15 April
Author Justin Schwarze
In spectacular fashion, The Darebin Phoenix have been welcomed to Big V 2025 with a home opener to never forget. Whiting out their crowd with white Phoenix t-shirt’s, their Men and Women began their seasons 1-0. Since Round 1, the men have continued to prevail while the women have faced tough assignments unable find their second win.
It has been a dream debut season in Youth League Three as the Men find themselves on cloud nine with five wins on the trot to open its 2025 campaign. A narrow five-point result over Bellarine in front of the home fans firmly cemented the Phoenix on top of the ladder.
After trailing at quarter time, the hosts rode a massive second quarter, in which they outscored the Storm 22-14 to take a seven point buffer into the main break. Jordan and Caleb Unwin made their mark on the game, combining for 31 points of Darebin’s 78, with the pair connecting on 12 of their 25 shots from the field. However, it was defensively where the Phoenix separated themselves against Bellarine and the entire competition. Darebin forced 28 turnovers and won the rebound battle 39-32, sparking a 78-73 victory.
The Youth Women struck Gold in Round 1 but are now on the search for their second win of the season. After facing some highly talented rosters with 3 of their last 4 oppositions making finals 2 years in a row, the Phoenix Women have strong hearts and are battling out each game. Coach Dianne Naffine has inspired her women’s side through her extensive coaching experience in Juniors and most recently in VYCW. Most recently facing the reigning Champions of Youth Two Women, Bellarine, the Women tied their highest score of 66 with Captain Amelie Naffine leading her team with 15 points. A group with true passion for the game and willingness to fight on, the Darebin heart is right behind this group with a win hopefully not far away.
A truly exciting period for Darebin as they continue to grow in numbers and shine on gameday. Just after the Easter break, both Men and Women look to face the other newly re-entered Association Hawthorn on Friday night for an ANZAC day clash back home at Narrandjeri Stadium.
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