Comets crash through

By Gavin Staindl
THE CASEY Comets are one step away from a grand final appearance after winning their first Women’s Premier League final in nearly five years on Sunday.
The Comets will play Sandringham in this week’s preliminary final after accounting for the previously unbeaten Heidelberg Warriors 3-0 at Olympic Park.
The Warriors were the only side during the regular season to have beaten Casey twice, yet that mattered little to the visitors who from the start looked a class above.
Within 15 minutes the Comets were on the board.
A daring run by Taryn Brown down the left side opened up Nicola Prins, who pitched the cross into Natalie Grubic for the opening goal.
While the Comets were assertive with possession, it was the counter-attacks that did the most damage.
The speed of Brown and Aimee Benton sliced through the Warriors defensive lines, while Alex Gummer’s clever footwork set up many through-balls.
However, it was the defence led by Laura Croft and Rebecca Cherry that was the linchpin in the win, while “the Lynch” (Alex Lynch) was unstoppable in goals, securing her sixth shutout for the year.
Casey could have clinched the game by half time as Grubic found the crossbar and captain Mel Atherton missed a six-yard tap in to an empty net.
As one Warrior fan said, “it is unbelievable we’re still in this game”.
The Warriors returned from half time with a renewed confidence.
But once again it was the negating abilities of Cherry, Croft and Atherton, especially on burly Warriors striker Melanie Camilliri, which proved the difference.
And in what has become some sort of ritual, the players, coaches and fans of the Casey Comets, gathered in the middle of the pitch to sing the victorious song.
“I am very, very happy with the performance,” coach Ian Williamson said.
“If the girls give their best, anything is possible.”