After two rounds North Melbourne have set the pace for the competition, but this Friday night they will get a serious test of their credentials when they face the Western Bulldogs in Launceston.
The top-of-the-conference clash between the Roos and Dogs highlights the round, as does a clash between two winless teams desperate to get on the board and the high-flying Fremantle hosting Collingwood at home.
The Geelong Cats and Melbourne will also both hit the road for matches against the Adelaide Crows and Brisbane Lions respectively.
In a quirk of the fixture there will be no matches in Victoria this weekend, with matches to be played in Launceston, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane.
Here is your preview to Round 3.
Two matches into their existence and it’s starting to become clear why North Melbourne are seen as the favourites for this year’s AFLW premiership.
After demolishing Carlton in the opening round, the Roos backed up impressively against the Giants in Sydney, kicking seven goals in their 25-point win with captain Emma Kearney one of the best on ground in a match marred by terrible weather conditions.
However, the win was marred by a serious ankle injury suffered by Ashleigh Riddell in the third quarter, which has just about ruled her out for the season.
This Friday they will get another serious test of their credentials when they face reigning premiers the Western Bulldogs, who are also flying with two wins from as many matches but are second behind the Roos in Conference A by nearly 100 percentage points, at UTAS Stadium.
The Dogs produced a dominant performance over the Geelong Cats, keeping their opponents scoreless in the second and fourth quarters en route to an 18-point win.
Again it was Ellie Blackburn who was among their best, with 19 disposals and six tackles, while captain Katie Brennan was kept quiet by her acting Cats counterpart Bec Goring.
This will be the second of the Roos’ two matches in Tasmania, and the home-ground advantage – given many of their players are from the Apple Isle – should get them over the line in a close one.
Prediction: North Melbourne by ten points.
Jessica Duffin (right) and Emma Kearney of the Kangaroos. (Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)
It’s desperate times for the Giants and Blues, both of whom are winless after two rounds and need to register a win to remain alive in the competition.
For the second consecutive year thunderstorms and heavy rain conspired against the Giants as they went down to North Melbourne by 25 points in a match interrupted several times by the adverse weather as well as two light towers failing during the second quarter.
They could be without former No.1 draft pick Nicola Barr pending the outcome of her judiciary hearing after she was charged with rough conduct in the incident which saw North Melbourne’s Ashleigh Riddell leave the field with an ankle injury in the third quarter.
She went into the record books for the wrong reasons, being the first player in AFL Women’s history to be sent straight to the judiciary after the incident, which wasn’t captured on video, was deemed too unsuitable for match review officer Michael Christian to grade.
While they will fancy their chances this weekend, they’ll be aware of a Carlton side that was competitive against the Adelaide Crows, at one stage leading by 17 points before capitulating in the final quarter to lose by 13 points.
The loss, their seventh in succession, means they haven’t won a match for over 12 months now – in fact the corresponding match between the Giants and Blues last year marked their most recent win, which was marred by a season-ending knee injury suffered by captain Brianna Davey.
Thus the Giants won’t want to be the team that Carlton ends its losing streak against and, back at Blacktown for the first time this season, they should get the job done here.
Prediction: GWS Giants by 12 points.
Madison Prespakis (left) and Darcy Vescio of the Carlton Blues. (Kelly Defina/Getty Images)
The second match on Saturday night sees one of the most improved teams, Fremantle, take on the winless Collingwood in the west.
After two underwhelming seasons under Michelle Cowan, new coach Trent Cooper promised to add more flair to their playing style, and he has delivered – the Dockers having kicked the highest score of the round for two weekends straight.
They couldn’t have been more impressive in their upset win over the Brisbane Lions last round, and they’ll start favourites to make it three from three when they face a Collingwood side which, despite a star-studded playing list, has underachieved in their two completed seasons.
In the first professional Australian Rules football match to be played at Victoria Park since 1999, the Pies failed to kick a goal for three quarters and just avoided the embarrassment of going through a whole match without kicking a major when Sarah Dargan scored with less than five minutes remaining in the final quarter.
Their score of 1.3 (9) is the equal-lowest in any AFL Women’s match, matched by the GWS Giants, who could only muster that match against Carlton last year.
The trip to Perth is the last thing they would want as they attempt to break their season duck behind enemy lines, and with the Dockers on a roll at the moment, I can’t see the Pies breaking through this weekend.
Prediction: Fremantle by 14 points.
Sabreena Duffy of the Dockers. (Daniel Carson/AFL Media/Getty Images)
The first match on Sunday sees the Geelong Cats hit the road for the first time as they take on the Adelaide Crows at Norwood Oval.
After the euphoria of defeating Collingwood by a point in their inaugural match, the Cats suffered heartbreak twice in as many days – first by losing No.1 draft pick Nina Morrison for the year with a ruptured ACL and then by being brought back down to earth by reigning premiers the Western Bulldogs, losing by three goals after enduring two scoreless quarters.
The absence of Morrison was sorely felt as they could only manage two majors for the whole match, one in each of the first and third quarters.
However, they will have Richelle Cranston available for the first time, with the ex-Dee having served her two-match ban for a dangerous tackle on Carlton’s Sarah Hosking during a preseason match last month.
How they will hold up against the Crows, who had to come from behind to beat Carlton at Princes Park last Sunday, remains to be seen.
Matthew Clarke’s side could only manage one goal in their first-round loss to the Western Bulldogs, but they hit back with nine against the Blues, who were leading by 17 points before the Crows overhauled them in the final quarter.
Among their best was Stevie-Lee Johnson, who kicked four majors, as well as Erin Phillips, whose partner is expecting their third child.
Thus the Cats are going to have their work cut out if they are to register their second win for the season, especially on enemy soil.
Prediction: Adelaide Crows by ten points.
The final match of Round 3 sees the Brisbane Lions return home looking to redeem themselves against a Melbourne side buzzing following their 17-point victory over Collingwood last week.
After only just managing to fend off the GWS Giants in Round 1, the Lions were brought back down to earth last Sunday, going down to Fremantle by 27 points.
They trailed at half-time for the second week running, but despite a pair of majors from Jess Wuetschner in the third quarter, they couldn’t break the Fremantle defence and ended up suffering their heaviest defeat in club history.
Melbourne, meantime, produced a strong defensive effort to beat the Pies by 17 points and register their first victory of the season thanks to the efforts of Elise O’Dea and Karen Paxman in the midfield and Linda Pearce in the ruck.
It comes to prove that they are coping with the absence of regular captain Daisy Pearce, whose twins are due next month.
After two meetings in Melbourne, this will be the first time the Lions have hosted the Dees on their home turf, and the comforts of home should get them over the line.
Prediction: Brisbane Lions by eight points.
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