AFLW launched with a bang over the weekend, bringing with it a sense of refreshing authenticity, and of people playing for the love of the game.
Two things stood out in the opening four matches of AFLW – the passion of the players and the passion of the crowd, and there can be no doubt the two are inextricably linked.
Firstly, the players.
After Round 1 of AFL last year, I wrote about the importance of intensity and my disbelief at how some teams couldn’t deliver it on the big Round 1 stage. No such worries with any woman that took the field on the weekend.
To a lady, they were ferocious in their attack on the ball and opposition player. The opening exchanges of each match were defined by bodies flying into packs at full speed, and the satisfying thwack that accompanies a well laid hip-and-shoulder.
There were several cases of concussion, and three players charged via the match review panel. The best teams have always played on the edge, and casualties are to be both expected and welcomed.
As AFL fans, we’ve all seen our teams appear to lack effort in some of their poorer seasons, when it looks as if it all becomes too hard for those out on the park. Sometimes it can become bad enough that we disengage as supporters, if only for five minutes, a quarter or a half. “If they’re not going to bother trying, I’m not going to bother going/watching” are common refrains.
The opposite is also true.
With the players fully engaged from the get-go, the crowd had no choice but to be swept along. The fact the people had turned up in numbers beyond expectation meant they were keen to be part of history, but most important of all they were thirsty for a contest, and to see players giving their all.
The relationship was no doubt symbiotic, with players and crowd feeding off each other, to provide a spectacle that made up in passion what it lacked in polish.
The gap between the better players and those at the lower end was to be expected, with several women unable to get much possession of the ball or do something constructive when they did.
Those with a background as an elite athlete stood out, whether it was ex-Matilda and W-League soccer representative Brianna Davey for Carlton, professional basketballer Erin Phillips for Adelaide, or WBBL Melbourne Star Emma Kearney for the Dogs.
And we saw plenty of natural talent, most breathtakingly from Friday night star Darcy Vescio. We also saw the well-established Katie Brennan tearing it up for the Dogs, the run, dash and hardness of Kara Donnellan at the Dockers, and the fierce play of Emily Bates for Brisbane.
Overall, there was a good sprinkling of quality skills from those at the top end of the talent pool, and we saw great examples of instinctive movement in traffic, clean hands in stoppages, rebound from defence and overall footy smarts.
One of the better moments came from Adelaide’s first goal-kicker Kellie Gibson. After making position but being unused in a contest at half-back, she stayed involved in the play with hard-running as her teammates moved the ball forward, getting into the right position at the end of the chain before finishing beautifully from outside 50m.
There are several areas where the on-field play in AFLW will improve, and in a relatively short time. Wet weather at two of the games didn’t help, but many players struggled to penetrate with their kicks, which meant a lack of switching the play and clearing the ball to running players on the fat side of the ground.
And even though the quarters were shorter than the men’s at 15 minutes plus time-on, the lack of overall athletic conditioning told late in the first halves and for much of the second half. For this, there were a number of factors, not least of which was the energy that would have been spent by all on pre-game nerves.
The heat at some matches and sodden ground at others would also have sapped the legs. Bone-jarring intensity also takes its toll as the hits start to mount up on bruised bodies.
We’ll see these issues overcome as natural evolution takes place, as the women get better and more used to the step up in competition.
AFLW has a chance to cement itself in the public landscape, particularly in the traditional Australian Rules states.
Cricket has had its time by the end of January. The Australian Open tennis burns brightly for two weeks, but people turn their minds immediately to footy as soon as game, set and match is called at the men’s final. Soccer and basketball bubble along in the background.
AFLW can give people their early taste of Aussie rules for the year, serving as both a lead-up to the AFL season, but also getting some clean air to establish itself in its embryonic stages.
The goodwill from local media and fans in the lead-up was telling. The passion of the players was defining. AFLW isn’t the first elite level sporting league for women in this country but, in time, it has a chance to be the biggest.
clipper
Guest
Chris - we can tell because quite a few weekend Tennis comps are mixed i.e gender plays no part in determining what level you team plays, your results do. There are a few women that play, mostly in the lower divisions, but there are a few that play in the top divisions and indeed some play against 15 yo boys that are at the top of their district and do beat them. They have more trouble against the men due to the power, but are quite a match for the younger players.
Simoc
Guest
Clearly your comments are of a hopeless quality Superfish and would be disregarded by those with knowledge of footy.
northerner
Guest
No, I didn't. You are arguing that domestic womens' sports have to compete with global mens' sports like football. And I'm saying that, first, for most Aussies, the real sports interest lies with domestic leagues, be it AFL,, NRL, Rugby, Basketball or Cricket or the A League. The single sports fanatics who follow football around the globe as the sun rises and sets are the exception: the rest of us like to feel some sort of connection with the teams we follow. We will follow the Wallabies or the Socceroos or the Kangaroos or the Hockeyroos because of that. And I'm saying, second, that you probably have no grasp at all of what women who enjoy sports want to follow. Neither do I. But they're half the population, and they seem to be flexing their muscles.
