AFLW agenda: All the hits and misses from week four
From a clutch effort after the siren to widespread fixture criticism, Eliza Reilly runs through the hits and misses from Week 4 in the AFLW Agenda.
From a clutch effort after the siren to widespread fixture criticism, Eliza Reilly runs through the hits and misses from Week 4 in the AFLW Agenda.
MISSES
FIXTURE PART I: WHAT A CROCK OF …
Another week means another round of AFLW fixture talking points. The first is the condensed nature of it. In the AFL, clubs can only be fixtured three five-day breaks a season and never back to back. But in the AFLW, the league seems more than happy to make the athletes play three games in nine days. Collingwood has been absolutely pillaged by injuries as has West Coast and it’s no surprise that both clubs have just come out of compressed fixture blocks. List sizes aren’t yet big enough to counter the increased injury risk and younger players who don’t have the miles in the legs are struggling with the tight turnarounds. If increasing the length of the season is the goal, it can’t be at the expense of player welfare. The second issue is the time and place of games.
North Melbourne coach Darren Crocker was bang on when he said it was “less than ideal” for his side to play at 5:05pm last Friday. Despite the Kangaroos recording a 36-point win, just 943 fans rocked up. That’s not their fault. It’s the league for thinking that it was a good idea to fixture a game five minutes after knock-off at the Western Bulldogs’ home ground because of broadcast light requirements. Tuesday’s clash between Richmond and Port Adelaide drew just 1493 spectators to Ikon Park. Build it and they will come? At the moment it’s more like stunt it and hope that they still show up.
FIXTURE PART II: RETURN OF THE LIONS
Craig Starcevich doesn’t miss. The Brisbane premiership mentor hit the nail on the head when he called for the AFL to adopt a floating fixture during his post-game press conference on Sunday so it can be a whole club affair. The Lions girls were able to be at the MCG last year to support their male counterparts given they played Hawthorn in Frankston the next day. But this year, Brisbane has a top-of-the-table clash against Adelaide to prepare for on Sunday. The AFL has made inroads in recent years to encourage a one-club mentality across the competition, headlined by the rebirth of the McClelland Trophy and the $1 million prize attached. After week four, the Lions are in pole position to win the Trophy and currently hold a six-point lead over Sydney. It’s no secret why Brisbane has been a perennial contender.
The Lions have invested heavily in their AFLW program from the outset and the least the AFL could do is reward them with the chance to be there on grand final day. That goes for any non-Victorian club who qualifies for the big dance. This week, non-Victorian sides Gold Coast, Fremantle and Sydney will play in Victoria. It’s great news for the Swans who will share a flight down to Melbourne with their AFL side before playing the Western Bulldogs on Friday. But what if GWS or Port Adelaide had made the grand final this year? They’d be in the same boat as Brisbane given both clubs are playing at home on Sunday. Starcevich’s concern was rightly the amount of pressure the current fixture puts on clubs in terms of resources. Multiple Lions staff work across both programs and will be on an early flight back to Brisbane on Sunday whether they win or lose. A floating fixture is the optimal solution if we want to encourage integration and a sense of shared success.
TRIBUNAL TROUBLE
The AFL tribunal has produced some interesting outcomes already this season but I’ll genuinely pay someone to explain to me why Docker Gabby O’Sullivan’s one match suspension was upheld on Tuesday night. The utility was charged for striking Melbourne’s Sinead Goldrick during the first quarter of Saturday’s Week 4 clash with Melbourne. The MRO initially graded the incident as intentional conduct, low impact, and high contact. Fremantle wanted it downgraded to careless conduct which would’ve resulted in a fine.
But the AFL argued that O’Sullivan’s raised arm and elbow was consistent with an intentional strike. I’ve scrubbed through the vision frame by frame and the only reason O’Sullivan’s arms were raised is because she was attempting to smother. That would’ve resulted in a rough conduct charge instead of striking and the tribunal’s own guidelines say that players who elect to leave the ground to smother will be deemed careless at a minimum. But at the point of impact, one of O’Sullivan’s feet is grounded. Based on the publicly available vision, I don’t know how the ‘intentional’ conclusion was reached given O’Sullivan wasn’t even looking at Goldrick. Behind the goals vision is said to be similarly ambiguous. The tribunal deliberated for an hour and 15 minutes before upholding the one-match ban. And the confusion continues.
HITS
LUCK OF THE IRISH
Aisling McCarthy saw Jamie Stanton’s goal after the siren to level the scores last week and said ‘Hold my Gatorade bottle.’ That was some sort of comeback from Fremantle. In fact, it’s the second-best on record in the AFLW after the Dockers came from 18 points down at three-quarter time to defeat the Demons. Fremantle had no choice but to throw caution to the wind and attack the corridor and they did just that, finding three goals in a little more than six minutes to level the scores. Enter McCarthy who just needed a point to secure victory after winning a free kick for holding the ball but thought ‘You know what, a goal sounds even better.’ The midfielder calmly stayed on her line despite the Irish’s natural inclination to arc out and split the middle, sparking jubilant scenes at Fremantle Oval. It’s just the second win after the siren in AFLW history following Katherine Smith’s goal for GWS back in 2022.
DAUGHTERS OF THE WEST
I wrote last week that if the Western Bulldogs didn’t beat Collingwood, it was tough to see where their first win would come from for the season. Well they didn’t just beat the Magpies, they smashed them. It’s been a baptism of fire for first-year coach Tam Hyett and it was fantastic to see her salute for the first time after an inspired performance. The 42-point win came after a 47-point loss to Brisbane. The Dogs did the basics well and covered brilliantly for the loss of star midfielder Ellie Blackburn to a season-ending foot injury, with Jess Fitzgerald (15 touches, six tackles, three clearances) helping fill the void. Isabelle Pritchard (28 disposals, six clearances) is also putting together a terrific season in the midfield and was the unanimous pick for the 10 coaches votes. The Magpies had their injury troubles but you can only beat what’s in front of you and the Bulldogs were emphatic.
ON THE MOVE?
For all the gripes with the design of the AFLW fixture this season, it’s nice to hear that the league has already gotten a head start on what next year could look like. As reported by this masthead this week, July/early August has been floated as a potential start date for the 2025 season, with players being canvassed on a range of fixturing options in recent weeks. The competition is also set to be expanded to 12 home-and-away games next year. Players have been critical of the AFL in the past for leaving clubs in limbo. But it appears that clarity could be delivered sooner rather than later in a positive step for the competition as it continues to grow.
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