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For the second year in a row the Carlton Blues have defeated the Collingwood Magpies in the AFLW season opener, despite Collingwood seeming to dominate on the stat sheet.
The Blues came away with a 3.4.22 to 2.2.14 victory – a closer affair than last year’s season opener certainly, but one that showed the strengths and weaknesses of both sides.
Carlton’s forwards were in great form with new recruit Tayla Harris on debut showing some excellent contested marking ability and kicking a great goal in the first.
However the Blues would have to be concerned by just how much of the ball they let the opposition get a hold of, as Collingwood finished with +45 disposals, +3 clearances and +7 inside 50s.
It didn’t prove to be a killer this time around as Collingwood were simply not able to convert that dominance into scores, but Carlton won’t want to let more potent teams have that much possession.
The Pies’ night started well enough as Jasmine Garner kicked a goal in the opening minutes, something of a chilling deja vu moment as she also kicked the opening goal of the 2017 season in this fixture last year.
However Carlton would score three goals through Kate Shierlaw, Harris and Alison Downie before Collingwood found their second and last of the match thanks to Amelia Barden.
The second half was unfortunately something of a quiet affair on the scoring front with no goals kicked, many gettable opportunities going to waste as some players seemed to suffer a few nerves on opening night.
However there was a clear contrast already between this match and the AFLW of 2017 – increased fitness is evident and skills seemed to have gone up a notch too (although they deteriorated a bit in the second half), creating a game that was much more open and active rather than being bogged down in repeat stoppages.
One notable incident was an ugly one, Collingwood’s Sarah Darcy giving up the opportunity to have a shot at goal by conceding a needless free kick for kicking an opposition player in the leg. To make matters worse, she had missed a set shot on the full just a minute before.
Ultimately it was the Blues’ confidence to play a more direct, attacking brand of footy but also lay on heavy tackling pressure even when Collingwood were controlling the ball for long periods of time that won them the game.
Just how far they might go in this AFLW season isn’t clear yet, but for now, Carlton are celebrating and deservedly so.
Carlton Blues 3.4.22
Collingwood Magpies 2.2.14