By Raia Flinos
PENINSULA Raiders Over 35s Women have broken through for their first ever win, marking a historic and hard-earned victory. They faced the Northside Lions on the 31st of May and came out on top, beating them 6.10 (46) to 0.2 (2) in their fifth round this season.
Emma Ince, Beth Storr, Lauren Taylor, Cara Barker, Jakii Turner, and Cath Rees were named their best, but the team had Jo Dow to thank for the scoreline. Dow plays as a fullback but was brought into the forward line for the first time and scored three goals.
“Jo was pretty incredible, but it was a really good team effort,” said Emma Ince, captain and assistant coach. She said the other team was tough and bigger physically, but they stuck to their gameplan and managed the win. “We’ve just got small goals, so as a team, kick a goal every quarter and if we can do that every game then we’re in with a good chance,” Ince said. “That one win gives [us] motivation for the rest of the season.”
This is the women’s first year as an official team for the Raiders. In 2023, when they first came together, there weren’t enough players, and they were forced to consolidate with Mordialloc. This year, there were finally enough numbers, and the team was able to standalone. “The club’s been very supportive… in 2023, if we had the numbers we would’ve gone alone,” Ince said. She said club president Matt Jacobs has been incredibly supportive of the women and sent them encouraging messages after their win, letting them know they should be proud of themselves.
Ince has been around since the fruition of the team and says the win was incredibly rewarding for her personally, as well as for the team. “Everyone’s learning new skills, they’re going out in the cold, they’re sacrificing family time to put time and effort into a sport they’ve always loved but never got to play,” she said. “To look around and see the women with smiles on their faces getting rewarded… it’s just pure joy.”
The Raiders Over 35s team offers women a chance to play even if they’ve never touched a ball. “A lot of the women that I’m playing with, it’s the first time they’ve ever played in their life,” Ince said “To see a lady come down for the first time, not even know how to hold a football and trying to teach them how to handle and kick, and then to see them celebrating with a teammate, there’s joy and gratitude for the opportunity we have to now do that.” She says the culture around the women’s team is inspiring and they are constantly advocating and raising awareness for various charities and causes. This week they are celebrating pride, and the team is participating in a push-up challenge for mental health. “For the women it’s not just about the sport… it’s bringing community,” Ince said.
To continue their success, the team needs more women to sign up as they are still restricted with numbers, particularly when players are unavailable or unwell. “We want to see women’s sport in general grow, in numbers and in more people finding joy in it,” Ince said. She says the team is going to continue to build on this victory and hopefully see more wins in the future.
First published in the Mornington News – 17 June 2025
