AFLW 2022: All the results and news from round 10
A young Bomber has been taken hospital for assessement after falling awkwardly in a tackle as Essendon finished its encouraging inaugural season with another win.
AFLW
Don't miss out on the headlines from AFLW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Essendon youngster Lily-Rose Williamson was taken to hospital for assessment on Sunday after hurting her neck in a distressing incident late in the Bombers’ clash with Port Adelaide at Alberton Oval.
With just under two minutes left in the game, Williamson crashed head-first into the turf and rolled over onto her back while her left arm was being held onto by Port’s Maria Moloney in a tackle.
The visibly upset 18-year-old was comforted by nearby Power players, Erin Phillips briefly holding her hand, before she was consoled by her teammates and medical staff arrived.
Bombers coach Natalie Wood told reporters after her side’s 27-point win that Williamson appeared to have avoided a major injury.
“Lily-Rose obviously went down in a really awkward collision ... it’s a neck complaint,” Wood said.
“She’s been taken away in the ambulance and is being well looked after by the medical team.
“She’ll go in for an assessment and we’ll know more then.
“I saw her just before she went into the ambulance and she was in good spirits … the girls had got around her.
“Obviously, it’s a really traumatic thing … no one likes seeing anyone go down hurt.
Hoping Bomber Lily-Rose Williamson is OK after being injured in a tackle 🙠pic.twitter.com/cVagSsIouR
— 7AFL (@7AFL) October 30, 2022
“I thought it was terrific support from our girls who rallied around her, as did the Port Adelaide girls.
“It’s a real sign of camaraderie, which is nice.”
The injury was a sour note on an otherwise resoundingly positive day for Essendon.
The Bombers were rarely troubled on their way to the fourth win of their inaugural AFLW season to finish in 10th spot.
“I’m not sure what the expectations were (of us) … we’ve just looked internally,” Wood said.
“We set some measures with the players about what growth we were trying to get from them and I think for the most part we’ve got that although it perhaps hasn’t always been consistent.
“When we analyse the season and look at the number of players that we’ve experimented with in different positions and seeing what that gives us as a group … there are some real positives from that.
“It will give us a really strong launching pad.”
BOMBERS BEST
The Bombers were the best-performed expansion side in the first season of the 18-team competition, with their fourth win elevating them to 10th spot on the ladder.
With a bit more luck Essendon, who lost two games by two points or less, could have been fighting for a finals berth, which says a lot about the foundation they’ve laid for future success.
Maddie Prespakis starred again with a game-high 24 possessions, but all indications are that she won’t need to carry the bulk of the midfield workload, with help coming from her developing teammates.
Daria Bannister booted two goals to be Essendon’s leading goal-kicker for the season with eight.
Her first in the pouring rain in the second quarter was a checkside beauty from a near-impossible angle that will be a goal-of-the-year contender
POWER BASE
Arnell spoke about “embracing the expectations of this football club” when she was appointed in April and a solitary win and a draw falls short of those expectations.
But in fairness, it was never solely about wins and losses for the Power in the club’s inaugural season.
The key question that the club’s hierarchy will pose when the dust has settled is ‘Have we laid a solid foundation for future success?’
The answer is a qualified ‘Yes’, but there is still much work to be done.
The two key areas the Power will look to address in the off-season are the team’s conversion in attack and the consistency of effort across four quarters.
Gemma Houghton, who was a late out with a quad strain on Sunday, was restricted to four games through injury and the gun forward’s absence again highlighted the Power’s deficiencies in attack.
Port led the inside 50s 7-1 in the first quarter but couldn’t muster a goal or even a mark inside the attacking arc, the Power held goalless in an opening term for the sixth time and goalless in the first half for the third time despite having six more inside 50s.
Erin Phillips, who the club confirmed is continuing her decorated career next season, came agonisingly close to her first goal for the Power, the three-time premiership winner hitting the post in the last quarter.
SCOREBOARD
POWER 0.1 0.3 0.3 1.4 (10)
BOMBERS 1.2 2.2 3.6 5.7 (37)
PHELAN’S BEST
Power: Yorston, Dowrick, Phillips, O’Dea, Ewings, Foley.
