AFLW 2022: Latest news, updates for round 5, Crows score massive 97-1 win against GWS
Adelaide kicked its highest-ever score and set a new AFLW record winning margin by handing out a historic drubbing to GWS. Catch up on all the results from round 5 here.
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Records tumbled at Unley Oval on Sunday where ruthless Adelaide handed an AFLW record 96-point drubbing to a hapless GWS.
Dynamic midfield duo Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard starred for the Crows, who booted their highest-ever score (15.7) while restricting the stunned Giants to just one behind.
The whopping margin eclipsed the record set by Melbourne in round 9 of Season 6 when the Demons thrashed Fremantle by 88 points.
“It was extremely disappointing … we just didn’t compete,” GWS coach Cam Bernasconi said.
“So we’ll go back to the drawing board and look at our contest method and challenge the group.
“We need to get better because that just wasn’t good enough.”
The Crows (4-1) charged to second spot on the ladder with their fourth win in a row, while GWS languishes in 16th with a 1-4 record.
Marinoff finished with a career-best 36 possessions, laid 12 tackles and kicked a goal while Hatchard had 28 disposals and kicked three majors.
McKenzie Dowrick set a new personal-best with four goals and Ash Woodland chimed in with three in a blitz that the Giants simply had no answers for.
BLAZING START
The Giants had led at quarter-time in each of their first four matches, while the Crows trailed at the first break in each of their opening four games.
But Matthew Clarke’s side bucked that trend in no uncertain terms in a record-breaking start, Adelaide kicking five goals in an opening term for the first time.
Marinoff began the jaw-dropping blitz with the sixth goal of her decorated 58-game career, the four-time All--Australian stroking home a superb running goal from just inside 50.
Debutant Jess Waterhouse, a former Young Matilda and Adelaide United player, showed off her soccer skills with a sublime kick off the ground that set up a Caitlin Gould goal as the onslaught continued.
The red-hot Crows had the first 10 inside-50s of the game before the visitors managed to wander inside their own attacking zone in a forward foray that was swiftly shut down.
The home side had 28 more disposals in the first quarter to lead the shell-shocked Giants by 35 points at the first break.
DUSTY-ESQUE
With light rain falling, Adelaide’s scoring slowed in the second term but GWS still couldn’t break through for a score of any kind.
Hatchard put a fend on Alicia Eva that Richmond superstar Dustin Martin would have been proud of to kick the first major of the quarter.
Dowrick became the first multiple goalkicker of the day with a stunning effort off her non-preferred foot in traffic and reigning AFLW leading goalkicker Woodland joined the party with her set shot after the halftime siren making it a 53-point margin.
Woodland kicked her seventh goal of the season soon after the restart, with Dowrick adding a third to stretch the margin to 66 points.
50TH TO FORGET
GWS skipper Alicia Eva played her 50th AFLW game, but it was a milestone the star midfielder won’t recall fondly despite playing well herself.
Meghan Gafney kicked her side’s only score of the day after a rare error from Eloise Jones, who kicked the ball into the point post in the third quarter.
Hatchard took the margin past 88 points with her third with just under two minutes left in the game and Waterhouse booted her first AFLW goal to make it 96 points with 1:20 left on the clock.
The dismal display by GWS means Cam Bernasconi’s side hasn’t kicked a goal in seven quarters of football.
SCOREBOARD
CROWS 5.5 8.5 10.6 15.7 (97)
GIANTS 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.1 (1)
PHELAN’S BEST
Crows: Marinoff, Hatchard, Randall, Dowrick, Jones, Woodland, Thompson, Newman.
Giants: Evans, Parker, Eva, Barr, Hicks.
GOALS
Crows: Dowrick 4, Woodland 3, Hatchard 3, Gould, Marinoff, Martin, Waterhouse, Randall.
Giants: Nil.
INJURIES
Crows: Nil. Giants: Nil.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JASON PHELAN’S VOTES
3. E. Marinoff (Adel)
2. A. Hatchard (Adel)
1. C. Randall (Adel)
Suns survive unlikely Port comeback
- Dylan Bolch
A Charlie Rowbottom-inspired Gold Coast held off a fast-finishing Port Adelaide side to secure a 14-point victory on Sunday, the Suns’ third win of season seven.
