Two rounds remain and we still have 9 teams in contention of making the ORFFW finals, with nobody having locked away a top-4 spot yet either. It is a very close league this season, which showed last round with some margins of 4, 12 and 26 points in three of the games! These three games were fascinating: * The former bottom team Dragons beat the top-4 Wallabies team by 26 after the Wallabies had scored the highest score all year (1097 which is an average of 84 per player!) just the week before. * The top team Galahs finally lost their first game of the season, going down by 12 to the Junee Jets who keep their finals hopes alive. * And in the game of the round, the Valkeries got over the Belles by just 4 points to hold their spot in the top-3 and relegate the Belles to 6th despite them having the third best overall points-for for the season! Its going to be a massive final two weeks of the home-and-away season! Round 9 games: Galahs (1st) vs Dragons (11th) We've got 1st vs 11th and 2nd vs 12th this week! In the first of these potential mismatches, the top team Galahs are coming off a loss and the 11th placed Dragons are coming off a win! This could be a close one, but I reckon the Galahs will get back on track with a good win. Tip: Galahs by 200 Comets (10th) vs Belles (6th) This will be an interesting game to watch with the Belles being the third best offensive team this season and the Comets being the 2nd worst defensive team this season! I am worried the Comets wont be able to contain them and we could see the Belles break the record score this week! Tip: Belles by 275 Valkeries (3rd) vs Trailblazers (5th) A massive game in the race to the finals with the Trailblazers trying to break into the top-4 and there being just one win separating these two teams. Its gonna be a cracking game! Tip: Trailblazers by 15 Wallabies (4th) vs Sirens (9th) The Sirens are technically still a mathematical chance to make the finals, but they come up against last year's premiers in this one and face the top team Galahs next week, so I reckon they can probably call it already and play the kids or get in to mad monday early. Tip: Wallabies by 230 Devils (8th) vs Jets (7th) No matter who wins this one, both the Devils and Jets need teams above them to lose if they are going to be a realistic chance of making the finals but they can go into this one with their finals hopes still alive for at least this week! They both played the top-2 teams last round and both scored almost the exact same score as each other 957-956 respectively, but had mixed fortunes with the Jets knocking off the top team and the Devils going down to the 2nd placed team by 120 points. Tip: Devils by 10 Wood Nymphs (2nd) vs Mystix (12th) These two teams faced off in the semi finals just last season, but now find themselves at opposite ends of the ladder. The Wood Nymphs won last year's semi by 85 points and should get the job done again. Tip: Wood Nymphs by 90 Lockout this week is at 7:15pm AEDT Friday 10th October. Remember this season the lockout is always at the first bounce of the first game each round, and last week's team is rolled over for anyone who doesn't post their team in the weekly thread in time. Good luck everyone for the rest of the season!
Sirens Team Def - Clara Fitzpatrick Libby Birch, Emily Everist (Natalie Grider) Mid - Nina Morrison, Amy Gaylor,Jess Fitzgerald, Anne Hatchard (Brenna Tarrant) Fwd - Jesse Wardlaw, Tess Craven, Blaithin Bogue (Amber Clarke) Ruck - Ally Morphett Int - Havana Harris, Maggie McLachlan (Emma McDonald)
Belles to face the Comets should look remarkably like this; Def: Maeve Chaplin, Emily Pease, Molly Brooksby - Issy Grant Mid: Laura Gardiner, Erone Fitzpatrick, Mikayla Bowen,Madison Brazendale - Keeley Sherar Ruck: Eilish O'Dowd - Jess Allan Fwd: Tarni Evans, Eliane Grigg, Charlotte Mullins - Kyla Forbes IC: Ellie McKenzie, Megan Fitzsimon - Sarah Howley In: Fitzpatrick, Brazendale Out: Hurley (inj), Sherar (omitted)
The Comets team announced with only 1 change as Eardley comes in for the injured Mimi Hill this week. Hardly any bench assistance with injuries piling up.... Def: Lucy Cronin, Jess Rentsch, Rylie Wilcox (Hannah Priest) Mid: Jaimee Lambert, Zippy Fish, Dayna Finn, Hayley Miller (Darcy Moloney) Ruck: Lauren Bella (Piper Dunlop) Fwd: Katie Brennan, Aishling Moloney, Taylah Levy IC: Lucia Painter, Mackenzie Eardley (Jordyn Allen)
Valks rnd 9 Def - McEvoy, Bennetts , Busch (Ott) Mid - Newton, Prespakis, Kennedy ,Webster (Cann) Ruck - Hickie Fwd - Harris, McLaughlin ,Stone(Woodley) IC - Scholz,Hanks (Moloney)
Pomona Wood Nymphs No change (except to the emergencies) Def: Jade Ellenger, Tilly Lucas-Rodd, Serene Watson (Kate Dempsey - oop) Mid: Ebony Marinoff, Jenna Bruton, Mia King, Bec Beeson (Sachi Syme) Ruck: Lauren Pearce (Lexi Hamilton) Fwd: Courtney Hodder, Ash Woodland, Danielle Ponter (Daria Bannister) Int: Britney Gutknecht, Amy Smith (Caitlin Thorne)
