Libby Birch collected the ball in North Melbourne’s defence and was crunched in a tackle by Demon Shelley Heath. The Melbourne utility was more than happy to add an extra shove on her former premiership teammate.
What ensued was a bit of scuffle, with players from both sides joining in – and Birch on the bottom of a pack.
Libby Birch is heavily tackled by her former teammate.Credit: Seven
It was the first game Birch has played against Melbourne since switching colours in the off-season and while copping a bit of heat, she had the last laugh as the Kangaroos claimed a resounding 50-point victory. In fact, it was the most points the Demons have ever conceded in AFLW history.
Birch has been candid about wanting to join a team in the hunt for the flag that has the stocks to help her develop more as a player too. It seemed like the right call after Sunday’s dominant display, keeping the Demons to just three goals while piling on 11 of their own.
Melbourne have now lost two in a row, after going down to Brisbane last week by 18 points. In that game, they managed just the two majors. The Dees have been hit with injuries to start their season, namely Tayla Harris (shoulder), Liv Purcell (face) and Lauren Pearce (wrist), but were still expected to be more competitive than currently showing.
Meanwhile, North Melbourne, Adelaide and St Kilda are the season’s remaining undefeated teams.
Grigg the excitement machine
Elaine Grigg was a prized draft selection last year, taken with pick 6 by the Western Bulldogs, a crucial midfield-forward cog in the side’s rebuild. And on Thursday night, the glimpses of the superstar she’s touted to become were on full show, particularly in one hard tackle on Eagle Jessica Rentsch.
“She puts her body on the line, the excitment machine,” exclaimed commentator Kelli Underwood in another moment where Grigg weaved through players while running down the guts of the ground to set up a teammate’s goal.
A needed bright spot for fans too, after the Dogs’ rough start to the season has them at 0-3 and squarely down the bottom of ladder with a percentage of just 24. The latest defeat at the hands of Daisy Pearce’s Eagles, who clinched an 11-point win at Whitten Oval, their second of the season.
The Dogs have a hard run now, making finals all but out of the question in the short 11-round home-and-away season.
In the men’s competition, a 0-5 start can be overcome, as seen with Hawthorn’s finals appearance. But the same kind of poor start is soon fatal for the women’s campaign. While Grigg may come on in leaps and bounds this season, the game time needed to really hit her stride might have to wait under next year (or the one after).
Magpies in troubled water
Similarly, after Collingwood were decimated by Brisbane on Friday night by 52 points, the 0-3 Pies now have a huge mountain to climb if they are to contend for finals. Gold Coast were also at risk of starting with three straight losses, but clocked a draw with GWS on Sunday afternoon.
But there’s hope there’s hope on the horizon for Collingwood, as player selection has hampered their early run. Their injury list includes Lauren Butler (calf), Imogen Evans (hamstring), Kalinda Howarth (ACL), Mikayla Hyde (foot) and Annie Lee (knee). Then add Eleri Morris out of Friday’s clash late with illness and Tarni White’s three-match suspension for a bump on Sydney’s Maddy Collier in week one.
Natalie Grider of the Lions and Eliza James of the Magpies.Credit: AFL Photos
In fact last week, the Magpies were forced to name two VFLW players as emergencies to reach the minimum 24 required for game day. Against the Lions, they got back Irish import Muireann Atkinson from concussion protocols and debuted 31-year-old Jordan Ivey, a competition veteran. But, still down on troops, managed just the three goals.
Despite the potential to get things rolling as players return from injury, the Pies don’t have much wriggle room left in their season. Last season, St Kilda started 0-3 and just missed finals on percentage.
Blues, Saints on track early
Most pundits had Geelong snuggly in their final top eight, while few had Carlton.
This looked like a fair assessment of how the season would unravel when the Cats narrowly went down to 2022 premiers Melbourne by two points in round one and drew with flag favourites North Melbourne last week. All the while, Carlton were thrashed by expansion side Hawthorn in round one before narrowly beating lowly Gold Coast.
But on Saturday, the Blues held the Cats goalless, while piling on four of their own to claim a 24-point victory.
And in true Melbourne fashion, it was a game that featured all the elements – rain, hail and shine – which impacted the state of play. In a wet opening term, the only score was a Carlton behind off the boot of Darcy Vescio 15 minutes in. Then in the second half, with ice starting to pelt down, the only major was from Tarni Brown.
Carlton and Geelong battle in the elements at IKON Park.Credit: via Getty Images
Geelong now sit in the bottom four, while Carlton are on the cusp of the eight.
Taking the competition by storm, however, have been St Kilda, who finish the round on top of the ladder with a 3-0 start, their latest victory against Essendon on Sunday afternoon.
With eight home-and-away rounds to go, not only are finals looking likely for the Saints, but a genuine stab at the premiership.
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