The Suns dominated territory in the first term but were unable to capitalise on the scoreboard.
That changed when they made sure they converted on that dominance in the second and third terms.
Tara Bohanna (three goals) and Jac Dupuy (two goals, 12 disposals) did the damage inside forward 50 while Rowbottom (26 touches), Claudia Whitfort (17 touches) and Ali Drennan (16 touches) were the main instigators in the middle of the ground.
The Power booted four goals to one in the last quarter as they mounted an unlikely comeback, but ultimately, they were unable to back up last week’s historic win.
Former Sun Hannah Dunn (17 disposals) was one of Port Adelaide’s best, while defenders Alex Ballard (16 disposals, ten marks) and Ange Foley (16 disposals, one goal) had their work cut out for them.
NEW WAVE OF STARS
How good are the young stars of the AFLW?
From Prespakis to Fleming to Conti, the future of the AFLW is incredibly bright.
Rowbottom, the No.1 draft pick from 2021, put in another best-on-ground display as she continues to light up the AFLW competition.
Rowbottom amassed 26 disposals and five tackles, backing up from her career-best outing last week against St Kilda.
Her strength in the contest and ability to stand up and break the game open makes her a nightmare match-up.
She provided one of the highlights of the match when she executed a Dustin Martin-like fend-off bursting out of the stoppage to set up Gold Coast’s first goal of the day.
The Power had no answer for the young Sun, who flew up to Queensland on Saturday night after attending the men’s grand final to support older brother James Rowbottom.
LEADING FROM THE FRONT
The story of Tara Bohanna is inspirational.
Plucked from the Southern Saints in the VFLW as a mature-ager, Bohanna’s rise at the Suns has been meteoric.
Bohanna topped the Suns’ goalkicking charts in season six, booting 13 goals in ten outings.
Her on-field exploits saw her secure a top-five finish in the club best-and-fairest and since then, Bohanna has only gone from strength to strength.
Weeks out from round 1, the former state-league star was announced captain of the Suns.
Earlier this year, senior coach Cam Joyce said that her impact on the club in such a short space of time had been “remarkable”.
“She has a great ability to connect to both our young players as well as her more-experienced teammates. What she does on the field and in her preparation shows she wants to be the best player she can be, and get that same outcome for her teammates,” Joyce said.
Despite kicking just two goals from her first four matches this season, Bohanna was one of the Suns’ most critical players against the Power, booting a game-high three majors.
She ruled the airways taking seven marks while also doing damage at ground level, racking up 14 touches to go with six tackles.
Her goal 11 minutes into the final term was crucial in settling her young side, as the Power charged home and threatened to pinch the win.
SCOREBOARD
SUNS 0.2, 3.2, 6.3, 7.4 (46)
POWER 0.0, 0.1, 1.1, 5.2 (32)
BOLCH’S BEST
Suns: Rowbottom, Bohanna, Whitfort, Dupuy, Drennan.
Power: Foley, Ballard, Dunn, Dowrick.
GOALS
Suns: Bohanna 3, Dupuy 2, Hampson, Jones.
Power: Perry 2, Foley, Syme, Tahau.
INJURIES:
Suns: Nil. Power: Nil.
Venue: Bond University
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BOLCH’S VOTES
3, C. Rowbottom (GCS)
2, T. Bohanna (GCS)
1, C. Whitfort (GCS)
Tigers pull off huge GF day upset
– Nick D’Urbano
Richmond pulled off its best win in AFLW history with a nailbiting four-point triumph over the undefeated Lions.
But an inexplicable late Brisbane brain fade cost the Lions a chance at continuing their perfect start to the season.
With just three minutes left on the clock Dakota Davidson marked on the edge of the goalsquare and looked set to go back and level the game up with the Lions charging home against the gallant Tigers.
But extraordinarily Davidson decided to play on with a pack around her, forgoing a certain goal from a set shot.
Her snap was smothered brilliantly by Gabby Seymour, who was one of Richmond’s best, and Maddie Shevlin was able to rebound 50.
It turned out to be the pivotal moment as the Tigers held on to win.
THIS MOMENT.
