Melbourne captain Kate Hore marks strongly during her stellar performance against GWS on Sunday evening. Photo: AFL PHOTOS
ADELAIDE 6.5 (41) defeated RICHMOND 2.0 (12)
The Crows continued humming like the well-oiled machine they are in steamrolling the Tigers, who copped a reality check after their stunning upset of Brisbane in Round 1. Adelaide’s Caitlin Gould, the beneficiary of constant delivery from her side’s A-grade midfield, is quickly mastering her forward craft since her conversion from full-time ruck, as evidenced by her three goals. Then there was Danielle Ponter’s amazing long bomb from the centre square which bounced, then hopped high over other players’ heads before rolling home – an early goal-of-the-year candidate. Adelaide’s Ebony Marinoff monstered her opponents, winning 23 possessions and laying 14 tackles, while the Crows’ efficient kick-mark game saw them double Richmond’s uncontested possessions, starved the Tigers of the ball and kept them scoreless after quarter-time.
GOLD COAST 15.9 (99) defeated WEST COAST 4.2 (26)
The Suns emphatically made club history in this 73-point scorching for the ages, doubling their previous best score and roasting the Eagles with their greatest winning margin. Several Suns had blinders: Jamie Stanton celebrated her milestone 50th AFLW match in grand style, booting six goals, while Charlie Rowbottom and Claudia Whitfort collected 33 possessions apiece. Rowbottom was a clearance beast, amassing 16, to go with 10 tackles, while 15 of Whitfort’s possessions were contested. Stanton’s half-dozen fell just one short of Swan Brooke Lochland’s AFLW record of seven, while captain Tara Bohanna kicked four and Jac Dupuy added three.
PORT ADELAIDE 4.2 (26) lost to BRISBANE 11.10 (76)
The Lions’ anger after dropping the season opener to Richmond was palpable in their ball-hunting aggression from the opening bounce and it fuelled their 50-point mauling of the Power. Brisbane’s pressure in attack was ferocious, as it laid 24 forward-50 tackles. When they weren’t forcing Power turnovers there, the Lions’ forwards showed sticky hands with 11 marks inside 50. All-Australian midfielder Ally Anderson brought her own footy, collecting 36 touches, Isabel Dawes had seven clearances, while spearhead Dakota Davidson took nine grabs and kicked four goals. Sophie Conway and first-year player Analea McKee booted two each for the Lions.
SYDNEY 5.11 (41) lost to GEELONG 10.8 (68)
Rarely do scorelines tell the full story, but with little disparity between the two clubs on the stat sheet, goalkicking accuracy was the difference. The Cats only had one more scoring shot than the Swans in the first quarter, but with five goals to four behinds, they built an insurmountable 26-point lead. Chloe Scheer kicked three of those majors, while Jacqui Parry booted two others. Geelong ball winners Georgie Prespakis (15 disposals and 12 tackles), Nina Morrison (21 and six clearances) and Amy McDonald (20 and six clearances), pounced all match, rendering moot second-half heroics from the Swans’ Chloe Molloy (22 and a goal), Laura Gardiner (27) and Aliesha Newman (three goals).
WESTERN BULLDOGS 5.9 (39) lost to HAWTHORN 6.10 (46)
The Hawks’ hard-fought victory might not yet send the Bulldogs into panic mode, but it loudly sounded alarm bells if they want to return to finals action because they’re now 0-2. The Hawks held the Dogs scoreless in the second and last quarters and a goal-saving tackle in the final minute by Hawthorn ruck Lucy Wales on Kirsten McLeod – who kicked two majors in a minute in the first quarter – sealed the victory. Captain Tilly Lucas-Rodd opened the Hawks’ account with a first-term snap for goal and had 21 touches, while their off-season recruits from Brisbane, Emily Bates (team-high 22 disposals) and Greta Bodey (two goals), shined. Still, the Doggies’ McLeod and Isabel Pritchard (match-high 26 touches) kept their side squarely in the match.
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COLLINGWOOD 7.4 (46) defeated FREMANTLE 3.7 (25)
The Magpies set the tone early by winning stoppages, taking advantage of the Dockers conceding free kicks and hitting the scoreboard to coast to a comfortable 21-point victory. With Collingwood trio Aishling Sheridan, Britt Bonnici and Brianna Davey winning plenty of contests, former Bulldog Nell Morris-Dalton kicked two majors and Sarah Rowe spectacularly snapped another one home in a 19-point first term romp, while keeping the Dockers — notoriously slow starters last season — scoreless. Sheridan gathered 21 possessions, while Bonnici, Davey and Grace Campbell all hit double figures in tackles. In defeat, the comp’s undisputed tackling queen, Fremantle’s Kiara Bowers, returned to action to lay a match-high 18.
NORTH MELBOURNE 10.6 (66) defeated CARLTON 1.0 (6)
The Kangaroos couldn’t have possibly scripted a better passage of play: ruck Emma King perfectly tapping the ball to Ash Riddell; Riddell bursting forward and hitting Bella Eddey lace out a few metres from the goal square; and Eddey snapping truly for North Melbourne’s third goal. The stunned Blues – who came within six minutes of becoming the first team to be held scoreless in an AFLW match – could only watch this passage unfold. North Melbourne superstar Jasmine Garner gathered 36 possessions, improving her team’s record to 14-0 whenever she reaches 25 touches. Tahlia Randall led the Roos’ goalkicking parade with four, while Kate Shierlaw and King booted two each.
ESSENDON 6.4 (40) defeated ST KILDA 4.4 (28)
True to their song, the Bombers are indeed flying up, up the ladder after recording their second win on the trot in the first AFLW home-and-away match at their Windy Hill home. Masterful Madison Prespakis was dominant, piling up 29 possessions (15 contested), while Bonnie Toogood helped drive the Bombers’ attacks with four score involvements, including a goal, after marking strongly on the line from a teammate’s wayward set shot. The Saints’ Jaimee Lambert was her side’s best with 25 disposals, six clearances and a goal. St Kilda trailed by only a goal at half-time but its counterattacks stalled in a scoreless final term. Meanwhile, Saints recruit Jesse Wardlaw – who kicked an AFLW record 22 goals last season for Brisbane – is still yet to kick a major for St Kilda after two games, while another big-name signing in Steph Chiocci was held to a quiet 10 disposals.
GWS 3.4 (22) lost to MELBOURNE 15.9 (99)
Anything the Giants could do, the Dees did better – much, much better. GWS got off to a flyer, with Georgia Garnett snapping a goal just 24 seconds into the match. But Melbourne skipper Kate Hore replied a minute later to level the scores. Shortly after, Hore snapped truly to give her side the lead, then later added another goal to finish the opening quarter with 13 possessions, five marks, three tackles and three goals. No Paxy Paxman? No problem for Melbourne, with five players gathering at least 16 possessions each. Melbourne equitably shared the goalkicking wealth, with seven different players pinging the scoreboard, including Hore, who finished with five.
