AFL Canberra women's grand final: Ainslie defeats Belconnen Magpies in record-breaking fashion

Zoe Skyrianos has told them enough, about the year the Ainslie Tricolours went unbeaten only to lose the game that mattered most.

Now she'd rather tell this one: the Tricolours, forced to go the long way to the AFL Canberra grand final, beating the Belconnen Magpies by 59 points to win their first women's first grade flag since 2001.

Elizabeth Hill was named best on ground as Ainslie's 10.11 (71) to 1.6 (12) victory set a record for the biggest grand final win in competition history. Washed away are the memories of last year's shock defeat and the four grand finals the Tricolours have lost since their last premiership.

Skyrianos admits she was hoping for a result like this, just to take the nerves away more than anything. But did she really expect it?

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"I can't believe it," the Ainslie captain said.

"Our motto was, 'If it's not for you, do it for them'. That's for all the players in the past and the current players. Zero regrets, 100 per cent effort.

"Even at half-time we had a bit of a lead but still felt so nervous, we knew they would come out hard. We just said, 'Don't take the foot off the pedal and keep on going'.

"I just can't believe it, 22 years and we've finally broken the drought."

Olivia Fogarty booted the first goal deep inside the first quarter to give Ainslie an eight-point lead at the first break - and from there it was all one-way traffic.

Skyrianos booted two in the second term to swing the momentum before Ainslie opened a 34-point margin.

They spent the second half singing from the same hymn sheet before Lucy Anderson's late goal saw Belconnen narrowly escape becoming the first team in competition history to be held goalless in a grand final.

Magpies captain Jacqueline Spence was left shattered, conceding Ainslie have "set the standard for a couple of seasons now".

"Really disappointing, but we've won in so many ways this season," Spence said.

"We set out to achieve to be more intense, be professional, and build our connection back. We've ticked so many boxes. We didn't get the fairytale but we're winners in so many other ways."

The win sees Ainslie sweep the two senior women's grades, with their Rising Stars women's team to face Belconnen on Sunday.

AT A GLANCE

AFL Canberra women's first grade grand final:

BELCONNEN MAGPIES 0.1 0.2 0.4 1.6 (12)

AINSLIE TRICOLOURS 1.3 5.6 7.10 10.11 (71)

Belconnen goals: Lucy Anderson; Ainslie goals: Zoe Skyrianos 2, Olivia Fogarty 2, Renee Friend 2, Bronte Carlin, Ashleigh Evans, Ellie Bishop, Rachel Friend

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