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) September 24, 2022
A GAME-SAVING smother from Seymour!#AFLW | #AFLWTigersLionspic.twitter.com/xxved1UPv0
Shevlin and Sheerin shoosh Lions
Maddie Shevlin and Eilish Sheerin had mammoth starts to the game while the Tigers were under the pump as the Lions made the most of the wind to dominate territory.
The league’s most potent attack was cut off by Sheerin and repelled by Shevlin to make sure Richmond entered the quarter-time break just three points down.
Sheerin has helped transform Richmond’s defence into a more solid, intercepting unit this season after being taken with pick 58 in the draft.
The dashing defender has formed the perfect partnership with Shevlin, and her intercept work was a standout again.
Averaging 10 intercepts per game this season, Sheerin had notched five by quarter-time to go with six touches and 120m gained.
Shevlin provided the bounce out of the backline with 10 disposals and a staggering 206m gained.
MoCo’s big quarter
Cathy Svarc has made her name as one of the best midfield stoppers in the game, but the red-hot Monique Conti proved too much for the Lions star in the second term.
Svarc was able to curb Conti’s influence early, but a second quarter burst from the game’s most in-form player should’ve had the Tigers up by a couple of goals at halftime as she had 10 first-half touches, 237m gained and six tackles.
Conti’s ability to win the ball on the inside and break away from tacklers stood out, with her grunt work being rewarded with five free kicks.
The only element of the 22-year-old’s game that let her down was her finishing, kicking two behinds for the term.
Conti finished with 14 touches, nine tackles and 299m gained.
Davidson disaster
Dakota Davidson’s lean patch continued as she went goalless again, having not kicked a major for the entire season.
The aggressive forward had just one effective disposal at three-quarter-time but hurt her side with two frees against at crucial moments.
One, a 50m penalty, helped propel Richmond forward as they struggled to get the ball inside 50 against the wind and it stayed there for the next five-minutes.
Another, late in the third quarter, came as Brisbane threatened to take back the lead late in the shadows of the three-quarter-time.
Laura McClelland did the job on Davidson and was immense for the Tigers, finishing with 11 disposals and 10 intercepts.
Davidson finished with five effective disposals and three frees against.
TIGERS 1.0 1.3 2.4 2.6 18
LIONS 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.8 14
MOTTERSHEAD’S BEST Tigers: Shevlin, Sheerin, McClelland, Wakefield, Conti, Seymour. Lions: Dawes, Bates, Hickie, Conway, Bodey.
GOALS Tigers: Wakefield 2. Lions: Smith.
INJURIES Tigers: nil. Lions: nil.
Swinburne Centre
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JAMES MOTTERSHEAD’S VOTES
3 M. Shevlin (RICH)
2 E. Sheerin (RICH)
1 L. McClelland (RICH)
Hawks’ big statement on First Nations controversy
Hawthorn’s women’s side made a statement on Friday afternoon, by proudly wearing their Indigenous jersey for the clash with Sydney.
In response to the alarming allegations bestowed upon former men’s coach Alastair Clarkson and assistant Chris Fagan earlier this week, the Hawks stood in solidarity with past and present First Nations players at the club, by wearing the strip despite Indigenous round coming to an end last weekend.
“I’m so proud of the girls. They wanted to wear their Indigenous jumpers because we are the new face of the club,” Goddard told Fox Footy.
“We are a new part of football, women’s football at Hawthorn. We are inclusive, we are diverse and we know the path that we are on. We treat our job as role models as a privilege to be here and we want to represent the community like that, and do our fans proud.”
Defender Akec Makur Chuot also weighed in on why they decided to wear the Indigenous jersey.
“For us, the women are always the pillars of every club,” Makur Chot told Fox Footy post-game.
“And for us, as a new team, we just wanted to show that we respect and want to listen to our First Nations people. This is what it means to us.”
GAME OF THE YEAR CONTENDER?
Was this the game of the season so far?
Two desperate teams looking to record their first ever win, playing in front of a boisterous sellout crowd on the Friday night of the biggest week of the footballing calendar. What more could you ask for?
In what was an early audition for the game of the season so far, two of the AFLW’s newest outfits, Sydney and Hawthorn, threw everything at each other and more in an emotionally-charged contest under the bright lights of Punt Road Oval.
