What AFLW Round 3 taught us

Three rounds down and it’s obvious that the conferences are heavily skewed. That’s not all that became obvious in Round 3, as we look to unpack the teachings we were offered this week.

North Melbourne’s raid destroying the opposition
North Melbourne’s entry into AFLW saw it take the approach of raiding opposition clubs, signing many established players rather than going with young talent at the draft. Clearly, this has worked well for the Kangaroos, given they are undefeated with an astonishing percentage of 250.8.

The way in which the club has been able to move the ball fluently through the middle and hit the scoreboard efficiently has been impressive, largely attributable to the fact a large portion of their players have experience in AFLW.

The Kangaroos’ raid of Collingwood has had huge consequences for both teams and the competition as a whole. Given the Magpies’ issues in attack, compounded by the absence of Chloe Molloy, North Melbourne’s signing of its players has been made to look even uglier.

SEN sports writer Nic Negrepontis produced a stunning statistic on Twitter – Emma King, Jasmine Garner, Jessica Duffin and Moana Hope have combined for 10.8(68), while Collingwood as a team has scored 6.14(50) across the first three matches.

The Magpies haven’t had an appropriate opportunity to replace these four quality players which is a separate issue created by the expansion clubs joining, and it has left them uncompetitive in the third season of AFLW.

North Melbourne’s riches has fans in awe of an immediate powerhouse club, but it has come at a severe cost to both Collingwood and the competition.

Jessica Duffin of the Kangaroos (right) celebrates with Emma Kearney of the Kangaroosduring the 2019 NAB AFLW Round 01 match between the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos and the Carlton Blues at North Hobart Oval on February 03, 2019 in Hobart, Australia. (Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Harford the entertainer
When Daniel Harford was announced as the new coach of Carlton in AFLW, he highlighted that his plan was to get the Blues “back on track” and to “steer things in the right direction.”

The first-round loss to North Melbourne in Tasmania doesn’t look as bad now given the strength of the opposition, and the Blues have been quite impressive in the following fortnight.

Carlton’s age bracket is good for a team looking to gain more experience and build towards sustainable future success, with the strong, core performers all having at least a decade of footy ahead of them.

Perhaps the best sign of Harford’s commitment to heading in the right direction is giving the starring role to first-round pick Madison Prespakis, who typifies the style of footy that will win Carlton a premiership sooner rather than later.

Coming off a 21-disposal, three-goal performance against GWS, Prespakis is a top-ten player in the competition already and will be the best player going around for a long time to come.

Bri Davey has found her groove in recent times, while the Blues have given 19-year-old Georgia Gee some more responsibility off the forward flank and on through central areas over the past fortnight.

Sprinkle a strong attacking mindset on top of that (averaging 54.5 points over the past fortnight) and these are exciting times if you’re a Carlton supporter. Coach Harford has long be known as an entertainer in the media, and it appears to be a source of pride on the footy field.

Anne Hatchard is the league’s most improved player
Understandably, Anne Hatchard may not be a household name at this stage of her career, particularly given she averaged the fewest minutes per game of any Crow last season (39) and received very little opportunity.

Three weeks into 2019, Hatchard is averaging 23 disposals, five tackles and four marks per game, becoming an integral part of Adelaide’s team having clearly worked on her fitness base.

The 20-year-old was a dominant force in the SANFLW, but always seemed to be on the outer for the Crows over her first two seasons, given her inability to have a true impact. 2019 has been her breakout season, however, and her career-high 27 disposals against Geelong in Round 3 is good reward for her hard work.

As a taller, bigger body, she is able to assert herself as a force to be reckoned with in the midfield, giving the Crows yet another unique asset. Hatchard was able to win five hitouts against the Cats as well, showing just how valuable she can be. While she isn’t a household name yet, it’s only a matter of time until she will be.

Brisbane’s defensive struggles
The Lions appeared to be certainties to top Conference B, given their grand final appearances in the first two seasons of AFLW and the strength of their list.

Having lost heavily to Fremantle (away) and Melbourne (home) over the past fortnight, it’s clear that the club is having difficulties in stopping the opposition from tearing them apart. Despite winning the tackle count against the Demons, there was a lack of general pressure overall around the ground by the Lions.

Jessica Wuetschner of the Lions celebrates a goal during the round one AFLW match between the Brisbane Lions and the Greater Western Sydney Giants at Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex on February 03, 2019 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/AFL Media/Getty Images)

Melbourne was able to go at 67 per cent efficiency for the match, and their inside 50 efficiency was 54 per cent, scoring 19 times from 35 entries. The Demons were able to manipulate Brisbane’s structure with good ball use, and Aliesha Newman was then able to run past the tiring Lion defence.

Things will only get worse for Brisbane from here as well. Leah Kaslar went down with a calf injury earlier in the game, and Sam Virgo ended the game covered in ice, having to be carried off with just five minutes remaining in the match. Both are key figures in Brisbane’s defence, both in their ability and sheer experience and leadership.

Neither player looked in a particularly good way, seemingly bound to miss matches. It leaves the Lions with a huge gap in their backline and could mean Kate Lutkins returns to a more defensive role, which would be a massive shame given she established herself as the best intercepting defender in the competition over the last 12 months.