Melbourne scores first win of season, Collingwood held to equal-lowest score in AFLW history
Melbourne has ruined Collingwood’s AFLW Victoria Park debut with Demons captain Elise O’Dea and Karen Paxman engineering a thumping win as the Magpies were held to the league’s equal-lowest score.
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Collingwood’s happy homecoming became a house of horrors on Saturday after the Pies were held to the equal-lowest score in AFLW history.
Returning to Victoria Park for the competition’s historic debut match, Collingwood made some unwelcome history in a 3.8 (26) to 1.3 (9) loss to Melbourne.
The Pies’ final score tied the lowest score mark set by Greater Western Sydney in a game in which they were brushed aside by the Demons.
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Collingwood’s only goal came with four minutes left when Sarah Dargan soccered one through from the goalsquare, sparing the Pies from becoming the only AFLW side to finish a game goalless.
Melbourne’s first win of the season was engineered by a dominant midfield, with ruck Lauren Pearce pulling the strings.
Skipper Elise O’Dea (26 possessions) and Karen Paxman (18 touches) then went to work for a Demons outfit that had 34 more contested possessions and won the inside 50m count 31-12.
Ashleigh Brazill fought a lone-hand against the tide, but the Pies simply couldn’t maintain possession to a standard that was going to test the Melbourne defence.
O’DEA AND PAXMAN SHOW
It was the off-season cleanout Melbourne didn’t want.
Best player Daisy Pearce took time out to start a family while Mel Hickey, Richelle Cranston, Erin Hoare and Anna Teague all joined Geelong.
Reinforcements arrived, of course, but on paper it appeared to leave a big load for captain Elise O’Dea and Karen Paxman to carry.
That was no problem on Saturday, with the pair dominating Collingwood in a blazing first half that set up the win.
O’Dea had 18 possessions and a goal by half-time and Paxman 10 and 0.4.
Incredibly, Paxman kicked the Dees’ first four scores - all behinds - in a what-could-have-been first half.
THE SCORING
Yes it’s the Groundhog Day topic, but people will jump up and down about it after this one.
With 90 seconds left in the first half, the scoreboard read Melbourne 0.4 and Collingwood 0.2.
Late goals to O’Dea and Pearce would see Melbourne go in at the main break with two goals under the belt, but the Pies rarely looked like threatening.
It doesn’t help the home side when Brittany Bonnici wins a centre clearance and kicks the ball 50m the wrong way.
It doesn’t help the visiting side when Pearce doesn’t want to take a set shot from 30m and the siren sounds while she’s handballing to a teammate.
But in truth, the conditions weren’t great. A strong crosswind wreaked havoc with the skills.
Several balls sailed out on the full in front of the old members stand on the northern wing as a blustery southerly wind battered the ground.
It made it hard for both teams to string chains of possession together.
GOOD STOCK
Her grandfather, uncles and cousins endured the notoriously hostile environment in their playing days, but Harriet Cordner played in friendlier surrounds at Victoria Park.
Harriet became the seventh Cordner - and third generation player - to represent Melbourne at Victoria Park, adding another chapter to her family’s rich football history in the second round of the AFL Women’s competition.
A good crowd poured into a reformed Victoria Park, with the AFL putting the official number at 7,228.
The crowd loved this goal from Sarah Dargan!#AFLWPiesDees #AFLW pic.twitter.com/zA1V6r7VwP
— AFL Women's (@aflwomens) February 9, 2019
DARGAN ON TARGET
Collingwood was four minutes away from becoming the first side in AFLW history to finish a game goalless when Sarah Dargan stepped up.
The Pies had 0.2 on the board, but had managed to force the ball forward for Dargan to pounce.
She soccered a loose ball from the goalsquare through the big sticks in front of the Sherrin Stand.
It wasn’t pretty, but the Collingwood diehards didn’t care.
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