And after one of the most difficult weeks in the club’s history, it was the mighty fighting Hawks, who despite conceding the first four goals of the game, came from the clouds to secure an unlikely, but memorable first victory by four points.
In fact, it was a quarter-time spray from Goddard, which acted as the much-needed catalyst for the Hawks who emerged from the huddle as a completely different outfit.
“I think it’s one of those things you very rarely use and I felt there’s a time and a place for that,” Goddard told Fox Footy.
“And it wasn’t what we expected after the week we had at Hawthorn. We expected to put out a better performance than that and the girls played out of their skins. It was a remarkable three quarters after that.
“It feels like a Grand Final and that’s what you play for. You play for the first 12 seconds after the siren.”
They played with more dare, desire and ferocity around the contest which in turn, led to them finding their attacking groove, something that had sorely lacked in their last three games - having only kicked a single goal for the entirety of each of those contests.
When the Hawks took the lead, they had to be at their absolute best defensively to withstand wave after wave of Sydney attack, who were willed on by a vocal fanbase that had travelled in numbers for the big weekend.
But had it not been for desperate interventions from the likes of Kaitlyn Ashmore, Akec Makur Chuot and debutant Emily Everist, the result could’ve been markedly different, with their defending in the final term helping Hawthorn over the line.
FELLOWS: THE FIRESTARTER
Before Friday, Tahlia Fellows had never kicked an AFLW goal.
But in only her third senior game, Fellows helped turn the tide for the Hawks up forward, acting as a fire-starter for their incredible fightback with a sensational showing in the attacking half. Fellows got the Hawks going prior to quarter-time with a major from the goalsquare but then really got things going from that point on.
The VFLW Rising Star winner booted goals in each of the second and third term, before playing an important role in kickstarting Aileen Gilroy’s go-ahead goal just before three-quarter-time.
In an attack that has sorely needed a spark in the opening four games, perhaps Fellows may be part of the answer to helping the Hawks get some more mileage on the scoreboard in the weeks to come.
LOCHLAND’S UNBELIEVABLE START
When Brooke Lochland is firing in-front of goal, she doesn’t do things in half measures.
It’s been four years since Lochland, while still playing for the Western Bulldogs, set an AFLW record with seven goals in a single game — which incredibly all came in the space of 40 minutes. And in the first quarter of the Swans’ demolition of Hawthorn, it looked as if she was on track to beat her own personal best, with an incredible opening 12 minutes.
Lochland reminded the footballing public of just how damaging she can be when she’s in full flight, with an unbelievable first-term showing, booting three goals — including a brilliant snap on her left foot — before the Hawks defence could even blink.
However, from that point on, the Swans attack went limp, not scoring another goal for the remainder of the contest.
SCOREBOARD
SYDNEY 4.2 4.3 4.6 4.7 (31)
HAWTHORN 1.0 3.2 5.3 5.5 (35)
D’URBANO’S BEST
Swans: Lochland, C.Hamilton, Ham, Whelan, Smith, Eastman
Hawks: Fellows, Makur Chuot, Duffin, Fleming, Lucas-Rodd, Wales
GOALS
Swans: Lochland 3, Privitelli
Hawks: Fellows 3, Baskaran, Gilroy
VENUE
Swinburne Centre
PLAYER OF THE YEAR VOTES
3. Tahlia Fellows (HAW)
2. Akec Makur Chuot (HAW)
1. Brooke Lochland (SYD)
Back with a bang
Tayla Harris missed last week’s loss against pacesetters Brisbane after being banned due to a dangerous tackle but bounced back in style in Melbourne’s big 42-point win.
But having let her side down last week, the often maligned forward wasted no time in giving Melbourne a lift at Ikon Park with a trademark contested mark on the lead 50m from goal.
From a spot most where players would look for a teammate, the 25-year-old wasted no time in wheeling onto her right boot and launched the ball towards goal.
With just one bounce the ball trickled through for a goal to get the Demons’ faithful on their feet.
Just minutes later she brushed another Carlton defender aside, clunking her second contested mark just 20m from goal.
Harris went back and slotted the Dees’ second and the 50th of her career to give Melbourne the perfect start.
Against her old side, Harris finished with three goals.
