A final quarter deluge of four goals in seven minutes saw Aspley rejuvenate its Bond University QAFLW season in defeating University of Queensland by 23 points at Base Architecture Meadows.
Trailing by four points beginning the final term, the Hornets turned the opening ball-up into a minor score before barely leaving their forward 50 as Jesse McMillan, Jess Stallard, Jasmine Kawa and Lyneeka Hollows all found the goals by the tenth minute.
McMillan (15 effective disposals, 13 tackles, 4 inside-50s) is known for her creative ball use but showed that she also could be the midfield ball-winner that Aspley needs, while Kawa (13 effective disposals, 18 contested possessions) propelled the Hornets forward all afternoon.
UQ will be encouraged by how far they pushed last year’s Preliminary Finalists. Winger Eva Sartor produced one of her best performances for the Red Lionesses both with the ball (11 effective disposals) and without it (9 tackles), and Sammy Snowden (7 tackles, 2 intercept marks) proved herself to be a defender of rare quality with a series of goal-saving acts.
Holly O’Flaherty opened the goalscoring after six minutes with a shot from 45 metres that landed well to the left of goal before curving back through the big sticks. That would be the only goal scored at the western end of Base Architecture Meadows as the afternoon sun glared into the eyes of players more used to twilight starts and meridional grounds.
Emily Rogers restored parity for UQ when she easily converted her mark in the left pocket from Monique Piunti. Four minutes later, a defensive error followed by a quick handball from Elka Barnett saw Rogers snap from in front to double her season goal tally.
Rogers returned the favour to Barnett late in the quarter when she intercepted the ball outside the 50 and kicked to Harriet Knijff leading at centre half-forward. Her kick to the goal square was marked by Barnett with as much difficulty as the ensuing set shot lacked.
Aspley’s first goal of the second quarter may yet be seen as the turning point of their season. The 2025 Hornets have persisted with playing a high-tempo passing game regardless of conditions, often to their detriment. On this occasion, bright overhead but soft underfoot, captain Emma Pittman won possession at halfback, handballed to McMillan who switched play to the right through Lucia Liessi and Olivia Hunt. Hunt’s handball found Stallard who thwacked from right half-forward to kick state league goal no. 80.
Two more set shot goals to the Hornets - the first to Lucy Thompson after Kawa had intercept marked just outside 50, the second to McMillan when Katie Day found her with a precise pass - saw them lead at the main break by eight.
That gap was reduced to two early in the second half when a Piunti tackle in front of goal knocked the ball loose for Barnett to take her season goal tally into double figures.
Thereafter, Aspley had territorial advantage for much of the quarter and might have retained the lead going into the final break had they not donated two 50-metre penalties in 90 seconds to gift-wrap a set shot to Farradai Hopkins on the siren.
Only the Hornets will know if their final term was fuelled by focus or frustration, but from the moment that O’Flaherty won the opening clearance, there was little any opposition could have done to stop them.
In the third minute, McMillan twisted her body away from the sun to mark from Day, then drained the set shot from 35 metres. In the sixth, Day was again the provider with a checkside pass to Stallard in the goal square. Sixteen seconds later, Kawa combined with Rachael Vetter to slice through the middle of the UQ defence and celebrate like she’d orchestrated the moon landing.
Strong defensive acts from Snowden, Coco Garton and Jessi Henning briefly repelled the onslaught, but when Olivia Hunt, who had helped create several Aspley goals, gave Hollows the chance to toe through for her first Bond University QAFLW goal in four years, the signs that the old Hornets were back were undeniable.
The result saw the sides switch sixth and seventh places on the ladder. Both clubs play their next matches away from home, Aspley travelling to Moreton Bay and UQ with a quick trip to Coorparoo.
Elsewhere in Round 6:
• Southport maintained its stranglehold on Coorparoo with its biggest ever win over the Kings
• Morningside’s win over Maroochydore saw them break Southport’s record for most consecutive wins upon entering the Bond University QAFLW
• Bond University made its highest ever score in defeating Yeronga
• and Wilston Grange’s defeat of Moreton Bay saw them record a hat-trick of victories for only the second time since 2018.
