Scottsdale has capped off a dominant season by notching a 30-point win over Evandale to claim the inaugural TWL North premiership.
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Starting the year boasting only two players with previous football experience, the Pies finished the season with 22 premiership players thanks to a 6.8 (44) to 2.2 (14) win in front of a full house at Rocherlea.
Scottsdale had winners all over the ground, with Dannielle Butler, Jessica Carins and ruck Miranda Oliver winning plenty of the footy and Pies captain Alex Hall leading from the front.
“It’s just been amazing for our girls,” Hall said.
“I thought our tackle pressure was outstanding, particularly late in the game and it’s a great reward for our footy club and our community.
“We didn’t actually start training until March so in that regard it’s been really special and we’re really looking forward to celebrating the win - and we’ll be back next year too.”
Evandale made a bright start to the game, going into the first break with a three-point lead thanks to two first-quarter goals from Emily McKinnell.
From there, Scottsdale steadied and managed to keep the Eagles to just two more scoring shots for the rest of the day, piling on the physical pressure to outmuscle their smaller-bodied opponents and wrestle control of the match.
With the game still within the Eagles’ reach at three-quarter time, the Pies broke away in the last, capitalising on stoppages in their forward half to add three majors through Jayna Aitken, Jessica Carins and Gemma James.
The high-pressure style of game was exactly what coach Cabel Hall had called for at quarter time when the Pies found themselves trailing on the scoreboard.
“At quarter time it was just about reinstating our philosophies and getting back to our style of play and winning the one-on-ones,” Hall said.
“We’ve been preaching to our girls all year to be tougher for longer and we’ve toughed the game out really well today and come out on top so we couldn’t be happier.”
Hall said he expected the women’s game would continue to grow in Scottsdale on the back of the win.
“They’re hooked, they’ll be back fitter and stronger and better and they’ll probably be more players knocking on the door as well.
“There’s been a massive explosion of excitement in our community around the North-East and Scottsdale.”
Evandale entered the match as the only team to have beaten Scottsdale this season, registering a four-point win in round two.
The Eagles battled hard early, with Grace Gee, Sophie Townsend and Olivia Gargioni among their side’s best, but were unable to match Scottsdale’s intensity for four quarters.
“We’re really proud of the girls, today wasn’t their day,” coach Stewart Nankervis said.
“I think the adrenalin kicked in (early) and we played really well for a short period of time but unfortunately Scottsdale then really started to hit their straps, and at the end of the day they were physically too strong for us.
“At the end of the day it’s how you come back from it and your resilience, so hopefully our girls will learn from it and come back bigger and stronger next year.”
Earlier in the day, Rocherlea won the third-place playoff with Prospect by 12 points, with Tigers duo Angela Dickson and Madeline Howe sharing the season’s best and fairest award.
Evandale’s Emily McKinnell won the goalkicking award with 24 for the season.