AFLW finals: All the news ahead of week one

All the AFLW attention is on a blockbuster finals series, but the league has just dropped its 40-player All-Australian squad for 2021.

Tigers starlet Katie Brennan is part of the 40-player AFLW All-Australian squad. Picture: Getty Images

As the countdown to the start of the AFLW’s highly anticipated finals series enters its final days, the AFL has unveiled the 40-player AFLW All-Australian squad for 2021.

Collingwood, which sat atop the AFLW ladder for much of the season after going undefeated in the first six rounds, has the most players named, with six selections including former Matilda Brianna Davey, while the 2021 minor premiers Adelaide have four picks, including two-time grand final best on ground winner Erin Phillips.

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Tigers starlet Katie Brennan is part of the 40-player AFLW All-Australian squad. Picture: Getty Images

Richmond’s No. 1 draft pick in last year’s AFLW draft, Ellie McKenzie, has been rewarded for her sensational first season with a place in the squad alongside captain Katie Brennan.

The final All-Australian team of 21 players will be announced at the W Awards to be held on Tuesday, April, 20.

In the history of the AFLW, only two players – North Melbourne captain Emma Kearney and Melbourne’s Karen Paxman – have been selected in every All-Australian team since 2017 and both have again received a nod in the extended squad.

Daisy Pearce with her leg in a brace and teammate Eliza McNamara after beating the Brisbane Lions. Picture: Getty Images

PEARCE, RANDALL IN RACE AGAINST TIME FOR AFLW FINALS

Melbourne’s star captain Daisy Pearce will begin rehab on the damaged medial collateral ligament in her right knee in an effort to be fit for the AFLW preliminary final in a fortnight’s time should the Demons win this Saturday’s qualifying final against Fremantle.

Melbourne confirmed that Pearce injured her MCL when her knee buckled during a tackle in her side’s thrilling two-point win over Brisbane at Casey Fields.

The club said Pearce met a specialist on Monday and she would now work with the Dees’ medical team to start her rehab process, with an eye to returning to play in a fortnight.

Melbourne’s head of women’s footy, Daniel McPherson, said: “It appears highly unlikely that Daisy will be fit to play in (this) weekend’s qualifying final … we are hopeful that she may be available for the second week of the finals, should we make it through.”

It means that Pearce, who has been with the Demons since the AFLW’s inaugural season in 2017, will miss the first ever AFLW final appearance of the team.

Until now, the two-time All-Australian has played every game this nine-round season, and has kicked three goals since moving forward after a stint in the backlines.

Should the Demons beat Fremantle at home at Casey Fields on Saturday, they will travel to Adelaide to face the Crows in the prelim, for the right to play in the 2021 AFLW Grand Final.

Pearce celebrates victory with her teammates at Casey Fields at the weekend.

CROWS CONFIDENT RANDALL WILL BE RIGHT

Having put in a near best-on-ground performance in her side’s tight 14-point win over Collingwood on Sunday, Crows captain Chelsea Randall hobbled away from Norwood Oval in a moon boot.

But Adelaide is confident their All-Australian tall will be right for the team’s home preliminary final in a fortnight after precautionary scans on Monday morning cleared her of any damage.

Chloe Scheer celebrates her goal with Chelsea Randall (right).

Randall landed awkwardly on her right ankle after going up for a marking contest in the third term on Sunday, and was forced to jog on the boundary line to prove her fitness late in the quarter.

But she returned to the field and finished off her solid 12-disposal, five-mark, three-tackle game.

After the final siren, she spent significant time icing her sprain and was put in the moon boot as a precaution.

“I just landed on the ankle a little bit funny, I came off, got it strapped up and got the check by the doc and everything was OK,” she said.

“After the game, (medical staff) said: ‘Just to be sure we’ll throw you in a boot for a couple of days just to minimise the movement’.

“So they must just know me well, because I like to be on my feet and moving about, it’s hard for me to sit still, so (the boot’s) probably a good thing.

“We’re coming into finals footy, anything that’s just going to give me an extra one per cent so if that means just stay off the foot, I’ll get a scan tomorrow just to rule out everything and anything, and personally I’ll be right to go in a couple of days time.”

Randall’s impact in the Crows’ win — which put them on top of the AFLW ladder and gifted them a week off and a home preliminary final in a fortnight — was felt at both ends of the ground, and in ways that didn’t make the stats sheet: she provided ferocious support around contests, was diving for spoils and as vocal as ever on ground.

