West Coast have withstood a late-term surge from Essendon to narrowly claim their second win of the AFLW season.
Fresh off a week of controversy after comments by coach Michael Prior following their 70-point loss to Melbourne, the Eagles found vindication by prevailing 3.5 (23) to 2.7 (19) in an arduous arm wrestle against the Bombers at Windy Hill on Sunday.
Prior had blasted the decision to pit strugglers West Coast against defending premiers Melbourne, saying: “How we play that team is beyond me. That is what you get when you get fixturing like that.”
He later backtracked on the criticism, but the Eagles still will have taken on Essendon eager to redeem themselves.
Aisling McCarthy and Amy Franklin drew first blood for West Coast within the opening five minutes, while the hosts were kept goalless.
True to the old ground’s name, both sides were dogged by blustery conditions.
The Bombers struggled for goals and scored only three behinds in the second term, when they Eagles didn’t score.
Kellie Gibson broke the goal drought with the wind back on West Coast’s side, kicking the only major of the third quarter.
The home side then exploded to life in the final term, with skipper Bonnie Toogood and Amber Clarke reducing the margin to four points.
Toogood continued to pepper the scoreboard but the Eagles held on to secure a rare victory.
“We’ve had a horror week back at home, and it’s been really bloody tough on all of us and Mick as well. I’m just really proud of the girls,” West Coast captain Emma Swanson told the Seven Network.
“I can name the whole team. Everyone had their second in the last couple minutes.
“That was such a team effort, everyone had a moment there when they had to put their head over the footy and lay a tackle and not let it slip.”
Skipper Emma Swanson (25 disposals, eight clearances) stood out for the Eagles, while Bombers workhorse Maddy Prespakis (30 disposals, nine clearances) was typically prominent in the midfield alongside Georgia Nanscawen (21, six).
With two rounds left, West Coast have a chance to build their winning streak when they meet the bottom of the table Western Bulldogs next round.
Slipping one place to sixth, Essendon have must-win matches against Carlton and Gold Coast on the road to the finals.
The Bombers will be without Steph Cain, who was sidelined with a concussion after an elbow to the head from Swanson.
West Coast celebrate their win over Essendon. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Collingwood have beaten Geelong by six points to claim their fourth win on the bounce and continue their charge towards an AFLW finals berth.
The Magpies pushed through brutal conditions, including a period of teeming rain, and a late Cats fightback to prevail 4.6 (30) to 3.6 (24) at Victoria Park.
The victory takes Steve Symonds’ Magpies (5-3) to 20 points, comfortably inside the top eight and just one win and percentage outside the top four.
Collingwood have kicked things up a gear since beating the Brisbane Lions a fortnight ago.
“It’s trust in roles. Everyone knows their role and executing,” ruck Sabrina Frederick told the Seven Network.
“It builds that trust up and up and in Brisbane we did that perfectly.”
Geelong, now sitting 4-4 and just inside the top eight, were left to rue a first half where they were held goalless.
Mikala Cann led the charge for the Pies, with 16 disposals, 12 contested possessions and a goal in the opening half.
Cann finished with 24 touches and 17 contested possessions and was supported by captain Brianna Davey (19 touches, six clearances) and Aisling Sheridan (19 touches, seven clearances).
Frederick (39 hitouts) had a busy day out, Sarah Rowe provided plenty of run and dare, while Nell Morris-Dalton was impressive in tough conditions for a key forward.
Geelong young gun Georgie Prespakis (26 disposals, 19 contested possessions, eight clearances) thrived in the conditions, and was well-supported by Nina Morrison and Amy McDonald.
Neither team broke through for a major in a slogfest of an opening term.
After sustained pressure from Collingwood, Cann snared their first goal in the second quarter with the Magpies pushing through the rain to snare three more.
Morrison exploded to life in the third term, kicking Geelong’s first goal.
She then teed up Zali Friswell for the Cats’ second early in the final quarter.
Cats forward Jacqueline Parry made for a show-stopping finish when she cut the deficit to six points with 1:10 left on the clock, but Collingwood held on.
They will sweat on Lauren Butler, who was forced off with a suspected left hamstring injury.
Gold Coast have denied Port Adelaide their second win of the season in an AFLW thriller at Alberton Oval that ended in a 7.3 (45) to 7.3 (45) draw.
The struggling Power went into the closing minutes of the match holding a healthy lead before two late goals snatched a share of the spoils for the Suns.
Port Adelaide coach Lauren Arnell said her players were flat after going so close to a famous victory.
“The girls worked so hard, it was a pretty gutsy effort,” she said.
“But a draw is a draw … (although) you’d like to think we (would have) won that game.
“(But) we are all in this together, and we need to learn from some of those key moments.”
Battling tough conditions and wild winds, the Suns opened the game strongly, ending the first quarter 4.1 to the Power’s 1.0, despite Port Adelaide’s Gemma Houghton scoring the opening goal of the game within 30 seconds of the start.
Gold Coast’s Niamh McLaughlin got boot behind ball shortly afterwards to level things up, and the dominant visitors added three more goals before the break.
But the tables turned in the second quarter, with Port Adelaide keeping Gold Coast scoreless and registering four goals of their own, including one from Ebony O’Dea for the second of her career.
“It was a good start with the breeze in the first quarter,” Suns coach Cameron Joyce said.
“We were pretty poor in our contest work in the second quarter, some of those missed tackles, they really made us pay.”
The game flipped again after the main break, with the Power held scoreless by the rising Suns in a third quarter that ended with only a point separating the sides.
A behind from Gold Coast’s Tara Bohanna levelled things early in the fourth quarter, before goals from Gemma Houghton and Julia Teakle – her third of the match – gave the Power a solid lead heading into the final minutes.
But still the roller-coaster ride wasn’t finished, the Suns hitting back through Darcie Davies before Jacqueline Dupay levelled the scores with a dramatic late goal.
“We just had to attack to win it back,” a satisfied Joyce said.
“Six minutes to go and two goals down, it looked pretty unlikely, but they were able to tie the game up.”
© AAP
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