Bombers: Prespakis, Vogt, Gee, Bannister, Toogood, Clarke, Scott, Cain.
GOALS
Power: Hammond.
Bombers: Bannister 2, Clarke, Toogood, Alexander.
INJURIES
Power: Houghton (quad – late withdrawal).
Bombers: Williamson (neck).
VENUE
Alberton Oval
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JASON PHELAN’S VOTES
3 Prespakis (Ess)
2 Vogt (Ess)
1 Yorston (PA)
Tigers secure top-four berth in thrilller
Talk about a handy point.
Richmond have secured a top-four berth after a thrilling draw at Arden St against North Melbourne.
It was everything the football community loves about AFLW — a close, tight contest, with everything on the line to play for.
The final two minutes were jam-packed with drama, as the Tigers peppered the goals in search of a major to catapult them into the top four to secure the double chance.
Courtney Wakefield earned a free kick with just seconds on the clock, but her set shot fell short, causing chaos on the goal line as the Tigers forwards rushed a behind to tie the scores.
The Tigers will now take on Brisbane in a qualifying final, whilst the Roos will face Geelong in an elimination final.
RETURN OF THE TAG
Want to beat the Kangaroos?
Coach Ryan Ferguson and the Tigers might have just created the perfect blueprint for the rest of the competition on the eve of the finals.
North Melbourne’s Jas Garner is widely seen as a leading contender for the AFLW Best and Fairest this season, but Richmond deployed young gun Meg Macdonald in a tagging role to great effect.
Macdonald restricted Garner to just five first-half disposals, completely nullifying the superstar Roo.
Perhaps Garner’s biggest rival for the award, Tiger Monique Conti, also received some attention early in the game, but managed to bounce back in the second half to finish with 20 disposals.
Don’t be surprised if seven other clubs are trying to find their version of Meg Macdonald throughout the week.
FINALS BREAKOUT?
Ellie McKenzie continues to grow with every game she plays, and she looms as a key figure for the Tigers ahead of the season seven finals.
McKenzie was her side’s best in the thrilling clash, amassing 15 disposals, five tackles and two goals.
Eilish Sheerin has been a revelation for the Tigers this season too, averaging ten intercept possessions per match.
Her ability to break the lines and generate speed in defence to offense transition makes her one of the most important players to Richmond.
Richmond’s drastic improvement in season seven has come from both trade and organic development and McKenzie’s growth and the unearthing of Sheerin are prime examples of that.
CAPTAIN KEARNEY
She’s been one of the trailblazers of the AFLW competition, but North Melbourne went into their crunch clash without inspirational skipper Emma Kearney due to a knee injury.
“If it was finals, I would probably try to push my case a bit harder,” she said during the half time break.
“Hopefully we go deep in finals, so I just have to rest up over the next week or so.”
Kearney was sorely missed by the Roos, who struggled without her rebound and leadership in the back half.
Kearney has averaged 16.3 disposals throughout season seven, but her calmness under pressure has been her greatest asset.
Tigers duo Courtney Wakefield and Eilish Sheerin (15 disposals) were both under injury clouds heading into the contest, but managed to pass late fitness tests and were crucial to the Tigers victory.
It is likely that Kearney will return for North Melbourne ahead of their elimination final next week against Geelong.
SCOREBOARD
KANGAROOS 1.1, 1.3, 2.8, 3.9 (27)
TIGERS 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, 4.3 (27)
BOLCH’S BEST
Kangaroos: Riddell, M. King, E. King, Bruton, Eddey.
Tigers: McKenzie, Conti, Macdonald, Egan, Miller, Sheerin.
GOALS
Kangaroos: Abbatangelo, Riddell, Bruton.
Tigers: McKenzie 2, Wakefield, Reid.
INJURIES
Kangaroos: nil.
Tigers: nil.
UMPIRES
Mitchell, Pearson, Simmonds
VENUE
Arden Street
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
BOLCH’S VOTES
3 E. McKenzie (RICH)
2 M. Conti (RICH)
1 M. Macdonald (RICH)
Dees one point short of top while Cats sweat on injured star
A late centring ball from Daisy Pearce when she could’ve had a shot cost the Dees top spot by just 0.3 per cent.