BRIGHT McKAY LIGHT
Not much has gone right for the Blues this season as another season without finals football looms as injuries stack up.
But Abbie McKay’s emergence as a genuine star midfielder has been a shining light for Carlton, who lost key engine room pieces Maddie Prespakis and Georgia Gee in the off-season.
Before season seven McKay hadn’t had more than 18 touches in a game but has established herself as ball magnet in season seven, putting together another classy display, this time against the vaunted Melbourne midfield.
Importantly, the 21-year-old isn’t wasting her disposals, recording a career-high in metres gained with 318. That comes on the back of her second and third highest in the past two games.
McKay finished with 18 touches, seven tackles and four clearances.
MRO WATCH
Tyla Hanks is one of the hottest players in AFLW at the moment and is widely tipped to finish near the top of the league’s best and fairest award.
But she faces a nervous wait after a tackle on Vaomua Laloifi in the second quarter which left the Blues’ star defender dazed after her head cannoned into the ground.
The Dees lost star forward Harris last week for a dangerous tackle, and while this one didn’t appear to have the same double motion, it wasn’t dissimilar to Will Hayes’ tackle on Sam Menegola early in the AFL season.
Laloifi jumped in the air and Hanks laid the tackle, bringing her opponent to the ground almost headfirst.
The Carlton defender was able to play on which should help Hanks, but it will be a nervous wait for the Dees’ star.
INTERCEPT QUEENS
The scoreboard would’ve looked a lot different if not for two of the game’s best intercept defenders, Libby Birch Laloifi.
When Carlton was pressing Melbourne in the third quarter it was Birch time and again who stood between the Blues and the goals.
The All-Australian defender was immense in ensuring her side kept Carlton at arm’s length in the premiership quarter as they enjoyed their best forays forward for the game.
At the opposite end Laloifi was just as important but for different reasons as she made sure the margin didn’t blow out to what could’ve been an embarrassing defeat.
The Carlton gun is putting together a season that would arguably see her awarded All-Australian colours next to Birch should she continue her remarkable run of form.
Birch finished with eight intercepts, while Laloifi finished with 14.
SCOREBOARD
BLUES 0.1 1.1 1.2 1.2 8
DEES 2.1 5.4 6.7 7.8 50
MOTTERSHEAD’S BEST
Blues: Laloifi, Hill, McKay, Moody, Sherar.
Dees: Harris, Purcell, Mithin, Birch, West, Gay.
GOALS
Blues: Moody. Dees: Harris 3, Paxman, Duffy, Hore, L. Pearce.
INJURIES
Blues: Peterson (nose).
Dees: nil.
VENUE
Ikon Park
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JAMES MOTTERSHEAD’S VOTES
3 T. Harris (MELB)
2 O. Purcell (MELB)
1 V. Laloifi (CARL)
Bombers take territory but Pies reveal their biggest strength
There’s never any love lost when Collingwood and Essendon lock horns, as one of the game’s storeyed rivalries wrote its first of many chapters in AFLW.
It was tight, it was fierce and it was played on a knife’s edge, with neither side able to gain the all-important breathing room until late in the contest, as both teams threw everything at each-other at the AIA Centre.
Ultimately, it came down to whoever could take their few and far between chances in front of the big sticks and it was the Magpies, who were able to not only take those additional shots on goal to aplomb, but also stay firm under enormous Essendon pressure.
After Chloe Molloy fired her side ahead with an incredible snap late in the second-term, Collingwood never looked back with Eliza James kicking the only two goals of the second half to help Stephen Symonds’ side to an 11-point win, which locks the Magpies into second place on the ladder.
The Bombers smashed the Magpies in the territory battle (33-19 inside 50s) and brought all the effort around the coalface, which has been a trademark of their first few games in the competition.
However, they struggled to convert their dominance into scores, with inaccuracy (2.5), coupled by Collingwood’s brilliant defensive effort keeping their attack — who were missing Jess Wuetschner with illness — at bay.
THE PRESPAKIS SHOW
It’s Maddy Prespakis’ world and we are just living in it.
After being tagged out of the game by Sarah Hosking a week prior, Prespakis put her quietest game of the season behind her with a dominant showing against the Pies, taking control of proceedings in the middle.
The former Blue got going early and never looked back.
