Adelaide may have too much firepower for Brisbane in AFLW Grand Final, Kate Sheahan writes
BRISBANE and Adelaide have been the standout teams in the AFLW season and deserve to be in the Grand Final. But the minor premiers are no certainties. KATE SHEAHAN previews the decider.
THE inaugural AFLW season hasn’t been without its twists and turns. From venue changes to stories of athletes with pacemakers to girls taking hangers, it’s had it all.
Last year Western Bulldogs did something footy experts didn’t expect — winning the AFL premiership from outside the top four and with injury concerns. They defied the odds and exceeded expectations.
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The 2017 AFLW season has been no different. As a competition we exceeded so many expectations and so too, did the two teams playing off in Saturday’s Grand Final.
When the season started there would have been few experts predicting a Brisbane Lions-Adelaide Grand Final. I certainly didn’t. But it was a hard task given all we had were player reputations from local level games and memories of those who played years ago.
What was clear, was both clubs had chosen great coaches. Coaches who got the best out of their players across the seven-game season.
When Brisbane defeated Melbourne in Round 1 they made a statement — don’t underestimate us. It was a game played on a very wet Sunday in Melbourne and shouldn’t have suited the Lions given their two marquee players — Tayla Harris and Sabrina Frederick-Traub — are tall marking players who could be excused for struggling in the wet.
But others stood up and the game plan based around team defence and discipline got them over the line.
Adelaide’s first game was at home and the girl the entire footy world is talking about, Erin Phillips, took it by storm.
The daughter of former Collingwood and Port Adelaide Magpies player Greg Phillips lived up to her reputation as a footy star from way back disguised as a champion basketballer. In her first game since she was 14 she kicked three goals and has been a matchwinner ever since.
They also unearthed another hero, a player who had originally been overlooked in the draft, Sarah ‘Tex’ Perkins.
Since then, like the Bulldogs of 2016, both teams continued to defy the odds.
The Lions recorded what many believed to be an upset win over Fremantle in Perth, a game where Harris announced herself as a matchwinner, before ending the season undefeated with six wins and a final-round draw with Carlton.
The Crows went to Melbourne and at a packed Whitten Oval bullied the Western Bulldogs, they outsmarted the Bulldogs on their home ground and physically hunted the opposition and didn’t lose a game until these two great sides met in Round 5.
Which of these two deserving teams will be crowned premiers of the inaugural season?
KATE SHEAHAN’S KEYS TO THE MATCH
1. METRICON MIGHT FAVOUR LIONS MORE THAN GABBA
The venue change was the talk of the town at the start of the week but the Lions don’t care, all they wanted was to be playing in Queensland. In fact, Metricon Stadium might even favour Brisbane more than if the game was at the Gabba. Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich spoke to his players at training regarding the potential Grand Final venue and asked one player: “How many games have you played at the Gabba?” The answer was one. Starcevich then asked: “How many at Metricon?” The answer was four. Sounds like a home ground advantage.
2. CAN ANYONE STOP ERIN PHILLIPS?
Adelaide has lost just two matches this season — to Brisbane and Melbourne — and on both occasions Phillips was closely guarded. If you can negate the player with the most contested possessions in the league — her 91 is 10 more than next best Daisy Pearce — then that will go a long way to winning the game. Phillips is a matchwinner and we saw that against Collingwood last Sunday when she nearly single-handedly won the game for the Crows in the last quarter. She has kicked 8 goals this season playing mostly as a midfielder and ranks second for goal assists. Expect to see Lions captain Emma Zielke, who had the role before, get the tagging job.
3. HARRIS IS THE X-FACTOR
Lions star Harris is unpredictable. She can play up the ground but does her best work inside 50 as a marking key forward. She leads the competition for contested marks (15) and has shown she can step up in key moments. Remember that pack mark against Fremantle in Round 2? That was just one moment in a brilliant last quarter where she worked hard back and forward and proved the difference. Harris will need to show maturity and resilience to win the battle against Chelsea Randall, who will likely get the job. Randall has taken 22 marks this season and provides plenty of run off halfback and is a key player for the Crows. Harris will need to be aware of that as much as the Crows must stop the young star.
4. SARAH ‘TEX’ PERKINS
Perkins has been a revelation as a marking forward who can also do plenty of damage at ground level. Perkins has kicked 11 goals this season and if she can’t mark it she brings the ball to ground and gets hands to bring small forward into the player. Her work rate off the ball is massive and is a huge reason why Adelaide has laid 83 tackles inside 50 — ranked No.1 in the league — compared to Brisbane’s 68. So who gets the job? Leah Kaslar — AFLW’s best full back. The Lion ranks No.1 at the club for one percenters and seventh in the league and she’ll need to be at her spoiling best to disrupt Perkins and get under her skin, just like the good old days between Tony Locket and Craig Kelly.
THE TIP: Adelaide
Adelaide play an uncompromising and aggressive brand of footy that wins games but the Lions are a cohesive and well-drilled group so the margin will be close. The Crows firepower through their spine — with Randall, Phillips and Perkins — gives them the edge. And as much as it sounds silly, my gut says the Crows win and you should always trust a woman’s intuition. Adelaide by 7 points.
BEST ON GROUND: Erin Phillips
Originally published as Adelaide may have too much firepower for Brisbane in AFLW Grand Final, Kate Sheahan writes