Wangaratta Rovers to face Lavington Panthers in Female Football League preliminary final

Two goals from Mikaela Trethowan helped Rovers win by 5.8 (38) to 1.1 (7) at Lavington Sports Ground, setting up a clash with Lavington Panthers at W. J. Findlay Oval.

The game was reduced to 15-a-side with several Felines players unwell and Rovers proved too strong in a repeat of last season's elimination final.

"When you come to finals, you lose and you're done for the year so it was good to win and keep going," Rovers coach Rick Marklew said.

"Having seven on the bench made it hard to rotate all the players through but that's footy, that happens.

"It was a good team effort."

Trethowan's goals were a reward for her consistently hard running, with Bianca Mulqueen, Jo Maples and Amy Hopkins also hitting the scoreboard.

Mietta Habets kicked the Felines' goal but Rovers were good value for their win.

"The girls were all pretty excited to go out there and play in a final," Marklew said.

"The first two or three minutes, we played really well.

ALSO IN SPORT

"There may have been a few pre-match nerves but probably not as many as I thought there would be."

The focus now shifts to Lavington but Marklew insists his players will take plenty out of the season regardless of the result.

"It's really important everyone understands we're there to get the girls to play better football, whether they win, lose or draw," he said.

"As long as they can walk away and say 'I learned something today' or 'I kicked on my opposite foot' or 'I did a handball' or 'I did something really good', it's about the development of the players more than anything.

"Even though winning premierships is fantastic, I'd rather put the development into the kids and maybe have one of them play AFLW one day.

"Even if it's girls from other clubs, it would be great to see them push right through to the best level."

Wodonga Raiders booked their place in the open women's grand final by edging out Lavington 1.3 (9) to 0.2 (2).

Josphine Cottrell kicked the only goal of the game and she was joined in the Raiders best by Eloise Hiller-Stanbrook, Samantha Clegg, Tina Schilg, Sarah Mueller and Jade Hough.

Raiders will also contest the under-14 grand final thanks to a 21-point win over the Panthers, who now face Thurgoona in the preliminary final.

In the under-17s competition, Murray Felines will take on Wodonga Raiders in the prelim on Sunday with the winners to meet the Panthers in the grand final at Lavington on August 21.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: