Melbourne Demons keep AFLW grand final hopes alive with two-point win against Adelaide Crows

MELBOURNE spoiled the Adelaide Crows’ Darwin homecoming – and bid to book an AFL Women’s grand final berth – with a season-saving two-point triumph on Saturday night.

Adelaide’s Jess Sedunary tries to stop Melbourne’s Laura Duryea.

MELBOURNE spoiled the Adelaide Crows’ Darwin homecoming – and bid to book an AFL Women’s grand final berth – with a season-saving two-point triumph on Saturday night.

Two late Crows goals to Kellie Gibson and Sarah Perkins made things interesting after their previous major came early in the second quarter, but they ran out of time.

An Adelaide win would have sealed its spot in the decider alongside the Brisbane Lions, but the Crows will instead enter their final-round clash with Collingwood off back-to-back losses.

Adelaide’s Jess Sedunary takes a mark opposed to Melbournes’ Elise Strachan.

The Demons rode top-liners Daisy Pearce (20 disposals), Karen Paxman (21) and Elise O’Dea (16) and young gun Lily Mithen (16) back from a 13-point quarter-time deficit to join Adelaide on four wins.

They will still need to beat Fremantle next week and almost certainly rely on another Crows defeat to barge their way into a shot at Lions – such is the Crows’ percentage edge.

Pearce and Paxman had 29 first-half possessions between them to keep Melbourne in the contest, which the Demons turned with inspired football in the second and third quarters.

Their defence repelled the increasingly rare Adelaide forward forays and put the Demons on attack, with one such moment proving the turning point.

Talia Radan claimed what seemed a crucial mark after a strong Melbourne build-up, only to turn the ball over to Shelley Scott and watch the ball go back over her head for a goal.

The Demons had shot seven points clear and controlled proceedings from that stage, going 14 points up until Gibson’s and Perkins’ late intervention gave them a scare.

Adelaide’s Tayla Thorn gets her kick away in front of Melbourne’s Jasmine Grierson.

Sally Riley, one of six Territorians making their home debut, had the honour of kicking the first AFLW goal in the Top End – and, suitably, it was Darwin teenager Tayla Thorn who set it up.

There was nothing special about the way it came, via a free kick and close-range finish, but the moment meant plenty if the raucous celebration was any indication.

Any doubt about the validity of the contest for Darwin fans having their first look at women’s football was wiped inside 10 minutes.

Crow Anne Hatchard collected Ainslie Kemp with a bruising bump – drawing a gasp from the 5100-strong crowd – that sent the groggy young Demon from the field.

And dual Olympic basketballer Erin Phillips (20) offered further entertainment when she got some airtime on Melbourne defender Mel Hickey barely five minutes later.

It mattered little that Phillips’ attempt sailed across the face. The crowd was hooked, but ultimately didn’t get the result most of them were after.

Originally published as Melbourne Demons keep AFLW grand final hopes alive with two-point win against Adelaide Crows