In the second half, she was given more direct attention by the Pies midfield as they tried to quell her influence — which was to no avail.
At times, it looked as if Prespakis would will the Bombers over the line by herself, and despite finishing with a personal best 31 disposals and one goal, she wasn’t able to will her side to a third win of the season.
50 FOR AN OG
It was a special day for one of ‘The OG’s’, with Stacey Livingstone bringing up her 50th AFLW game, and becoming the first to do so in a Collingwood jersey.
Livingstone has been there from the start and has been a constant since day one, leading literally from the back as the lynch-pin at the heart of the Magpies’ defence.
The milestone is a testament to her longevity, having only missed five games of football since her debut in the opening game of 2017.
Along with Brittany Bonnici, Sophie Casey, Ruby Schleicher and Steph Chiocci, the ever reliable defender is one of only five players left on Collingwood’s list from their first season, with Chiocci also set to bring up the 50-game milestone next weekend against St Kilda.
It was another trademark showing from Livingstone, who held former teammate Sophie Alexander to a single goal and patrolled things brilliantly all afternoon against the Bombers’ repeat entries.
BRAZILL VS BOMBERS
It’s easy to forget just how good Ash Brazill is, but Essendon certainly haven’t.
After taking a break from the game to win Commonwealth Games gold in netball, Brazill returned to the side last weekend in the Pies’ narrow loss against Adelaide in a new role in-front of the ball — switching defence for attack.
When she returned from a devastating knee injury in 2021, the All-Australian key defender had a taste of playing up forward during the Magpies’ run to the Preliminary Final, but never had an extended run, beyond the small sample size, due to her hiatus from the game.
Brazill was everywhere in the first term against the Bombers, providing an option as a link-up forward and clean set of hands in the wet conditions, as she got busy in the opening term with 11 disposals.
However, her impact dipped as the game wore on, only tallying another three possessions as the Bombers’ defence was able to curtail her influence.
SCOREBOARD
COLLINGWOOD 1.0 2.2 3.3 4.4 (28)
ESSENDON 1.1 2.1 2.4 2.5 (17)
D’URBANO’S BEST
Magpies: Cann, Butler, Brazill, James, Molloy, Schleicher
Bombers: Prespakis, Phillips, Bannister, Cain, Wales, Van de Heuvel
GOALS
Magpies: James 2, Butler, Molloy
Bombers: Alexander, Prespakis
INJURIES
Magpies: nil
Bombers: Gamble (calf)
VENUE
AIA Centre
PLAYER OF THE YEAR VOTES
3. Madison Prespakis (Ess)
2. Lauren Butler (Coll)
1. Mikala Cann (Coll)
Earlier in the day, a capacity crowd at Punt Road Oval saw North Melbourne end the Western Bulldogs’ unbeaten start to season seven.
Jasmine Garner starred yet again in the 15-point win, with a 26 disposal outing, along with accumulating seven marks and eight clearances, as she kickstarted everything from defence all the way to attack.
It was the hottest ticket in town as the game was declared a lockout at halftime, with ticketless fans being forced to peer through the fence to catch a glimmer of the action.
Pies’ AFLW stalwart: Harris sledge will never define me
– Lauren Wood
Stacey Livingstone’s alarm would pierce through the 4am darkness.
Her first pair of boots would go on for the day for job number one as a freight specialist where the step counter would hit five figures before she even got to training.
This season, thanks to the league’s pay boost, the Collingwood defender has earned a sleep-in, to the much more comfortable time of …. 6am.
“I have (noticed the difference),” she laughs.
“Sleep’s my favourite thing to do, and it’s amazing how that two hours (makes a difference). It takes a while to unwind after training, but it really does help.”
Pounding the pavement at her day job means physical exertion far beyond many other elite athletes, but Livingstone wouldn’t have it any other way.
There’s a nap before training before her program is at times tailored to also account for her heavy workload on the field, which often includes 100 per cent of game time taking the opposition’s best forward.
“I literally just turn up to games and training and just train and then go home. I just like to slide in and slide out,” Livingstone said.
Friday marks her 50th AFLW game — a milestone she admits she never could have fathomed reaching.
There’s been time for treats along the way – a glass of wine here, her favoured vice in chocolate, too – for the Pie who lives by “enjoy those little pleasures that you can have, but also put in the work”.
