AFLW season two set to deliver more goals after a few rule tweaks
THE new AFL Women’s season is set to deliver what fans and experts have been crying out for — goals, goals and more goals! But there’s more to this competition than simply numbers, writes ELIZA SEWELL.
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PEOPLE get hung up on a lot of things.
When it comes to AFL Women’s, the score, or lack of it, in season one was possibly talked about as much as the wonder of star player Erin Phillips.
Gee, Aussies have a thing about the scoreboard, don’t they?
Soccer is ridiculed when, after 90 minutes of play, it ends in a 0-0 draw and the AFLW numbers, well, they riled a few.
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Last year’s opening round started with a bang at Ikon Park when electric Carlton forward Darcy Vescio booted four goals in front of almost 25,000 people.
Yet Carlton’s winning score was 7.4 (46) to Collingwood’s 1.5 (11).
The opening round produced just 28 goals across four games — the Magpies were one of four clubs to post a single major — prompting experts to question if the lack of scoring was an issue for the fledgling league.
Women’s footy supremo (now former) Simon Lethlean insisted “it’s not a massive concern” but in the same breath added “we’ll do what we can to help with scoring being improved as best we can”.
So this season, the last touch out of bounds rule has been introduced with the aim of hastening play, slashing stoppages and encouraging attacks through the corridor.
The reasons for the change has been explained in myriad ways: it’s to make the game more exciting, more free-flowing, even more “watchable’’ (that one just makes me want to vomit).
But the only thing the AFL really wants is more goals.
Goals, goals, goals. Rain goals! Shut those scoreboard watchers up, please.
Well, this “expert” is predicting a frenzy. OK maybe not a frenzy, but there’ll be higher scores for sure.
By the end of last season Melbourne and Adelaide had each produced a 70-point game, consisting of 11 and 10 goals, respectively.
The latest practice matches have proved more palatable for the critics, with 53 goals kicked across four games.
But it won’t be the rules that are the main stimulus.
Adelaide premiership coach Bec Goddard has said scoring will come with coaching and game plans.
It’ll come from these women not resting since we first saw them last February.
They’ve played a season of VFLW or its equivalent in their off-season.
They’re fitter, stronger, more skilled and now know how to play this modified game.
Sixteen-a-side was new to you? It was new to them too.
While the players’ lowly wage has been increased to a marginally better one, the contact hours at the club have gone up from nine to 15. But they’re doing more than that.
They weren’t allowed to start pre-season training at their club until November.
The reality? They’ve been going since March 26, the day after Goddard and Phillips lifted the first premiership cup.
The union should be crying blue murder but those scoreboard watchers will be pleased as it will all result in more goals.
But let’s not get hung up on the numbers. The contest is the real thing.
NEW IN 2018
* Last touch out of bounds - free kick against a player who kicks or handballs the ball over the boundary line
* Interchange bench of five, down from six
* Time-on in the last two minutes of each 15-minute quarter
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