AFLW 2021: Brisbane extends Richmond’s winless run in AFLW, Fremantle and North Melbourne notch wins
Some famous names looking on and a historic return to Punt Rd couldn't save Richmond’s AFLW team from extending its winless run.
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Richmond’s return to Punt Rd couldn’t change the AFLW side’s fortunes as it suffered its seventh loss since entering the competition.
Courtney Wakefield kicked the first yellow and black goal at the club’s spiritual home halfway through the second term to cut the margin to six points, but it was all Brisbane from there.
Catherine Svarc was given the job on Richmond star midfielder Monique Conti and blanketed her in the first half, while a stellar third quarter from Brisbane Lions ruck Tahlia Hickie put too much space between the teams for the Tigers to claw back.
Richmond’s No.1 draft pick Ellie McKenzie took no time to settle into the top level, and finished with 11 disposals.
Isabel Dawes finished with a career-high 21 touches for Brisbane. Her previous best was 12.
THANK GOD YOU’RE HERE
After 25 games in Melbourne’s AFLW team, Harriet Cordner was identified as just what the Tigers needed to add stability to a frail defence.
And it took just one half of footy for the 28-year-old to deliver on that promise, holding a potent Lions attack at bay while taking four marks and rebounding with six touches.
The highlight of her game was a strong intercept mark in the second term as Brisbane looked set to kick a momentum-shifting goal when kicking into the stiff breeze.
CONTI VICTIM OF SVARC ATTACK
Catherine Svarc was given the tall order of stopping Richmond midfield star Monique Conti and not only curtailed the 21-year-old’s influence but was one of the best on ground herself.
Conti didn’t have her first touch until halfway through the second quarter, while Svarc set the Lions up early with a game-high nine first-half disposals.
Conti lifted in the second half and finished with 12 disposals while Svarc finished with 10 disposals and six tackles.
Tahlia Hickie from outside 50! 🎯#AFLW | #AFLWTigersLions pic.twitter.com/eYCvQK76zd
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) January 31, 2021
HICKIE’S PREMIERSHIP QUARTER
With just six points separating the teams at halftime the Tigers had a sniff of winning their first AFLW game in club history, but Tahlia Hickie had other ideas.
The Brisbane ruck had just three touches in the first half but in a dominant third term had five disposals, kicked a goal, almost had another and won two hitouts.
The second gamer’s dominant quarter was capped by the goal, a 55m bomb that ignited a flurry of Brisbane scoring.
BRISBANE’S NEW HERO
Brisbane has a new cult hero in Courtney Hodder, and all it took was one kick.
With the Lions struggling to capitalise on early dominance when kicking with the wind in the first quarter, it was vital they got a second major on the board.
Enter Hodder, who after reading the ball out the back of two Richmond defenders, burst away with a lightening turn of foot and slammed through her first career goal with her first kick in AFLW.
The rugby league convert’s tackling and forward pressure would’ve equally impressed coach Craig Starcevich as she finished with six tackles.
BRENNAN SET TO STAY INSIDE 50
Despite an inexperienced and thin midfield, Richmond fans can expect to see Katie Brennan play predominantly as a forward in 2021, coach Ryan Ferguson says.
Brennan split her time forward and in the midfield for Richmond in its 29-point loss to Brisbane at Punt Rd Oval, kicking three behinds and gathering 11 disposals.
But Ferguson said it’s likely the 28-year-old would be stationed forward for most of the season, leaving the likes of Monique Conti and first-gamer Ellie McKenzie to carry the midfield load.
“You can expect to see her forward a lot, but that doesn’t mean to say we won’t find ways to get her into the game and give her a run through the midfield as well,” he said.
“We still learn as coaches about our best mix and only had one practice game and one intraclub.”
McKenzie, last year’s No.1 draft pick, had an impressive first outing for the Tigers and finished with 12 disposals.
“I thought she fought her way, Brisbane were pretty competitive and physical, and she found it tough early,” Ferguson said.
