50th capped with a win

Originally published in Dubbo Photo News

The Dubbo Demons made Korine Coleman’s fiftieth game one to remember with a 43-point win over the Bathurst Bushrangers.

In a total change from the last time the teams faced each other, both the Demons and Bushrangers fielded full teams.

An icy chill and boggy field didn’t hold either team back though, with coach Peter Martinoli saying he was impressed with the Bushrangers’ pressure.

“Talking with their coach after the game, they've put a lot of focus on tackling pressure. So that was very noticeable. They didn't give us time to have a few steps and find a target, [the ball] was very quickly shut down.”

After a huge win against the Bathurst Giants last week, Martinoli was keen to have the team back their performance up, proving the team isn’t a one-trick-pony.

“It’s always good to follow up a great performance last week and keep it rolling to the next week.

“Today it was a very physical game, the Bushies had a lot of strong tackling pressure, and we were missing a few key forwards, which probably made us a bit vulnerable there.”

Martinoli called out Kaitlyn Waldie, Keeghan Tucker, and Michelle George for their impacts on the game.

Rotating across the back and mid-lines, Waldie and Tucker were key in rebounding the football back towards the Demons forward fifty.

With key forward Lauren Hazell unavailable for the week George stepped into the centre-half-forward role.

“She definitely put in a lot of effort for a role that she's never done before, and a role she hadn’t trained for. It’s just very difficult to play centre-half-forward, it’s probably one of the hardest places to play and I think she did extremely well,” Martinoli said.

Though a win is always enjoyed, it was the cherry on top of a fantastic day for ruck, Korine Coleman.

In her fiftieth Aussie rules game, the leadership team nominated her as captain for the day, to recognise her dedication to the sport to reach such a milestone.

“Korine is a fantastic player and contributor to the team, not just today, but collectively.

“She’s a great clubperson, and always the loudest on the field. Everyone loves her goal celebrations, it's probably a bit of her signature now, it's uplifting, everyone around the ground loves it.”

In metropolitan leagues players can rack up 50 games in significantly shorter times than in the AFL Central West competition.

Martinoli said the effort required to get to this milestone was huge and an even more impressive feat given the small size of the women’s competition and the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on the competition.

Coleman said it felt awesome to lead the team out and get to play her fiftieth in a winning game. This is her fifth season playing football, after originally joining the Parkes team in 2018.

Coleman has been following the AFL since she was ten years old and when she learnt about the Parkes team she signed up.

“I played at Parkes to begin with and then they folded so I joined the Demons in 2020. I’ve enjoyed playing for both clubs, I would have loved to stick at Parkes but things happen,” she said.

“[Footy] is just different than any other sport, it’s more friendly and family orientated. And tackling in general, getting to play full contact compared to other sports.

“I love watching footy, but playing it is just a whole new level.”

Her impact within the team on and off the field is adored by her teammates and they’re excited to see more from her in the future.

Outside of Covid-19 cancellations, Coleman hasn’t missed a game since she joined the league, and she intends to continue her streak.

“Hopefully now I’ve got to try and not miss any in the next 50.”

Final scores for the women’s game sat at Dubbo 7.9.51 to Bathurst 1.2.8. Up the hill on the other Bathurst Oval, the tier two men returned home with a win also, taking down the Bathurst Outlaws 11.13.79 to 6.2.38.

Unfortunately for the tier one men’s side they weren’t able to complete the treble. Early frustrations on the field continued throughout the game as they slogged towards a 3.3.21 to 16.20.116 loss.

AFL Central West heads into a bye this weekend, with the Demons preparing to face the Bathurst Giants once again at South Dubbo Oval in a fortnight’s time.