Gridiron West season launches with Perth Blitz women stealing a win

PERTH Blitz had a weekend of mixed results against Rockingham Vipers in the opening round of the 2018-19 Gridiron West season.

The fixture at Lark Hill Sports Complex saw the seniors outclassed 30-0, the women snatch a 24-20 victory, while the juniors went down 38-6 in a grand final rematch.

With plenty of fresh faces in the squad, the senior side were down just two converted touchdowns to nil at half-time.

But flashes of brilliance were negated by four interceptions, including one at the one-yard line, and a fumble on the five-yard line which halted the offence.

The offence was unable to string many plays together, and the defence spent too much time on the field, which showed when a throw was tipped into the arms of a Vipers receiver in the second half.

The reigning women champions came up against a newly formed Rockingham side, which gave the Blitz much more of a contest than expected.

Rockingham’s well-drilled women had a powerful running game and tight defence which worried the Blitz all day, and it took a touchdown in the final 30 seconds for the Blitz to steal the victory.

Simple fixes will see the Blitz back on track, with a number of stray snaps from the centre and dropped passes costing the side valuable field position.

The defending junior champions kicked off the day’s action, with plenty of rookies padding up against a commanding opposition.

Blitz’s inexperience and shortage of players showed, particularly on defence, and the Vipers were able to hit the scoreboard regularly.

Next weekend the Blitz play Swan City Titans at Farrall Oval in Stratton.

The women begin proceedings on Saturday at 5pm and the seniors will take to the field at 7pm, with the juniors on a bye.