Round 14 Match Reports (2026)

The La Trobe Senior Women returned to Tony Sheehan Oval in an attempt to make it a trifecta of consecutive wins when playing in front of the home crowd.

With both Men’s teams getting the opportunity to enjoy the BYE, it was just the one match for the club at the weekend. Thanks to some crafty pre-game work from President Andrew Sutherland, along with players Hugo O’Callaghan and Xav Scott, the icy conditions became less icy on what was the beginning of a stellar winter day.

As Leigh Montagna would say, the first quarter was an ‘arm wrestle’. Both La Trobe and Monash had great moments with their ball movement considering the slippery conditions. It was Marleigh Andrews who opened the scoring, displaying both clean hands from a close-range kick, and a pure finish to put the Trober’s ahead early.

The team defence held strong in the first but conceded the next goal to trail by 4 points going into the first break. Kaitlyn Ritchie, Ellen Brasier and Amy Milbourne all took important intercept marks in the defensive 50 to put a halt to some dangerous Monash Blues attacks.

The second quarter did not look incredible on the scoreboard, but the Trober’s yet again showed plenty of effort and intent to move the ball creatively. Yasmine Budic continued her awesome form on the wing, again gaining plenty of metres for the side in addition to effectively supporting the backline in defensive transition.

Coach Sam Greene was pleased with her sides first half performance and knew that if La Trobe continued where they left off, there’d be plenty to be happy about moving forward.

The 3^rd started with a Monash centre clearance, and their inaccuracy in front of goal as well as La Trobe’s inability to get the ball past halfway meant the game was played in the wrong half of the ground. Eventually, the visitors found the goals and were rewarded for their early half dominance.

The Monash goal was the catalyst for La Trobe to get back into the game. Multiple repeat Steph Castagnini efforts led to an inside 50 in the direction of Thara Sar, who was able to put Jess Lowry into space with a neat kick over the top as the skipper was just able to sneak it across the line.

A positive finish to the 3^rd left La Trobe every chance going into the last, and after getting the previous goal assist, Thara Sar was in the right place at the right time to reward herself with her own goal.

With 10 minutes to go, La Trobe needed 3 unanswered goals to pull off a win but unfortunately only a Monash behind followed.

Monash took the 4 points in what was another great team display from the Trober’s, continuing to impress and compete despite being short-handed week after week.

Other notable performers on the day were the Wilson cousins, with Claire showcasing her much needed pace in midfield, and Matilda performing well up forward and in the ruck from both an offensive and defensive perspective.

Madi Duffy has been the go-to when it comes to assigning a player to opposition threats inside the defensive 50. Madi spent time on multiple Monash forwards and did a brilliant job in limiting their influence on the game.

Looking ahead, La Trobe and Old Carey will continue to add to their recent rivalry history, where the Trober’s will travel hoping to make it 2 from 2 against this opponent for the season.