In a frantic last quarter that turned into a race against time Melbourne fell agonisingly short of claiming home field advantage throughout the entire finals series.
But the Dees delivered the perfect finals tune up, pulverising West Coast by 78 points as they locked in home finals up until the grand final should they make it that far.
It could’ve been different had the Dees kicked straight early in the game, kicking 13 behinds.
Importantly the Dees got through the game with a clean bill of health as they prepare to take on either North Melbourne or Richmond next weekend in a qualifying final.
Earlier in the season the Dees held on in a nailbiter against the Roos by two-points, while they haven’t played Richmond who is looking to make the top four the first time in club history.
Remarkably the Mick Stinear led Dees have never missed the top four since the inception of AFLW in 2017.
They will look to go one better than last season when Adelaide beat them in the grand final.
The Dees’ key movers are all in hot form at the right time of year with Tyla Hanks (15 touches, four tackles and a goal), Liv Purcell (21 touches and a goal), Eliza West (17 touches and five tackles), and Karen Paxman (13 touches, nine tackles and a goal) all firing.
Libby Birch was at her dominant best across half back with 17 disposals, while Kate Hore’s forward tackling pressure was extraordinary, laying nine tackles to go with her two goals and 16 disposals.
The Eagles failed to win more than two games again, having not done so since their entry into AFLW in 2020.
Despite that, all wasn’t lost for them with a young core of players – 12 on their list under 22 years old – coming on and showing promising signs for the future.
Bella Lewis, 19, was arguably the biggest improver for West Coast, taking her game to another level and delivering career best performances in the back half of the season.
SCOREBOARD
DEMONS: 3.5 5.8 7.12 11.13 79
EAGLES: 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 1
GOALS
Demons: Hore 2, Zanker 2, Paxman, Fitzsimon, Purcell, Bannan, Mackin, Hanks, Heath.
Eagles: nil.
BEST
Demons: Purcell, Birch, Hore, Hanks, Paxman, Mithen, West.
Eagles: Roberts, Thomas, McCarthy.
INJURIES
Demons: nil.
Eagles: Swanston (hamstring awareness).
JAMES MOTTERSHEAD’S VOTES
3 O. Purcell (MELB)
2 L. Birch (MELB)
1 K. Hore (MELB)
PRESPAKIS FEARS OVERSHADOW CATS ROMP
A right ankle injury to Geelong’s AFLW superstar Georgie Prespakis has put a dampener on the Cats’ 75-point obliteration of the hapless Swans at Kardinia Park on Saturday evening.
Prespakis was one of the Cats’ best against Sydney, but her stellar performance came to an abrupt end early in the final term, when she landed awkwardly attempting a shot on goal, and understandably, she was visibly upset on the bench with finals just around the corner.
The young gun helped Geelong give their top-four hopes a big boost in what was a record-breaking performance that saw them smash Sydney 15.12 (102) to 4.3 (27).
The Cats fell five points short of the record AFLW score, which is 16.11 (107) by Melbourne against Fremantle in season six, but they became just the second team to surpass 100 points in the competition’s short history.
CATS SMASH THEIR OWN RECORDS
Heading into the game, Geelong’s biggest score was 71 and their greatest winning margin was 50. By half-time, they were already 9.6 (60) and enjoying a 46-point lead.
The emphatic result confirmed the Cats’ return to the finals and at least temporarily catapulted them from eighth spot on the ladder into fourth.
Geelong headed into Saturday’s clash with a percentage of 144.6, but two hours later it had skyrocketed to 173.0.
If North Melbourne (175.7) defeat Richmond on Sunday, Geelong could yet hold onto fourth spot, which would see them play Brisbane in a qualifying final next week. But if the Kangaroos win by a big enough margin that sees them maintain a better percentage than the Cats, then Geelong will take on Collingwood in an elimination final.
And if the Tigers win, then the Cats will meet North Melbourne in an elimination final.
CATS SHARPEN CLAWS AHEAD OF FINALS
Amy McDonald finetuned her finals preparations with a magnificent performance that saw her amass 34 disposals (22 contested), 11 clearances and a goal, while Prespakis was also influential before she hurt herself, finishing with 27 touches. Chloe Scheer had a day out with a career-high four goals as well.
