Greensborough have made it three wins from three in the Cleaning Melbourne Division 2 women’s competition, defeating Ivanhoe by 12 points at Greensborough War Memorial Park.

Both sides entered the match without having tasted defeat in the 2024 season and despite a late charge from the visitors in the final term, the Boro held their nerve to prevail 4.7 (31) to 2.7 (19).

All four goals for the hosts were kicked by Sheridan Blizzard, with the forward proving to be a regular target for her midfield teammates. She always got to the right spots inside 50 and was a constant spark for the winning side.

Nicole Hales’ class in midfield was on display throughout the afternoon while teammate Tarrah Delgado-Hwang held down the fort in defence.

Greensborough’s backline was tested in the second and final quarters of the game, with Lily Fitsoris the biggest threat in both the forward half and through midfield for the Ivies. She did well to fill the void of club leading goalkicker Georgia Pirdis who did not feature on Sunday.

The away side’s midfield was often provided first use of the football by Zoe Doyle, while Alice Doyle impressed in the backline.

The Doyles’ work rate was on show in the early stages of the contest, with Alice in particular repelling any foray forward by the Boro alongside Olivia Fogarty.

It was Blizzard who eventually broke through the defence, kicking the first two goals of the game by the eight-minute mark opening term.

But the Ivies continued to press hard while the defence continued to stand firm, conceding no further score while showing signs of improvement in the second half of the quarter.

With a 13-point margin to chase in the second term, Ivanhoe built on the momentum gained in the latter stages of the previous quarter and kicked the next two majors of the match courtesy of Lily Fitsioris and Jemma Price.

It reduced the away side’s deficit to just a single point, but just as their advantage was in danger of being lost, Greensborough went to another level, with Blizzard eventually rewarding her teammates efforts with her third goal of the game to push the Boro’s lead out to eight points at the main break.

With the first half seeing control of the contest switch hands consistently, the start of the third saw a stalemate ensue as both sides looked to regain momentum.

Eventually the Boro were able to do so, as they produced multiple inside 50’s and threatened to extend the margin.

They were initially unable to capitalise on their opportunities, before Blizzard was able to find the goals for the fourth time late in the term, helping her side obtain a 19-point lead at three quarter time.

With a big deficit to cut in the final quarter, the Ivies came out with determination to begin the term. But like Greensborough in the third, the visitors struggled to make the most of their chances, finishing with the last seven behinds of the match.

The Boro were then able to retake control of game in the final five minutes to seal their third straight win of the season.

By Josh Ward