Speak of the Devils: Wangaratta women claim glory in D2W grand final

They’ve been the best team all season, and now they have the silverware to prove it – Wangaratta City FC are Albury Wodonga Football Association division two champions. The Lady Devils etched their name in history on Saturday at Baranduda Fields, defeating fierce rivals Cobram Roar 2-0 in the last game of the season. It took just 13 minutes of gametime for the Lady Devils to stake their claim for the cup, with Katarina Carmody awarded a free kick outside the box. With the pressure of the day weighing upon her, Carmody stepped back, ran in, and banged it into the top corner to bring the black and red faithful to their feet as cheers echoed around the pitch. The Lady Devils had the lead, but it was far from one-way traffic. The tone of the day shifted on the eve of half-time when Lady Devils defender Issy Antonello and goalie Mel Tanti suffering injuries when colliding in mid-air looking to defend a ball. Half-time was called early, and while Tanti was able to return to play, albeit in pain, Antonello’s day was done. The forced substitution brought youngster Maddie Craven onto the pitch and she played well, working alongside her more seasoned teammates to keep Roar at bay. Ella Antonello doubled the lead after half-time, banging one home from the left wing in the 53rd to send Cobram reeling. While the Roar threw everything they had at the Lady Devils’ defence, Wangaratta stood tall, and when the final whistle sounded, they were confirmed as champions. Kat Carmody was named best on ground, not only for her stunning goal, but also her on-field leadership and drive to bring her teammates along in the contest. Coach Kristy Mellor said it was an incredible achievement for this team. “It’s wonderful to do the double – I’d only ever won the league before, never the double, so it was extraordinary,” she said. “What made it extra special is this is my fifth attempt at winning a grand final, and I did it with girls I’d coached all the way through - the Antonellos, the Broadys, the Aggenbachs were all there in the under 12s, under 14s, under 16s finals, so to actually get one for them and the club was pretty significant. “It felt exciting on the day, obviously people were nervous, but the atmosphere was positive and we had lots of support, lots of families in the stands with banners. “I think they were more excited than nervous.” Mellor said Carmody’s goal, as well as the heart and bravery showed by both Tanti and Antonello stood out to her. “I have to say the free kick was probably one of the best free kicks I’ve ever seen – the distance, the accuracy, and to do it on grand final day, there’s a lot of pressure on that kick,” she said. “It was beautiful, top bins, absolutely perfect. “She showed great leadership in that midfield, and when things got a bit fraught at half-time, it was Kat who calmed it down “We think Mel may have fractured her elbow but she was able to get up and continue the game, she had a lot of adrenaline and was very passionate, but Issy had to come off and we think she fractured some ribs. “Mel Tanti was just outstanding in that second half, she had so much adrenaline, she was so pumped to keep going, she went in for everything.” Mellor wished to thank the club, the team managers, volunteers, families, friends, and everyone else who helped the team achieve this incredible feat. Ressie Devils dashed by ‘Spurs Meanwhile, the division two men were unable to come out with the win in their grand final, falling 0-2 to Albury Hotspurs. The Devils went into the encounter understrength, without Joel Van Der Leeuw and goalie Kade Micheli due to their red cards in the semi-final. While Nathan Gleeson filled in with the gloves in the decider, the structure of the backline was off, with the ‘Spurs scoring in the fourth and eighth minutes. While they worked hard to create chances and prevented the scoreline from turning even more sour, Albury was able to sit in, defend, and eventually run down the clock to claim the win.

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