AFLW news: Round 3 fixture changed after player shortage
Two matches scheduled for this weekend have been cancelled as the AFLW tries to manage a high number of players unavailable due to Covid isolation.
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The Western Bulldogs and Brisbane Lions have had their second AFLW game in two weeks cancelled because of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis.
The Bulldogs were among three teams who told the AFL this week they could not field enough players for this weekend’s matches.
Brisbane and Gold Coast are the other sides to have been hit by the pandemic.
As a result the league cancelled Saturday’s Q-clash between Brisbane and Gold Coast on Saturday as well as the Sunday clash between Western Bulldogs and Carlton.
The league said Brisbane would now host Carlton at Metricon Stadium on Tuesday night, while the Bulldogs would play the Suns at a date and venue to be announced.
League rules dictate that teams must have at least 16 senior players available, with five top-up players permitted from train-on stocks.
Bulldogs head doctor Naomi Harris said they were not in a position for members of the playing group to undertake high-intensity exercise.
“Players impacted are being closely monitored by our medical team to make sure they are able to safely return to exercise and perform at their best level,” Harris said.
“We have had a significant portion our playing list affected by Covid-19 in the last week, with some players still remaining in isolation.”
The league is still to schedule a postponed clash between the Dogs and Lions – both teams have played just one match this year.
It is understood as many as 12 Bulldogs players were unavailable last week. Brisbane was also heavily hit by the virus.
AFL competition boss Laura Kane said the league was committed to delivering a full season.
“The league received requests from three clubs (this week) which detailed multiple players from each respective club’s AFLW program had entered into AFL Health and Safety Protocols this week,” Kane said,
“As a result, we have updated the Round 3 fixture which sees two matches not proceeding as planned with the Brisbane Lions to meet Carlton on Tuesday night at Metricon Stadium.
“This is the earliest possible time the Brisbane Lions are able to play ensuring the health and safety of their list.
“For the Western Bulldogs and the Gold Coast Suns, we will work closely with both those teams on fixturing arrangements as soon as it is safe and practical to do so.”.
Gold Coast coach Cameron Joyce is among the contingent of Suns players and staff to have contracted Covid this week which has forced the cancellation of Saturday’s Q Clash against Brisbane.
“We know how much the Pride Game and the Q-Clash mean to football fans and the wider community, and we share in the disappointment of those teams and their supporters,” Kane said.
“We look forward to still celebrating Pride Round across all matches in Round Three.
“We remain committed to delivering a full season in a safe manner.”
Tickets will be refunded for both cancelled matches.
West Coast and Fremantle are set to spend at least a month in Victoria given the strict WA border situation.
AFLW teams: Pies, Cats stars return
Collingwood will welcome back star forward Chloe Molloy for its Friday night clash against Geelong.
Molloy missed the Pies’ big win against St Kilda last weekend under the AFLW’s strict Covid protocols.
The Cats were missing four players in Round 2 after they entered health and safety protocols, and all four return to face the Pies, including former No.1 draft pick Nina Morrison.
The Pies will aim to continue their unbeaten start to the season at GMHBA Stadium. The Cats are winless from two matches but provided stiff opposition to North Melbourne and Carlton.
AFLW TEAMS ROUND 2
Friday, January 21
Geelong v Collingwood, GMHBA Stadium, 7.10pm
CATS
B: M.McMahon 24 M.Keryk 45
HB: C.Emonson 16 M.McDonald – C 11 G.Rankin 10