A foundation player at Collingwood, Livingstone is one of just five original Magpies to remain at the club, or as they’re known, “The OG’s”.
They’re tight, albeit a bit of a motley crew, she laughs.
“There’s five of us – myself, Ruby (Schleicher), Steph (Chiocci), Britta (Bonnici) and Soph Casey. We always yell out when we’re all together “OGs, OGs”, which is a little thing that we have and people are like, ‘these bloody OGs’,” Livingstone explains.
“But it’s still pretty cool that from a team that started in 2017, there is only five that haven’t left the club and we are still super tight but also still getting to know each other. I love that there’s three of us in the backline together, so the bond keeps growing, which is great.
“I don’t know (how I fit in). I just turn up, and I’m just me. I’m loud.
“It’s amazing how your friendships revolve around football but then also outside of that. I wouldn’t walk past Ruby in the street and think, oh cool, I’d like to be her friend. But now, I’m like, yay, Ruby’s my friend. It just works.”
Livingstone played a few games while she was at school on the Gold Coast, but thought footy would serve as an opportunity to meet new people when she moved to Melbourne in her early 20s.
Two clubs she played for folded, and when a third opportunity presented itself, she wondered whether it would ever be worth it after the rollercoaster of enduring two teams being shuttered due to a lack of numbers.
“Other clubs had asked me to go down and stuff,” she said, eventually joining Port Melbourne Colts.
“And then when I got an email to get invited to try out for the first AFLW academy, I thought it was a joke.
“When my teammate said she got it too, I thought, ‘s …, it isn’t a joke’.
“I couldn’t run 2km to save myself, but I went down and I’ve now played seven seasons.”
Low key is Livingstone to a tee.
“You just gotta stop her in the air. That’s her game. If you can do that, she’s useless.â€
— 7AFL (@7AFL) February 16, 2020
Stacey Livingstone on playing against Tayla Harris 😳 pic.twitter.com/FDGIDBMa61
Google her name, however, and 2020 comments made in a post-match interview about All-Australian opponent Tayla Harris still feature heavily.
It doesn’t bother her one bit.
“I let people think whatever they want to think, really everybody is entitled to their own opinion and they’re going to have their own opinion, even if you don’t want them to,” the matter-of-fact Pie says.
“But no, I am who I am and you get what you get, pretty much.
“I’m very laid back, I go with the flow, I’m very loud on the field but off it I’m very quiet.”
Her sister will travel from Sydney for the milestone match at the AIA Centre against Essendon on Friday – the competition’s first match this season where the gates will be flung open for free amid Grand Final festivities in the precinct – with Livingstone’s partner and other people special to her to be part of the of course low-key celebrations.
“I literally still pinch myself and think, how the hell did I get here. I’m just happy to be playing, really,” Livingstone said.
“I just took the opportunity and ran with it.”
Prespakis in hot water for tackle as Cats crush Saints
— Nick D’Urbano
It’ll be a nervous few days for Georgie Prespakis who may come under scrutiny from the MRO for a heavy tackle on Erin McKinnon, which left the Saint concussed.
In the third term, Prespakis laid a strong tackle on McKinnon which saw the latter’s head hit the turf first, while her arms were pinned in the tackling motion. McKinnon took her time to get to her feet and took no further part in the game after coming from the ground with concussion.
Nicola Xenos (knee), Erin McKinnon and Liv Vesely (concussion protocols) are done for the day.
— St Kilda FCW (@stkildafcw) September 22, 2022
Updates to come.
Should she miss time, it would be a major blow to the Cats’ midfield strength who now gear up for a meeting with the undefeated Bulldogs next weekend. Prespakis was again influential on Thursday evening, and despite facing some extra attention from the Saints’ Deanna Jolliffe, was able to put together another solid showing – ending the game with 25 disposals and 11 tackles.
Not many players have made quite the impact Prespakis has in a short space of time, as she went into round five on top of the coaches votes by five points and looks set to poll again this week.
CATS FIND THEIR ATTACKING GROOVE
It’s a great time to be a Geelong fan.
The women’s side are back to winning ways, have found their groove up forward and sit, for the time being, in third place, while the men’s outfit are in the Grand Final on Saturday. What is there not to like right now?