The General
Guest
Has there ever been a male Aussie rules player make it to the top tier of Australian soccer? I know Adam Goode's and Clive played soccer growing up.
Perry Bridge
Guest
#Chris You do realise that as much as you try to discount 'goal keepers' as not real footballers (in a soccer sense) and so that argument is not admissible, you then have to allow that in AFL for example - ruckmen are a bit like goal keepers - a specialist role that doesn't necessarily require the 'full package'. So - sometimes - a player who is tall and can kick is ticking enough boxes for a very specific role. re slotting in at a high level - well - if ever you might get away with it is at a start up situation. The AFLW doesn't have a 5 year history of well established sides and playing rosters and massive year to year competition for the few spots that become available. Next year will be the first year of that but there may still be some expansion to come and so still some 'cheap' spots available. Similar to the Suns and GWS with Hunt and Folau - - in the 'expansion' phase there were a couple of 'cheap spots' that were available for 'gimmick' players (that made for a very interesting sporting/social experiment). So - the effort of a Brianna Davey to convert to Soccer and make the Matildas (the national rep team of a very well established womens sport with established national comp) is a far greater effort than the girls (no disrespect to them) who have been a fraction speculatively selected in a couple of the AFLW sides. (some like Jess Cameron, Emma Kearney and Erin Phillips - - there's nothing speculative about them at all).
Superfish
Guest
No he hasn't. In fact as soon as you compare female athletes to male you have outed yourself to be a nonce. You have clearly not had any expisu6to elite female athletes.
Chris
Guest
Yeah you totally missed my point.
northerner
Guest
I didn't miss your point. I don't agree with it. The AFL and the BBL have both been very effective at promoting the women's versions of their games, although, to be fair, a lot of the support for the former appears to have come, not from the media at all, but from the grassroots. These two sports are competing with other summer sports - notably men's cricket, A League, W League, and rugby - and have managed to get plenty of profile, not just in Melbourne, attracting a level of interest that the other women's sports have not. And that's in spite of the much higher participation levels domestically in football and also basketball. There's a market to be exploited there, but someone's asleep at the switch, and it isn't either the AFL or the BBL.
Chris
Guest
Harry she was 13! I said late teens early 20s.
Chris
Guest
Casper good point about the tennis players. Not sure how that would pan out. I guess we will never know.
Chris
Guest
You miss my point. I'm saying that some sports would find it harder to compete against themselves (so to speak). So womens Rugby and football play in a much more crowded (mens) market than AFLW.
northerner
Guest
I've never understood the argument that a sport only matters if it's played internationally. A sport matters because it's something you like to play or watch. Americans don't worry about whether the NFL is played internationally or not, because they love the game and that's all that matters. Much the way Canadians feel about ice hockey, which is international but very far from global. But I digress. The W League and the WNBL play in Australia, and get nowhere near the public coverage and support that the AFLW has just received. You can blame the Melbourne press for not providing adequate coverage of these sports in Victoria, but who are you going to blame for their not getting adequate coverage in the rest of Australia? For that matter, where's the coverage of these sports in The Roar? How often do you see articles and comments on the Football tab about the W League? But it's somehow all the fault of the Melbourne media? I don't think so. I think the AFLW and the WBBL have worked to deliver a message about women's sports, and their football, rugby and basketball counterparts haven't.
Casper
Guest
Chris, I'll take your points on board but we are talking about the 11 best women soccer players in the country, versus an u15 team from Newcastle. How would the best Aussie woman's tennis player go against the best U15 boy from Newcastle?
Harry Houdini
Guest
So did Samantha Kerr who played football till 13 then switched to soccer and became a Matilda within 3 years.
Chris
Guest
Im not even going to attempt to respond to such a silly comment
Mister Football
Roar Guru
I don't know, seems to me Casper has revealed a pretty big chink in some of the arguments being thrown out there (or should that be a big chip?)
Mister Football
Roar Guru
Chris I'm not sure how much you know about soccer, but at any one time, at least 9% of the players on a soccer pitch are keepers. I would have thought that was a laudable achievement, to become a Matilda within 3 years of taking up soccer.,
Chris
Guest
Well also, Rugby has lots of other high level competitions (globally) so I guess the women are competing against a fairly full house of men's competitions. The AFL has one competition globally. Would I be right in saying that?
Chris
Guest
Casper you obviously have no idea at the strength and speed of an U15 boys rep team. Its not the skill level that beat the Matildas but the strength and explosive speed. Same as in tennis. You cant compare the way mens play and the way the women play. I have no idea about AFL so I dont know if the AFLW was a good standard or not. Judging by the majority of people on here the standard was poor but that can only improve I'm sure.
Chris
Guest
Yes as a goalkeeper. Nice try