SUPERB four-goal hauls to Matilda Scholz and Gemma Houghton propelled Yartapuulti to the club’s first win of the season on Saturday, Lauren Arnell’s side romping to a record-high score and recording a club-record margin in a 68-point victory against the injury-ravaged Gold Coast.

Yartapuulti scored just five goals combined across its opening two losses to start the season, but had eight on the board by half-time to lead by 38 points before going on to score 16.12 (108) to 5.10 (40) at Alberton Oval.

Fittingly it was Scholz who moved her side past its previous record-high score of 88 points with a goal with 10 minutes remaining in the game, with Yartapuulti becoming the sixth AFLW team to pass the 100-point mark when Katelyn Pope snapped truly with five minutes left.

Indy Tahau equaled the club’s highest-ever winning margin when she pulled her set shot from 25m out and Houghton set a new mark for the club when she missed two set shots in the dying minutes.

The three behinds to finish the match was enough to nudge the Power ahead of Melbourne to now hold the AFLW record high score – the Demons’ previous record of 107 points was set against Fremantle in 2022 (S6).

The resounding victory improves Yartapuulti’s win-loss record to 1-2, while Rhyce Shaw’s SUNS are still looking for their first win of the season at 0-3.

The SUNS were hampered by injuries to Claudia Whitfort (calf), who was a late withdrawal, as well as Meara Girvan (concussion) and Charlotte Wilson (knee).

A red-hot Yartapuulti recorded the first six inside 50s of the contest in a strong start but couldn’t hit the scoreboard.

But the home side flipped the script and scored 4.2 from its next six inside 50s to lead the goalless SUNS by 23 points at the first break.

Shineah Goody got the ball rolling when she ran into an open goal, Scholz went back-to-back with her second major a stunner on the run, and when Chloe Gaunt was mobbed by her teammates after kicking her first AFLW goal, alarm bells were ringing for the SUNS.

Gold Coast was brave, Tayla Gregory’s first AFLW goal a highlight in a hard-fought second quarter, but Houghton stepped up with two goals for the term to extend her side’s lead at the main break.

The home side got right on top in the third quarter, Houghton adding two to her tally as Yartapuulti booted the only four majors of the term.

After SUN Annabel Kievit’s goal 16 minutes into the second quarter, Yartapuulti kicked the next seven majors in a row.

The SUNS showed admirable grit to kick three goals on the bounce in the final term, including Nyalli Milne’s first in the AFLW, but it was only a brief respite from the home side’s impressive scoring onslaught.

Counting the casualties
The SUNS lost Whitfort to a calf injury before the game, the 2023 club champion replaced by Ella Smith, but the casualties kept coming after the opening bounce. Girvan’s game lasted just a few minutes after she bravely went back with the flight only to suffer a concussion when she was crunched in a huge collision with a hard-leading Scholz. Fellow defender Wilson (knee) also left the game in the first quarter, while Charlie Rowbottom was able to continue after having her right shoulder heavily strapped following a knock.

Sizzling Scholz at the double
Scholz was ‘on’ from the outset, kicking the second goal of the contest from a set shot and backing it up with a NAB AFLW Goal of the Year contender. The Yartapuulti star gathered an errant Goody pass on the bounce as it was about to go out of play, turned and sprinted toward goal along the boundary line, straightened and kicked a stunner. When she wasn’t kicking scores herself Scholz was setting them up, with 10 score involvements in the first half and finishing with 14.

Up next
Yartapuulti will take on Waalitj Marawar at Mineral Resources Park in Perth next Sunday at 3.35pm AWST. Gold Coast hosts Greater Western Sydney at People First Stadium on Saturday at 1.05pm AEST.

YARTAPUULTI    4.2    8.7    12.9    16.12 (108)
GOLD COAST     0.3    2.5    2.9      5.10 (40)

GOALS
Yartapuulti: Houghton 4, Scholz 4, Tahau 3, Woodland, Mules-Robinson, Goody, Gaunt, Pope
Gold Coast: Kievit, Gregory, Harris, Milne, Stanton

BEST 
Yartapuulti: Scholz, Houghton, Goody, Heads, Syme, Dowrick  
Gold Coast: McLaughlin, Rowbottom, Harris, Mithen, Single, Maurer

INJURIES 
Yartapuulti: Nil
Gold Coast: Wilson (knee), Girvan (concussion)

LATE CHANGE
Yartapuulti: Nil
Gold Coast: Claudia Whitfort (calf) replaced in the selected side by Ella Smith

Crowd: 2,162 at Alberton OvalÂ