Former Cat Richelle Cranston has given the Bulldogs plenty of support up forward. Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Half of the second AFLW season of the calendar year is in the books and, looking at the ladder, inside the top four there aren’t too many glaring surprises.
Reigning premier Adelaide, runner-up Melbourne, and finalist Brisbane have equal win-loss records, with the Lions still comfortably ahead of the Crows. Third-placed Collingwood has effectively replaced Fremantle in the upper echelon, as a nightmare start has sent the Dockers near the bottom.
And if you’re looking for a surprise club this season, undoubtedly, it’s Geelong. The Cats finished 12th in the previous season, losing eight of 10 matches, but this time around, they sit sixth.
Their three wins already exceed last season’s total, they’ve allowed the fewest points in the competition, and on an individual level, Geelong currently has two players — Georgie Prespakis (first) and Amy McDonald (fourth) in the top four in the AFL Coaches Association Player of the Year voting.
Unfortunately for the Cats, Prespakis has been banned for two matches for a dangerous tackle, thus putting the kibosh on what would’ve been a tantalizing match-up next round between her and her sister Maddy, the Essendon star who sits third in the AFLCA voting.
Speaking of Essendon, it is easily the best of the four expansion clubs. A little more rub of the green in previous rounds and the Bombers would be 4-1 instead of 2-3. This round, Essendon, Geelong, and emerging contender Gold Coast all draw the toughest assignments in their quest to finish the season in the top eight.
HAWTHORN (1-4) v WEST COAST (2-3) (Skybus Stadium, Friday 6.10 p.m. local time)
In this bird battle, it’s the Hawks who are flying high, after recording their first-ever win in a four-point victory over Sydney. The Eagles though, were brave in their three-point derby loss to Fremantle. West Coast’s collective experience should carry the day here, with a resurgent Isabella Lewis in strong form, along with stalwart teammate, Emma Swanson.
GIL TIPS: WEST COAST
PORT ADELAIDE (1-3-1) v ADELAIDE (4-1), (Adelaide Oval, Friday 8 p.m. local time)
On paper, anyway, this match doesn’t look like it will be the dramatic, nail-biting stuff of the legendary Showdowns the men’s respective South Australian sides have conjured. But one certainly can hope. The Power will have to summon heaps of hope if they’re to be competitive against the Crows, who last round made history by annihilating the Giants by a record 96-point margin. Call them “the dynamic duo” or the “usual suspects,” but Adelaide continues to be buoyed by superstar pair Anne Hatchard and Ebony Marinoff, whose ball-winning totals each round are within a hair’s breadth of each other — Hatchard’s average possessions per match is 25.4 and Marinoff’s is 24.8. No wonder they’ve polled an equal number of AFLCA votes, both garnering 26. The most compelling element to this match will be seeing how inaugural Power captain Erin Phillips goes against — and is treated by — her former side, with whom she won three premierships. The Crows last week were inhospitable hosts and this week they’ll play the part of very rude guests.
GIL TIPS: ADELAIDE
GWS (1-4) v CARLTON (1-2-2) (Henson Park, Saturday 12.10 p.m. local time)
It would be extremely difficult to find two other AFLW clubs whose play continues to frustrate their fans and baffle the pundits as much as these two. A 96-point loss, as the Giants suffered last week, suggests there were too many passengers. GWS has two very talented ball-winners in Alyce Parker (averaging an AFLW fourth-best 24.6 disposals) and Alicia Eva, but in front of goal, Cora Staunton continues to be a one-woman show. If the opposition shuts Staunton down, it effectively silences the Giants’ offensive output. As for the Blues, two draws in five matches suggests they lack the killer instinct and mental toughness to finish the job. Mimi Hill has followed her Rising Star Award season with strong play in this one, but others must step up and share the load. As crazy as it may sound, a third Blues’ draw with an opponent might not be out of the realm of possibility here.
GIL TIPS: DRAW
PLEASE HELP US CONTINUE TO THRIVE BY BECOMING AN OFFICIAL FOOTYOLOGY PATRON. JUST CLICK THIS LINK.
WESTERN BULLDOGS (4-1) v GEELONG (3-2) (Mars Stadium, Saturday 2.10 p.m. local time)
If you’re looking for a possible match of the round, you’re looking at it here: A veteran squad in the Doggies, who narrowly missed a finals berth last season, playing with a chip on their shoulder in their mission to qualify this season, versus a young side which has been the competition’s surprise packet. The Dogs’ rock-solid pillars Ellie Blackburn and Kirsty Lamb have had great support up forward in veteran and ex-Cat Richelle Cranston and exciting teenager Rylie Wilson, while addition to Georgie Prespakis, Amy McDonald, leads AFLW in average possession s (26.4), contested possessions (16.4), and clearances (7.6), and Becky Webster has earned 16 AFLCA votes for her outstanding play. But Prespakis’s punishment likely tips the balance to Geelong’s opponents in this match and the next.
GIL TIPS: WESTERN BULLDOGS
ST KILDA (2-3) v COLLINGWOOD (4-1), (RSEA Stadium, Saturday 4.10 p.m. local time)
The Magpies were tested last round — at least for three quarters — by the upstart Bombers and Collingwood fans would be pleasantly surprised to see the performances of Jaimee Lambert, Mikala Cann, and Eliza James and their team covering for the losses of their two star midfielders, Britt Bonnici and Brianna Davey, to serious knee injuries. The Saints have shown their dominance over expansion teams but inability to match it with established ones. Despite AFLW leading goalkicker Kate Shierlaw having a tremendous campaign, the Saints can’t approximate, much less match, the Pies in other areas of the ground. Collingwood should get a comfortable win.
