Bulldog Ellie Blackburn celebrates her team’s big win over previously undefeated Melbourne on Sunday. Photo: AFL MEDIA.
It’s a good thing football is played on grass, not paper.
Saturday’s Carlton-Richmond AFLW might have appeared “meh” based on each side’s win-loss record, but on the field, it sizzled. The brave but broken-hearted Tigers missed winning their first-ever match by a matter of mere metres.
The Giants and Eagles’ respective ladder positions and percentages also may not have made their round-closing game seem like a “must-watch”, but the two clubs went goal-for-goal in the first half like two heavyweight boxers before the Giants evened their record.
St Kilda’s “G-Train”, Caitlin Greiser, meanwhile, is reliably rumbling again – it was just a matter of getting the ball to her station. Adelaide got back in the “win” column with a convincing victory over previously unbeaten Brisbane, whose percentage shrunk like a deflating balloon.
Gold Coast was the latest side to learn that when holding the top-of-the-ladder Dockers scoreless in the first term, Fremantle actually has the opposition right where it wants it.
Indeed, only the two heavily-hyped matches, North Melbourne v Collingwood, and Western Bulldogs v Melbourne were letdowns, as both the Kangaroos and Demons left their goalkicking boots at home, helping the Pies to stay unbeaten and the Doggies to extend their winning streak to three.
ST KILDA 7.9 (51) d GEELONG 3.4 (22)
It was back on board the “G-Train” at Moorabbin as the Saints’ midfield got the ball to Caitlin Greiser’s station in their forward 50. Thanks to midfielders Tilly Lucas-Rodd (19 touches) and Tyanna Smith (16 touches and 13 tackles) winning the ball and pacing the attack, Greiser had five scoring shots and equalled her previous best of three goals. Greiser kicked one in the first term on the run with no defender near her or two other attacking Saints and blasted the ball through an open goal. The Cats wasted a litany of early chances in the first term — five marks inside 50 from six total entries — but scored just two behinds, as Olivia Barber, Richelle Cranston, Phoebe McWilliams, and Maddie Boyd all misfired in front of goal. While a Cranston goal had Geelong within just one point of the Saints at half-time, Rhiannon Watt’s rebounding and Rosie Dillon’s attacking in the third term fuelled a Saints’ power move. Forward pressure and creative ball movement saw Kate Shierlaw and Isabella Shannon snap running goals, and Greiser nailed a set shot on the siren to open a 25-point lead. St Kilda extended the margin to 37, but credit the Cats for mounting an improbable, spirited final term comeback, thanks to Amy McDonald’s (21 possessions) pinpoint passing, McWilliams’s strong contested marks, and Danielle Higgins’s forward pressure. Geelong kicked two consecutive goals, had all the momentum and nearly drew within three goals, but within the span of a minute, as it was in the first term, missed two crucial set-shots.
CARLTON 8.3 (51) d RICHMOND 7.4 (46)
Richmond fans take heart. To say your young, developing team was valiant in defeat isn’t dishing out an empty platitude. The yellow-and-black played their best-ever match and exceeded their highest-ever score by one point, but fell just a few metres short — twice in the final term — to a more experienced, battle-hardened Carlton side desperate to rejoin the top six. Three was indeed the magic number in the Saturday afternoon contest — Carlton’s No. 3, the dazzling Darcy Vescio, kicked three goals in the third term to help the Blues extend their lead of one point at half-time to 14. Vescio took six marks on the day — including two essential contested grabs in the third quarter — and had a total of five scoring shots. But late in the final term, it was Carlton’s work deep in the backline that ultimately saved the day. First, with the Blues up by eight points with just three-and-a-half minutes remaining, in a borderline umpiring decision, Kerryn Herrington rushed a behind with the Tigers’ Sabrina Frederick bearing down on the ball. Moments later, Carlton centre half-back Charlotte Wilson spoiled a ball earmarked for Frederick. Shortly afterward, with less than 90 seconds left, Richmond trailing by a goal with Frederick near the goal square trying to put boot to ball, Wilson again came to the Blues’ rescue, escorting the ball over the line for another rushed behind to end Richmond’s scoring for the day. The Tigers’ first term was nearly flawless, with Monique Conti’s clearance work superlative (she had eight for the game) and Tayla Stahl kicking two of Richmond’s three goals. Vescio’s two behinds were all the Blues could manage and not even senior coach Daniel Harford’s volcanic quarter-time spray could stop Richmond from bolting to an early second term 22 point lead. Enter Carlton’s Maddie Prespakis. After a crunching tackle on Richmond’s Sarah Hosking — that may land her in trouble — Prespakis caught fire, racking up some of her 19 disposals and four clearances and kicking two goals, propelling the Blues to the front. Richmond’s Katie Brennan broke her goal hoodoo in style, snapping truly off each boot to keep the Tigers within striking distance. A Courtney Wakefield toe-poke off the deck for her third goal pulled Richmond to within two points, but Carlton’s Georgia Gee raced into the forward 50 after taking a free kick advantage, then hit up Nic Stevens lace-out at the top of the goal square. Stevens’s ensuing goal was just enough to get Carlton the win and even its record at 2-2.
