WPD PENNO Vs East Coast

WPD -R17 15 Aug 2026 Sat - 13:00 pm - MKO1
G B Score PENNO 0 0 0 East Coast 10 11 71					G B QT ST 0 0 0 0 3 3 21 21					G B QT ST 0 0 0 0 1 2 8 29					G B QT ST 0 0 0 0 3 3 21 50					G B QT ST 0 0 0 0 3 3 21 71
Best Players Ashleigh Grubba Remy Ally Ava Clegg Makayla Holmes Tiarne Tighe Makayla Bleza

There are games where the scoreboard tells the story. Then there are games where it doesn't.

Against East Coast Eagles, sitting just one place above us on the ladder, we arrived with a quiet belief. The conditions were wet, the football was always going to be difficult to handle, and we had spent the week introducing some new concepts around our ball movement that we were keen to test under pressure. What unfolded wasn't the result we wanted. But there was still plenty to like.

Q1 – Let's Do What We Do
Over the past two months our focus has been deliberately simple. Build the fundamentals. Own the contest. Create habits that become part of our identity. Those habits were tested immediately.

East Coast found the football quicker, moved it into space and repeatedly challenged our defensive structure. Our girls fought hard to slow their movement, but six scoring shots in the opening quarter showed how difficult the task was, even if the Eagles couldn't fully capitalise on the scoreboard. A significant moment came when Cookie (Caitlin) was driven heavily into the ground in a tackle, striking her head and taking no further part in the match. Losing one of your key on-ballers so early is a challenge for any side, but one the group simply absorbed and kept competing through.

Quarter Time
Pennant Hills 0.0 (0)
East Coast Eagles 3.3 (21)

Q2 – Control What We Can Control
Our message was straightforward. Focus on the things within our control. Over recent weeks we've introduced new ball movement principles, encouraging players to look laterally and use 45-degree options rather than simply kicking long down the line. While those patterns are still developing, this quarter showed genuine signs of progress. Time and again we looked to change angles, move into space and create better exits from defence. The coaching group found themselves smiling more than once as we watched players attempting exactly what we'd trained during the week. The scoreboard may not have reflected it, but our football certainly did.

These are the moments where development becomes visible.

Half Time
Pennant Hills 0.0 (0)
East Coast Eagles 4.5 (29)

Half Time – There Is More
Every week this group leaves us believing. Not because of the scoreboard. Because of what sits just beneath the surface.
The improvement over the past several weeks has been remarkable. Skills are improving. Football IQ is growing. Confidence with the ball is building. It genuinely feels like there is another level waiting to emerge. And it doesn't feel very far away.

Q3 – Eagles Respond
East Coast reset well after the main break and again found ways to generate repeat forward entries, creating another six scoring shots. Yet what pleased us most wasn't the scoreboard. It was the response.

Our contest work remained strong. Our defensive exits became more organised. Players continued looking for those new ball movement options rather than reverting to old habits. Against quality opposition, that's exactly the courage we want to see.
Growth isn't abandoning the plan when things get difficult. Growth is trusting it anyway.

Three Quarter Time
Pennant Hills 0.0 (0)
East Coast Eagles 7.8 (50)

Q4 – Us
One word has come to define this group over recent weeks. Us. The effort never wavered.

We found our way into forward 50 and created pressure of our own, but couldn't quite find the reward our work deserved. East Coast added further scores, helped by a couple of fortunate bounces and dribbling footballs that landed their way. Sometimes football is like that. What can't be questioned is the character of this group.

After everything these players have endured throughout the season—the losses, the setbacks, the uncertainty—they continue to turn up, compete for one another and celebrate each other's successes. That says more about this team than any scoreboard ever could.

Final Score
Pennant Hills 0.0 (0)
East Coast Eagles 10.11 (71)

Our Best
• Ashleigh Grubba
• Remy Ally
• Ava Clegg
• Makayla Holmes
• Tiarne Tighe
• Makayla Bleza

Final Words
If you had watched this group in Round 1 and then watched them today, you would have seen a very different football team.
The scoreboard won't show that. But we see it every week. We see players who now hunt the contest with purpose. We see ball movement that is beginning to reflect the style we want to become known for. We see footballers making better decisions, communicating more, trusting one another and embracing what we're asking them to do. Most importantly, we see a team that genuinely enjoys being together. The wins will come. Not because we hope they will. Because the foundations are now being built properly. This group has earned the right to keep believing.

So do we. Continue to believe. Train together. Play together. Have fun together.