ARARAT Storm has made a dream start to its first ever Ballarat Youth Girls under eighteen finals campaign with a 21-point win over Darley last Sunday.
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Storm brushed aside the disappointment of its close loss the week before to eliminate Darley on its home turf.
“We were hungry for it,” Ararat Storm coach, Beck Phillips, said.
“The ‘want’ was there. Before the game, the girls were pumped and ready to go. It was our first final and we wanted to go out there and show everyone what we’ve got.”
Storm certainly came out oozing confidence, restricting Darley to just one point in the opening term.
Emily May made a successful return from a wrist injury and booted two goals to help set up the 17-point quarter time lead.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better first quarter,” Phillips said.
“We did lose it a bit in the second but after the break, the girls’ spirits lifted and in the third quarter, we took it away from there.”
Meghan Wik was Storm’s leading goal scorer, finishing with three majors in the 7.2 (44) to 3.5 (23) victory.
Phillips was full of praise for Genevieve Blake, who played a pivotal role in a slightly different position.
“Genevieve played really well. She took a couple of nice hangers and even kicked a goal, plus she provided us with a strong carry of the ball through the midfield,” the Storm coach said.
Phillips’ decision to give Isabel Kettle the first ruck duties also paid off, with Kettle receiving best on ground honours. The ruck position had to be filled following a knee injury to Alysha Bettels the weekend before.
“Isabel did a perfect job. She rucked out nearly the whole game, with Shani (Griffin) helping her out in the third quarter. She (Kettle) won nearly every tap out and stepped up when needed to, even kicking a goal.”
What was even more impressive was the fact that Ararat Storm hadn’t even set eyes on the Darley ground before last Sunday’s match.
“It was a bit intimidating at the start,” Phillips said.
“Darley’s quite a large ground compared to what the girls are used to. But we adapted to it to suit our game plan and it was a brilliant day for it. We were able to run and carry the ball, and our second and third efforts were our biggest improvement.
“That’s what won us the game.”
Phillips is confident her side can go even further by defeating Gisborne Rookies this weekend.
“I can see us getting up. We got within six points of them last time and I have no doubt we’ll able to do it.”
Ararat Storm faces Gisborne Rookies on Sunday in semi-final one to be held at Alfredton from 1:30pm.