GIL TIPS: COLLINGWOOD
RICHMOND (3-2) v GOLD COAST (3-2) (Swinburne Centre, Saturday 6.10 p.m. local time)
The Tigers’ backline stifled Brisbane’s powerful attack last round and pulled off a big upset. This round they may get back their captain, Katie Brennan, the prolific goalkicker who with her foot injury has been reduced to cheering on her teammates from the sidelines. Gold Coast has markedly improved this season, especially in its ability to put together four-quarter performances and put the hammer down on opponents. The Suns’ Charlie Rowbottom and Claudia Whitfort are enjoying outstanding seasons, exceeding both the team’s and fans’ expectations, and being among the league leaders in clearances and inside 50s, respectively. But the Suns historically have had difficulty away from home, especially when the Victorian winds are swirly. Look for Richmond to ride the momentum of its confidence-building upset.
GIL TIPS: RICHMOND
BRISBANE (4-1) v ESSENDON (2-3) (Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex, Sunday 12.10 p.m. local time)
The Lions’ shock loss will eventually prove no more than a hiccup in what has so far been a dominant season. The Bombers won’t be pushovers early on, not with Maddy Prespakis’s penchant for stamping her presence on matches to set a tone. Essendon will miss suspended small forward Daria Bannister this week, and its backline is likely to be under siege at some stage, with the Lions’ Orla O’Dwyer and Emily Bates winning the ball and delivering it to the forward brigade, which includes Jess Wardlaw (nine goals) and Greta Bodey (seven goals), who both are in the top four of the goalkicking table. Interestingly, while Brisbane have garnered all the attention for their potent attack, the Bombers are third in average score, putting up about 42 points per match. But even in a potential shootout here, Essendon would come off second best.
GIL TIPS: BRISBANE
FREMANTLE (1-3-1) v MELBOURNE (4-1) (Fremantle Community Bank Oval, Sunday 2.10 pm local time)
The last time these two sides met, it was on West Australia’s biggest stage, Optus Oval, and the Demons embarrassed a Dockers’ side severely depleted due to injuries and illnesses, beating Fremantle by a then-record 88 points. Melbourne has had great success out west in the recent past and although the Dockers aren’t too banged up now, the Demons should comfortably get home. Melbourne’s Olivia Purcell is coming off a 30-possession performance, while spearhead Tayla Harris booted three majors. Fremantle’s Hayley Miller and fast-developing key forward Aine Tighe starred in last round’s Western Derby, but the Dees have too many weapons in all parts of the ground, which will give the Dockers headaches.
GIL TIPS: MELBOURNE
NORTH MELBOURNE (3-2) v SYDNEY (0-5) (Swinburne Centre, Sunday 4.10 pm local time)
The Swans made a fist of it last round, challenging their expansion cousins from Hawthorn and coming up short, but all signs this round point to yet another, inevitable trip to the woodshed. The return of Sydney’s Montana Ham, the scoring output of Brooke Lochland, and the emergence of Cynthia Hamilton has all been sweet for the Swans, but the Roos’ star-studded midfield isn’t ever to be trifled with. North Melbourne’s Jasmine Garner has been a key driver, contributing an average of 13 contested possessions, seven clearances, and six inside 50s per match. Unless the Swinburne Centre’s winds play havoc — the league deemed the Roos’ Arden Street home surface too damaged to host this match — North Melbourne should quickly salt away a lopsided victory.
GIL TIPS: NORTH MELBOURNE
Brett Munro must step down now. He has single handedly destroyed Carlton’s AFLW side. He refused to negotiate with Tayla Harris. Harris never wanted to leave Carlton, and she even got a Carlton tattoo. Munro’s stance lead to a huge drop in morale among the players. Dalton, and Hosking had enough and walked out. They no longer wanted to play for a club that refused to negotiate on pay and conditions. Then the powers that be offloaded Downey. This was akin to the Malthouse years at Carlton, when Betts, Waite, Garlett, and Robinson were shown the door.
After Carlton’s win against the Suns last season, Harford said that our future looks bright with Jones, Prespakis, Gee, Stevens, and Egan. Little did he know that all those players would walk out. Prespakis didn’t feel encouraged. She asked for further assistance with her game as she felt she had hit a brick wall. None was forthcoming. Gee was no longer happy at the club. She wanted more women in mentoring roles. Jones had had enough, and Egan saw a brighter future at her old club Richmond. It’s damming that Stevens saw a career at StKilda as more rewarding.
Under Munro we don’t lure big names to the club. All we do is drive talented players out. Munro has forced us into a rebuild that we need not be in. Rebuilds are not exciting, and nor do they work. We will be anchored down the bottom for years due to poor board decision that have decimated morale.
Munro refuses to look at what successful clubs do. Many seek out Irish players, yet we don’t. We recruit injury prone surplus to needs players from other clubs. Why isn’t Natalie Plane given a game?
We are the worst performing of the establishment clubs, and will be overtaken by expansion clubs at a rapid pace. This is absolutely lamentable. We will not win another game for the season. Our most embarrassing performance was our draw against Port Adelaide at home. Not being able to beat a new team at home is unacceptable. Changes are needed right away in order to prevent other talented players leaving.
We need to adopt a dour defensive game plan that strangles the opposition. We don’t have the goal kickers to play a free flowing game. I would rather see us kick 2 goals for the game, and restrict the opposition to 1 goal, than kick 1 goal for an entire game (for 2 weeks in a row) while the opposition kicks plenty. The only way we can win is if we tighten the game up and create stoppages.