Opinion
Hawthorn
The Hawks won a nail-biting game, but they did it with their brand of football and with their young guns all stepping up. If you’re a Hawthorn supporter, this team should give you so much hope and so much to be excited about in the years to come.
They play their brand of football, hard, tough, surge footy, and when the pieces all fit together, they are able to beat teams they are otherwise expected to lose to. Jessica Duffin snuck forward and managed to bag three impressive goals while Tahlia Fellows proved how much heart she has, slotting a goal for her late granddad… he would be so proud!
West Coast
The Eagles might have lost this game, and I hope their fans are disappointed, but they showed fight and courage which should fill everyone wearing yellow and blue in Perth with confidence. Emma Swanson had a monstrous 28 disposals, and Isabella Lewis had a similarly impressive 24 disposals. Both players also kicked a goal, proving the Eagles have an elite midfield; they just need to shore that up with better offence and defence.
Port Adelaide
The Power looked like a deer in headlights for the majority of the first half, and even when they acclimatised to the incredible crowd size and noise, the game was already too far gone, and their arch-rivals, the Crows, were already hammering the nails into their proverbial coffin.
Young gun Alex Ballard was excellent again down back, soaking up a lot of Adelaide’s pressure and keeping their key forward to just one goal, while Hannah Ewings showcased her toughness and resilience all around the ground.
Adelaide
The Crows, I can confidently say, are back to their premiership best, and it is honestly scary to watch. They are ruthless in all areas of the ground, and their ability to shift the ball between the lines without their opponent even touching it is incredible.
Since Round 2, they’ve conceded just four goals while kicking 29 of their own. Chelsea Randall was the obvious best on ground with 27 touches and three straight goals, but Ebony Marinoff played an exceptional game as well, laying 11 tackles.
The Crows celebrate their Showdown win. (Photo by James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
GWS
The Giants displayed just how resilient they are. The media was discussing all week how they needed to bounce back. Questions were being raised about their ability, and against the Blues, questions were answered. The Giants were kicking the footy with ridiculous accuracy and efficiency, they defended incredibly well, and they didn’t let Carlton’s strengths of winning stoppages hurt them.
The battle between Cora Staunton and her defender was a delight to watch all game, with Cora managing to kick two goals.
Carlton
I have to come clean to you, dear reader. I lied. I lied straight to your face. Last week I told you that GWS versus Carlton would be “one to watch”. Well, it certainly wasn’t if you’re a Blues supporter.
Nobody on the team could consistently hit a target, and I couldn’t even count the number of turnovers they gave up. Every forward opportunity went wanting, and set shots were so disappointing. Vaomua Laloifi had another outstanding intercept game down back and took her opponent to the brink of her abilities on several occasions. It was a terrific game within a game to watch. At least something was entertaining.
Western Bulldogs
The Bullies finally put together a four-quarter performance, allowing them to get within one point of one of the dominant AFLW teams. Skipper Ellie Blackburn was a clear best on ground for the Doggies, kicking a goal and securing 25 disposals, while Katie Lynch was a stalwart down back all game but predominantly in the final quarter when she helped keep the Cats to just seven points.
Geelong
The Cats came up against a fierce opponent in the Bulldogs, both with similar game styles and similar desires to win, they proved how good they truly are. The pressure the Cats applied all game made it really difficult for the Dogs to move the ball the way they would have liked, and Geelong’s ability to transition from two spares in defence, to applying attacking pressure was incredibly impressive.
Shelley Scott was best on ground with another two-goal performance, while also racking up 13 disposals.
St Kilda
The Saints lost a nail-biter that could turn out to be one of the games of the season.
In what looked like a sure goal and thus an underdog victory, Nicola Stevens strolled into an open goal only to miss the umpires’ hat and kick a behind. Collingwood then went end to end in record time and put the game away.
Stevens, who had played very well up until that point, will now be able to join a growing list of AFLW players in season seven who have cost their team a victory in the dying stages. Every other player has had a good bounce-back game the following week, and Stevens needs to do the same against the Blues.
