Fremantle’s Amy Mulholland is gangtackled by North duo Emma Kearney and Amy Smith during the Kangaroos’ 45-point win. Photo: AFL PHOTOS
WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.10 (34) def by CARLTON 8.5 (53)
Just when things couldn’t get worse for the winless Bulldogs on the park, off it, in the lead-up to this match, a few of their players got stricken with gastro. At Whitten Oval, the Blues worsened the Bulldogs’ annus horribilis, mounting a commanding 15-point quarter-time lead, stretching that to 30 at three-quarter time, then coasting to a comfortable 19-point win. While the Bulldogs have hit rock bottom as the comp’s only team without a victory, it was a great night for ball winners named Keeley: Carlton’s Keeley Sherar led her side in possessions (27) and tackles (eight), while teammate Keeley Skepper had 23 touches and took seven marks. Eight different Blues kicked goals, including Darcy Vescio, whose sensational sliding toe-poke through the big sticks was one for the highlight reel.
GWS 6.8 (44) def WEST COAST 3.6 (24)
The Giants notched their first win of the season, overcoming a sluggish first term with a robust last three, in which they also capitalised on the Eagles’ undisciplined acts. In their victory, GWS also appears to have uncorked a young star. While Alyce Parker and Nicola Barr led the Giants’ ball-winning brigade with 23 and 22 touches respectively, tall forward Zarlie Goldsworthy was a force with seven score involvements, including three second-half goals, to help propel her side to victory.
MELBOURNE 7.4 (46) def by ADELAIDE 8.8 (56)
This top-of-the-table clash lived up to its billing. The three-time premier Crows shrugged off a scoreless first quarter to hold the Demons scoreless in the second, then exploded in the third before holding off a late Melbourne fight back to snap the Demons’ record 14-game winning streak. Adelaide is now the only unbeaten team in the league and have claimed top rung on the ladder. As they so often do, Adelaide’s Ebony Marinoff (27 touches, 14 tackles and two goals) and Anne Hatchard (33 touches, four clearances and two goals) played dynamic duo, complementing each other’s skills. Though the Demons’ ability to nullify their impact was diluted without injured star midfielder Paxy Paxman, Melbourne’s Eden Zanker was sensational, kicking a bag of five majors. She’s now the comp’s leading goalkicker with 15, surpassing teammate Kate Hore’s 14. Eliza McNamara accounted for the Demons’ other two majors, while Tyla Hanks led her side with 22 touches and 12 clearances. Melbourne’s loss, combined with North Melbourne’s win, drops the Demons from top spot to third.
ST KILDA 7.3 (45) def HAWTHORN 5.6 (36)
The Saints’ victory over the Hawks, which evened their record to 3-3 and nudges them closer to the top eight, came at a heavy price. Gun recruit Steph Chiocci tore her ACL early in the piece in a tackle laid by Hawk Kaitlyn Ashmore, ruling her out for the rest of the season and likely some of the 2024 campaign. The injury marred a win in which midfielder Jaimee Lambert – who, like Chiocci, was recruited in the off-season from Collingwood – excelled, gathering 26 possessions, laying 10 tackles and winning seven clearances. Saint Nat Exon pitched in on the scoreboard with two goals among her 17 possessions. Hawthorn’s Emily Bates was her side’s best with 31 touches, 11 tackles and 10 clearances, and Aine McDonagh booted two goals.
PORT ADELAIDE 3.12 (30) def by SYDNEY 6.9 (45)
Don’t let the scoreline fool you – the result isn’t simply an indictment of Power wastefulness. It’s more a testament to the Swans’ rapid development after a winless maiden season. Sydney now sits 3-3, winning on the road largely thanks to the efforts of three young guns in Laura Gardiner, Cynthia Hamilton and Ally Morphett. Gardiner was tremendous in the middle, racking up 33 possessions, seven tackles and six clearances, while Hamilton booted two goals from her 10 possessions, and Morphett ruled the ruck with 21 hitouts. Port Adelaide gun forward Gemma Houghton’s brilliant running snap was a goal-of-the-year contender, but on a day her side was woefully inaccurate, she’ll no doubt rue missing three other shots.
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BRISBANE 3.10 (28) def by COLLINGWOOD 5.3 (33)
Only the Power were more inaccurate in front of the sticks than the Lions, who suffered the season’s biggest upset yet, losing at home to the Magpies by less than a straight kick. Brisbane seemed to have the match well in hand early in the third term, with a 16-point lead, but Collingwood held the Lions to a mere four minor scores the entire second half. The Pies’ Bri Davey had some rough spills in this highly physical clash, but with 19 possessions, five tackles, three clearances and a goal, she was instrumental in her side’s fightback. Mikala Cann, who matched Davey’s possession output, drilled what proved to be the match-winner, a long-range set shot. Brisbane’s loss followed a sobering week in which senior coach Craig Starcevich dropped Jade Ellenger and Poppy Boltz for “not meeting professional standards.”
ESSENDON 4.5 (29) def GEELONG 2.7 (19)
After scores were level at three-quarter time, the Bombers kicked away to boost their finals chances and send the Cats crashing to their third loss in four matches. Essendon’s Madison Prespakis won the heated sibling battle against her sister Georgie, one of Geelong’s bright lights, leading all comers with 33 possessions. Georgie led her side with 26 touches, 10 clearances and seven tackles, but in this low-scoring contest, she missed two crucial shots at goal. Chloe Scheer kicked the Cats’ two goals, both in the first term, but the Bombers kicked the last four, including final-quarter majors from Daria Bannister and Amber Clarke. Essendon now sits seventh on the ladder and Geelong eighth.
RICHMOND 5.5 (35) def by GOLD COAST 5.6 (36)
In an exciting seesawing battle that had plenty of spite between two clubs battling for a finals spot, a captain’s behind, not a captain’s goal, at the death proved the winner for the Suns. Gold Coast skipper Tara Bohanna’s set shot went through for a minor score (she kicked 1.4 in total) as the siren went, sealing a memorable win. Minutes earlier at the other end of the ground, former Sun Shannon Danckert, playing in her first match as a Tiger, was poised to be the hero after taking a strong mark and then kicking a go-ahead goal. But through Gold Coast’s utilising of strong outside run and winning contested ball, coupled with Richmond squandering golden opportunities, the Suns rose to fifth spot and the Tigers fell out of the top eight. Richmond forward Caitlin Greiser missed potentially match-tying set shots in both the third and fourth quarters, while teammate Mon Conti also missed one in the third. Both Conti (22 touches) and Gold Coast’s Charlie Rowbottom (31, 13 tackles and five clearances) shook their respective tags to massively influence the match, while Tiger Stella Reid kicked one of the goals of the season from deep in the pocket.
FREMANTLE 3.3 (21) def by NORTH MELBOURNE 10.6 (66)
The Kangaroos capitalised on losses suffered by Melbourne and Brisbane by jumping up to second on the ladder after thrashing Fremantle. North’s Jasmine Garner (30 touches, seven score involvements) and Ash Riddell (37 touches, six clearances, eight score involvements) again proved why they’re a deadly tandem. Without their injured elite midfielder Kiara Bowers to compete against them, the Dockers were at a distinct disadvantage. Emma O’Driscoll was the Fremantle’s leading ball winner with 28 touches, but she was part of a backline that was under siege all match as North Melbourne won the inside-50 count 48-18. North forwards Tahlia Randall (five goals) and Kate Shierlaw (two) outmatched their Fremantle counterparts. The Kangaroos now have the No.1-ranked defence in the AFLW.
