Evado Studios Women’s Match Report: Five in a Row as Royals Run Riot at Kingston Heath
Seven without reply. Five wins in a row for the first time in 2026. And a Kelli McGroarty brace that moved her to thirteen goals for the season. The Royals arrived at Kingston Heath on Friday night with a question to answer, and answered it in a manner that said more than any single result in this campaign.
Bentleigh Greens, without a win all season, were never expected to provide the sternest examination of this squad’s credentials. But a 7-0 away result, built on three goals inside 25 minutes and sustained across the full 90, reflects genuine quality regardless of who is standing in the way.
McGroarty opened the scoring at 16 minutes, played in behind the Bentleigh defence, beating her marker to the ball and drilling a right-foot finish into the top left corner. Clinical and unhurried, the kind of finish she has been producing since Round 6 and none of it looks like anything other than a striker in form. Akeisha Sandhu, back from suspension and straight onto the scoresheet, doubled the lead six minutes later, collecting a lay-off on the edge of the area and driving low through the keeper. And then McGroarty again at 24 minutes, running in behind once more and converting with the same composure that has become her signature to make it three. Three goals in eight minutes. The result settled before the half had found its stride.
Emma Langley completed the first-half damage in added time, latching onto a ball over the top, beating the Bentleigh goalkeeper to the bounce and rolling it into an open net. Four-nil at the break. Kingston Heath was not the place to be for home supporters on Friday evening.
The second half brought no let-up. Isabella Sewards met a delivery from the left with a header that flew into the far corner, continuing a contribution to this side’s form that has grown with every round. Sasha Coorey arrived at the back post to tap home from another left-side cross, the Royals finding space along that channel repeatedly for the full 90. McGroarty completed her hat-trick from the same source, meeting another whipped delivery from the left at the back post and applying the full stop to a performance that was ruthless from the first whistle to the last.
McGroarty finishes the evening on thirteen goals from ten appearances, three of them tonight. She has scored in every match since returning from her Round 5 suspension. Thirteen from ten is not a statistic that invites qualification. Machine Gun Kelli is NPLW Victoria’s most dangerous forward, and on the evidence of the past five rounds, it is not particularly close.
Sophie Dehne kept her clean sheet throughout, continuing to deputise capably for the still-absent Zara Board. The defensive platform across this five-match winning run has been as significant as the attacking output, and the combination of both is what a legitimate title challenge looks like.
Preston Lions come to Cross Keys Reserve on Saturday for Round 11. The Royals go into that fixture on the back of their longest winning run of the season. The question is no longer whether this side belongs at the top of this competition. The answer has been given, repeatedly, for the better part of two months.