Their performances were indicative of the Cats’ output as a collective. With a double chance firmly in their minds, Geelong played some of their best ever footy, and were ruthless from start to finish.
Daniel Lowther’s team ended up pummelling the Swans in disposals 298-170, contested possessions 121-77, clearances 29-18 and inside 50s 38-22.
SWANS CLAIM UNWANTED RECORD
As for the Swans, they have recorded the worst ever season in AFLW history, finishing the campaign with a lamentable 0-10 record on the bottom of the ladder, “bettering” Gold Coast’s woeful 0-9 scoreline in 2021, and capping off their debut season from hell in fitting style.
They averaged just 20 points a game this year, to have one of the competition’s worst attacks, while they leaked almost 10 goals a game, to also have the worst defence in the league.
But despite the ample gloom, there were some bright spots for the Swans with top pick Montana Ham showing plenty of promise while recycled players Brooke Lochland and Rebecca Privitelli finished the campaign with seven goals each from limited supply. Bridie Kennedy also showed herself to be a competent run-with player.
CATS NO IMPOSTORS IN 2022
Plenty of shine was taken off Geelong’s one and only finals appearance back in 2019, considering they qualified as the second-best team from Conference B with a 3-4 record, even though North Melbourne (5-2) and Melbourne (4-3) failed to qualify from Conference A despite having better records than the Cats.
And confirmation that they were well out of their depth came a week later in the 2019 preliminary final when they were smashed by 11 goals by the Crows at Adelaide Oval as they were restricted to a measly score of 1.1 (7).
But there can be no doubt about Geelong’s credentials this time around, having finished the season with a sparkling 7-3 record, almost doubling their entire win tally from their first four campaigns (eight).
CATS 5.0, 9.6, 13.9, 15.12 (102)
SWANS 2.2, 2.2, 2.3, 4.3 (27)
BEST:
Cats: A.McDonald, Prespakis, Scheer, Webster, Bowen, Darby.
Swans: Morphett, Hamilton, Newman, Lochland.
GOALS:
Cats: Scheer 4, Parry 2, Darby 2, Scott 2, Kearns, Webster, Morrison, Gardiner, A.McDonald.
Swans: Privitelli, Morphett, Dargan, Lochland.
INJURIES Cats: Prespakis (ankle). Swans: Nil.
RONNY LERNER’S VOTES
3 Amy McDonald (Geel)
2 Georgie Prespakis (Geel)
1 Chloe Scheer (Geel)
CROWS LEAVE IT LATE TO SET UP GRAND FINAL REMATCH
Adelaide did enough to lock up third spot on the ladder and a grand final rematch with the red-hot Dees next week in a qualifying final.
It wasn’t smooth sailing for the Crows who look well below their premiership-winning best from a season ago.
Adelaide went goalless for the first half as the Saints locked them down thanks to a stellar display from skipper Hannah Priest.
But a second-half resurrection saw them pile on three goals to do enough to fly back to the city of churches with the four points on the back of a 16 point win.
It was almost a matter of who would you rather play for the Crows, with a loss pitting them against Brisbane and a win locking in a duel with the Dees – unless Richmond beats North Melbourne by a large margin, about 50 points, on Sunday.
Adelaide didn’t kick a goal until halfway through the third quarter coming via Danielle Ponter as the pressure appeared to be getting to the reigning champs, who could’ve fallen as far as fifth had they lost and Geelong won by a strong margin against wooden spooners in waiting Sydney.
It was the same heads who stood up when it mattered for the Crows, with Ebony Marinoff putting together a best-on-ground performance with 29 touches and nine tackles.
Anne Hatchard played second fiddle to Marinoff and finished with 21 disposals and four tackles.
Ponter kicked two crucial goals, while last season’s leading goal kicker Ash Woodland also added two goals, coming when her side needed them most.
Importantly the Crows got through the game unscathed and had no injury worries coming out of the game.
St Kilda equalled its most wins but would’ve hoped to claim more than just three after winning the first two games of the season.