“But for a young player to work her way into the game like she did, it showed what she’s about.
“And that’s what we’ve been asking from her, to bring that competitiveness from training and that desire and effort and don’t get too carried away with the outcome, but I thought she worked her way into the game really impressively.”
The loss means Richmond has suffered seven defeats on the trot since entering the AFLW competition last year, but Ferguson thinks the club’s first win is just around the corner.
“We gave ourselves a chance to stay in the game for three quarters,” he said.
“And in the last quarter, in our endeavours to run them down we went away from what we do and rushed a little bit.
“The first three quarters we were really in the game against a really good side like Brisbane, so a lot of reaffirmation for the things we’re doing.”
He said there wasn’t a lack of belief in the side, rather too much belief may have cost them in the end.
“They do believe they can win, you could see it pre-game and during moments in the game all the way up to three-quarter time,” he said.
Lions coach Craig Starcevich said he was up at about 5.30am for the flight to Melbourne and expected a tough last term as the Lions clung onto a 20-point lead. Instead, the Lions kicked the only goal of the last quarter and kept Richmond scoreless.
“I was pretty pleased, with all the obstacles of today’s program of getting up early and getting down here and playing the game and all the reasons you can come up with for not running out the game strongly, the players were terrific in the last quarter,” Starcevich said.
“I was half expecting the opposition to come really hard with the breeze they had at the end, but we did all the attacking which was really pleasing.”
Catherine Svarc set the tone early for Brisbane, playing the perfect shutdown role on Tigers star Monique Conti.
“Cathy is starting to build up a handy list of accomplishments in that role, she did it a couple of times last year for us really effectively and did it really well today,” Starcevich said.
“She’s clearly an outstanding athlete so she has a really good knack of being able to stick with a dangerous opponent and then get off them and be dangerous herself.
“That’s the all-round performance of a player playing her role.”
DOCKERS CRUISE PAST GIANTS
– Eliza Reilly
Dual All-Australian Gemma Houghton looks set to take her game to another level after leading Fremantle to a convincing 30-point win over Greater Western Sydney at Fremantle Oval.
After struggling to hit the scoreboard in the first half, spearhead Houghton and her teammates reminded the competition that they have unfinished business, downing fellow 2020 finalists the Giants 8.10 (58) to 4.4 (28).
Houghton (three goals and 19 disposals) slammed home two goals in the third term from nine touches to set up yet another victory at their WA fortress.
“I don’t think there’s anyone like her in the AFLW,” Fremantle coach Trent Cooper said.
“She can make things happen that no one else can and when she does, she breaks the game open.
“She’s had two really good years but her pre-season this year has been outstanding and I was really hopeful it would transfer into a performance like today to give her the confidence the hard work she’s done has been worthwhile.
“She kicked three goals but it was the 19 touches and the way she was working up to help us get the ball into our forward 50 was really instrumental and I’m rapt she delivered.”
After spending a month on the road, it was always going to be an uphill battle for the Giants who evacuated Sydney in late December due to the northern beaches outbreak of COVID-19.
Yet the visitors were within five-points of Fremantle at the main break and looked willing to cause an upset before the Dockers doused any murmurs in a simply clinical second half.
Perth-raised Giant Aimee Schmidt made it a happy homecoming in the second quarter, slotting a goal in front of family and friends.
But that’s where the highlights ended for the visitors.
On the back of some exceptional midfield work by Kiara Bowers (21 disposals, five clearances and nine tackles) and Jasmin Stewart (15 disposals and four clearances), Fremantle managed 13 inside 50s for the third quarter as they put a solid margin between themselves and a brave Giants outfit.
Duffy puts the icing on the cake for @freodockersAFLW with her third ðŸ‘#AFLW | #AFLWFreoGiants pic.twitter.com/a8VvJPcPqG
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) January 31, 2021
She didn't have an #AFLW contract 10 days ago, now Mikayla Hyde is kicking a goal in round one âš“#AFLW | #AFLWFreoGiants pic.twitter.com/BJ5JeQSTIB
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) January 31, 2021
This included a magical moment for debutant Mikayla Hyde, who just 10 days after being awarded the last spot on Fremantle’s list kicked her first AFLW goal.