The Galahs go in unchanged DEF: Niamh McLauglin, Erika O'Shea, Cambridge McCormick (Sarah Verrier) MID: Georgia Nanscawen, Britt Bonnici, Georgia Patrikios, Ellie Blackburn (Maddy Brancatisano) FWD: Montana Ham, Zarlie Goldsworthy, Imogen Barnett (Piper Window) RUC: Steph Wales (Poppy Kelly) IC: Carly Remmos, Orla O'Dwyer (Jacqui Dupuy)
Lake St Clair Devils Round 9 team Out: Lulu Pullar (omitted) In: Lauren Wakfer Def: Paxy Paxman, Georgia Clayden, Emma Swanson (Lulu Pullar) Mid: Jasmine Garner, Monique Conti, Lily Mithen, Teah Charlton (Sinead Goldrick) Ruc: Lucy Wales (Isabel Bacon OOP) Fwd: Eden Zanker, Georgia Garnett, Kate Shierlaw (J’Noemi Anderson) Int: Lauren Wakfer, Emma King (Ang Stannett) The Lake St Clair Devils big 3 of midfielders Jasmine Garner (110.6 points per game – 5th) and Monique Conti (106.8 - 7th) along with ruck Lucy Wales (102.4 - 9th) are all averaging triple figures during the 2025 ORFFW season and rank in the league’s top nine for points per game). In Round 9 this trio excelled with Conti scoring an ORFFW-high 156 points, L Wales ranking third with 123 points and Garner ranking equal fifth with 118 points. This Devils trio combined for 395 points which was 10 points more than the 385 point tally of the three highest scores by players from rival ORFFW teams –Junee Jets midfielder Ash Riddell (151), Wongan Hills Wallabies midfielder Ella Roberts (118) and Como Comets first year midfielder Zippy Fish (116). The superb Round 8 performances by the Devils star trio wasn’t enough to propel the team to victory with LSC losing by 120 points 957 to 1,077 against @anthak ’s Pomona Wood Nymphs. During 2023 the Lake St Clair Devils dominated to win their first nine games of the season and went in as overwhelming favourites for game number 10, the Grand Final against Pomona. In a Grand Final thriller Pomona prevailed by 24 points, 961 to 937 to win the ORFFW premiership. The two years since this upset have shown that Pomona’s victory wasn’t a fluke, with Anthak’s team finishing runners-up in 2024 and are currently second on the ladder after Round 8 of the 10 round 2025 home and away season. On the flip Lake St Clair have been unable to recapture their dominant 2023 home and away form, having four wins and four losses during the 2024 h & a season and have a losing record in 2025 with three wins and five losses. The eighth placed Lake St Clair Devils have made one change for their Round 9 game against the seventh placed Jets, bringing in ruck Lauren Wakfer and omitting defender Lulu Pullar. Wakfer started by knocking on the door in terms of team selection. After being unable to convince the Devils selection committee two weeks in a row, Lauren in her third attempt ripped the door of its hinges and demanded to be selected in the 13 player team. After scoring 75 in the seconds in Round 6 Lauren Wakfer increased her output to score 87 in Round 7 followed by 100 in Round 8. LSC have a ruck trio in their Round 9 team, Lucy Wales as the starting ruck along with Lauren Wakfer and Emma King on the interchange.
Week 9 – Eastern Park Dragons Def: Katherine Smith, Lily Postlethwaite, Emma Kearney ( ) Mid: Cathy Svarc, Isabel Dawes, Jaide Britton, Madison Newman (Madeleine Guerin) Ruck: Jessica Good ( ) Fwd: Megan Kauffman, Aileen Gilroy, Bonnie Toogood (Abygail Bushby) Int: Ruby Tripodi, Jackie Parry (Sophie Alexander) Out: Elizabeth Georgostathis In: Lily Postlethwaite
Timboon Trailblazers: DEF: Sarah Goodwin, Charlotte Thomas, Maddi Gay (Breanna Koenen) MID: Kiara Bowers, Lucy Single, Jasmine Fleming Ruby Schleicher (Kaitlyn Srhoj) RUC: Alice Edmonds (Sabrina Frederick) FWD: Chloe Molloy, Gemma Houghton, Alyssa Bannan (Lauren Young) INT: Abbie McKay, Tarni White (Shineah Goody) Others: Ash Centra, Rebecca Privitelli, Annabel Johnson, Alicia Eva (injured)
Wongan Hills Wallabies - Round 9 DEF: Harriet Cordner, Jenna Richardson, Poppy Scholz (Indi Strom) MID: Charlie Rowbottom, Eliza West, Niamh Kelly, Ella Roberts (Sarah Poustie) RUC: Mim Strom (Sarah Lakay) FWD: Taylor Smith, Cynthia Hamilton, Brooke Boileau (Georgia Gee) INT: Tyanna Smith, Lily Goss (Isabella Lewis) Out: Abbie Dowrick In: Lily Goss
Late changes for Galahs: Remmos out (injured), Tighe in (recovered!) DEF: Niamh McLauglin, Erika O'Shea, Cambridge McCormick (Sarah Verrier) MID: Georgia Nanscawen, Britt Bonnici, Georgia Patrikios, Ellie Blackburn (Maddy Brancatisano) FWD: Montana Ham, Zarlie Goldsworthy, Imogen Barnett (Piper Window) RUC: Steph Wales (Poppy Kelly) IC: Aine Tighe, Orla O'Dwyer (Jacqui Dupuy) Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
After Friday night's game we have it as (Jets and Mystix teams carrying over from previous round) Galahs (1st) vs Dragons (11th) Galahs 3/207 Dragons 1/69 Tip: Galahs by 200 Comets (10th) vs Belles (6th) Comets 1/76 Belles 1/48 Tip: Belles by 275 Valkeries (3rd) vs Trailblazers (5th) Valks 1/51 Trailblazers 2/176 Tip: Trailblazers by 15 Wallabies (4th) vs Sirens (9th) Wallabies 0/0 Sirens 3/159 Tip: Wallabies by 230 Devils (8th) vs Jets (7th) Devils 0/0 Jets 2/58 Tip: Devils by 10 Wood Nymphs (2nd) vs Mystix (12th) Nymphs 1/55 Mystixs 1/86 Tip: Wood Nymphs by 90