By Tim Miller
SUNDAY was a historic day for Calder Cannons, with the club’s inaugural TAC Cup girls’ team triumphing Gippsland Power in their debut match.
A five-goal-to-one opening quarter set Frankston Oval alight, with only inaccurate kicking from the Cannons - who booted six behinds for the term- dampening a sublime team display.
From there the Cannons never let up, extending their lead at every change on a sweltering mid-autumn day to emerge with a 94-point win, 17.12 (114) to 3.2 (20).
Chloe Molloy was the star up forward with five goals, including three in a dominant opening term which set the tone for the remainder of the contest.
“I don’t have a negative thought for anybody,” Cannons assistant coach Jason Peak told Cannons Media after the game.
“We had a big focus at three-quarte-time to make sure that we finished as well as we started, so to kick six goals in the last quarter…was really impressive.”
Alongside Molloy, whose haul is sure to attract attention from AFLW recruiters even this far out from the draft, Monique Conti was impressive around the ball and in the forward line, finishing with three goals, while Molly Warburton was a constant thorn in the Power’s side across half-back.
“I don’t think she got beaten once,” Peak said of Warburton, whose precise kicking and level head off half-back was instrumental in keeping the Power to just five scoring shots for the match.
“She drove the footy out of our defensive half numerous times. It’s not like it was all one-way traffic, but when Gippsland got the footy, invariably it was Molly who was pushing the ball back our way.
“She’s probably the player I’m happiest about.”
Sarah Dargan and Madison Prespakis were also impressive with their energy and spark in midfield and on the forward line, but there was no doubt who the biggest star was in front of the big sticks.
Since making the decision to give up a promising basketball career to pursue football, Molloy hasn’t put a foot wrong, with today’s best-on-ground performance the brightest sign yet that her career move was a masterstroke.
“If you’re talented at one sport at any level, you’ll find the transition is not such a big leap,” Peak said.
“Chloe’s probably doing a little bit better than we expected she would at this stage, but not by much.”
The stage is set for this Friday’s blockbuster double-header at RAMS Arena, with both the boys’ and girls’ teams scheduled to play the Eastern Ranges back to back. The girls’ match begins at 6pm.
The Ranges enjoyed a landmark victory of their own, keeping Bendigo Pioneers scoreless on their way to a 64-point victory, in the process snatching top spot on the ladder from the Cannons with an infinite percentage.
Last Modified on 20/03/2017 16:10