AFLW round 1: Major officiating error highlights big issue as AFLW season kicks off
Georgie Prespakis dominated the Bulldogs in Geelong’s AFLW season opener – but was she robbed of a goal? Plus all the results from round one of the AFLW season.
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Geelong flexed its muscles early to prove it will again be a contender in 2023, but a major officiating error in the Cat’s comfortable 48-point win over the Western Bulldogs highlighted the glaring lack of a score review system in the women’s game.
The Cats should have been more than 40 points clear of the goalless Bulldogs before halftime when Georgie Prespakis scooped up a ground ball and slotted what appeared to be a classy goal from 35m.
But the goal umpire waved through a behind, not even signalling the shot had hit the post, despite replays clearly indicating a goal or a poster were the only possibilities.
The blunder was inconsequential, but after the round 23 AFL controversy which cost Adelaide a finals spot, surely the league will be looking at escalating the timeline to introduce goal review technology in the women’s competition.
Dogs injury blow
Gun midfielders Prespakis (34 disposals, 10 clearances) and Amy McDonald (28 disposals, nine clearances) ran rampant in the middle of the ground, while former Demon Jackie Parry matched her season seven goal tally with a career best three-goal haul.
Matters at the coalface were made even worse for the Bulldogs when Elle Bennetts, who had been one of their best with seven kicks, landed awkwardly in a marking contest on the stroke of halftime and suffered a suspected ACL injury.
It will be a devastating blow for Bennett, who was playing her 50th game, and the Bulldogs if the serious injury is confirmed, and would continue the concerning trend of ACL injuries in the opening rounds of the AFLW season, with six players suffering the fate in the first two rounds of season seven.
Tall order
Alice Edmonds’ superb performance in the ruck was a silver lining for the Bulldogs, continuing on her strong form from last year which led to her inclusion in the All-Australian squad.
The 189cm ruckman had 32 hit-outs and laid eight tackles, with her physicality important in the middle with Ellie Blackburn (25 disposals, two tackles) looking somewhat subdue with heavy strapping around her left quad.
Geelong’s Irish debutant Aishling Moloney, who the Cats snapped up at the eleventh hour of the sign and trade period amid strong interest from Brisbane, slotted her first goal from a set shot during the second quarter and set-up another in an exciting forward display.
Scoreboard
CATS 3.1, 5.3, 6.3, 10.5 (65)
BULLDOGS 0.0, 0.5, 2.5, 2.5 (17)
BOURKE’S BEST
Cats: Prespakis, Amy McDonald, Parry, Crockett-Grills, M McDonald, Surman.
Bulldogs: Edmonds, Blackburn, Carruthers, Lamb, Hartwig, Moody.
GOALS
Cats: Parry 3, Surman 2, Morrison, Scheer, A Moloney, Amy McDonald, D Moloney. Bulldogs: Hartwig 2.
UMPIRES Bailes, Lyon, Rebeschini
INJURIES Cats: nil. Bulldogs: Bennetts (knee).
CROWD 4,404 at GMHBA Stadium
BRISBANE VS RICHMOND: BIG CAT RIVALRY RENEWED
It’s always a close clash when the Lions and Tigers meet and the season opener was no different.
The Lions’ physicality was obvious from the jump and the hosts appeared to have Richmond rattled in the early exchanges with their pressure and attack on the footy.
Brisbane burst out of the blocks with the first three goals of the match before Richmond responded with four second-quarter majors to take a six-point lead into halftime.
It was all square at three-quarter time and the Tigers took a strong breeze advantage into the final term.
Brisbane struck first in the fourth quarter when Dakota Davidson was gifted a goal from the top of the square courtesy of a 50m penalty and the Lions looked poised to hang on with five minutes to play.
But Tigers skipper Katie Brennan had other ideas.
The veteran kicked truly to square the ledger once again before Caitlin Greiser put the visitors ahead with three minutes to play.
Despite a late scramble inside the Lions’ forward 50, Richmond was able to hold on for a thrilling road victory to open its season.
Brisbane is now 0-2 at its new Springfield home, following the grand final defeat to Melbourne last year.
IT’S MON CONTI’S WORLD
Four-time All-Australian and reigning AFLPA AFLW MVP Mon Conti laid down an early statement of intent with a best afield showing in Springfield.
The Richmond midfielder had 26 disposals, eight clearances, four tackles and a goal in a complete performance.
Conti, 23, was the pre-season favourite among AFLW club captains to take out the league best and fairest this campaign and did those hopes no harm with a dominant display in the season opener to will her side over the line.
After a down performance – by her lofty standards – in last season’s qualifying final defeat to the Lions, Conti starred after quarter-time and her clearance work in particular proved the difference in a tight tussle.
LIONS’ LIFE WITHOUT STAR TRIO
Brisbane’s one-wood in seasons past has been its clearance work and all eyes were on the Lions in their first test without former league best and fairest Emily Bates following her off-season departure to Hawthorn.
And the early signs were worrying with the hosts smashed 17-8 at clearances by halftime as the Tigers took a six-point lead into the main break.
Brisbane ruck Tahlia Hickie won the hit-out battle however Conti and Grace Egan dominated at ground level for the Tigers, combining for 12 clearances.
The Lions were able to even the stoppage battle after halftime and reigning league best and fairest Ally Anderson again starred with 22 touches, seven tackles and four clearances.
Cathy Svarc was ever-present through the middle of the ground with 14 touches, three clearances and an incredible 12 tackles.
But Brisbane clearly missed the class of Bates in a close one.
Playing for the first time without former forward 50 partners in crime Jesse Wardlaw and Greta Bodey, Dakota Davidson showed she was ready to step up as the focal point of the Lions’ attack.
The 24 year old presented strongly and kicked two important goals, including one mid-way through the final quarter that put the Lions ahead.
The Lions had plenty of looks inside 50 and spread the load evenly with four goalscorers, but the Tigers were simply too stout at the back after quarter-time.
LIONS 2.1, 3.1, 4.3, 5.4 (34)
TIGERS 0.1, 4.1, 4.3, 6.4 (40)
LIONS BEST: Ally Anderson, Dakota Davidson, Tahlia Hickie, Cathy Svarc, Orla O’Dwyer
LIONS GOALS: Dakota Davidson 2, Taylor Smith, Charlotte Mullins, Sophie Conway
TIGERS BEST: Monique Conti, Grace Egan, Katie Brennan, Eilish Sheeran, Kate Dempsey
TIGERS GOALS: Katie Brennan 2, Emelia Yassir, Courtney Jones, Monique Conti, Caitlin Greiser
INJURIES: None
VENUE: Brighton Homes Arena
CROWD: 3,153
North Melbourne v St Kilda: Roos flag premiership claims downing struggling Saints
– Ronny Lerner
North Melbourne have not taken long to show why they are once again an AFLW premiership contender this year after crushing a hopelessly outclassed St Kilda outfit by 40 points at Blundstone Arena on Sunday in their season opener.
The Kangaroos set up the massive win with a five-goal first half while keeping the Saints scoreless until the six-minute mark of the third term when Hannah Stuart kicked their first goal.
It was St Kilda’s worst first half since Round 5, 2021 when they were kept to zero by Adelaide as well.
Aside from the third quarter, when the Saints lifted their intensity and held North goalless, it was a case of women against girls for much of the afternoon.
North’s lead blew out to 45 points in the final term, before ultimately running out 8.8 (56) to 2.4 (16) winners to maintain their perfect record in Hobart (11-0).
After numerous near misses in recent years, including a preliminary final loss last year, the Kangaroos made an ominous early statement of intent that they are ready to finally break through for their maiden premiership.
Garner goes berserk
And North Melbourne superstar Jasmine Garner looks primed to give the league best-and-fairest award a big shake this year.
Garner already has an AFLPA MVP and an AFLCA player of the year in her back pocket, but she is yet to capture the AFLW’s highest honour.
Based one her first performance of the year, that could be about to change in 2023.
The 29-year-old was absolutely dominant against the Saints, finishing up with 29 disposals (17 contested), seven tackles, a goal and 11 clearances – two short of the all-time record (13). She will surely also have three votes to her name.
Ash Riddell was also instrumental for the Kangaroos by recording 29 touches (12 contested), seven marks and seven clearances, while star veteran Emma Kearney played a pivotal role too with 20 possessions in defence.
