An up-and-coming forward has had a day out for Shepparton United on Sunday afternoon.
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In the penultimate round of the Northern Country Women’s League, United blitzed rival Tatura by 119 points at Kialla Park Recreation Reserve.
The Demons had four multiple goal-kickers on the day, but the star of the show was young gun Payten Johnston, who kicked a season-high nine goals.
The Murray Bushranger was a class above for United, with the Bulldogs defenders unable to contain Johnston’s potency in attack.
United coach Grant Searle was bullish about his young star’s potential.
“If (Johnston) doesn’t get drafted into the (AFLW), I would be quite surprised,” he said.
“She reads the play extremely well and she is a very, very talented footballer.”
The game appeared to be over early as United burst out of the blocks, kicking 5.4 (34) in the first quarter.
From there, the Demons’ pressure and intensity never wavered and they eventually won the match 19.12 (126) to 1.1 (7).
United’s Molly Kennedy booted four goals for the home side, while Tatura’s Lauren Barber was the lone goal-kicker for the Bulldogs.
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Shepparton United’s Melissa Foster tracks down the ball. Photo by Megan FisherImage 2 of 10
Shepparton United’s Emma O'Keeffe gets the ball to boot. Photo by Megan FisherImage 3 of 10
Tatura’s Maddy Andronaco and Shepparton United’s Michela Kearney contest the footy. Photo by Megan FisherImage 4 of 10
Shepparton United’s Emily Sims scans the field for teammates. Photo by Megan FisherImage 5 of 10
Shepparton United’s Payten Johnston was in fine form. Photo by Megan FisherImage 6 of 10
Tatura’s Sarah Lange-Richards takes a strong chest mark. Photo by Megan FisherImage 7 of 10
Tatura’s Dianne Poole boots the ball deep inside 50. Photo by Megan FisherImage 8 of 10
Tatura’s Sarah Miller is pressured by Shepparton United’s Emma O'Keeffe. Photo by Megan FisherImage 9 of 10
Shepparton United’s Molly Kennedy bursts away from a stoppage. Photo by Megan FisherImage 10 of 10
Shepparton United’s Melissa Foster hunts the footy. Photo by Megan FisherWith one round remaining before finals, Searle believes things are starting to click for his side.
“We are hitting the right performance at the right time of the season,” he said.
“Our players at the moment have got a lot of buy-in to our processes and our structures.
“It was obvious during the game on Sunday that they are now believing in themselves and they executed and stuck to our team structures and planning extremely well.”
Not much separates the top four (Echuca, Mansfield, Nathalia and United) heading into the last few weeks of the season, but Searle doesn’t think the Demons need to change much to find success against the best sides.
“The plan going forward is to continue to work to our team plan and our structures,” he said.
“If we get those right and we continue to work on those and excel in those areas, who knows how far we can go.”
Mansfield has defeated fellow premiership contender Echuca in a thriller.
The Eagles won by one point over the Murray Bombers, meaning there are three teams (Echuca, Mansfield and Nathalia) that can finish the home and away season in top spot on the ladder.
Nathalia secured a 33-point victory over Barooga away from home.
The Purples were led by star forward Kiara Cooper (53 goals for the season), who kicked seven majors.
After failing to win a match across the first eight rounds, Rumbalara has stormed home to secure four wins from its past five games, including Sunday’s fixture against Nagambie.
Rumba effectively secured the title of ‘best-of-the-rest’ with the 34-0 victory and now sit in fifth spot with one round left in the season.
In the Youth Girls League, Shepparton United secured a 78-point victory over Moama.
Demons captain Emily Zampaglione kicked a game-high six goals in the dominant win.
Shepparton Swans suffered a tough 83-point loss to Echuca United, while Barooga downed Nathalia 50-2 to finish off round 13.
Cadet Sports Journalist