St Kilda’s Hannah Stuart gets her kick away despite the pressure of Hawthorn’s Louise Stephenson. Photo: AFL MEDIA
A dashing Demon’s déjà vu helped settle a riveting premiership contenders’ heavyweight bout at the MCG, and a dash of spice made the maiden women’s battle between traditional rivals Essendon and Carlton even more of a thriller in round two of the AFLW season.
Reigning premier Adelaide and finalist Brisbane took early scoreboard punches before overpowering their opponents, and Fremantle’s flag credentials are sinking due to a shocking, all-time historic low offensive output.
And, as expected, first-year expansion clubs — the new girls on the block — took their requisite lumps in clashes against more experienced ones.
MELBOURNE 3.8 (26) d NORTH MELBOURNE 4.0 (24)
The combination of the Dees’ Libby Birch’s intercepts, Alyssa Bannan’s speed, their captain Daisy Pearce’s opportunistic positioning, and the Roos’ skill errors at the most inopportune moments got the home side over the line by a razor-thin victory margin. Within the first two minutes of the second term, Pearce snapped truly twice — helping the Dees open a 10-point half time lead — after receiving slick handpasses from Eliza West and Bannan, who both pounced on North clangers. Birch took four third term intercept marks, stifling North’s advances. In the fourth, the Roos’ Jasmine Garner (22 touches and 10 clearances) helped propel her side into a brief, four-point lead after it kicked three straight majors. Bannan, though, in a moment reminiscent of her brilliant running goal against Brisbane in one of last season’s preliminary finals, turned on the jets after scooping up a West kick from the deck, then burned off her opponent and drilled home the winner.
ADELAIDE 5.6 (36) d RICHMOND 4.3 (27)
Two encounters in a fateful four minutes of the final term between Crow Abbie Ballard and Tiger Bec Miller determined this result. First, Ballard cut off Miller’s kick-in after an Adelaide behind, then slotted a set shot for her first AFLW goal, giving the Crows their first lead all day. Moments later, after Miller collected Ballard high, Ballard blasted home the resultant free kick from long range, sealing the match — most of which was played on Richmond’s terms, in its forward 50. Richmond nearly doubled Adelaide’s total forward 50 entries and forward 50 marks, but the Crows’ superiority in clearances — Anne Hatchard had six, to go with a shared, match-high 26 touches with Richmond’s Mon Conti — and contested possessions, restricted the Tigers scoring before they made their move.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 3.10 (28) d PORT ADELAIDE 1.3 (9)
Something about playing in South Australia suits the Bulldogs. They pulled last season’s biggest upset by pipping the eventual premier Crows by a point at Norwood, and on Saturday — despite wastefulness in front of the sticks — they played party-poopers in Port Adelaide’s maiden match at Alberton. Through ruck pair Alice Edmonds (26 hitouts) and Celine Moody (10 hitouts and a goal), the Dogs controlled first use of the ball. Through the middle of the ground, captain Ellie Blackburn and Kirsty Lamb did the rest, each accumulating 18 disposals and five tackles, as the Dogs racked up more than double the Power’s forward entries. Port Adelaide boom recruit Gemma Houhgton kicked her side’s only goal, while Port captain Erin Phillips was held goalless in a relatively quiet performance.
GEELONG 3.9 (27) d FREMANTLE 0.1 (1)
After being belted last round by Brisbane, Dockers’ stalwart Gabby O’Sullivan warned media outlets “I wouldn’t want to be Geelong,” previewing her side’s motivation to take out their frustration on the Cats. While a hamstring issue forced O’Sullivan to miss the second half, Geelong’s Amy McDonald (29 possessions), Rebecca Webster (23 disposals), and Georgie Prespakis (20 touches) ran amok, and their teammate Nina Morrison booted two majors. With the Dockers’ on-field malaise matching the drizzly, grey atmosphere of their home opener, they tied for AFLW’s lowest score. Fremantle’s frustration was palpable — players rolled eyes and threw up hands at teammates whose kicks missed them, and captain Hayley Miller conceded a 50-metre penalty after her off-the-ball wrestle with Morrison. In a glaring sign of putting the cue in the rack, Docker defenders in the dying seconds left dangerous Cat Julia Crockett-Grills to her own devices, giving her a paddock of space to mark a kick and take the match’s last set shot.
PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE TO THRIVE BY BECOMING AN OFFICIAL FOOTYOLOGY PATRON. JUST CLICK THIS LINK.
CARLTON 5.2 (32) d ESSENDON 4.7 (31)
This thriller came within a mark, a disputed play-on umpiring decision and a poster of a different result. Blues’ star Darcy Vescio appeared to be given more freedom to roam, and they made their impact early, booting two of their three goals in the first term. With Breann Moody’s 30 hit-outs and nine clearances and Mimi Hill’s 21 touches and eight clearances, Carlton kept the ball living in its end until three-quarter time and built a 21-point advantage. Then former Blues’ superstar Maddy Prespakis ramped up her aggressive contested ball work and tackling, channeling the tireless work rate of her Essendon childhood idol Jobe Watson — whose No. 4 she wears on the back of her jumper. Prespakis amassed 21 possessions and seven clearances, and her snap from a crumb in the square — the Bombers’ third goal in their explosive first three minutes of the final quarter — brought Essendon within three points. But from there, the Bombers couldn’t quite seal the deal. Joanne Doonan’s potential match-winning, flying shot a few minutes later, hit the post. Even best-on-ground Prespakis surely has this bit of regret: forfeiting — albeit unwittingly — a chance to drill home a set shot on the half time siren by playing on in the umpire’s judgment rather than taking a direct run-up to the mark.
COLLINGWOOD 6.9 (45) d SYDNEY 2.2 (14)
For the first half, the fledgling Swans made a fist of it, going into the Victoria Park rooms down by only eight points, riding a goal by ex-Pie Aliesha Newman, but in the end, the more experienced Pies overran them. Collingwood’s Jaimee Lambert (20 disposals) was the most prolific ball distributor on ground with 20 touches, before departing late in the final term for treatment on her injured ankle, her teammates Jordan Membrey and Olivia Barber booted two goals each, and Ruby Schleicher, with 15 touches and two score involvements, helped repel attacks and launch counterattacks.
BRISBANE 10.7 (67) d GWS 3.2 (20)
The Lions are one of the few clubs in the competition that with such midfield and forward ammunition seem to be able to fire from periods of sluggishness by suddenly flipping an “on” switch. On Sunday, the Giants were the unlucky ones on the receiving end. After they toiled to build an 11-point quarter-time lead, holding Brisbane to one behind, the Lions rapidly unleashed a torrent of goals after dominating the contested possessions and clearances. Brisbane kicked four majors in the second and four more in the third en route to its 47-point thumping. Lions Greta Bodey and AFLW Season 6 best and fairest Emily Bates (20 possessions, seven tackles, and four clearances) hit the scoreboard hardest, registering two majors each, while the Giants’ Alyce Parker led her side with 27 touches, eight clearances and a goal.
ST KILDA 9.9 (63) d HAWTHORN 1.4 (10)
How does a perennially low-scoring outfit like St Kilda transform into an offensive juggernaut in less than five months? By playing brand new expansion clubs in the first two rounds. No disrespect to St Kilda, but is anyone really thinking its pulverising of the Hawks and last week’s shellacking of Sydney makes it a premiership contender? Give us a spell. Making the final eight, though? Perhaps. However that plays out, this much is clear: Bianca Jakobsson (21 disposals) continues to establish herself as a major ball winner, Georgia Patrikios (16 touches) has returned to the field with a vengeance, and Caitlin Greiser (three goals) remains dangerous in front of goal. The Hawks’ best player in an otherwise dismal opener on their home soil, was former Saint Tilly Lucas-Rodd, who had 20 touches and 14 tackles.
GOLD COAST 7.5 (47) d WEST COAST 2.2 (14)
The Suns looked every bit the much-improved side they appeared to be early last season, while the Eagles appeared to have reverted to playing the kind of footy that had them claiming the previous campaign’s wooden spoon. Alison Drennan (24 touches, seven clearances, nine tackles, and a goal) and Claudia Whitfort (21 disposals) led Gold Coast’s ball-winners, while Courtney Jones kicked two goals, former Eagle Ashlee Atkins added one against her old side, and Tara Bohanna nailed a set shot on the final siren to put an exclamation mark on the victory. West Coast veterans Emma Swanson and Dana Hooker each had 17 possessions, but their opponents decisively won the contested ball and clearance counts.