Far too often North’s damaging ball users were afforded oodles of time and space by the Saints and were basically allowed to do as they pleased.
The Kangaroos were a lot more polished and methodical in their forward delivery, and they set up the victory with a blistering first quarter which saw them double the Saints for contested possessions (37-20), clearances (7-3) and inside 50s (13-6).
It was an ambush that the shell-shocked Saints wouldn’t recover from. North finished up dominating the disposals 260-186, contested possessions 128-83, clearances 33-19, inside 50s 42-24, marks 61-30 and scoring shots 16-6.
North’s new faces
North Melbourne fielded a revamped side featuring four new players including off-season recruit Kate Shierlaw who took on her old club St Kilda in her first outing with the Kangaroos, after winning the Saints’ best-and-fairest last season.
And Shierlaw twisted the knife shortly before quarter-time when she kicked North’s third goal in a row to help end the contest early.
Other fresh faces joining Shierlaw in the North line-up were Eliza Shannon (from Hawthorn) and Lucinda Pullar (Brisbane) as well as AFLW debutant Ruby Tripodi who kicked a goal in the second term.
Missing from North’s team were star midfielder Jenna Bruton (calf) and defender Hannah Bowey (shin), as well as Brooke Brown, who recently joined Essendon, and Grace Campbell who is now a Magpie after sitting out season seven due to a knee injury.
But North weren’t impacted by those absentees at all as they cruised to victory.
Saints swing changes
The Saints took an almost unrecognisable side into the match with eight new players getting a gig, which amounted to more than a third of the line-up.
Off-season recruits Jesse Wardlaw (from Brisbane), Steph Chiocci (Collingwood), Jaimee Lambert (Collingwood), Serene Watson (Gold Coast) and Natalie Plane (Carlton) were joined in St Kilda’s side by former Cat Maddie Boyd, ex-Eagle Grace Kelly and Beth Pinchin who made her AFLW debut.
Tyanna Smith also played her first game since 2021 after recovering from an ACL injury which kept her sidelined for both seasons last year.
And the lack of cohesion was evident from the start as the disorganised Saints proved to be no match for the ruthless Kangaroos.
Wardlaw was last year’s AFLW leading goalkicker with 22 majors, but she found out very quickly that it’s going to be a lot harder to kick goals this year compared to when she was part of Brisbane’s dominant premiership and grand final teams of recent years.
Olivia Vesely (16 touches) was the Saints‘ leading ball winner while Nicola Xenos (11 tackles) and captain Hannah Priest (10 tackles) kept trying.
Shierlaw, Caitlin Greiser (Richmond), Tarni White (Collingwood) and Clara Fitzpatrick (Gold Coast) all joined new clubs prior to the 2023 season, adding to the freshness of the Saints’ side.
North hits and misses
Garner got the Kangaroos off to the perfect start when she ran to 45m out and banged home the first goal of the day in sensational fashion after just 20 seconds.
Seven minutes later, key forward/ruck Emma King increased North’s lead to 13 points when she belied her height by roving the pack, and her quick snap from a sharp angle in the pocket was absolutely magnificent.
However, it wasn’t all sharpshooting highlights for the Kangaroos in front of goal. In the second quarter Tahlia Randall found the going a lot tougher as she first missed a set shot from the top of the goal square, before spraying another set shot from 40m out so badly that it went out of bounds on the full about 10m to the right of the behind post.
Randall capped off a forgettable quarter after the half-time siren as she pushed another set shot from close range across the face of goal.
But she belatedly made amends in the final quarter when she drilled a set shot from 25m out, before helping herself to an easy six-pointer from the goal square a minute later to put the icing on a very rich blue-and-white cake.
Scoreboard
KANGAROOS 3.3, 5.6, 5.7, 8.8 (56)
SAINTS 0.0, 0.0, 1.4, 2.4 (16)
LERNER’S BEST Kangaroos: Garner, Riddell, Kearney, E.King, Rennie, M.King, Gatt. Saints: Vesely, Xenos, Priest, Stuart, Patrikios.
GOALS Kangaroos: E.King 2, Randall 2, Garner, Shierlaw, O’Loughlin, Tripodi. Saints: Stuart, Patrikios.
UMPIRES McIntee, Toner, Young
VENUE Blundstone Arena
Hawthorn v Essendon: Brutal reality for Hawks’ star recruit
It was a far cry from the atmosphere of their inaugural match at Marvel Stadium, but Essendon gave Hawthorn the exact same treatment to claim a 19-point win in Frankston.
Fans who braved the chilly conditions by the water were treated to an enthralling contest as the Bombers failed to capitalise on an extraordinary 15-1 forward entry advantage in the first term, with Hawk Bridie Hipwell managing to snag a goal from their single inside 50.
Spurred on by a midfield tackle-frenzy from boom recruit Emily Bates, the Hawks claimed the lead heading into halftime, but the Bombers’ cleaner ball use and the clever connective work of Bonnie Toogood across half-forward was no match for the younger side.
Resilient mid shines
Essendon coach Natalie Wood said Georgia Nanscawen’s rehab after an ACL injury on the eve of last season had been first-class, and the Olympic hockey representative backed it up by accumulating a game-high six clearances in her Bombers debut.
The former Kangaroo was strong across all four quarters in her first AFLW game since 2019, impressing with her vision and ball use as she provided an excellent foil to Madison Prespakis.
Prespakis was helped off the field midway through the third term and struggled to breathe for several minutes after copping a hip to the ribs in a brutal collision with an opponent, but came back on to continue to push the Bombers forward.
While the duo gave Essendon the advantage in the middle, co-captain Toogood was undoubtedly their most influential player, working high up the ground to take eight marks on a night they were scarce, and still managing to sneak forward for two goals.
Outside the den
It was a disappointing night for Hawthorn’s boom Lions recruits Emily Bates and Greta Bodey, who may already be looking at their first season without a finals campaign after the Hawks dropped a crucial match in an unforgivingly short season.
Bates had a tough night against the Bombers’ Prespakis-led midfield but set the standard for her teammates with relentless pressure, laying a game-high 16 tackles.
There wasn’t much supply for small forward Bodey but she showed glimpses of her class, while mature age draftee Kristy Stratton, given a second chance at the level after a stint with Collingwood, displayed impressive speed and was unlucky to finish goalless.
Scoreboard
HAWKS 1.0, 3.3, 3.4, 4.6 (30)
BOMBERS 2.2, 3.2, 5.4, 7.7 (49)
BOURKE’S BEST
Hawks: Bates, Ashmore, Luke, Baskaran, Fleming, Eardley.
Bombers: Toogood, Prespakis, Nanscawen, Brown, Vogt, Alexander.
GOALS
Hawks: Hipwell, Brown, McDonagh, Gilroy.
Bombers: Toogood 2, Alexander, Weutschner, A Clarke, Bannister, Radford.
UMPIRES Bailes, Lyon, Rebeschini
INJURIES Hawks: nil. Bombers: Prespakis (ribs).
VENUE Kinetic Stadium
Carlton v Gold Coast: Blues usher in new era with thrilling win
– Ronny Lerner
A spectacular performance from Carlton star Darcy Vescio has ensured the Blues’ new AFLW era under rookie coach Mathew Buck has begun in thrilling fashion at Princes Park on Saturday with a two-point win over Gold Coast.
Three consecutive goals from the Blues helped them open up a 23-point lead early in the final term, but the Suns weren’t done with yet and they proceeded to kick the next three majors to get back within two points with 3:34 left in the game.
The last of those goals was controversial as Carlton defender Vaomua Laloifi was penalised for holding Gold Coast’s Jamie Stanton in the marking contest 15m out from goal, when it appeared as though both players were grabbing hold of each other.
The Suns had the chance to hit the front with 58 seconds left, but captain Tara Bohanna hesitated and was ultimately penalised for incorrect disposal while being tackled 25m out from goal.
After being goalless in their final seven games last season, Vescio reminded the footy world that they are still a force to be reckoned with by booting a game-high three majors.
Gold Coast debutant Meara Girvin was thrown to the wolves with the big job on Vescio, and she was duly given a baptism of fire.
