GNFLW: Railways beat Brigades as Rams fall just short against Chapman Valley

Rams have fallen short in a heart-breaking finish, going down to Chapman Valley by a point to allow Railways to move four points clear in third. The Rams pushed the top-of-the-ladder Royals who were coming fresh off a 69-point thrashing of Mullewa but fell agonisingly short in the 6.4 (40) to 6.3 (39) loss. It was a tight opening stanza with both teams scoring just the one goal before they both kicked two in the second as the Royals took a one-point lead into half-time. Rams have not beaten either of the top two teams this year but they were taking the fight to the Royals as they looked to have broken the game open in a two-goal-to-one third term to lead by six points going into the final quarter. But they fell just short, kicking 1.1 to the Royals’ 2.2 in the last to lose by the narrowest of margins. It will be a tough loss to take but Rams can take plenty of positives from the performance with finals not too far away. It was the first time the Royals had conceded more than one goal since round nine and been kept under 50 points since the same marker. Mikenna Schulz was among the best once again, while Selina Kiddle kicked three goals to continue her strong form up forward as of late. However their loss allowed Railways to move a game clear in third after they overcame the Brigades at GBSC Sports Park. In a low-scoring encounter, Jasmine Johansen proved the difference as she booted two goals and was best on ground in the 3.4 (22) to 2.2 (14) win. Railways had the fast start as Johansen found the scoreboard early as they led 13-1 at the quarter-time break. Both teams kicked one major in the second as the Blues held a comfortable 12-point lead. That would be the last time they found the goals however as Brigades closed to within a goal, with the Blues managing just a single point for the quarter. But the Hawks would not hit the scoreboard again and Railways held on to take the win and move to 32 points, ahead of the Rams in fourth. Jessica Giudice-Nairn was Brigades’ best with good support from Olivia Allen, Gemma Dix, Samantha Tenardi and Alicia Ponta while Johansen had help from Kara Elliott, Jaimee Ahearn, Brooke Martin, Clancy Huggins. In the other match Towns crushed the lowly Rovers holding them to just a point to win 10.13 (73) to 0.1 (1). Olivia Bidwell made 11 from 11, scoring another best player nomination in a dominant season, while Ashleigh Jones kicked five. It leaves Towns with a chance of stealing top spot from Chapman Valley should they beat them by a significant margin next week, while Railways should tie up third place as they face Mullewa.