TYRENDARRA’S Western Victoria Female Football League season came to a close on Sunday when they went down to Hamilton Kangaroos in the elimination final in Cavendish.

In wet conditions it was a low scoring affair with the Roos taking a 4.4 (28) to 1.3 (9) win to move into the preliminary final next Sunday.

The Darras were able to get their hands on plenty of the ball on Sunday but struggled to capitalise on possession with polish around the contest a highlight of Hamilton’s play.

While Tyrendarra had some scoring opportunities in the first quarter, they couldn’t execute seeing Hamilton hit a 13-1 lead in the first term.

Hamilton continued to show plenty of polish with Tess Andrews finding space across the ground to put the Roos in good scoring position.

While Hamilton held a 27-2 lead at the main break the Darras didn’t let up with their pressure in the third quarter suffocating the play across the ground.

Pressure through the middle from Lauren Millard, Lashay Blurton and Andrea Smith allowed Tyrendarra to win more of the ball and prevent Hamilton from too many scoring opportunities.

The Darras dominated the last quarter of play, but it was too late to close the gap on the scoreboard.

While the result wasn’t what the side hoped for, coach Glenn Kane said it was an impressive effort from the team across the four quarters.

“Going into it, it felt like it was fifty-fifty, so we were a bit disappointed with the result,” he said.

“But in the scheme of it all it’s just one game and the culture is so strong in the team and around the club, so we’ll keep moving forward.”

With many players new to the game in Tyrendarra’s second season, Kane said it was a similar story throughout the year of lacking some polish across the ground.

“It’s been pretty similar for most of our games, our tackling pressure and effort in the contest is first class but polish is going to take time and it’s not something you can get within 18 months it’s something that develops across a long period of time,” he said.

“We had our fair share of inside 50s, but we just don’t have that level of finish yet.”

Smith earned best on ground for her efforts while Millard, Jenna-May Bristow, Ieesha Kelly-O’Brien and Violet Bamblett were all acknowledged for their performances.

“Andrea was great, and she really stepped up throughout the game,” Kane said.

“Jenna and Ieesha had really good, strong pressure and Ash Boyer as well worked really hard in the ruck all day.

“Bill (Lauren Millard) sets the scene with her effort every game, the work she has put in this year to become a key onballer has really paid off.”

With the season done and dusted for the side Kane said they have plenty of positives to reflect on.

“It’s been great – we’ve had at least 34 different players come and have a kick and we’ve been able to consistently get numbers,” he said.

“It’s also been great to see a bit of a link with Portland’s juniors too, we had some of them come and help us out for a game and they were great inclusions.

“All of it has been positive, the support from everyone and the club has meant a lot.”

Other games

South Warrnambool booked their place in both the women’s and under-18 grand final after both of their sides won on Sunday in the semi-final.

In the women’s competition the Rooster will face the winner of next Sunday’s preliminary final between Hamilton and Horsham while it’s either Horsham or Terang-Mortlake who will make the grand final in the under-18s.