Vescio’s second goal was the highlight. With the Suns threatening early in the second half, the Carlton forward produced some magic to keep them at bay by outmarking Girvin with strength in the forward pocket before converting a spectacular snap shot from an acute angle on the boundary line.
Blues tackling ferocious
Gold Coast started brighter, but couldn’t translate their early ascendancy onto the scoreboard and the Blues made the visitors pay by kicking the first two goals to lead by 13 points early in the second quarter.
Carlton’s ferocious pressure was overwhelming and they had a staggering 19 more tackles at halftime (47-28), before winning that stat convincingly 91-76.
The ball lived in the hosts’ forward half for most of the second term, but they too failed to capitalise on their dominance and the revitalised Suns cut the deficit to six points early in the third period as the territory battle swung back in their favour, before a rollercoaster second half capped off a thrilling contest between the two sides.
Rejigged Blues pay off
In their bid to bolster their attacking options, Carlton took a strategic gamble by playing their All-Australian ruck Breanna Moody in the forward line, leaving Jess Good to shoulder the bulk of the ruck responsibility.
And it was a risk that paid off because although the Blues lost the hit-outs 30-40, they came out on top in clearances 28-25.
It was a new-look Carlton side with five club debutants, including former Richmond defender Harriet Cordner and ex-Sydney back Gen Lawson-Tavan, as well as first-gamers Erone Fitzpatrick from Ireland, Marianna Anthony and Maddy Hendrie.
And what a debut it was from Anthony who looked extremely comfortable at the top level 14 disposals, 11 tackles, five clearances and a goal.
Blues captain Kerryn Peterson was missing from their backline due to a knee injury that will likely sideline her for the first three games, and despite the Suns finishing with far more inside 50s (36-25), the likes of Cordner, Vaomua Laloifi and Lawson-Tavan were pivotal in restricting the Suns’ scoring.
Lawson-Tavan was added to the list only recently in place of Maddy Guerin who was placed on the inactive list as she continues her rehabilitation from an ACL rupture.
Rowbottom shines again
The Suns’ line-up also underwent dramatic change with no fewer than seven new faces featuring against Carlton.
Off-season recruits Jordan Membrey (from Collingwood), Maddy Brancatisano (Richmond) and Clara Fitzpatrick (St Kilda) were joined by four AFLW debutants Alana Gee, Darcie Davies, Girvan and Irishwoman Niamh McLaughlin.
Three of those list spots were vacated by Serene Watson (St Kilda), Elle Hampson (Brisbane) and Courtney Jones (Richmond) who all departed the club this year.
Charlie Rowbottom continued to show what a star in the making she is, finishing with 25 touches (20 contested), 12 tackles, nine clearances and a goal.
Whitfort was also a huge performer for the Suns as she recorded 23 disposals and 10 tackles.
Scoreboard
BLUES 1.2, 2.4, 4.4, 5.4 (34)
SUNS 0.3, 1.3, 1.5, 4.8 (32)
LERNER’S BEST
Blues: Vescio, McKay, Anthony, Sherar, Dal Pos, Cordner.
Suns: Rowbottom, Whitfort, Drennan, Howarth, D’Arcie.
GOALS
Blues: Vescio 3, Anthony, McKay.
Suns: Rowbottom, Membrey, Bohanna, Stanton.
UMPIRES Brown, Fisher, Lopes
VENUE Princes Park
COLLINGWOOD V MELBOURNE: DAVEY BRILLIANCE CAN’T DENY DEES
– Ronny Lerner
If the opening match of the AFLW season is anything to go by, Melbourne are going to be hard to stop from winning back-to-back flags.
A devastating second half from the Demons ensured that their premiership defence got off to a scintillating start on Friday night with a 42-point win over Collingwood at Princes Park in front of 8412 fans.
After conceding four consecutive goals to trail by 14 points midway through the second quarter, Melbourne lifted their intensity considerably and took the game on after halftime to kick the last nine goals and seal an emphatic victory — their 10th in a row.
It proved to be a game-defining burst as Collingwood’s resistance fell away dramatically after they applied fierce pressure to the Demons in the first half.
The Demons overcame their early inaccuracy to belatedly exploit the absence of injured star Collingwood defender Ruby Schleicher.
Flag unfurled in style
The 10.13 (73) to 4.7 (31) result capped a memorable night for Melbourne which unfurled its inaugural premiership flag before the match, with a little help from retired legend Daisy Pearce.
The season seven flag was proudly on display on the outer wing for the entirety of the game.
Alyssa Bannan hit the ground running for the Demons, racking 17 disposals and a game-high three goals, and she was ably assisted in attack by Shelley Heath (11 tackles) and Eden Zanker (five marks) who both kicked a pair of goals as well.
Olivia Purcell was also a key contributor for Melbourne, racking up a team-high 19 touches, nine of which were contested, while laying four tackles.
Meanwhile, usual suspects Lily Mithen (18) and Paxy Paxman (18) combined for 36 disposals.
Kate Hore wasn’t overawed by filling Pearce’s massive shoes, and in her first game as club captain, she registered 17 touches, six marks and a goal.
Davey dines out
The Magpies might not have got the desired result but they certainly had plenty of cause to celebrate as inspirational captain Brianna Davey made a spectacular return to senior footy.
Davey ruptured her ACL early last year in season six and hadn’t played an AFLW game in 601 days.
But she made up for lost time to be one of the best players on the ground with 35 disposals (23 contested), 11 clearances, five tackles and a goal.
Geez we are blessed to witness Bri Davey play football again. ILY @BriannaDavey
— Steph Chiocci (@Steph_Chiocci) September 1, 2023
Bri Davey’s 35 was 16.83% of her team’s 208 disposals… Wow
— Harrison Reid (@HarrisonReid12) September 1, 2023
Davey made her intentions clear early with 11 disposals (seven contested), three clearances and two tackles in the first quarter, and was the driving force behind Collingwood’s radiant start as it looked like a huge upset was on the cards.
Davey’s teammate Brit Bonnici also made a successful return from an ACL injury, and in her first game after being sidelined for 552 days, she recorded 17 possessions (nine contested) and eight tackles.
“She’s a quality player, it’s not secret that we’ve missed her over the last two seasons,” Collingwood coach Stephen Symonds said post-match.
“She’s come in, picked up like she hasn’t before and it was a really strong game for Bri.
“We were expecting that. She’s a strong character, she’s a leader but she’s a hell of a footballer.”
Pies personnel woes
If it wasn’t bad enough for the Magpies to head into the game without Schleicher, they suffered a huge injury blow down the other end of the ground in the second quarter.
Their leading goalkicker from last season, and reigning club best first year player, Eliza James badly hurt her ankle and took no further part in the game.
James was sporting a moon boot on the bench for the remainder of the match in a sign that the injury could be on the serious side of the spectrum.
The Magpies made a positive start to the match, but ultimately it appeared as though the massive upheaval that their line-up underwent in the off-season took its toll, especially against 19 Melbourne premiership players.
They went into the match with a new-look team without Chloe Molloy (Sydney), Steph Chiocci (St Kilda), Jaimee Lambert (St Kilda) and Jordan Membrey (Gold Coast) who are now all at different clubs.
In their stead, new recruits Tarni White (from St Kilda), Grace Campbell (North Melbourne), Nell Morris-Dalton (Bulldogs) and Selena Karlson were joined by debutant Eleri Morris in the side.
And star player Ash Brazill featured as well just a couple of weeks after winning the netball world cup with the Diamonds in South Africa.
Scoreboard
DEMONS 1.4, 2.7, 7.11, 10.13 (73)
MAGPIES 2.0, 4.3, 4.4, 4.7 (31)
LERNER’S BEST Demons: Bannan, Hore, Purcell, Mithen, Paxman, Mackin, Harris. Magpies: Davey, Rowe, Cann, Bonnici, Allen.
GOALS Demons: Bannan 3, Heath 2, Zanker 2, Campbell, Hore, Harris. Magpies: Cann, Brown, Morris-Dalton, Davey.
INJURIES Demons: Nil. Magpies: James (ankle).
UMPIRES Chamberlain, Devenish, Simmonds
VENUE Princes Park
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Originally published as AFLW round 1: Major officiating error highlights big issue as AFLW season kicks off
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