C: N.Morrison 9 G.Prespakis 41 S.Van De Heuvel 27
HF: J.Crockett-Grills 6 C.Gunjaca 26 R.Kearns 22
F: P.McWilliams 23 K.Darby 8
Foll: O.Fuller 13 R.Webster 21 A.McDonald 3
Inter: Z.Friswell 20 G.Featherston 32 D.Moloney 4 R.Caris 1 J.Ivey 5
Emerg: L.Gardiner 18 D.Higgins 2
In: G.Rankin, N.Morrison, S.Van De Heuvel, J.Crockett-Grills, R.Caris
Out: D.Higgins (Omitted), L.Gardiner (Omitted), G.Clarke (Omitted), C.Scheer (Managed), A.Johnson
MAGPIES
B: L.Butler 23 S.Livingstone 12
HB: S.Casey 22 R.Schleicher – C 18 A.Porter 9
C: E.James 20 E.O’Dea 50 S.Rowe 7
HF: S.Frederick 1 C.Molloy 2 J.Allen 6
F: S.Alexander 24 A.Sheridan 14
Foll: A.Downie 30 B.Bonnici 8 J.Lambert 13
Inter: B.Smith 19 A.Newman 16 E.Chaston 32 A.Velardo 5 M.Cann 25
Emerg: A.Moloney 40 I.Barnett 4
In: C.Molloy, B.Smith
Out: I.Barnett (Omitted), E.Fowler (Injured)
Saturday, January 22
West Coast v Adelaide at the Swinburne Centre, 12.40pm
EAGLES
B: A.Hill 16 E.Gooch 31
HB: A.Gilmore 22 A.Ward 33 A.McCarthy 11
C: M.Collier 8 K.Gibson 2 M.Bowen 1
HF: S.McDonald 35 A.Schmidt 7 N.Kelly 12
F: S.Lakay 23 M.Caulfield 10
Foll: P.Laurie 25 H.Bullas 24 D.Hooker – C 17
I/C: C.Thomas 3 C.Guard 4 I.Lewis 6 G.Kelly 15 B.Smith 14
Emerg: C.Rowley 5 T.Bresland 20
In: A.Hill, S.McDonald, S.Lakay, H.Bullas
Out: T.Bresland (Omitted), L.Gauci (Omitted), E.Swanson (Suspension), A.Atkins (HS Protocol)
CROWS
B: N.Gore 7 M.Rajcic 32
HB: A.Considine 16 S.Allan – C 39 N.Allen 8
C: S.Thompson 14 A.Hatchard 33 T.Charlton 25
HF: R.Martin 5 D.Ponter 15 E.Jones 2
F: A.Woodland 24 A.Ballard 27
Foll: M.McKinnon 21 E.Phillips 13 E.Marinoff 10
I/C: J.Simmons 11 C.Biddell 12 J.Mules 23 H.Button 6 J.Hewett 19
Emerg: L.Whiteley 22 Z.Prowse 4
In: A.Considine, A.Ballard, J.Hewett
Out: C.Randall (Hamstring), C.Gould (Concussion), H.Munyard (HS Protocol)
Melbourne v St Kilda at Casey Fields, 3.10pm AEDT
DEMONS
B: L.Birch 9 G.Colvin 32
HB: S.Heath 30 S.Lampard 8 S.Goldrick 23
C: E.McNamara 22 T.Hanks 5 C.Sherriff 18
HF: T.Harris 7 K.Hore 10 J.Parry 19
F: D.Pearce – C 6 M.Fitzsimon 24
Foll: L.Pearce 15 E.Zanker 29 K.Paxman 4
I/C: B.Tarrant 20 M.Caris 21 E.West 11 A.Bannan 16 S.Scott 12
Emerg: L.Magee 26 A.Brown 28
In: S.Heath, S.Lampard, C.Sherriff, S.Scott
Out: L.Magee (Omitted), A.Brown (Omitted), K.Petrevski (Omitted), L.Mithen (HS Protocol)
SAINTS
B: T.Lucas-Rodd 18 R.Ott 20
HB: B.Jakobsson 8 J.Van Dyk 36 H.Priest – C 14
C: M.McDonald 1 T.White 29 C.Phillips 35
HF: D.Guttridge 5 K.Shierlaw 12 R.Dillon 25
F: A.Richards 22 J.Vogt 10
Foll: L.Cutting 26 N.Xenos 27 T.Meyer 34
I/C: L.Burke 30 O.Vesely 23 A.Burke 3 R.Watt 7 I.Shannon 11
Emerg: R.Saulitis 13 E.Friend 16
In: A.Richards, T.Meyer, R.Watt, I.Shannon
Out: A.Woodward (Omitted), C.Greiser (Omitted), R.Saulitis (Omitted), N.Exon (Injured)
Richmond v Fremantle at the Swinburne Centre, 5.10pm AEDT
TIGERS
B: R.Miller 15 H.Cordner 23
HB: S.D’Arcy 12 J.Hosking 11 M.Shevlin 35
C: H.Burchell 9 S.Hosking 7 K.Dempsey 19
HF: S.Reid 25 E.Yassir 27 T.Stahl 24
F: K.Brennan – C 3 C.Bernardi 6
Foll: G.Seymour 28 M.Brancatisano 5 M.Conti 4
I/C: L.McClelland 16 B.Lynch 32 M.Kiely 31 S.Molan 1 K.Jacques 10
Emerg: S.Dargan 17 M.Macdonald 38
In: S.D’Arcy, M.Shevlin, E.Yassir, T.Stahl, S.Molan
Out: M.Macdonald (Omitted), S.Sansonetti (Omitted), S.Dargan (Omitted), C.Wakefield (Shoulder), T.Lavey (HS Protocol)
DOCKERS
B: M.Sergeant 23 A.Stannett 4
HB: L.Pugh 32 E.O’Driscoll 3 J.Low 30
C: E.Antonio 12 G.O’Sullivan 9 S.Cain 20
HF: A.Runnalls 22 K.Bowers 2 K.Antonio 15
F: G.Houghton 27 M.Tuhakaraina 13
Foll: M.Strom 21 H.Miller – C 19 D.East 8
I/C: R.Roux 17 T.Toth 33 M.Hyde 28 S.Verrier 5 A.Tighe 10
Emerg: A.McMahon 25 J.Stewart 7
In: K.Antonio, R.Roux
Out: J.Cuthbertson (Concussion), A.McMahon (Managed)
Sunday, January 23
North Melbourne v Greater Western Sydney at Arden Street Oval 1.10pm
NORTH
B: J.Ferguson 20 D.Hardiman 31
HB: B.Brown 36 E.Kearney - C 9 A.Gilroy 8
C: K.Ashmore 10 M.King 23 I.Eddey 3
HF: S.Abbatangelo 1 A.O’Loughlin 6 J.Bruton 35
F: E.King 60 T.Randall 16