Collingwood
The Pies might be the only team in the competition who are actually getting worse every week. Their start to the season was red-hot, and their ability to transition the ball from defence to offence was second to none, but this week, against the Saints, any game plans appear to be thrown out the window.
The Pies did always manage to put St Kilda under immense amounts of pressure and didn’t allow them to play their game style either, but St Kilda is a much inferior team to the Pies, so it really should not have even come to this.
(Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Young gun Joanna Lin looked really good in the first quarter, while Ashleigh Brazill played her best game of the season. I hope she can recapture some of her form from seasons ago.
Richmond
The Tigers were again put to the sword this week but proved, for the second week in a row, the pen is mightier than the sword (or, I guess, the whiteboard marker in this case). My favourite part of watching the Tigers every week is how much of a team performance every game is.
Often a game will be decided for the Tiges by a player you might not have even heard of before, like Emelia Yassir, who kicked a goal but had a more impressive nine tackles. Or Tessa Lavey, who doesn’t have the greatest stat line but did an incredible amount of off-ball running to set her team up for success, getting in and under and creating opportunities through her one-percenters.
Gold Coast
The Suns lost what many would call a very winnable game. They were challenged by the Tigers for all four quarters, and when the Suns stars needed to step up the most, in the dying stages of the game, they and their leaders were not really anywhere to be found.
Shannon Danckert managed to kick her first goal in AFLW footy and worked hard all around the ground and at stoppages all game, applying seven tackles, many on the strong Richmond midfielders.
Brisbane
The Lions didn’t hold any punches this week against the Dons. They came out swinging in the first half and blazed away to a 30-to-0 half-time score, eventually winning by 44 points. It was total domination all over the ground, especially on the half-forward flank where they simply disallowed Essendon to leave their back 50.
Had it not been for terrible luck and poor shot accuracy, the Lions would have piled on the points to an even worse degree. Greta Bodey hit the post three times, and Jesse Wardlaw hit the post twice, which must be some sort of a team record. Congratulations to Alexandra Anderson for recording her 1000th AFLW disposal; Anderson played incredibly well again.
Essendon
The Bombers are more of a victim of circumstance than anything else. They just happened to be the team that had to come up against a raging lion the week after they got beaten by the Tigers. Essendon did play pretty well in the second half when they found ways to move the ball forward, but in the first half, they were suffocated, and their defenders faced a total barrage.
I would be surprised if the Dons managed to get the ball across their midfield line more than five times in that first half. Danielle Marshall was the best of the defenders with an astonishing 18 kicks (almost all of them surge kicks out of defence) in the game.
Fremantle
The Dockers had their chances to win this game but ultimately came up short against the Demons. Their ability to stay neck and neck with them for three quarters is promising signs, and if they can just manage to keep their structure (and their discipline) in that last quarter, they look likely to beat a number of top sides. Unfortunately for the Dockers, it might be a bit too little too late for them.
Melbourne
The Demons showed why they are premiership favourites in their clash with the Dockers. They put on a consistent four-quarter performance (something they have lacked in recent times), and they look back to their regular best.
Across all three sections of the ground, Melbourne are consistently better and more well-drilled than their opponents, which allows them to always win in all aspects. Libby Birch played a stellar defensive game, while Kate Hore impressed with a three-goal performance, contributing in a huge way to her team’s 30-point win.
North Melbourne
The Kangas put on a bit of a show against the Swans but looked very clean doing it. Their defence held up incredibly well, and their ball movement was sublime. Jasmine Garner and Tahlia Randall were at their usual best, while Alice O’Loughlin played a very nice game for her standards. I hope she just keeps getting better.
Sydney
The Swans were outclassed all over the ground, the same as they have been all season long. Signs do not seem to be heading in the right direction, especially because they have four pretty difficult games left in season seven.
I just hope they can somehow manage to cause an upset and allow the girls to feel the elation of a win. Montana Ham and Ella Heads both had respectable games, and first-gamer Ruby Sargent-Wilson showed incredible potential.
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Things heating up in Canberra!
Diplomatically answered, Darcy!
For all the pomp and circumstance that surrounds the now-traditional Anzac Day clash at the MCG, there has been one thing conspicuously lacking over…
Old mate summing it up better than anyone possibly could!
