CVFLW: Magpies go back-to-back after grinding down Tigers

The 5.2 (32) to 1.9 (15) win over Woorinen cemented their legacy as a great team and concluded an incredible season where they went 14-0.

"It's an incredible feeling, and going undefeated definitely made it that little bit sweeter," Magpies coach Jordan Cochrane said.

"We know the club is in a rebuilding phase, and over the past couple of years, seeing the netball and women's footy picking up has given it a real spark."

The Magpies were certainly made to work for it, however, with the 17-point victory their closest winning margin in 2023 and probably should have been closer if not for their opponents' inaccurate kicking.

"I said to the girls beforehand, don't think this is just going to happen because we knew Woorinen would come out and give it a red hot crack, which they did," Cochrane said.

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The Tigers would have had just as many, if not more, inside 50s, but that extra bit of class from the girls in Black and White came through when the critical moment presented itself.

That moment came midway through the third term.

With the game locked in a stalemate and Woorinen dominating territory, the Magpies took the ball end to end in arguably the best passage of play all evening.

Full forward Eloise Gretgrix profited from the slick ball movement that has defined the Magpies season yet alluded them for most of the big dance soccering through her sides second of the game.

For the last ten minutes of the third stanza, the Magpies produced where the Tigers failed during their charge earlier in the match.

They applied priceless scoreboard pressure in a low-scoring affair, kicking three goals to none for the term from 13-7 inside 50s to take a 19-point lead into the final quarter.

Tiffany Bradley slotted the second of those three before Meg Ginnivan put the game almost out of the Tigers' grasp, bobbing up in the goalsquare.

Ginnivan was superb all night but was everywhere in the third term, and in a contest where it was difficult to choose a best on ground, the medal was ultimately awarded to Ginnivan.

"Meg (Ginnivan) played a great game over the four quarters, which is what we wanted from her, but it was the team effort that got us over the line," Cochrane said.

In a game of few individual highlights, the play that will stick long in the memory of the Magpies faithful came seconds before the three-quarter-time siren.

With her opponent running into an open goal and about to give the Tigers genuine belief, Ella Cochrane produced a brilliant run-down tackle to electrify the crowd and ensure all momentum was with the Magpies.

"We saw her running in and Ella (Cochrane) catching up, so it was one of those hearts-in-your-mouth moments," Cochrane said.

"The effort, intensity, and not giving up attitude from the girls was great to see, and that encapsulated it."

But hope sprung eternal one last time for the Tigers seven minutes into the fourth, with club leading goalkicker Donal Fellows nailing what would be the Yellow and Blacks' only major of the evening.

That brought the margin to within 11, but on a night where the Magpies defence held firm at times under siege, Jordan Cochrane's back six weren't going to let another through the big sticks.

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Cochrane was delighted with how his defence performed.

"I can't fault our back six at all," he said.

"Woorinen had repeat entries and put us under immense pressure, but they held up superbly.

"They kicked 1.9 (15), but none of those points were easy shots."

The Tigers struggled to get it into their forward half from that point on, and their fate was sealed when Gretgrix snapped through her second to put the icing on a very sweet Castlemaine cake.

Earlier, the game was played on the Tigers terms, with the clash descending into a contested scrap during the first half.

That suited the Tigers' inside midfielders just fine, as the Magpies' powerful running game was rendered virtually non-existent.

"The first half was very tight and contested," Cochrane said.

"A lot of the time, we were looking for that switch to the open side, but we made simple skill efforts which kept them in the game, and that's probably down to grand final nerves."

A goalless first quarter was followed by a second term the Tigers were by far the better side in.

Abbey Bertram finally got the ball rolling, slotting the first of the night from 40 metres out.

It was one of the few times the Magpies looked dangerous during that period, with the Tigers dominating territory.

However, Katelyn Hazlett's charges failed to register a single major during this patch, which ultimately proved the difference between the two sides.

In their first year of existence, the Tigers can be very proud of their performance for not just the whole season but in a grand final the Magpies were largely expected to cakewalk through.

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