AFLW Teams: See the full teams for the weekend’s finals
Adelaide captain Chelsea Randall needed the week off after rolling her ankle in the last minor round. But was it enough? See the full preliminary final teams.
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Melbourne captain Daisy Pearce has failed in her valiant effort to return from a knee injury suffered a fortnight ago, and will miss Saturday’s preliminary final against the Crows at Adelaide Oval.
Pearce has travelled with the Demons to Adelaide and will again provide vocal support from the sidelines.
It means the Dees will head into the do-or-die final unchanged and come into the match on the back of a five-game winning streak.
Melbourne thumped Adelaide by 28 points at Casey Fields in Round 7, which Crows coach Matthew Clarke described as his side’s “poorest performance of this season”.
“But we feel as though we have learnt from that game, not only leading into this week, but we feel as though it’s helped us over the last fortnight … the Melbourne (loss) was a really good learning opportunity because the contest wasn’t at the level we’d like,” he said.
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In particular, Adelaide was beaten around the centre bounce and came out of that game having lost hit-outs 8-21, clearances 16-21 and inside-50s 22-40.
Adelaide’s No. 1 ruck option Rhiannon Metcalfe had been rested for that game replaced by Caitlin Gould, but since Round 7, the Crows have played dual rucks and have not lost the hitout count (33-15 against the Bulldogs in Round 8 and finishing 21-a piece against Collingwood in Round 9).
So it comes as no surprise that Clarke has stuck with the Metcalfe/Gould combination for the preliminary final.
Among the Demon players who will come under the close watch of Adelaide will be veteran midfielder Karen Paxman, who had a team-high 20 touches against Fremantle in last weekend’s 17-point qualifying final win.
“(Paxman’s) a proven performer over a long period of time, enormous work rate … how you cover her is you put a pretty good player on her and hope they have similar attributes,” Clarke said.
“We’ve got a few of those, and that’s going to be part of the excitement, some of those individual battles will be worth watching.”
Clarke said after finishing minor premiers and earning a week’s rest, the bye had been beneficial for a number of his players who had a few niggles, including captain Chelsea Randall who rolled her ankle in the last minor round game a fortnight ago and for the first time this season will enter a game unchanged.
LIONS AND MAGPIES MAKE ONE CHANGE EACH
Meanwhile, Brisbane and Collingwood have boosted their back lines as they prepare to face off in their preliminary final clash at the Gabba.
The Lions welcome back defender Shannon Campbell who has missed with concussion at the expense of Rheanne Lugg, while the Pies have included small defender Sophie Casey who has also overcome concussion with Joanna Lin missing out.
An inaccurate Brisbane beat the Magpies by three points – 4.11 (35) to 4.8 (32) – when the teams last met in Round 7.
Adelaide v Melbourne at the Adelaide Oval, 1.40pm ACST
ADELAIDE
B: A.Foley 3 M.Rajcic 32
HB: N.Allen 8 S.Allan 39 S.Thompson 14
C: T.Charlton 25 E.Phillips 13 J.Mules 23
HF: R.Martin 5 C.Randall – C 26 C.Scheer 4
F: A.Woodland 24 E.Jones 2
Foll: R.Metcalfe 11 E.Marinoff 10 A.Hatchard 33
I/C: C.Gould 1 D.Varnhagen 9 D.Ponter 15 D.Cox 31 H.Button 6
Emerg: C.Biddell 12 A.Considine 16
No change
MELBOURNE
B: L.Magee 26 L.Birch 9
HB: S.Heath 30 S.Lampard 8 M.Downie 2
C: C.Sherriff 18 E.Zanker 29 E.McNamara 22
HF: J.Parry 19 K.Hore 10 S.Scott 12
F: M.Gay 3 A.Bannan 16
Foll: L.Pearce 15 K.Paxman – C 4 T.Hanks 5
I/C: G.Colvin 32 C.Emonson 11 L.Mithen 14 T.Cunningham 1 B.Tarrant 20
Emerg: N.McEvoy 17 M.Fitzsimon 24
No change
Brisbane v Collingwood at the Gabba, 4.10pm AEST
BRISBANE
B: E.Zielke – C 8 S.Campbell 20
HB: K.Lutkins 13 N.Grider 10 B.Koenen 3
C: O.O’Dwyer 9 C.Svarc 25 S.Conway 12
HF: G.Bodey 15 D.Davidson 14 L.Arnell 16
F: J.Wardlaw 30 C.Hodder 21
Foll: T.Hickie 24 A.Anderson 18 E.Bates 1
I/C: I.Tahau 26 J.Ellenger 5 I.Dawes 17 J.Wuetschner 23 T.Smith 31
Emerg: M.Moloney 28 R.Lugg 11
In: S.Campbell
Out: R.Lugg (omitted)
COLLINGWOOD
B: R.Schleicher 18 A.Porter 9
HB: A.Brazill 10 S.Livingstone 12 S.Casey 22
C: S.Chiocci 17 J.Lambert 13 E.Fowler 15
HF: A.Sheridan 14 S.Alexander 24 K.Stratton 41
F: C.Molloy 2 M.Cann 25
Foll: S.Norder 1 B.Davey – C 3 B.Bonnici 8
I/C: E.O’Dea 50 S.Rowe 7 T.Brown 26 B.Smith 19 M.Shevlin 35
Emerg: J.Lin 20 A.Newman 16
In: S.Casey
Out: J.Lin (omitted)
AFLW TIPS: WHAT CHANCE AN ALL-VIC GRAND FINAL?
