Photo: Solstice Digital
The Devils continued their red-hot start to 2023 on Saturday in a massive double-header, with both the girls and the boys sides enjoying wins over the Western Jets.
Coates Talent League Girls
TASMANIA DEVILS: 2.0 4.1 7.3 8.5 (53)
WESTERN JETS: 2.1 2.3 3.6 5.7 (37)
GOALS: Georgia Clark 3, Grace White 3, Lucy Thompson, Priya Bowering
BEST: Priya Bowering, Jasmyn Thompson, Candice Belbin, Grace White, Georgia Clark, Natasha Furjanic
The Devils girls were on the back foot early in the day’s first contest, with the Jets goaling inside the first minute of the game. They steadied from there in an even opening quarter to trail by just a point at the first break, and from there it was all Devils. They took the lead early in the second quarter, keeping the Jets goalless in that term, and a three-goal burst in the third effectively put the game to bed. The result moved Tasmania to 2-0 this season, a perfect start under new head coach Jodie Clifford.
Dynamic duo dominate in attack
It’s still early in the season, but Tasmania might have the most potent forward line in the Coates Talent League Girls. 2022 leading goalkicker Bellah Parker returned to the side on Saturday, but she was able to ease back into the action as her fellow forwards starred. Georgia Clark led the way once again, following up a two-goal outing in round one with three majors against the Jets. Two of those came in the first quarter, helping to quash the opposition’s only real run early in the game, and she dominated in the air with a game-high 11 marks (five contested). She was well supported by Grace White, who finished with three goals of her own from eight disposals. When all of Tasmania’s forwards are fit and firing, they will be near impossible to stop.
Skipper steps up in the midfield
While the Devils finished the game with considerably less hit outs, they were still able to narrowly win the clearance battle (26-24) and use the ball more efficiently out of the midfield. That effort was led by captain Candice Belbin, who racked up a team-high 27 disposals, six clearances and eight tackles in the win. That’s nothing new for the Ulverstone star, who has developed a reputation as a midfield bull through multiple years with the Devils. She was ably supported on Saturday by young gun Priya Bowering (17 disposals, five clearances) and fellow Robin Lucy Thompson (17 disposals, seven tackles), with the team’s depth shining through.
Coates Talent League Boys
TASMANIA DEVILS: 6.3 7.3 8.5 10.10 (70)
WESTERN JETS: 1.4 6.4 7.6 8.7 (55)
GOALS: Jack Callinan 3, Heath Ollington 2, Lenny Douglas, Will Groom, Thomas Beaumont, Connor Ling, Mitch Nicholas
BEST: Thomas Beaumont, Marty Brereton, James Leake, Lenny Douglas, Geordie Payne, Jack Callinan
After dominating for long stretches of the game, the Devils boys held off a late charge from the Jets to open their season with a 15-point win. A six-goal-to-one first term saw Tasmania race away to an early lead, but the visitors hit back strongly with a five-goal quarter of their own in the second. The Jets even took the lead late in the third term as the game became a low-scoring arm wrestle, but the defensive steel of the Devils shone through as they held the Jets to just two goals after half-time. Some wayward kicking late left the door ajar, but the Devils piled on the scoring shots to build enough of a buffer.
Beaumont runs amok in captaincy debut
It might have been his first game as captain of the Devils, but Thomas Beaumont showed no signs of nerves as he dominated the game from start to finish. His goal just 22 seconds after the opening bounce set the tone, and he found the football at will from that point on. By the final siren, he had produced some eye-watering stats: 38 disposals (20 contested), 14 clearances, 11 inside 50s, and seven tackles, all while using the ball at an efficiency rate of 84%. The Devils set out to make a statement in their first game of the year, and did so with a win; their captain may have made even more of an impact, stamping his papers as a star of the competition.
Devils defence comes through in the clutch
While the Jets got off the leash in the second term, Tasmania’s defence smothered them through the rest of the game. They allowed just one goal in each of the other three quarters, despite lacking the size and experience of many Talent League teams. There were plenty of standouts in that effort – Marty Brereton (ten disposals, 90% efficiency) and James Leake (16 disposals, seven contested) both manned key posts and were named in Tasmania’s best on the day, while Geordie Payne (18 disposals, 89% efficiency) provided lots of drive out of the backline. Most importantly, the entire Devils backline jelled as a unit in their first game of the season, a positive sign for the remainder of the campaign.