“When we get on a roll, it’s pretty hard to stop and our backline was fantastic all day,” Cooper said on the third quarter.
“Our midfield got back on top and Alyce Parker got pushed back into our back half to help so when she was there, she wasn’t doing the work she was doing earlier on.
“Our pressure was great so when they were clearing it, we could send it straight back in.”
The Giants did their best to fight back in the final quarter, with former netball star Taylah Davies giving them some hope early with a goal to reduce the margin to 16 points.
But two brilliant running goals from Sabreena Duffy (three goals) and a routine set shot from captain Kara Antonio slammed the door on any late comeback.
Reigning Giants best and fairest winner Alyce Parker picked up where she left off, finishing with a game-high 29 touches and seven clearances.
But a lot of her hard work was repelled by Dockers defender Janelle Cuthbertson, whose bravery and reading of the play repelled a number of Giants’ forward thrusts.
“I’ve got no doubt Fremantle will be there and abouts at the end of the season,” Giants coach Alan McConnell said.
“They’re very efficient when they go inside 50 and I thought we handled most of their good footy reasonably well but they get too much of it at various times of the game.”
The players knew nothing of the pending five-day Perth metropolitan lockdown for the entirety of the afternoon and were only told post match.
CATS FLOUNDER IN AFLW SHELLACKING
- Josh Barnes
After so much had changed in the last 10 months, virtually nothing had for the Cats.
In March last year, Geelong hosted North Melbourne at GMHBA Stadium and while the young Cats were spirited, they were clearly outclassed.
In the last two quarters of that match, they didn’t score.
In the first two quarters on Sunday, in the same place, against the same opposition the Cats didn’t put a score on the board.
Again, the endeavour wasn’t to blame but up against an opposition that is expected to contend for the AFLW title, Geelong just didn’t have the skill or experience to keep up.
A first-quarter blitz from ruck Emma King put the wheels for the 62-point belting in motion, with the Roo dominant in stoppages early.
She had nine hitouts herself – six more than Geelong’s total at quarter-time – and floated forward to kick three goals in a commanding display.
While her dominance faded – King would finish with 10 touches and 30 hitouts – whatever slack remained was comfortably picked up by the likes of skipper Emma Kearney, Kaitlyn Ashmore and Ash Riddell.
Geelong’s forward line was taught a lesson, with the attack limp and regularly outnumbered.
Given the pressure the Cats were under, regular rushed kicks landed with those in vertical stripes instead of vice versa.
A score finally came at the three-minute mark of the final term, when Olivia Purcell ran into goal but missed to the right.
To highlight the difference between the two sides, Denby Taylor capitalised on a rare mistake and run the ball to 30m out in the final term only to miss narrowly.
Within a minute, Ashmore was on the end of a turnover of her own for North Melbourne and kicked truly from further out on a tougher angle.
Aasta O’Connor would finally boot Geelong’s first goal of the match with a set shot from 40m with just two minutes to play in the match.
The game wasn’t devoid of bright spots for Geelong.
Amy McDonald was busy and graceful in traffic, while Meg McDonald worked hard across half-back.
Millie Brown continues to show signs that she will be one of the best defenders in the competition in the near future.
And All-Australian Purcell worked hard to leave her mark on the game – particularly when sent forward in the final term – even if she was outmuscled by the depth in the Roos midfield brigade.
This was a game between the team that knows what it takes to win and one that is just learning.
In years to come, Geelong will hope it can point to this match as one where its young side learned some vital lessons.
North Melbourne may be a contender this season and the Roos are at a level the Cats want to reach in years to come.
Originally published as AFLW 2021: Brisbane extends Richmond’s winless run in AFLW, Fremantle and North Melbourne notch wins
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