GRAND FINAL EDITION – AFL Canberra Weekly Wrap

AFL CANBERRA GRAND FINAL REVIEW 

Written by David Redden 

WOMENS FIRST GRADE: 

A big first half from Ainslie set up their AFL Canberra First Grade Grand Final victory over a dogged, gallant, and persistent Belconnen at EPC Solar Park on Saturday. After leading by 13 points at half time, Ainslie hung on in a huge final quarter to run out victors 5.7.37 to 4.6.30. 

The Magpies had slightly the better of the first quarter, leading by a point at the first break. The Tricolours then kicked 2.3 to 0.1 in Quarter 2, establishing a 2-goal lead at the main break.  

The Magpies then kept Ainslie goalless in the third quarter and trailed by just 7 points at the final break. In a thrilling four-goal final stanza, Ainslie did enough to keep the Magpies at bay to maintain their 7-point buffer at the final siren. 

Experienced key forward Karina Demant kicked 3 crucial goals, showing how important she is to Ainslie’s success. 

Zoe Skyrianos led Ainslie’s possessions with 25 touches, including 14 contested possessions and 8 tackles. Best on Ground Medal winner Greta Larkey added 20 possessions and 6 tackles of her own. Other Ainslie players to shine were Demant, Zara Neil, Elizabeth Hill, and Jamie Clayden. 

Isla Wiencke, who has been on a tear over the past month, collected 25 possessions, 16 contested, as she showed she is destined for higher honours once again. Zoe Allen, Ella Randall, and Grace Read all picked up 18 touches for Belconnen, with Maddie Dwyer’s 10 contested possessions a highlight of her17 touches.  

Congratulations to Ainslie on a superb season and a much-deserved flag. Belconnen came from the Elimination Final to make the Big Dance and will clearly look to go 1 better in 2026, given their depth and junior pathway talent. 

 

MENS FIRST GRADE:

Eastlake, 12 months on from a bitter 2024 Grand Final loss, produced a magnificent second half to defeat the Queanbeyan Tigers by 37 points in a clinical Grand Final win. Final scores were Eastlake 10.14.74 to Queanbeyan 5.7.37. 

After a tight, low-scoring first half in which Eastlake conspired to kick 3.8 to Queanbeyan’ s 3.4, the Demons kicked 7.6 to the Tigers’ 2.3 to run away with an historic first premiership in 24 years. 

Josh Bruce and Will McTaggart kicked 3 goals each for the Premiers, with Aaron Bruce, Jackson Crowe, Jack Larsen, and former Sydney Uni midfielder Riley Fitzroy kicked 1 goal each for Eastlake. 

Much of the pre-match discussion was focused on how Queanbeyan would counter Eastlake’s Dynamic Duo of Angus Baker and Alex Smout. The two Demons guns combined for 67 possessions, with Baker collecting a massive 37 touches and Smout 30. Both Baker and Smout picked up 12 contested possessions, with Baker topping the tackle count with 5. Representative half-back Nick Kelly collected 25 touches, Oscar Davis picked up 22 possessions and Best on Ground Medallist Aaron Bruce picked up 19 possessions in what is rumoured to be his last game of First Grade football. 

Queanbeyan had many of their guns firing on Saturday as they just fell short of the almost impossible task of winning from fourth place. Baliee Gilbert led the Tigers with 25 touches, with representative backman Jack Nunn collecting 24 possessions. Tyler Collins picked up 23 touches to go with his 5 tackles, with talented utility Rhys Pollock also amassing 23 possessions. 

Congratulations to Eastlake on their drought-breaking victory. Queanbeyan will spend the off-season building up for the new 7-team First Grade Competition. 

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: 

This week’s Player Spotlight is Angus Baker, a vital cog for Eastlake in their Grand Final victory. 

Baker had a match-high 37 touches on Sunday, made up of 20 kicks and 17 handballs.  

Baker collected 12 contested possessions and laid a team-high 5 tackles as he showed his long-term injury battle was finally over. At his best, Baker is a first-choice representative player and easily one of the top 5 players in ACT/NSW. 

Baker collected 135 Player Points in his superb performance, with his comrade-at-arms Alex Smout the next best player on the field with 111 Player Points.