Batemans Bay Seahawks fly high: senior men's and women's teams secure grand final spot

A weekend at home spelt success for the Seahawks women, led by coach Aaron Wickham, who said the side was formidable as they defended their spot on the ladder.

"It was a huge amount of pressure off the team to win," he said, "It's all panning out for us".

The team began tallying up points against the Googong Hogs early in the match, gaining a 13-point lead over the Canberra side by the end of the first quarter.

Sophie Alves locked in two goals for her team while Sophie Dunn, Claire Ison and Brahe Reid each landed goals to push themselves further from the Hogs.

Wickham said Sophie Alves has been named the best goal kicker of the league's 2023 season.

"She had at least three games out with an injury, so to be named the leading goal kicker is really impressive," he said.

The women's team rounded out the match 5.7 (37) to 1.1 (7) to lock themselves into the grand final.

"We've worked pretty hard this year to try and secure the top spot.

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"We've been unlucky not to make a grand final so far...this year we've been focusing a lot on our structures and plays. If we get them all right on game day it makes a huge difference."

He said a grand final was a massive achievement for the side, considering 14 of the players had never kicked a footy before, according to Wickham.

Ahead of the final, the women's side will be working on improving their attack, stoppages and kicking.

Wickham said if he had a preference, he hopes the Seahawks will face the Hogs again in the grand final.

Next week, the Hogs will face the ANU Griffins to play off for the final.

"Last time we played ANU they were very well structured."

The Seahawks still managed a convincing win against ANU and are well-placed to do it again.

"Psychologically, they know they can beat these sides. There's an opportunity for them to make Seahawks history and their confidence is really up."

Hours after the women's win, the senior men's team was ready to secure their place in the grand final as they took on the ADFA Rams.

The side would have been eager to succeed after only recently beating the Canberra team in Round 15 at the Hanging Rock oval.

The successful Seahawks came away with a convincing win, tallying up 11.8 (74) over the Rams' 5.8 (38).

The women will either face the Googong Hogs or the ANU Griffins on September 2, while the men's team will battle it out against either the ANU Griffins or the ADFA Rams.

The Canberra Times 2023 Community Women's Division One, Qualifying Final, August 19 results:

The Canberra Times 2023 Community Men's Division One, Qualifying Final, August 19 results: