From no-hopers to heroes, Crows’ women’s team into the AFLW Grand Final
TOUTED as bound for the wooden spoon, the Crows have blasted back, making the AFLW Grand Final. But where will the match be played?
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ADELAIDE will start the 20th anniversary of its first AFL premiership with the chance to celebrate the Crows’ first flag in the inaugural AFLW competition.
The Crows on Sunday stormed to Saturday afternoon’s AFLW grand final — against the top-ranked Brisbane, most likely at the Gabba — by beating Collingwood by 24 points in Melbourne.
Adelaide officials will on Monday learn where and when the game will be played with the Crows insisting the AFLW’s biggest match be put on a top-notch, AFL-used venue rather than be thrust on to a community ground in Brisbane.
There is still a slim chance the game could be played at the Adelaide Oval, or even Metricon Stadium, home to the Gold Coast Suns.
However, Adelaide Football Club chief executive Andrew Fagan already has moved to prepare an “inclusive” grand final week for Crows fans. His staff also will seek out special travel packages for Crows supporters who want to be at the grand final in Brisbane.
“We will have an open training session at West Lakes for the fans and kids; and we will organise events both in Adelaide and Brisbane to keep the fans close to the team,” Fagan told The Advertiser.
Responding to back-to-back losses to Brisbane and Melbourne, Adelaide finished the seven-week AFLW round-robin series ranked second to the Lions.
Originally tipped by the pundits as favourites for the first AFLW wooden spoon, Bec Goddard’s Crows women’s team is already in the football record books for making the first playoff for a national women’s football league trophy.
Adelaide coach Goddard said she was hopeful of strong support wherever the game is played. “We would love it, the support we had at Olympic Park today was very noisy and they were so happy for us,” she said. “We know wherever we play it, our Crows fans will be there.”
Fagan praised the team and its leaders for defying the pre-season forecasts.
“The passion and commitment to the cause shown by the team — and the way they bonded (while working at separate bases in Adelaide and Darwin) was extraordinary,” Fagan said.
“Now we dare to dream. This has been a historic year for Australian football — and as a club we were immensely proud to earn an inaugural licence in an eight-team league.’’
The Crows will be underdogs, just as the men’s team was before the 1997 AFL grand final at the MCG where Malcolm Blight’s heroes beat St Kilda to claim the first AFL flag by an SA-based club.
The Lions’ favouritism will be based on their superb form line in the seven-week qualifying season and the three-point win Craig Starcevich’s Brisbane team scored against the Crows at Norwood Oval on March 4. The Lions finished the season undefeated after a draw against Carlton.
The AFL is still to confirm the grand final venue that is supposed to reward the top-ranked team.
The Lions have earned hosting rights. But this is not guaranteed at the Gabba where the curator is concerned with the state of the playing field, in particular the cricket square, after the venue recently hosted an Adele concert. The AFL, Lions and Queensland state government want the final played at the Gabba.
Queensland’s other AFL team, Gold Coast, has offered Metricon Stadium as an alternative venue, urging the league to set up an AFL-AFLW double-header on Saturday afternoon and evening. The Suns kick off their season hosting the Lions in the Q-Clash.
It is highly unlikely — although still possible — that the AFL could move the grand final to Adelaide Oval where at least 30,000 would attend. The Australian record for a women’s football match is 41,000 in 1929 at Adelaide Oval.
Adelaide Oval remains booked for the AFLW grand final on Saturday. The Crows have declared to the AFL they have no issue with consecutive games — the AFLW grand final and Crows v Greater Western Sydney AFL men’s game — being played on consecutive days at Adelaide Oval at the weekend.
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