And then there were four.
Adelaide, Melbourne, Collingwood and Brisbane will vie for a spot in the AFLW big dance in this weekend’s preliminary finals.
Can the Demons pull off a minor miracle in Adelaide or will the Crows continue their traditional dominance of the league. And will those plucky Pies come away from the trip to Brisbane with a Grand Final spot?
Here is what our expert tipsters think:
Matt Turner 52
Adelaide 16
Collingwood 8
Last Week 1
Liz Walsh 51
Adelaide 25
Brisbane Lions 12
Last Week 2
Ebony Marinoff 50
Adelaide
Brisbane Lions
Last Week 1
Mark Robinson 49
Adelaide 8
Brisbane 12
Last Week 2
Chris Cavanagh 48
Adelaide 6
Collingwood 1
Last Week 2
Glenn McFarlane 48
Adelaide 7
Collingwood 1
Last Week 2
Ellie Blackburn 47
Adelaide
Collingwood
Last Week 1
Michael O’Brien 46
Melbourne 20
Brisbane Lions 5
Last Week 2
Kate Salemme 46
Adelaide 5
Collingwood 2
Last Week 0
Rebecca Williams 46
Adelaide 9
Brisbane 7
Last Week 2
Kate McCarthy 43
Melbourne
Brisbane Lions
Last Week 2
Sarah Jones 42
Adelaide 7
Collingwood 3
Last Week 2
Darcy Vescio 41
Melbourne
Brisbane Lions
Last Week 2
Kiss of Death 15
Melbourne 13
Collingwood 13
Last Week 0
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN FOR MCG TO HOST AFLW GRAND FINAL
The AFLW Grand Final time and date have been set in stone and now its over to the clubs to determine whether the hosting venue will be Adelaide Oval, The Gabba in Brisbane or the MCG.
The league announced on Wednesday that the AFLW showpiece would be handed a stand-alone timeslot of 2pm AEST on Saturday, April 17.
The right to host the Grand Final falls to the highest-ranked team
If top side Adelaide accounts for Melbourne in this weekend’s preliminary final, the season decider is guaranteed to be held at Adelaide Oval.
If the Crows stumble and second-placed Brisbane beats Collingwood, the Lions win the right to have the Grand Final at The Gabba.
But Collingwood (third) and Melbourne (fourth) would both have to spring upsets for the first-ever AFLW Grand Final to be played at the MCG.
The AFL also moved to give the women’s playoff clear air by pushing back the start of the men’s Round 5 clash between the Western Bulldogs and Gold Coast — from 1.45pm AEST to 4.35pm.
AFL General Manager Women’s Football Nicole Livingstone said as per the first two weeks of the finals series, tickets to the Grand Final would remain at $10, while children aged under 18 would attend for three.
AFL chief executive Gill McLachlan said season five of the AFLW competition had been the best one yet.
“The Finals Series has so far proven to be an extremely competitive one — any of the top four teams can win through to the Grand Final,” he said.
“We are calling on the whole Australian football community to come and see our best performing teams compete for the Premiership.”
AFL General Manager Women’s Football Nicole Livingstone said as per the first two weeks of the finals series, tickets to the Grand Final would remain at $10, while children aged under 18 would attend for three.
