The Adelaide Crows have stayed undefeated in AFL Women’s with a big goal from Erin Phillips in the final quarter delivering them a win over the Carlton Blues on Sunday.
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Final score
Adelaide Crows 2.5.17
Carlton Blues 2.4.14
Top spot on the ladder is up for grabs when the Adelaide Crows host the Carlton Blues in AFL Women’s. Join The Roar for a live blog of the match, starting from 12:05pm AEDT (11:35am local).
So far this round we’ve seen GWS Giants and Fremantle play a draw at Blacktown. I was at that game, and it was certainly one that kept us all enthralled until the end.
Then Brisbane got up in a thriller over Collingwood to maintain their unbeaten run. And then there was another healthy crowd at the Western Oval to see Melbourne take their second straight win, 14 points too good for the Western Bulldogs.
And to finish the round, the Crows and the Blues are in a match that promises much. Both teams are undefeated going into this, but unless there’s another draw, the winner will go to top spot and the loser will taste defeat for the first time.
The Crows started their AFL Women’s campaign with a home win over the Giants, but it was their win on the road against the Bulldogs last weekend that made the pundits sit up and take notice.
There’s some serious talent on the forward line. Sarah ‘Tex’ Perkins is quickly making a name for herself; her strong marking ability vindicating the Crows’ faith in taking her as a free agent after she was overlooked in the draft.
Erin Phillips, the daughter of Port Adelaide legend Greg Phillips, is enjoying her return to footy after a decorated WNBA career and will also be directing traffic up forward for the Crows.
It’s Carlton’s first time on the road, after home games to open the season. Undaunted by the occasion in the lockout AFLW opener, the Blues were far too good for Collingwood.
Then in Round 2 they had a scare against the Giants before their staying power saw them run away in the final term.
Darcy Vescio became the first AFL Women’s superstar, a big presence up forward with four goals in the opening game to boot the Blues to a winning score, and she’ll be one to watch today.
Brianna Davey is another Blue to keep track of. She’s been a ball magnet so far in this AFL Women’s series, and the Blues will be looking for another big game in the engine room today.
The ruck combination of Alison Downie and Breann Moody have given the Blues first use of the footy more often than not, and their work at the tap-outs will again be of importance to the Carlton cause.
It’s another big day of footy, with two JLT Community Series games to follow. But the stakes are highest in this women’s clash, with the winner moving to the top of the ladder and into the box seat for a potential home grand final.
We’ll be covering all the action here on The Roar from 12:05pm AEDT. Post your observations, thoughts and cyber-barracking in the comments as a crucially important AFLW clash unfolds!
mds1970
Roar Guru
My votes for this game: 3. Erin Phillips (Adel) 2. Brianna Davey (Carl) 1. Chelsea Randall (Adel) Erin Phillips clearly the player of the match. The Crows' co-captain led from the front with 19 possessions, including that crucial last-quarter goal. Chelsea Randall had 15 touches and Ebony Marinoff 13 for the Crows; with Randall really being in the thick of the action in those important plays in the final quarter as they grabbed enough behinds and the goal to win the game. For the Blues, Brianna Davey overcame an injury scare to record a game-high 24 possessions. Alison Downie dominated the ruck with 18 hit-outs; and Danielle Hardiman's 15 touches in defence defied the Crows time and again. But the stat that matters is that the Crows took the three-point win, and that takes them to top spot on the ladder. The Lions are also undefeated, and are in second spot on percentage. Carlton drop to third, ahead of Melbourne on percentage with two wins. The Bulldogs are fifth, with one win. GWS Giants and Fremantle are 6th and 7th, after their draw yesterday. And Collingwood are the only team yet to record a premiership point. Carlton will be looking to bounce back when they take on Melbourne in a morning clash at Casey Fields next Saturday. The Crows have an away trip across the Nullabor to Fremantle Oval for a clash with the Dockers on Sunday evening next weekend. Thanks for joining us on The Roar for this match; as the Crows go top of the ladder after three rounds of AFLW.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Definitely plenty of passion in that song! Couple that with the excellent crowd passion and the atmosphere was great. All in all it seemed like a great day.
mds1970
Roar Guru
A hard and tough fight by both sides. Carlton would be rueing a clash that got away after leading by two goals midway through the third quarter, but the Crows kept coming hard. They may have had some luck with the wind picking up in the last quarter and taking Erin Phillips' goal over the line. But this is an Adelaide team that have plenty of top performers around the ground; and when the game was there to be won they stood up. The Blues' inability to score in the final quarter would cost them dearly.
Liam Salter
Roar Guru
Yeah, can't believe it was a draw! At least we literally shared the spoils. It's definitely a great competition, this one.
mds1970
Roar Guru
AFLW hadn't had any games that were decided by less than a kick in the first two rounds; but we certainly did this round. And today, with top spot on the line, was a cliff-hanger. Just two goals apiece, scores hard to come by, but the desperation couldn't be faulted and the crowd were kept enthralled. Just the one goal in the final quarter, a long bomb by Erin Phillips, that would be the winner. The Crows players are singing their song on the field, and plenty of passion in that song.
mds1970
Roar Guru
FINAL SCORE Adelaide 2.5 (17) Carlton 2.2 (14)
mds1970
Roar Guru
Siren! Three point win for the Crows.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Ball bottled up on the wing as the seconds tick by. Marinoff goes inside 50, looking for the goal that would make sure of it; but the Carlton defence is equal to the task and they clear.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Carlton not giving up. Brianna Davey is back on and weaves through traffic before blazing away from 40 out. But doesn't quite make the distance and the Crows clear the ball out of trouble. 2 minutes to go, and the Crows lead by 3.
mds1970
Roar Guru
12 minutes final quarter Adelaide 2.5 (17) Carlton 2.2 (14) Abbey Holmes goes long to a marking contest in the square. Perkins can't hold it, the ball goes off hands and through for a minor score. Crows by 3.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Some tempers frayed on the wing, and Ayre gives away a free kick. Talia Radan takes the free and puts the Crows into attack.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Randall goes inside 50, to a one-out contest. Perkins gets a hand on it but can't control it and the Blues mop up without conceding a score. Still Crows by two points.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Varnhagen goes long with the wind, but the accuracy isn't there and the ball bounces out of bounds. 8 minutes into the last quarter, Crows leading by two points.
mds1970
Roar Guru
I'm enjoying this.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Official attendance 9,006.
mds1970
Roar Guru
5 minutes final quarter Adelaide 2.4 (16) Carlton 2.2 (14) Erin Phillips gathers just outside the 50. It's a long kick, and the wind picks it up. And it floats through! That's the longest goal in AFLW to date, the first 50 metre goal, and gives the Crows the lead.
Kevin Malone
Guest
Must be riveting
mds1970
Roar Guru
3 minutes final quarter Carlton 2.2 (14) Adelaide 1.4 (10) Crows intercept the kick-in. Randall on the run snaps and it's a point.
mds1970
Roar Guru
2 minutes final quarter Carlton 2.2 (14) Adelaide 1.3 (9) Chelsea Randall on the run crosses the 50. Looks for a goal on the run, but doesn't quite make the distance and it dribbles out of bounds. Crows get the tap-out, the ball runs toward the square and is rushed through for a point.
mds1970
Roar Guru
Plenty of desperation. Nat Exon on the boundary on centre wing desperately trying to escape the tackling of Jessica Sedunary. Three times she shrugs the tackle before eventually going over the boundary line. Every touch is critical, and there won't be easy possessions.