THE WAR OF WYNNUM ROAD BEGINS
Morningside will cross the Wynnum Road divide for the first time in the Bond University QAFLW when it visits Coorparoo on Saturday afternoon.
The last time a women’s team from Morningside went to Coorparoo was at the end of the 2012 season when the Wildcats squad moved and never went back. This time, the new Panthers travel with perfect winning records in both Seniors and Reserves to face their local rivals whose Reserves are also undefeated, albeit with two draws, and whose top side has dropped just the one match.
The Kings line-up is far from injury-free but is more settled than it was at this time last year. Irish import Aoife Clifford returns to the team while high-level swimmer Jess Lavin has been rewarded with a first grade call-up after impressive form in the twos.
Defender Maddy Hennessy is the only inclusion for the Panthers who are one of three teams (with Maroochydore and Wilston Grange) to have used just 25 players so far this year.
South East Queensland’s autumnal wet weather is predicted to continue on Saturday, so the game plans of both sides from the inner east have not yet been seen in full bloom. However, what both Coorparoo and Morningside have done well this year is adapt to conditions earlier than their opponents. In their Round 2 wins over Aspley and Wilston Grange respectively, the Kings and Panthers accepted quickly that passing chains weren’t going to work and instead found ways of clearing the ball into space and gaining territory quickly.
As such, this season has suited midfielders who can win and clear the ball. Grace Roberts-White won Coorparoo’s Sally Young Medal in 2024 largely for her ability to distribute the ball quickly and accurately, but the Irish-born midfielder has shown in 2025 that she can also win hard ball over long periods of a match. Her work has provided space for the likes of Charlotte Millen and Lucy Schneider to create.
When AFLQ social media showed this week that Morningside’s Issy Levine was leading the Bond University QAFLW for clearances, the response from those who hadn’t seen her play was “who?”. The response from those who had seen her play was, “yeah, that checks out”.
Levine, who also leads the league for contested possessions, has been fearless at the contest in her first year of senior football. Like Roberts-White for the Kings, Levine’s work has released both the speed of Roisin Chu and Ally Blyton, and the creativity of Greta Liell-Cock.
Then there’s Laura Roy. How important has Roy the Younger been to Morningside this year? Well, she is fifth in the league for inside-50 entries and fourth for forward-50 marks. Despite appearances, the iSports statisticians have confirmed that Roy is not kicking the ball from midfield and then marking it herself; but she is turning up at every stage of the Panthers’ creative process.
In men’s Australian football, clubs from Coorparoo and Morningside have won 17 QAFL premierships going back to the 1960s.
There is no reason that the women won’t build their own rivalry unique in style but similar in scale. The new history begins at 3pm on Saturday.
In other Round 5 matches:
• At least one of Moreton Bay and Yeronga will leave Red Rooster Park on Saturday with their first points of 2025;
• University of Queensland takes its turn at finding a way to beat Southport;
• Aspley hosts Bond University for the first time since last year’s Preliminary Final;
• and Wilston Grange looks to solidify its spot in the six when it travels to Maroochydore.
COORPAROO v MORNINGSIDE
Saturday 10 May 2025, 3pm at Giffin Park, Coorparoo
Live stream with commentary on YouTube
Head-to-head: first meeting.
MORETON BAY v YERONGA SOUTH BRISBANE
Saturday 10 May 2025, 1pm at Red Rooster Park, Burpengary
Live stream on YouTube
Head-to-head: first meeting.
SOUTHPORT v UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND
Saturday 10 May 2025, 3pm at Fankhauser Reserve, Southport
Live stream on YouTube
Head-to-head: Played 7 - Southport won 4; University of Queensland won 3
Head-to-head at Fankhauser Reserve: Played 2 - Southport won 2
Last time they met: 6 Jul 2024 - Southport 9.8 (62) d University of Queensland 1.2 (8) at Base Architecture Meadows.
ASPLEY v BOND UNIVERSITY
Saturday 10 May 2025, 4:45pm at Automall Aspley Oval, Carseldine
Live stream on YouTube
Head-to-head: Played 14 - Bond University won 11; Aspley won 3
Head-to-head at Automall Aspley Oval: Played 5 - Bond University won 4; Aspley won 1
Last time they met: 17 Aug 2024 (Preliminary Final) - Bond University 4.7 (31) d Aspley 4.3 (27) at Automall Aspley Oval.
MAROOCHYDORE v WILSTON GRANGE
Saturday 10 May 2025, 4:45pm at Neil Upton Oval, Maroochydore
Live stream on YouTube
Head-to-head: Played 16 - Maroochydore won 8; Wilston Grange won 8
Head-to-head at Neil Upton Oval: Played 8 - Maroochydore won 4; Wilston Grange won 4
Last time they met: 27 Jul 2024 - Wilston Grange 8.4 (52) d Maroochydore 1.0 (6) at Neil Upton Oval.
You can watch all matches in the Bond University QAFLW by visiting the Official AFLQ YouTube channel.