“We hope to see as many supporters as possible attending what shapes up to be an exciting contest between the Competition’s two strongest sides of 2021,” she said.
“I would love nothing more than to see a packed Adelaide Oval, MCG or The Gabba, watching women’s football at the highest level.”
Adelaide, who finished as minor premiers, take on Melbourne at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
The winner of that match will play either Brisbane or Collingwood, who play after the first preliminary final, who clash at the Gabba.
For a MCG Grand Final, the Pies will have to defeat Brisbane while Melbourne would have to shock the Crows.
Brisbane’s wet weather is forecast to clear for the Saturday’s do-or-die preliminary final clash against Collingwood, with tickets going on sale to the public from 3.30pm Wednesday.
Tickets will be $10 for adults while children under 18-years-old will be allowed free entry.
Adelaide Oval will be able to have a crowd of up to 40,000 for the Crows AFLW preliminary final match against Melbourne.
Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday for the clash.
The Oval’s current COVID management plan will apply for the preliminary final, meaning 75 per cent of the stadium can be filled on Saturday.
‘IT IS WHAT IT IS’: PIES STAR PLAYS DOWN AFLW CLASH
-Chris Cavanagh
‘It is what it is’: Pies star plays down AFLW clash
Collingwood co-captain Stephanie Chiocci says the AFLW would “love to take over the channels” and have its own space in the sporting calendar but accepts the scheduling problems that currently present themselves.
The AFL has been criticised for failing to give its women’s competition clean air during the finals series, with matches clashing with big days of men’s fixtures.
The Magpies will play a preliminary final against Brisbane Lions on Saturday at 4.10pm, after a clash between Adelaide and Melbourne at 2.10pm on the same day.
The AFL has a men’s match on Thursday night this week but still has two bumper games scheduled on Saturday afternoon, with the Western Bulldogs playing Brisbane in Ballarat at 1.35pm and St Kilda hosting West Coast at Marvel Stadium at 4.35pm.
“In an ideal world, we’d love to take over the channels and be the only game playing,” Chiocci said.
“But it’s the way it is at the moment. We’re fully understanding of that. We’re playing in a summer competition.
“I look forward to the day that we are a stand-alone competition where it’s not clashing with any other sport. But for the moment it is what it is.
“We just want to make sure we put on a good show for our Collingwood fans and get the win on the weekend. That’s what we’re focused on for the moment. We’ll let others talk about the media stuff and the clashes and all those sort of things.”
The AFLW Grand Final is scheduled to be held on the weekend of April 17 and 18.
There are four men’s matches schedule on April 17 and three on April 18.
Fox Sports has launched a dedicated Women’s channel for the month of April, which is showcasing the AFLW finals.
MAGPIE OGS TO ‘GRIT TEETH’ IN PRELIM
They are known at Collingwood as the ‘Original Gangsters’ — or OGs for short — and the five members of the special group had extra reason to celebrate on the weekend.
Having been on the journey with the Magpies since the club’s inaugural AFLW season in 2017, the “OG’s” finally got a taste of finals success as they helped the club to a semi-final victory over North Melbourne.
“I was a little bit emotional when the siren went,” Chiocci said.
“There’s only five of us left from the first season. We’re really enjoying this ride at the moment. I’m just super proud that all the hard work’s starting to pay off.
“Steve Symonds (Collingwood coach) came in at the start of last year and ignited the fire in us and invested in our young talent. Girls saw what path we were on and wanted to be part of the journey.”
However, the original five — Chiocci, Brittany Bonnici, Sophie Casey, Stacey Livingstone and Ruby Schleicher — and their teammates aren’t satisfied just yet.
The Magpies now have Brisbane in their sights in a preliminary final showdown at the Gabba this Saturday as they look to swoop their way into their first Grand Final.
Symonds had written “Fight all the way” on his whiteboard before the semi-final clash with the Kangaroos, which Collingwood won by six points after trailing by 14 points early in the last quarter.
The Magpies fell to the Lions by three points when the sides last met in Round 7, but Chiocci said the group would again be fighting until the final siren this weekend.
“They don’t really have many weaknesses, the Lions,” Chiocci said.
“But we’re very resilient, big fighters and the girls were ready to grit their teeth and get the job done against the Kangaroos.
“I’m fairly confident that our girls can prepare well again and find a way to get through them this weekend.”
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