AFLW finals: Adelaide defeats Fremantle to earn preliminary final against Brisbane Lions

Adelaide showcased its premiership credentials with a commanding semi-final victory over Fremantle, sounding a warning to preliminary final opponent Brisbane Lions.

Red-hot Adelaide stormed into a preliminary final with a commanding 37-point win against Fremantle on Saturday, Ebony Marinoff and Chelsea Randall inspiring the Crows in sweltering conditions at Norwood Oval.

The Dockers started brightly enough, but couldn’t muster a goal in the first half, Adelaide setting up a preliminary final blockbuster against the Lions in Brisbane with a four-goals-to-nil second quarter.

Matthew Clarke’s side will feature in its fifth preliminary final in a row, and sixth in the club’s storied history, with the dominant display in the sudden-death semi-final played in draining temperatures hovering in the mid-30s throughout.

“We’re rapt, of course,” Clarke said.

“I thought maybe the first five minutes Fremantle looked a bit sharper out of the blocks, but the group responded really well, worked their way through, and broke the game open in the second quarter.

“From there it was a pretty even tussle, but we’re very happy with that outcome.”

Marinoff started quietly by her high standards, but worked into the game brilliantly, with Randall, Maddie Newman, and Anne Hatchard all important.

Adelaide stars Sarah Allan, Stevie-Lee Thompson, Hatchard and Marinoff made history, with the powerhouse quartet becoming the first four players to feature in 15 AFLW finals.

That finals-hardened edge that the perennial contenders have developed since the competition’s inception proved telling against the relatively inexperienced Dockers.

Chelsea Randall pokes through the opener!#AFLWFinals | #AFLWCrowsFreopic.twitter.com/ySCQv6mJPo

— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) November 16, 2024

CHELSEA’S CHARGE

Randall’s influence in the forward half was pivotal, the former skipper booting Adelaide’s first goal and featuring prominently in her side’s second-quarter onslaught.

Despite leading the inside 50 count 13-6 at the first break, the Crows didn’t have it all their own way early.

The hard-working Dockers denied the home side time and space in possession to eke out an early lead before Randall struck inside the last minute of the opening term.

Randall charged down a loose ball inside 50, popped a quick handball over the top to Danielle Ponter, who gave it back quickly, with Randall making contact just in time with a desperate lunge as the ball headed to the goal line to give her side a four-point quarter-time lead.

Gabby Newton came from the ground following this marking contest.#AFLWFinals | #AFLWCrowsFreopic.twitter.com/gBVIx7HCVA

— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) November 16, 2024

SECOND SURGE

Adelaide surged forward in waves in a dominant opening to the second quarter, the Dockers defending grimly but unable to hold back the sheer weight of numbers, the home side with the first 10 inside 50s for the term.

Taylah Levy found the middle three minutes in, followed by Hannah Munyard’s well-taken goal as Adelaide put on a game-defining run of four unanswered majors, Adelaide leading the inside 50 count 26-13 at the main break.

For all her undoubted skills, Marinoff isn’t a noted goalkicker, so when she opened the scoring in the second half, the superstar was mobbed by jubilant teammates, with her goal all but snuffing out any chance of a Fremantle fightback.

Rachelle Martin works the angles for a magnificent finish!@Coles | #AFLWFinals | #AFLWCrowsFreopic.twitter.com/OTSZtLu52Z

— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) November 16, 2024

DOCKERS DOWN

The visitors weren’t helped by injury blows to key players Hayley Miller and Gabbie Newton.

Newton was helped from the field after crashing to the turf heavily after a first-quarter marking contest, and Miller battled knee soreness after an incident early in the second term.

Both were able to return after lengthy absences that proved costly.

SCOREBOARD

CROWS 1.1 5.3 7.5 7.7 (49)

DOCKERS 0.3 0.4 1.5 1.6 (12)

PHELAN’S BEST CROWS: Marinoff, Randall, Newman, Hatchard, J Allan, S Allan, Biddell. DOCKERS: Newton, O’Driscoll, McCarthy, East, Strom.

GOALS CROWS: Randall, Ponter, Munyard, Martin, Marinoff, Levy, Ballard. DOCKERS: Seth.

INJURIES CROWS: Nil. DOCKERS: Miller (knee).

NORWOOD OVAL

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

JASON PHELAN’S VOTES

3 Marinoff (Adel)

2 Randall (Adel)

1 Newman (Adel)

Originally published as AFLW finals: Adelaide defeats Fremantle to earn preliminary final against Brisbane Lions