Importantly the Saints improved both in attack and defence, giving up fewer points and kicking more in Nick Dal Santo’s second season at the helm.
Despite losing Tilly Lucas-Rodd to Hawthorn the Saints welcomed back star midfielder Georgia Patrikios, and when Tyanna Smith returns next season Dal Santo will have a nice mix in the middle.
They will need to target a big-bodied midfielder to help the exciting youth they have and offer a tough defensive edge.
SAINTS: 1.1 1.1 2.1 2.1 13
CROWS: 0.1 0.2 2.3 4.5 29
Goals:
SAINTS: Shierlaw, Patrikios.
CROWS: Ponter 2, Woodland 2.
Best:
SAINTS: Patrikios, McDonald, Shierlaw, Priest, Jakobsson.
CROWS: Marinoff, Ponter, Hatchard, Woodland, Biddell.
Injuries:
SAINTS: nil. CROWS: nil.
JAMES MOTTERSHEAD’S VOTES
3 E. Marinoff (ADEL)
2 D. Ponter (ADEL)
1 A. Hatchard (ADEL)
FALTERING PIES RISK WASTED SEASON AFTER THUMPING
There will be no place like home for Brisbane in November’s AFLW finals series after the relentless Lions all but roared to the minor premiership with a thumping 45-point win over Collingwood at Metricon Stadium on Friday night.
Brisbane finished the home-and-way rounds with a 9-1 record and may not have to leave Queensland to claim the club’s second AFLW flag if they can maintain the ruthless brand of football that has them gunning for a fourth grand final appearance in seven seasons.
They are 42 percent ahead of the second-placed Melbourne on the ladder who take on West Coast on Saturday.
The Lions are poised to earn home ground advantage throughout November when the Queensland heat will make life just as uncomfortable for visitors as Brisbane’s swarming and suffocating defensive pressure, swift ball movement and multi-dimensional forward line.
Brisbane’s peerless backline took Collingwood’s best shot in the opening salvos of the first and second quarters but blitzed the Pies in red time to all but seal the result by halftime with a 30-point lead.
That ability to absorb, repel and respond on the scoreboard when you get an opportunity is what finals footy is all about and Brisbane is built for it in 2022.
PIES WOBBLE AT WORST TIME
The Pies were rolling along at 7-1 a fortnight ago but the 32-point loss to North Melbourne and Friday night’s heavy defeat at the hands of Brisbane have thrust the Magpies into sudden-death territory in the finals.
A top-four berth was a possibility for the Pies but their inability to convert inside 50 entries into shots on goal has come back to bite them. Brisbane’s incredibly miserly defence exposed their worrying lack of forward half execution.
Ash Brazill provided some spark up forward for Collingwood but the defensive pressure from the Lions overwhelmed the visitors who may just be making up the numbers and be finals fodder in November if they can’t find a reliable avenue to goal.
LIONS TALL TIMBER A TRIPLE THREAT
Jesse Wardlaw kicked two goals against Collingwood to take her season tally to 19 while Dakota Davidson was highly influential up forward.
The one-two punch in the ruck of Taylor Smith and Tahlia Hickie also give Brisbane’s star-studded midfield first use of the Sherrin, more often than not.
It’s not just their height that presents a threat all over the ground, they also boast plenty of skill with Wardlaw, Smith and Davidson all hitting the scoreboard.
At the other end of the height scale, small forward Courtney Hodder was outstanding with her tackling, tenacious chasing and highlight reel opportunism in front of goal making her the perfect foil for her key forwards.
BRISBANE’S RUTHLESS STREAK SHOWS
They had not conceded a goal in the first three quarters but it was all about the next challenge of keeping Collingwood goalless for the match and boosting Brisbane’s percentage to ensure the minor premiership and home ground advantage throughout the finals.
The Lions defenders did not take the foot off the pedal and maintained the ferocious intensity but Jaimee Lambert snuck through for Collingwood only goal with less than two minutes left on the clock.
If any team is to kick a winning score against Brisbane in the finals, they will have earned it.