Saturday 17 May 2025, 2pm at Base Architecture Meadows, St Lucia
UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND 3.2 (20) 3.2 (20) 5.2 (32) 5.2 (32)
ASPLEY 1.1 (7) 4.4 (28) 4.4 (28) 8.7 (55)
Replay and match statistics
University of Queensland
Goals: Emily Rogers 2, Elka Barnett 2, Farradai Hopkins
Best: Sammy Snowden, Eva Sartor, Coco Garton, Farradai Hopkins, Ashleigh Moyle, Emily Rogers
Aspley
Goals: Jesse McMillan 2, Jess Stallard 2, Holly O’Flaherty, Lucy Thompson, Jasmine Kawa, Lyneeka Hollows
Best: Jesse McMillan, Jasmine Kawa, Holly O’Flaherty, Olivia Hunt, Anna van de Wiel, Jess Stallard
Saturday 17 May 2025, 2pm at Fankhauser Reserve, Southport
SOUTHPORT 3.0 (18) 4.5 (29) 8.6 (54) 14.8 (92)
COORPAROO 0.1 (1) 0.1 (1) 0.1 (1) 0.1 (1)
Replay and match statistics
Southport
Goals: Keely Whittaker 3, Maddy Baldwin 2, Tearnie Brown 2, Caitlin Miller 2, Steph O’Brien 2, Maighan Fogas, Tayla Gregory, Abbie Pluples
Best: Maighan Fogas, Steph O’Brien, Maddy Watt, Tayla Gregory, Kierra Zerafa, Ebony Milne
Coorparoo
Goals: nil
Best: Grace Roberts-White, Carly Hess, Ajla Fetahagić, Charlotte Millen, Renee Teys, Mia Teubler
Saturday 17 May 2025, 4:45pm at Jack Esplen Oval, Hawthorne
MORNINGSIDE 3.3 (21) 4.6 (30) 7.7 (49) 9.8 (62)
MAROOCHYDORE 0.0 (0) 1.0 (6) 2.0 (12) 3.0 (18)
Replay and match statistics
Morningside
Goals: Emma McNaughton 2, Gracie Roy 2, Lucy Bellinger, Georgia Lwin, Courtney McDonnell, Laura Roy
Best: Gracie Roy, Laura Roy, Georgia Lwin, Issy Levine, Emma McNaughton, Greta Liell-Cock
Maroochydore
Goals: Lily Gilliland 2, Roxy Beuzeville
Best: Roxy Beuzeville, Billie Missen, Axel Oswald, Lily Gilliland, Liv Waldron, Abbey Rankin
Saturday 17 May 2025, 4:45pm at Leyshon Park, Yeronga
YERONGA SOUTH BRISBANE 0.0 (0) 0.0 (0) 0.0 (0) 0.0 (0)
BOND UNIVERSITY 4.7 (31) 7.11 (53) 10.15 (75) 16.18 (114)
Replay and match statistics
Yeronga South Brisbane
Goals: nil
Best: Mel McHugh, Bella Turner, Ebony Panoho, Lekaiya Rabbitt, Goldie Poultney, Thyra Tavil
Bond University
Goals: Kendra Blattman 6, Abbey Bevan 4, Bella Iverach 3, Ella Calleja 2, Evy Reeves
Best: Ella Calleja, Jasmyn Davidson, Shannon Nolan, Kendra Blattman, Jemma Blair, Bella Iverach
Saturday 17 May 2025, 5pm at Hickey Park, Stafford
WILSTON GRANGE 4.4 (28) 4.6 (30) 6.10 (46) 8.13 (61)
MORETON BAY 1.0 (6) 1.0 (6) 1.1 (7) 2.1 (13)
Replay and match statistics
Wilston Grange
Goals: Charlize Anderson 2, Taneka Dhadlie, Kadie Fletcher, Tshinta Kendall, Keyshia Matenga, Siobhan Senior, Jasmine Ware
Best: Jasmine Ware, Ella Smith, Sophia Allen, Mia Briedis, Layla Collins, Mackenzie Findlay
Moreton Bay
Goals: Bri Cason, Taylor McCosker
Best: Emmerson Brady, Tahlia Smith, Jess Davy, Tiana Anderson, Bayley Woollett, Ebony Otto
Table: Southport 24, Morningside 24, Bond University 20, Wilston Grange 16, Coorparoo 12, Aspley 8, University of Queensland 8, Maroochydore 4, Moreton Bay 4, Yeronga South Brisbane 0.