Footy and pride go hand in hand

THE Breakers hosted their first pride match against Warragul with both sides wearing rainbow socks and the Dalyston Oval adorned with rainbow 50m arcs to mark the occasion on the weekend.

The Breakers culture is focussed on being a welcoming and inclusive space for everyone to play footy, with the day aiming to highlight and celebrate the diversity within the club and broader community.

The home side came out strongly with two really good scoring opportunities in the first quarter - with one missing narrowly and the other hitting the post. Up the other end the visitors were forced to work hard for their sole goal which only came late in the quarter.

The second quarter was again an even affair with both teams scoring one major.

In slippery conditions it wasn’t the prettiest contest, but the Breakers effort and endeavour couldn’t be faulted.

Going into the second half the Breakers seemed to be right in the contest however the visitors found another gear and got on top in the second half.

The Breakers backline battled hard with Ella Cargill taking some important marks deep in defence. Stacey Poke and Chelsea Connell once again worked tirelessly across half back, and in the middle with Tayla Tatterson playing an important role at both ends with her pressure efforts outstanding.

Despite the loss, the Breakers had plenty to celebrate with Hannah Mills playing her 50th match in her typical hard at it style.

To cap off the pride match both teams came together to hear from Change our Game ambassador and Roller Derby world champion Lauren Foote who spoke about the importance of having a welcoming and inclusive space to be yourself and the role sporting clubs can play in this and in changing the narrative around women in sport.

Final score: Warragul 9.6-60 def Breakers 1.4-10

The Breakers will enjoy the week off before finals to regroup before taking on Karingal in the elimination final on Sunday, August 21, 1pm in Seaford.