Cats fans were given plenty more reasons to smile at their spiritual Kardinia Park home on Thursday evening, as Geelong made the most of the perfect conditions and channelled the excitement that’s reverberating throughout town to pile the hurt on St Kilda.
A dominant first-half performance put the game to bed before the Saints could even fire a shot, where basically everything – from defence to attack – just clicked, as the Cats kicked their highest ever score (71 points) and won by their greatest ever margin (50 points).
Amy McDonald was everywhere racking up a career-high 34 disposals, Georgie Prespakis and Nina Morrison both reached double digits in tackles, while Shelley Scott and Chloe Scheer had it their own way in attack.
Despite winning their opening two games of the season, the Cats had struggled to turn their midfield dominance and sensational defensive effort into scores at the other end – having not kicked more than 27 points in the opening four games of the season.
But on this occasion, Daniel Lowther’s side were able to unlock that extra level to their game, which has been lacking. The Cats booted the opening seven goals of the game and beat their highest score of the season within the opening half in the 50 point win.
Meanwhile, it’s back to the drawing board for the Saints, who again struggled in attack and took until the third quarter to fire a major, as they fell to a crushing third straight defeat.
Nick Dal Santo’s side were also dealt a triple blow on the injury front with both Erin McKinnon and Olivia Vesely coming from the ground with concussion and Nicola Xenos with a knee.
GREAT SCOTT
Back in attack and back to causing defenders all sorts of problems, Shelley Scott was nothing short of prolific.
Daniel Lowther opted to throw the magnets around on Thursday evening, moving Scott to the forward line, after spending her first four games as a Cat in the back-half. Before making the move down the highway ahead of season seven, Scott thrived as a forward during her tenure at Melbourne, particularly in 2019 where she averaged close to a goal a game.
It didn’t take long for Scott to make an immediate impact in the forward-half, booting her first major for the Cats within the opening couple minutes and ending the evening with three for the game – including an incredible snap in the second-term.
Scott wasn’t the only one to cause havoc in the attacking half, with Chloe Scheer also creating all sorts of headaches and adding three of her own.
DEBUTS TO REMEMBER
It was an evening to remember for two of the youngest players in Geelong and St Kilda’s respective squads, as both Brooke Plummer and J’Noemi Anderson made their debuts.
Plummer, who is in fact the youngest Cat on the list, couldn’t have scripted a better week to make her debut as she donned the navy blue and white hoops of the club she has supported her entire life at their spiritual home – only two days before the men’s side go to war in the Grand Final.
The 17-year-old’s debut went exactly to plan, notching up a first win and ending the game with nine disposals.
On the other side, Anderson, who was taken with pick No. 7 at this season’s Victorian draft pool, made her much-anticipated debut and thus, became not only the youngest First Nations player in AFLW history (17 years, 279 days) but the first Indigenous AFLW player to represent St Kilda at the highest level.
Anderson, who is the sister of North Melbourne men’s player Jed and former Blue Joe, donned the number seven made famous by Saints legend Nicky Winmar. It was a quiet first outing for Anderson who had only the single kick and tackle.
Welcome to the big time, J'Noemi Anderson ✨#AFLW | #AFLWCatsSaintspic.twitter.com/CC0ugt3ZQO
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) September 22, 2022
GEELONG 2.3 6.4 8.4 11.5 (71)
ST KILDA 0.1 0.1 3.1 3.3 (21)
D’URBANO’S BEST
Cats: A.McDonald, Prespakis, Morrison, Scott, Webster, Scheer, Bowen
Saints: Exon, Guttridge, Priest
GOALS
Cats: Scott 3, Scheer 3, Moloney 2, Fuller, Morrison, Darby
Saints: White, Shierlaw, Exon
INJURIES
Cats: nil
Saints: McKinnon (concussion), Vesely (concussion), Xenos (knee)
VENUE
GMHBA Stadium
PLAYER OF THE YEAR VOTES
3. Amy McDonald (GEEL)
2. Georgie Prespakis (GEEL)
1. Nina Morrison (GEEL)
Originally published as AFLW 2022: Latest news, updates for round 5, Crows score massive 97-1 win against GWS
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