 

Quarter three

Trailing by 11-points going into the second half of the match saw the Blues playing catch up. Chloe Bain was leading the way with her strong ruck work, and a goal from Wood closed the gap to just five-points. Isabelle Khoury provided strong drive down the wing, but the Saints managed to create a lot of space through the middle, which led them to hit the scoreboard once more. Defensive pressure from Amy Malander made sure to keep the ball close in the middle of the ground and Meg Runting stepped into a ruck position. The Saint were leading 32 to the Blues’ 20 to end the quarter. 

Quarter four

With both sides unable to hit the scoreboard early on, Ash Thorneycroft was proving once again why she is a force to be reckoned with, gathering eight tackles and 21 disposals for the game. A free kick to Bain, gave her a major to her name, and once again the Blues closed the gap. The Saints responded immediately with a goal of their own, showing why they are one of the best attacking teams in the league. Murphy added a major to the board and with only four minutes remaining the Blues were trailing by a single goal. With time running out and the siren sounding the Blues were handed their third straight loss. An impressive Ally Blid finished the game with the highest number of disposals for both sides, amassing 22 touches.

MATCH SUMMARY

CARLTON  0.1   2.2   3.2   5.2   (32)

SAINTS  2.0   4.1   5.2   6.2   (38)

GOALS: Eliza Wood, Ashlee Thorneycroft, Vanessa Murphy, Emily Hurley, Chloe Bain