AFLW: League and coaching to blame for defensively boring matches

The Western Bulldogs failed to kick a goal in one of the AFLW’s worst ever games on Friday night. LAUREN WOOD looks at why we are seeing low scores, with coaching and the league to blame.

AFL Women’s has had some stellar moments this season.

Matilda Scholz’s hanger for Port Adelaide this week.

Hawthorn’s gutsy round 5 win over Geelong in what was arguably the best game in the league’s nine seasons.

But Friday night’s Whitten Oval clash was anything but.

“The game looked how we wanted it to look.”

They are damning words from Western Bulldogs coach Tamara Hyett after her team’s clash with Essendon at Whitten Oval.

Tamara Hyett is under fire for her style of coaching. Picture: Getty Images

It’s a pity Hyett didn’t tell the fans that before 4000 of them made the trek to Whitten Oval to watch her side fail to kick a goal in one of the AFLW’s worst games.

Beautiful night, biggest Victorian crowd of the season. Local rivals ... Defensively boring.

And the worst bit? Planned to be that way. It was an education for the Dogs’ young players said the coach. In what? Playing not to be blown out, not playing to win?

It can’t be enjoyable for players, many of whom are exhausted after a condensed period of games that has been difficult for all involved in the industry.

This season was always going to be tough for the Dogs, who have chalked two wins against Collingwood and Sydney.

They’ve got it in them and have played some good footy in what was always going to be a tough season.

But at least go down swinging – and with a bit of flair.

In an age when sport is entertainment, Essendon’s 3.8 (26) to 0.3 (3) victory was a snoozefest.

And it wasn’t just the dearth of goals – it was how the game was played.

The Bulldogs have gone goalless in their last two games. Picture: Getty Images

This is not a one-off. The Bulldogs have failed to kick a goal in three matches this season – an unwanted AFLW record.

Just one goal was scored until three-quarter-time in perfect conditions and two of the game’s three majors came via 50m penalties.

And it was all on purpose. Two behind the ball, even when the Dogs kicked with the wind. No scoring threat.

The Western Bulldogs are not solely to blame. The season is seven rounds old and already a team has not scored a goal in six matches. Sides have scored just one goal in another five games, including West Coast on Saturday.

How is this happening?

This was season-one type stuff – a season later, clubs were urged by headquarters in a leaked memo to play a more attacking brand.

They were lashed at the time, but maybe it’s warranted again.

Seasoned and successful AFLW coaches have spoken of their responsibility to deliver a product that people want to watch.

That’s just reality.

The league isn’t off the hook here either.

Expansion happened quickly.

They’ve enabled this approach to games, and maybe even fuelled it with a condensed fixture that has hampered teams’ ability to deliver the football that many teams would love to play, and rules like 16-a-side making ball movement difficult – often at windswept suburban grounds.

Both teams off the back of their condensed fixture period but now we’re officially at the end of it, let’s not do it again please and thanks. Four games in 14ish days equals this in prime time. Extras behind, players exhausted. Big no thanks. #AFLW

— Lauren Wood (@LaurenHeraldSun) October 11, 2024

That was no excuse for the Dogs who were coming off consecutive six and eight-day breaks, but it’s been a factor for many sides over the past six weeks.

It’s no coincidence that the best game of the season was at GMHBA Stadium.

There’s a responsibility from umpires, too – as noted by two-time premiership coach Craig Starcevich – to officiate in a manner to keep the game open.

Essendon coach Natalie Wood could only coach against what the Dogs threw at her team.

Crowd numbers are down this season. They aren’t everything. But in Sydney, they’re queuing up for a smell of what the Swans are cooking. Same with the high-flying Hawks.

Exciting. Fast. Fun footy.

And that’s exactly what this competition needs.