By Kieran Yap 2/7/24
Above: Kurea Okino celebrates her third goal against The Essendon Royals
Essendon Royals are one of the most impressive and in-form sides this season. They currently sit second on the ladder, have recruited nearly perfectly, and are the only side to beat both the reigning premiers and champions from last season.
In short, they are hard to beat. However, all things are possible with Kurea Okino. The Japanese forward had her best game since rejoining Boroondara following a season at Melbourne Victory, and what that means is goals. Lots of them.
The game was ultimately decided early. Okino struck first in the fourth minute and then one more almost directly from the following kickoff. Royals goalkeeper Beth Mason-Jones was taken by surprise by both exquisitely struck efforts. the first was unsaveable, the second was through a crowd of players.
When Anais Josefski lofted the ball into the area from the right flank, Okino still had plenty to do to score the opener. She was being tightly marked, but hit the ball on the half volley to give Boroondara the perfect start.
The second was another terrific effort. Okino controlled the dropping ball with her back to goal and swivelled to shoot. The ball flew past Mason-Jones and into the corner of the net. The swerve on the ball and the power of the shot made it difficult to save, but Essendon would have been disappointed to concede twice in two minutes to say the least.
At 2-0, the contest was still alive, and Essendon are not short of firepower themselves. But Gabrielle Hollar scored a third on the stroke of half time to make the already steep hill to climb look insurmountable.
A free kick was floated in from the right by Hayley Geurts and the ball could not have been more perfectly placed. Hollar leapt at the far post to nod home her 16th of the season, and keep her firmly in the lead for the Golden Boot.
Another set piece resulted in the fourth. Geurts’s brilliant free-kick crashed off the crossbar, but midfielder Rosie Curtis reacted first with a headed rebound.
Okino wrapped up the scoring in the 74th minute to bring up her hatrick. A rapid passing move from the back saw Boroondara sweep forward and the final ball was collected by Okino. The Gold Medal holder cruised around the goalkeeper and defender and despite the tight angle, she hooked it back into the net to complete the scoring for the night.
At 5-0, this was a game where everything went right for one side and nothing for the other. Boroondara looked sharp and confident in the ball movement. Players looked in sync as they overlapped and cut inboard, rarely occupying the same place. For the final goal in particular it was dizzying to watch, and must have been a torment to play against.
Essendon looked unusually apprehensive by contrast. They struggled to maintain possession and it was an overall uncharacteristic performance from the league’s second placed team.
The Royals will look to bounce back next week against the surging South Melbourne, while Boroondara will look to continue this momentum with a visit to Heidelberg.
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