LIONS: 2.1 5.2 6.6 8.7 (55)
MAGPIES: 0.2 0.2 0.3 1.4 (10)
Goals:
LIONS: Wardlaw 2, Hodder 2, Smith 2, Davidson, Svarc
MAGPIES: Lambert
Best:
LIONS: Anderson, Hodder, C Svarc, Conway, Grider, Dawes, Bates
MAGPIES: Cann, Allen, Lambert, Brazill, Molloy
Injuries:
LIONS:
MAGPIES: Molloy (concussion)
GREG DAVIS’ VOTES
3: Ally Anderson
2: Courtney Hodder
1: Cathy Svarc
BULLDOG BLITZ CRANKS UP ALARM FOR FINALS RIVALS
A Keeley Skepper shot at goal after the siren landed agonisingly short and locked in a finals spot for the Western Bulldogs on the back of an Ellie Blackburn masterclass.
The Dogs came from behind to claim the three-point win and will now sit back as teams around them are left to shape their week one opponent.
If results go as expected it is likely the Bulldogs will finish eighth and face Geelong in week one of the finals.
However, should upsets occur they could face any one of Collingwood, North Melbourne or Richmond.
WHO’S HOT?
Ellie Blackburn unsurprisingly led her team from the front and enters the finals in red hot form after playing arguably the best individual game of season seven.
Her team will need her as others struggled to get going at Ikon Park, but Blackburn’s 23 disposal, nine clearance and two-goal game was another reminder she will be one to watch as finals get underway next week.
Deanna Berry was pivotal late and her speed and cleanliness with ball in hand will be crucial as the Dogs look to win silverware for the first time since 2018.
WHO’S IN DOUBT?
Eleanor Brown spent the second half of the game off the ground after a concussion test at halftime and was visibly distressed knowing she would miss the Dogs’ first final.
Brown copped the head knock late in the second term and will only be available to play again this season should the Bulldogs win their first final.
Ellie Blackburn looked to seriously injure her foot or ankle in a tough tackle, but the Dogs’ skipper fought on and seemed untroubled for the remainder of the game.
BLUE SEASON
The Blues failed to make the finals for their third season in a row, struggling to get out of the gates in season seven after losing key personnel in the preseason.
It is their worst finish since 2018 when they won the wooden spoon and a regression on their 4-6 record from earlier this year.
One late-season positive was the move of marquee forward Darcy Vescio to half back.
The 29-year-old struggled to get their hands on the ball early in the season before the Daniel Harford masterstroke. They went from averaging 6.4 disposals per game to 11.5.
The continued development of starlet Mimi Hill has caught the eye as she established herself as a top tier AFLW midfielder but will need to add a harder defensive side to her game and hit the scoreboard more as she develops.
Abbie McKay’s breakout has arguably been the biggest positive for Carlton as they looked to fill the large shoes left by now Bomber Maddie Prespakis.
McKay found the ball seven more times a game this season and provided plenty of grunt with seven tackles per game, too.
The blowtorch will be on Harford, who took the Blues to the 2019 decider, after year-on-year regression since.
SCOREBOARD
BLUES 3.2 3.2 4.7 4.7 31
DOGS 1.0 3.2 3.3 5.4 34
MOTTERSHEAD’S BEST
Blues: Hill, McKay, Peterson, Vescio, Moody.
Dogs: Blackburn, Pritchard, Lynch, Cranston, Edmonds.
GOALS
Blues: Schaap 2, O’Dea 2.
Dogs: Blackburn 2, Hartwig, Cranston, Woodley.
INJURIES
Blues: nil.
Dogs: Brown (concussion).
Ikon Park
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
JAMES MOTTERSHEAD’S VOTES
3 E. Blackburn (WB)
2 M. Hill (CARL)
1 A. McKay (CARL)
How Moodys balance racing, footy and rivalry
Sunday night counter meals can go either way in the Moody family.
There’s a lot to cover.
There’s dad Peter’s weekend runners to discuss, as one of Australia’s eminent horse trainers, from Morphettville to Moonee Valley, Sandown to Sale.
Then there’s Breann’s Blues and Celine’s Western Bulldogs in the AFLW, plus sister Cara and mum Sarah’s showjumping and other achievements.
A parma and a pot almost doesn’t seem like enough time to take in the performances of one of Australia’s busiest sporting families.
