Corey Pendry roosts the ball forward to help Hallam Senior College along to its third consecutive state girls football championship. Picture: SCHOOL SPORTS VICTORIA
By JARROD POTTER
HALLAM Senior College ensured its status as one of the country’s best girls football schools, knocking off schools from Mill Park and Ballarat to grasp its third consecutive School Sports Victoria state championship last Wednesday.
With a number of his charges set to play Sunday’s South East Juniors’ Youth Girls grand final, Hallam coach Brett Alexander made sure those girls would get enough match time to help ensure victory.
He need not have worried, though – Alexander’s great weapon stood one-out in the forward line for most of the afternoon.
Ellie Blackburn drilled 11 goals straight across the two matches, a display she told Alexander was the best she had kicked all season with three of them kicked on the opposite footy despite blustery conditions against Mill Park Secondary College and Ballarat High School in the deciding match.
Hallam made light work of Mill Park to advance one step closer, with an 8.2 (50) to 2.2 (14) victory first up at Victoria Park on Wednesday morning.
In the best players were Blackburn (five goals), Lauren Hutchinson, Cassandra Meads, Brittany Wood, Lauren Hojnacki and Cherie Tamanalevu (two goals).
Hallam emerged at the half in the state final against Ballarat with a five-goal lead.
Despite Ballarat getting on top in the third, Hallam proved its might to run out state champions with a 7.5 (47) to 2.0 (12) win.
Danielle Hardiman received the medal for best on ground, putting on a master class across the halfback line, repelling attack after attack, while the dab hands of Blackburn (six goals), Chloe McMillan, Lauren Hojnacki, Ebony Hobson and Kirsten McLeod ensured the title came back with unstoppable juggernaut that is Hallam girls’ football.
“I think it was a great effort considering the competition and standard is getting a bit better every year – the margins are getting closer,” Alexander said.
“For the girls to go through the way they’re going is brilliant.”
Alexander brought all nine of his departing Year 12 girls on the field for the final siren and admits it will be hard to replace the calibre of the graduating class, but is eagerly awaiting the next batch of Hallam girls to fill their places.
“Next year will be a lot different – we lose nine girls of a higher quality, but it will give a chance to the other girls to work their way into the side and take the opportunity,” Alexander said.
“All the girls in their last year I had them out on the ground for the final siren and it was a just reward for them which was good.”
Not all ends are tied up yet for Hallam, with the girls team off to Queensland this Sunday to face the sunshine state’s best sides in a lightning premiership held in Mooloolaba.