Foll: K.Rennie 26 J.Garner 25 A.Riddell 7
I/C: D.Bateman 11 E.Gavalas 22 N.Bresnehan 12 J.Duffin 27 D.Bannister 2
Emerg: A.Smith 15 G.Campbell 43
In: D.Hardiman, A.O’Loughlin, K.Rennie
Out: A.Hamilton (Omitted), A.Smith (Omitted), G.Campbell (Omitted)
GIANTS
B: P.Randall 21 A.Lister 14
HB: G.Garnett 17 E.Lorenzini 25 B.Stack 15
C: H.Zreika 24 A.Eva - C 2 A.Dallaway 30
HF: C.Staunton 13 R.Privitelli 19 K.Loynes 7
F: J.Doyle 5 N.Barr 8
Foll: E.McKinnon 23 A.Parker 3 L.Steane 20
I/C: T.Hetherington 9 A.Morphett 22 C.Dalton 11 E.Pease 33 K.Smith 4
Emerg: J.Grierson 10 L.Graham 37
In: E.Lorenzini, J.Doyle, C.Dalton
Out: T.Mackrill (Suspension), L.Stephenson (Omitted), R.Beeson (Injured)
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Premiership winner’s fair-pay, full-time plea
– Chris Honnery
Brisbane Lions AFLW coach Craig Starcevich has declared the time is now for female players to be made professional and compensated for their time and effort.
Two players from each AFLW club will earn around $37,155 this season, while the majority of others will receive around $20,239.
In comparison, the average salary for players in the Super Netball competition will earn $74,000.
Starcevich said the female athletes in the AFLW were ready to “take that step” towards making sport a full-time profession.
“I’m looking at the professionalism of our players now, and how much time and energy they put into their footy, and they’re displaying all the professional traits and habits we did in the late 90s as male players,” Starcevich said on Wednesday.
“I’m thinking let’s do it.
“Obviously we have to finance it, that’s a huge part of it but our players are definitely ready to take that step.
“If this is going to happen, there’s going to have to be some compromise along the way.
“The male players (may have to) say, we’ll just sit steady for a couple years and make sure we get the female payment up to a decent level.”
The former Collingwood and Bears player also hit back at critics who claim there are too many injuries and the quality of football is not up to the standard of their male counterparts.
“Those … areas point to full-time professionalism,” he said.
“If we had them more often, we wouldn’t have those issues.”
It comes as the club continues to deal with Covid concerns ahead of their Round 3 clash with the Suns on Saturday.
Their Round 2 game with Western Bulldogs last weekend has been postponed after both teams were unable to field a team when several players tested positive to the virus.
The Lions welcomed back a number of their affected players for Wednesday night’s training session but won’t have their entire squad available until later in the week, with some players still in isolation.
“It’s a test of our depth,” Starcevich said.
“I kind of like the challenge, it’s exciting.
“The players are thinking ‘bring it on’ and ‘let’s prove a few people wrong’ and do things under adversity.
“It onwards and upwards and no different to any other year in a way.”
AFLW LEADING WORLD IN EMBRACING DIVERSITY, INCLUSIVITY
Dylan Bolch
Irish recruit Ailish Considine has praised the AFLW’s ability to embrace different sexualities compared to other codes around the world.
The Adelaide Crows midfielder said the competition’s Pride Round this weekend was “something you don’t see in many other countries or sports”.
“I get a view of two different worlds … it’s so nice to see how normal and supported it is over here [in Australia],” Considine said.
“It brings [LGBTQIA+] to the forefront, when you see it at AFLW level, at national level, it gives you that sense of pride to be able to express who you are and what you are.
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“It’s so important for younger girls and boys who are coming up through the ranks, to have that to look up to and normalise the situation.”
Thirteen of the 14 AFLW clubs will wear pride jumpers this weekend, with West Coast defending its decision to be the sole club not to change their playing strip.
