With just three rounds left in the season, AFLW has really begun to heat up.
Conference A continues to be a mess with some excellent teams sure to miss on finals, while a couple of Conference B teams are starting to find form at the right time of the year. It’s time to look at what Round 4 taught us.
Adelaide is the new premiership favourite
This is a big call given North Melbourne is yet to lose and survived its sternest challenge against one of the better teams in AFLW, but Adelaide is firing on all cylinders and putting teams to the sword.
A breathtaking performance against Fremantle on Saturday night cemented the Crows’ status, with all their big guns starting to fire.
Erin Phillips stole the show again with 25 disposals and 2.3, while Anne Hatchard continues to be the biggest improver of the season. When 20 disposals is a quiet game for Ebony Marinoff, you know just how good she is.
As we have learnt in all competitions, however, stars aren’t necessarily going to win you flags. And while North Melbourne are reliant on the likes of Kearney, King, Duffin and Stanton, Adelaide’s overall team depth is particularly good.
Stevie-Lee Thompson is the competition’s equal-leading goalkicker, thriving in her new role in attack. Her pace and craft are elite at the moment. Jess Foley has been excellent in her first season, and her ruck work is a deciding factor in games for the Crows.
Sarah Allan is playing beyond her years in defence, Deni Varnhagen is a consistently strong performer on the outside while Eloise Jones is hitting the scoreboard regularly. Every Crow is playing their role well and it is the sign of a successful club.
This week’s match against North Melbourne may well be a grand final preview.
Ebony Marinoff and Chloe Scheer of the Crows celebrate a goal (Photo by AFL Media)
There is no separating the two best debutantes of 2019
There is no official award for players debuting in a season, unless they are eligible for the Rising Star, but it’s clear that Madison Prespakis and Kiara Bowers are the two best in that category.
While 18-year-old Prespakis justifiably received the hype, and has delivered even more than expected of her, the debut of Kiara Bowers was watered down due to the fact this is actually her third season.
Having suffered from knee issues in the first two instalments of AFLW, it was forgotten that Bowers was drafted as one of the key players for Fremantle, who was elite in the state competition.
After a month, it is extremely hard to separate these two, star players. Prespakis is averaging 18 disposals, three inside 50s and a goal a game, clearly establishing herself as Carlton’s best player.
Bowers has been a true utility, able to play her role in any position for the Dockers and finds herself averaging 15 disposals, nine tackles, three inside 50s and three rebound 50s.
Bowers flies under the radar given she doesn’t necessarily play in the midfield, while Prespakis’ performances cannot be understated given she isn’t playing for a strong team and has to do her own work.
We are lucky to be watching high-quality performers in their first on-field seasons in AFLW and both players can stake claims to being in the competition’s best 20 players.
Can Conference B pull off an upset?
For weeks, fans and the media have been highly critical of the skewed conference system in place this season, but Round 4 gave us the first signs that there could be some success seen from the “poorer” side of the draw.
Brisbane demolished the Bulldogs at Whitten Oval in a performance akin to what we’ve expected from them in the first two seasons of AFLW, where they’ve been runners up. No one player stood out which is the sign of a team clicking.
Add in the fixture for the final three rounds being kind for Brisbane, and we have a team that should finish first and hit finals in flying fashion.
While Brisbane is the key hope on the right side of the draw, it’s still worth keeping an eye on Geelong.
Despite only just beating Carlton, it was their style of play that was most encouraging. The Cats were the better team for most of the match, and won by applying pressure to Carlton’s defenders and locking down in their attacking half.
With more teams looking to play expansive, attacking footy, this tactic provides an interesting alternative that will no doubt frustrate better teams.
Geelong has a tough run coming up (Brisbane, Fremantle and GWS) but if the Cats can get a win and improve their percentage, they should make finals. Watch for their style of play, because it could cause some damage.
Madeline Boyd of the Cats (right) celebrates (Photo by Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)
The Demons facing their own demons
Melbourne may have cost itself a finals spot with its loss to North Melbourne, despite looking likely for much of the match. The Demons dominated the statistics, finishing with 45 more disposals, seven per cent greater disposals efficiency, seven more marks, seven more tackles and one less turnover, yet found themselves losing the match by four points.
Ultimately, it boiled down to efficiency in front of goal – Melbourne managed 12 shots from 25 inside 50s (48 per cent) compared to North Melbourne’s nine shots from 28 inside 50s (32per cent), however the Demons didn’t register a score from three of those shots.
With just three games left and Conference A being so tight, Melbourne had to pick up the four points from this outing.
Paxman and Mithen were outstanding, Pearce was good in the ruck and Newman was as lively as ever, but in key moments, they lacked the focus required to win.
An inability to defend Emma King was also a crucial part to this game, allowing the opposition ruck/forward to bag three goals.
Melbourne has shot itself in the foot with inefficiency again, and now the opposition may have figured out a way to beat them, by leaving a super tall player in attack.
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