FREMANTLE 7.13 (55) d GOLD COAST 1.0 (6)
It’s shaping up to be a fascinating trend: the Dockers go scoreless in the first quarter, get warmer in the second, then blister their opponents in the second half. Only some touches on the goal line from its scoring shots and some assorted inaccuracy kept this match from being a repeat of Fremantle’s bludgeoning of the Suns in last year’s semi-final. The Dockers had the same number of shots (20) Saturday as they did in that final, in which they kicked 12.8, but unlike the last encounter, in which All-Australian forwards Sabreena Duffy and Gemma Houghton combined for five goals, they were goalless and relatively quiet this round. That hardly mattered, though, as Dockers’ spark plug Gabby O’Sullivan, the former NCAA basketball point guard, led the charge. With her relentless pressure, O’Sullivan won 16 possessions and laid three tackles. She kicked a match high two goals, but narrowly missed a bag of four. Through the middle, Freo’s Hayley Miller and Kiara Bowers were unstoppable, with 17 touches each. Miller also kicked a goal and laid six tackles, while Bowers laid 15. For Gold Coast, Jamie Stanton was a standout through the middle, with 18 possessions and five tackles, while down back, Jade Pregelj limited Houghton. The Suns’ Lucy Single laid seven tackles and Lauren Bella dominated the ruck, with 25 hit-outs. If there is any nit-picking to be done with the Dockers — winners of their last 11 home-and-away matches — it’s with their showings in ruck contests. The Suns convincingly won the hit-out count 39-15 and the Dockers must improve in that department in future matches against top rucks like Collingwood’s Sharni Norder, North Melbourne’s Emma King, and Carlton’s Breann Moody.
COLLINGWOOD 4.4 (28) d NORTH MELBOURNE 0.8 (8)
On paper, this match shaped as a cracker but in reality, it fizzled. The Pies’ trio of All-Australian midfielders — Brianna Davey (31 touches), Jaimee Lambert (27 touches), and Britt Bonnici (21 touches) — saw to that, dominating the proceedings with their work rate, contested possessions, and constant physical pressure. Davey amassed double figures in possessions in the first term, which the Pies won 14-0, on the backs of crumbing goals by Aishling Sheridan and Chloe Molloy. North had no answer for Collingwood’s slick handball chains (the Pies had 127 to the Roos’ 78), which it often deployed to invade the Roos’ defensive 50. A sublime Collingwood passage in the final term involving Sarah Rowe and Jordan Membrey led to Chloe Molloy booting the second of her two goals, blasting away into an open goal. Molloy broke lines all night with her speed, while Membrey extended her successful scoring shot conversion to 11 with a goal of her own. North actually won the inside 50 count, with 31 entries to 25, but couldn’t capitalise on seven marks in its forward half, and numerous free kicks paid to its players in scoring range. For the first time in its AFLW history, North ended a match goalless and with an unsightly scoreline. Defender Kaitlyn Ashmore was tremendous for North, repelling attacks and rebounding out of the club’s defensive 50 with 17 possessions and six tackles, and Jasmine Garner (19 touches) and Jenna Bruton (18 touches) fought hard, but the Pies kept Roos’ star midfielder Ellie Gavalas (11 touches) quiet. Collingwood’s 4-0 record is its best-ever AFLW start and includes two wins against premiership contenders, while the now 2-2 Roos — who at the beginning of the season looked invincible — slipped down to the middle rungs of the ladder.
