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Sports

Consecutive cups
By Barry Rollings


Edition 5007, 03 May, 2007
 
TOUGH GAME: OCDT Alex Smith is barged out of the way by Navy’s LEUT Amanda Eddy while SGT Jorja Jones chases after the ball.
Photo: LSPH Yuri Ramsey
Navy women retained the Geoff Ledger Cup by beating Army 5.9 (39) to 4.5 (29) after a tight deciding match at the Australian Services Australian Football Association Championships in Canberra from April 16 to 20.

After downing Air Force 8.6 (54) to 5.2 (32) on the opening day at Ainslie Oval, Army had to beat Navy – conqueror of Air Force 8.9 (57) to 1.0 (6) on day two – in the decider.

Keen observers would have noted the number 7 in black felt pen on the arms of the Navy players. In a sense, players were wearing their hearts on their sleeves for injured captain LSSN Candice Freeman, who broke her right arm in the opening match against Air Force.

Acting captain ABBM Katie Goggins, named Navy’s best of the carnival and overall player of the carnival, was stoked with the win which gave Navy back to-back titles.

She said the team had all dug deep and dedicated the win to LSSN Freeman and their coach CPOCIS Rohan Jennings who was retiring after coaching for four years for successive flags in the past two.

“We knew Air Force would be slightly under-strength based on Monday’s game,” CPOCIS Jennings said of the big win on day two.
“The girls had focus and we tried some new things. Some worked, some did not and the better ones we put into practice today.”

CPOCIS Jennings said ABMT Jennifer North had enjoyed an outstanding carnival, along with fellow on-ballers, former captain ABCSO Tash Wilson, and acting captain ABBM Goggins all to the fore in a great team effort.

“I was pleased that we did not lose focus after Army kicked the first goal,” CPOCIS Jennings said. “We regained the ascendancy late in the first quarter and retained it for the rest of the game.

“Army played its best football in the last quarter but I was pleased with the way the girls withstood the pressure in the last term.
“In the third quarter Army dropped key players out of its defence and perhaps it underestimated us.

“Last year when we won, he had ‘Living The Dream’ as our motto. This year it was ‘Maintaining The Vibe’ for every minute of every game. We knew we had to be tough across the whole game.”

After a close first three quarters Army threw everything at Navy in a desperate last quarter but it was insufficient to reel in the winners.