Melbourne’s Libby Birch evades the clutches of Adelaide’s Erin Phillips in Round 4. Photo: Getty Images.
ADELAIDE (10-1) v MELBOURNE (10-1), Saturday 12pm local time, Adelaide Oval)
AFLW Grand Final day and the ominous presence of a murder of Crows — the two have been synonymous and ubiquitous since the league’s inception.
Check the numbers —Adelaide is appearing in its fourth of the league’s five premiership deciders and is the home team for the third time.
Its superstar icon Erin Phillips has a shot to win her third AFLW Grand Final best-on-ground award and, most importantly, the club is going for its third premiership.
Oh, then there’s this number that attests to the Crows’ dominance — one. That’s both their number of losses this season, and how many points the Crows lost by in their lone defeat, at the hands of the Western Bulldogs.
How strong is Adelaide’s spine and how deep is its list? It has representation in all parts of the ground in the recently announced All-Australian team — from Sarah Allan down back, to dynamic duo Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard in the guts, and Ash Woodland, who made history this year by kicking more goals (19) in a home-and-away season than anyone in league history, up forward.
The Crows played a significant chunk of the season without their captain, Chelsea Randall, and a few matches without Phillips, because of injuries, while suspensions rubbed out a handful of other stars at other times. Still, the Crows easily covered for their absences.
Despite Adelaide and Melbourne sharing identical win-loss records, the Crows richly deserve to go in as comfortable favourites.
In the clubs’ only home-and-away meeting in Round 4 at Norwood Oval, the Crows’ goalkicking radar was incredibly wonky, but a 4.11 (35) score still bested the Dees by 14 points.
While Marinoff and Hatchard touched it 29 and 26 times respectively, Phillips had three majors to her name, and Rachelle Martin had the other. That result was the only home-and-away match the Dees lost.
Melbourne was undefeated on whatever ground at which it played host — from blustery Casey Fields to last weekend for their preliminary final win at the MCG.
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This season may turn out to be Demons legend Daisy Pearce’s swansong, but if so, what a fist she’s made of it, earning All-Australian honours as a forward, and she might have a Shane Crawford moment by winning a premiership in her last match.
Pearce, by the way, kicked two goals in their loss to Adelaide. Dees defender Libby Birch also earned an All-Australian nod, as did Tayla Harris, Melbourne’s boom recruit who kicked 18 goals. Harris has already played in two grand finals — once with Brisbane and once with Carlton — and across those two matches, the victorious Crows held her to a combined seven possessions.
The Demons have a bevy of talent, a sturdy spine, and also are represented in the All-Australian squad in all parts of the ground, with ruck Lauren Pearce joining Daisy Pearce, Harris and Birch. Five-time All-Australian midfielder Karen Paxman, outside midfielder Eliza McNamara, exciting and speedy winger Alyssa Bannan, forwards Kate Hore and Tyla Hanks also all feature.
While Melbourne is the more accurate side kicking for goal, this match will likely be decided down back. The Crows have been miserly, conceding just 187 points across the 10 home-and-away matches — fewer than 20 points per contest — the best in the comp by a comfortable margin. Melbourne was tied for third best in that department, conceding 252 points.
The Dees’ 470 points were the league’s second most, but 107 of those were registered in a record-breaking obliteration of a heavily-depleted Fremantle side. Adelaide still carries the battle scars from last year’s grand final loss to Brisbane as motivation, but it will play in front of an expected large home crowd and with expansion team Port Adelaide entering the league, and possibly poaching some Crows, this may be this group’s last ride as a unit. What a way to go out, with another tiara as queens of the women’s footy world. The Dees will put up a gallant fight, but the Crows will prove too good on the day.
GIL TIPS: ADELAIDE