North Melbourne star Emma Kearney said it was important all clubs embraced the sentiment behind this weekend “just like we embrace other rounds like Indigenous round”.
“I don’t want to put words into their mouths, but I’m sure the West Coast Eagles players who are LGBTQIA+ would be feeling disappointed that they cant run out in a jumper representing who they are,” Kearney said.
“I’m really pleased that 13 of the 14 clubs have really embraced pride round and they all have a story behind their jumpers and it’s really important to share those stories.”
Carlton superstar Darcy Vescio, who late last year identified as non-binary, helped launch the AFLW’s Pride Round on Wednesday.
“[AFLW] are very inclusive naturally, and we understand the important role that LGBTQIA+ play in footy and in the broader community,” the Carlton goalkicking ace said.
Vescio said the community could use the example of Pride Round to help to make life easier for everyone.
“Create space for people, understand the language you use and any assumptions you might make about people and how that can impact how they live their lives,” Vescio said.
“Ask someone whether they have a partner, rather than using a gendered term.
“Not assuming people’s pronouns, it’s a really nice way of creating space for people and allowing people to feel more comfortable.
Vescio is looking forward to donning the Blues’ pride guernsey this weekend, designed by the Carlton Pride group.
“It’s important to acknowledge the struggle within the [LGBTQIA+] community,” Vescio said.
“We can represent [Carlton Pride] as much as they represent us. I felt pretty fortunate to feel so safe and supported at my own club and more broadly in the AFLW community.”
AFL head of women’s Football Nicole Livingstone spoke about how proud she is that the AFLW are leading from the front in the space of diversity and inclusion.
“Everybody is welcome in Australian football, the AFLW have led the way with this in particular,” she said.
“It’s really important we continue to wrap our arms around everybody who loves Australian Football.”
The AFL has also partnered with the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), becoming an official Supporter of the exhibition Queer.
Pride Round kicks off on Friday night with the clash between Geelong and Collingwood at GMHBA Stadium.
Why Eagles pulled shock handbrake on Pride Round jumper
West Coast has defended its decision to be the only AFLW club not to wear a Pride Round themed jumper this weekend.
The Eagles said they had decided to focus on the club’s new AFLW Indigenous jumper instead.
Thirteen of the 14 AFLW clubs have designed a special jumper for this weekend’s Pride Round – designed to recognise and support the LGBTQIA+ community.
Despite a number of the Eagles AFLW players identifying as LGBTQIA+, West Coast spokesman Richard O’Connell said the club had not received any negative feedback from the playing group ahead of their Round 3 clash with Adelaide.
“Our intention for specially designed jumpers is to make sure it has enough space and time for us to be able to promote, educate and inform,” O’Connell told The West Australian.
“Our ambition is to do one each year rather than put two in at the same time.
“We’re very comfortable with the fact we’re taking a very patient approach to introducing new playing kit during our early years.
“We’re not going to rush that process because we want the introduction of a playing guernsey to be important to the club’s history and for when you look back in time. We want to do it properly and respectfully and that will take some time to do.”
“They understand the process we’re following and they’re comfortable with the plan we’ve put in place.”
The Eagles have committed to wearing a pride jumper next year and will wear pride singlets and rainbow socks during the warm-up for their clash this weekend against Adelaide.
“While we may not run out with a pride jumper this weekend, we’ve certainly been acknowledging it with the activities and training the players have been undertaking.”
The Eagles take on Adelaide at the Swinburne Centre this Saturday (12.40pm).
North Melbourne and Richmond however, have both unveiled their inaugural pride guernseys ahead of this weekend’s action.
Richmond AFLW captain Katie Brennan said that it had been an honour to be involved with the design process for the Tigers guernsey.
“Any game at Punt Road is special and to be wearing the Pride Guernsey that is representing a large community of diverse people makes me incredibly proud,” she said.
“I love the powerful conversations that are created around Pride Round and Pride Guernsey’s about diversity and making sure that we are progressing forward as a society.
“To be wearing the Pride Guernsey and representing a diverse group of people makes me really proud.”
North Melbourne’s design represents the club’s past and it’s diverse and progressive future.
“We are proud of our club culture, one based around respect, dignity and inclusion and this guernsey is a great representation of our North Melbourne community,” said Kangaroos Chief Executive Ben Amarfio.
“This weekend, Pride Round provides an opportunity for us to acknowledge and celebrate the diverse communities that make up our club and gives up a very public platform to create a match day where everyone feels a genuine sense of belonging.”
Small-forward Daisy Bateman, who was one of the players who helped launch the design, explained how important it is to her and her teammates.
“Pride round is super important to me and my teammates,” Bateman said.
“We are fortunate to have a platform like playing a game down at Arden Street to represent the pride community.
“If we can play a small part like pulling on the jumper and making some people feel really special then there’s something really special in that.”
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