“There’s nothing like sitting down at a pub on a Sunday night and recapping everyone’s results from the weekend,” Breann laughed this week.
Her twin sister Celine said “some Sundays it’s a Sunday well celebrated, and other times you’re just (in silence)”.
Dad Peter’s alarm will go off at 2.50am on Friday.
The day – which includes trackwork at the operation’s Pakenham base, a couple of spring racing functions and keeping an eye on the races all day – will end at Ikon Park at the footy, where Celine and Breann will face off in the final round of the AFLW season, the former fighting for a finals spot.
He’ll miss Friday night’s Moonee Valley meeting – the grudge matches don’t come around too often – but an early flight to Sydney on Saturday morning beckons with two key runners in Sydney’s $10 million Golden Eagle.
The AFL’s call to move the AFLW season plonked it bang in the middle of the racing industry’s busiest time in the calendar, not that the ever-laconic trainer minds too much.
“I suppose it puts it in the middle of our spring racing carnival and also the girls and I had a trip to Birdsville planned in September, for the iconic Birdsville Races, so it threw that out of kilter, as well,” he told the Herald Sun at Moody Racing’s Pakenham headquarters.
“I can respect the sport looking for that bit of fresh air. It is what it is. I go to what games when I can, and the girls understand that and they know the hours I keep.”
Mum Sarah will don a split Blues-Dogs guernsey, while Peter hedges his bets a bit.
“I wear a neutral blue,” he said.
“I’m just happy to watch, and the competitiveness that I’ve seen in them since they were teeny little girls continues on.”
Moody, who famously took star sprinter Black Caviar to Royal Ascot and even met the Queen, is – according to the twins – “one of those hecklers you’d hate to be sitting in front of at the footy”.
“His new favourite word is ‘ball!’,” Celine says.
Breann says he’ll deliver “a little bit of a spray” on occasion during the game, “but he’s also our biggest supporter”.
“It’s just a mutual respect, too,” Celine said.
“We know how hard him and Mum work in this operation, but we don’t expect them to just drop everything and come to our games. We both have got big things happening and we try to get (to the races and them to our games) when we can.”
The twins are both “accomplished horsewomen, much like their mother”, Peter says, with Celine – a trained information systems technician in the army – brushing aside a horse allergy that’s responding to immunotherapy to chip in with the family business.
They hope to attend the Spring Carnival with family and friends, but Celine is hoping a different kind of cup might be on the horizon other than Tuesday’s most-famous equine battle.
“The prospect of being able to get to a little bit of the Melbourne Cup carnival was great, but then we’ve put ourselves in such a great position to be able to play finals that I think for me, that’s just become even more exciting,” she said.
“I’ve been at the club for five seasons and this is potentially my first finals berth. I’d love to be at Cup Day, but I’d love to have a (premiership) cup in my hand even more.
“A Golden Eagle (win) and some AFLW finals would be pretty exciting for us.”
Breann believes the three Moody girls will “always be surrounded” by racing, but with Friday night’s family face-off firmly in her sights in Carlton’s annual Respects game, she’ll “definitely” be taking the opportunity to take down her twin in a tackle if given half the chance.
“And I think some cheeky elbows in the ruck,” she joked.
“This year, we’re playing predominantly different positions. Celine’s come out and had an amazing year as a forward, so if she can put a couple of goals on the board and I can get a few hitouts over their ruck, (it will be good).”
Like most siblings, there’s been plenty of banter in the lead-up.
“I’ve asked for the first centre bounce … just to give the family something to cheer about,” Celine said.
Breann doesn’t miss her chance.
“I’ll try and take a speccy on her back,” she chips in.
But it’s Celine’s mini eye-roll that would no doubt resonate with any sister pairing.
“Oh, please.”
More Coverage
Originally published as AFLW 2022: All the results and news from round 10
Injury-hit Demons stun Crows in Norwood thriller
Struck down by a host of injuries across their team, the Dees have managed to keep their AFLW season alive by pulling off a thrilling victory over the Crows.
AFLW players in ‘push’ for major change
A leading broadcaster says AFLW players are lobbying the league for a radical overhaul of the competition.