ADELAIDE 6.9 (45) d BRISBANE 5.3 (33)
The critics again will now again wonder if these are the same old Lions from last year — preying on the weak but succumbing to the strong. The Lions absorbed their first loss of the season and the result could have been far more damaging had the Crows cashed in on a wealth of first-quarter opportunities that saw them record nine forward 50 entries to the Lions’ one but kick only 2.5 while holding Brisbane scoreless. Erin Phillips was arguably Adelaide’s best-on-ground, gathering 21 possessions, taking eight marks, and kicking four goals, while Ebony Marinoff was everywhere, leading all players with 28 touches and laying four tackles. Anne Hatchard (19 disposals and four tackles) was a constant through the middle, and Sarah Allan (16 possessions) did valuable work down back, repelling Brisbane attacks and rebounding. The formidable Lions’ forward line accounted for all their goals, as Greta Bodey led the way with two, and Dakota Davidson and speedster Courtney Hodder added one each. The considerable attention the Crows backline paid to Lions’ full forward Jesse Tawhiao-Wardlaw paid off, as it restricted her to just six touches and one behind. Adelaide forward Chelsea Randall may find her actions under review. During a contest for a loose ball, Bodey’s head collided with Randall’s shoulder, felling Randall and causing the Lion to bleed from the nose and having to leave the ground.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 6.1 (37) d MELBOURNE 2.12 (23)
Team stats and scorelines don’t always tell the whole story of a match, but both certainly do for this one. The Dees were looking to improve their unbeaten streak to four to keep pace with Fremantle and Collingwood, the comp’s two undefeated sides, but their shocking inaccuracy did them in. Melbourne won almost everywhere else except the scoreboard. The Demons had exactly double the forward 50 entries of the Doggies (38-19), and dominated the clearances 32-15. Melbourne won more of the ball, winning the contested possession count, 106-85 – with Karen Paxman (27 touches and a goal) doing most of the damage. The Bulldogs, meanwhile, were deadly accurate, making the most of their opportunities, to lengthen their winning streak to three. A pair of contrasting forward line scorelines tell the tale: Bulldogs Jess Fitzgerald and Izzy Huntington kicked a combined 4.1, while the Dees’ Tegan Cunningham and Eden Zanker kicked a combined 0.6. Cunningham’s last miss, a set-shot early in the final term, if converted, could have put the Dees in front. Instead, a few minutes later, the Dogs’ Ellie Blackburn (16 possessions and four tackles) booted a long-range snap to establish a 10-point lead and effectively seal the match.
GWS 7.6 (48) d WEST COAST 4.4 (28)
Who in their right mind would have thought this match between two sides which struggle mightily to score would’ve been a bona fide run-and-gun shootout? But that’s exactly how the first half unfolded at Blacktown, with the two sides combining for seven first quarter goals. Giants’ stalwart Cora Staunton kicked two of her eventual bag of four majors in the term, while Ashlee Atkins, Parris Laurie, and Maddy Collier responded for the Eagles to pull them within seven points at the quarter-time break. Late in the second quarter, a Mikayla Bowen set shot reduced West Coast’s deficit to just two points, but it turned out to be the last bullet the Eagles fired. Just as they seemed to do every time the Eagles scored, the Giants’ Tait Mackrill snapped a major to extend the GWS lead. The Giants dominated the hit-outs and clearances and, continuing their red-hot form, Alyce Parker (25 disposals), Rebecca Beeson (22 disposals) and Alicia Eva (18 disposals) were the main drivers. The Eagles began the final term peppering the goals and early on were within one straight kick, but Staunton saved her best for last, miraculously dribbling a goal off the back of a ball-up near the goal square, then played on from a set-shot and bent a beauty to put the match out of reach, denying the Eagles their first win of the season. West Coast, already missing star Dana Hooker for the rest of the season with injury, will now nervously await Aisling McCarthy’s fate after injuring her left knee late in the match and having to be helped from the ground.
