Chapman Valley off to their fourth straight grand final after getting up over Northampton in GNFLW prelim

Chapman Valley have advanced to their fourth straight grand final after a thrilling two-point win over Northampton in the preliminary final of the Great Northern Football League Women’s division. In the rematch of last year’s grand final, the Royals were looking to defend their title while the Rams had hopes of revenge. The match had a slow start and both teams looked quiet before Northampton opened the game up after 10 minutes with a goal. Royals led 1.3 (9) to 1.2 (8) in the second quarter, both sides scoring majors. The game opened up for the Rams in the third quarter, getting back-to-back goals 10 minutes in, with a missed opportunity for a third. In the opening seconds of the fourth quarter Chapman Valley scored a goal to cut Northampton’s lead to six. The Royals were able to get more forward entries but failed to come away with the goal and it was looking like a Northampton win. But with time ticking down, Chapman Valley got a clearance to work the ball from end to end. With the game on the line and barely more than one minute left to play, the Royals’ Alecia Zerafa worked the ball down and passed it to Lexi Chapman. Down by four with a minute left, Chapman booted the goal and the Valley took a two-point lead. After another centre clearance, the Royals’ Madi Broadhurst marked, slowing down play before booting the ball as the siren sounded. The Royals scraped through with the 3.6 (24) to 2.4 (22) win, sending them to the grand final. Chapman Valley will attempt to defend their title from last year when they take on the undefeated Brigades in the grand final on Saturday. This will mark the fifth grand final appearance for Chapman Valley, having only missed out on one year in the women’s league history. However, the Royals only secured their first flag last year and they will hope to overcome their poor record in the finals. On the other side, Brigades have won every time they reached the grand final, winning in 2019 and 2020.