Dalgleish kicks five in big Rays win

Kayla Dalgleish takes a strong mark against Gippsland. 403699 Picture: GARY SISSONS.

By Jonty Ralphsmith

Officer’s Kayla Dalgleish has guided Dandenong to a big 9.8 62 to 1.8 14 win over Gippsland on Saturday afternoon at Shepley Oval.

Playing inside 50 to showcase her versatility and athleticism, Dalgleish kicked 5.2 to build on her strong start to the season where she showed her fierceness in the midfield.

She kicked the first three goals of the game, including the only two of the first quarter, to help Dandenong put a healthy buffer on the scoreboard for all its dominance.

Dalgleish then kicked the match-sealer early in the last quarter thanks to a contested mark in the goal square from a set shot which fell short.

The clean Jemma Reynolds found plenty of the footy to help give Dalgleish and co. good supply, winning 29 touches.

The hard-running Nikita Harris collected 20 disposals to go with eight tackles, while Taliah Black dominated the ruck contest with 23 hitouts.

For Gippsland, Jas Sowden built on her strong showing last week with 27 disposals and six tackles, while pick one fancy Ash Centra took a step back towards her best after struggling through illness last week.

Bunyip’s Bec Fitzpatrick tried hard in close and Pakenham’s Abby Hobson presented well, finishing with a team-high seven marks.