She said while the team was relieved to finish top and would enjoy its well-earned rest, they understood their upcoming preliminary final opponents — the winner of Melbourne or Fremantle — were tough, considering they had lost to both the Demons (by 28 points) and Dockers (30 points) this season.

“When the final siren blew, it was awesome, but we understand that we worked hard to get to that position and to get this week off, but our job is certainly not done yet,” she said.

“We’ll spend the next two weeks getting as mentally and physically prepared as we can to play in the prelim.”

Ruby Schleicher can’t slip a Chelsea Randall tackle.

AFLW FINALS LOCKED IN AFTER FRANTIC FINISH

When the final siren sounded, Collingwood’s key forward Sophie Alexander slumped on the Norwood Oval grass, head in hands and inconsolable after her side went down by 14 points to Adelaide on Sunday.

It was the visible proof of just how much on the line.

With the tight, contested win, the Crows claimed the 2021 AFLW minor premiership, pushing Collingwood — which had been ladder leaders for most of the season — back to third and out of automatic qualification for the preliminary finals in a fortnight’s time.

The Magpies will face North Melbourne in a qualifying final at Victoria Park on Saturday, for the right to play second-placed Brisbane in the preliminary final on the weekend of April 9.

Meanwhile, a resurgent Melbourne will face Fremantle at Casey Fields on the same day. The winner of that clash will then travel to Adelaide to face the Crows in the other prelim.

RESULTS: ALL-CONQUERING CROWS CLAIM TOP SPOT

Collingwood co-captain Stephanie Chiocci said the Pies would quickly put behind them the loss of the coveted top-two spot, and concentrate on beating North Melbourne.

“We had an opportunity there to finish on top and it is disappointing we let that slip, but the silver lining is we get to go again next week,” Chiocci said.

“It’s another challenge for us, we get to take on North, which we did last year in the semi-finals, and we’d like to get a bit of redemption on them because they pipped us last year by three points.

“We’ve built really well (this season), only dropped the two games and we’ve learnt a lot from that to get some momentum going into next week.”

Crows captain Chelsea Randall said the fact that the top four teams each won seven games and lost two was a sign of just how tightly contested the upcoming finals series would be.

“This is the hardest competition, the most skilful, the fastest season of AFLW you’ve ever seen before and that’s what’s so exciting,” she said after a best-on-ground performance against the Magpies.

“Whoever takes this (premiership) out, is going to be the ultimate team.”

AFLW FINALS SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, APRIL 3

Qualifying Final B: Melbourne v Fremantle, Casey Fields, 1.05pm

Qualifying Final A: Collingwood v North Melbourne, Victoria Park, 3.10pm

Week off: Adelaide, Brisbane Lions

FINAL AFLW LADDER

1. Adelaide 28 208.4%

2. Brisbane Lions 28 195%

3. Collingwood 28 190.5%

4. Melbourne 28 130.4%

5. Fremantle 24 185.1%

6. Kangaroos 24 142.5%

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7. Carlton 20 125.8%

8. Western Bulldogs 20 88.2%

9. GWS Giants 16 74.1%

10. Richmond 12 84.6%

11. St Kilda 12 69.6%

12. West Coast 8 53%

13. Geelong 4 40.2%

14. Gold Coast 0 36.5%

BLUES CO-CAPTAINS CALL TIME

Carlton’s AFLW co-captain Katie Loynes and veteran Alison Downie have retired after five years with the Blues.

Coach Daniel Harford said his side had hoped to honour the pair in their nailbiting win over the Giants at Blacktown International Sports Park on Sunday afternoon.

“They’re two favourite daughters of our footy club and I’m sure it played a factor in some of the emotional fatigue and physical fatigue that plagued us late in the game,” Harford said postgame.

“You’re looking for little things in games like this that don’t really mean too much in the grand scheme of things, so to get the chocolates for those two was a real driving force and the group knew that.

“Alison and Katie knew that; they wanted to play really well in this last game as well.

“They were able to do that for us. Both of them had a real good crack.

“‘Doona’ saved us a couple of times down back and Loynesy’s competitiveness through the afternoon was quintessential Katie Loynes.

“I think they did their job and can walk away with their heads held high at the end of a fantastic five years at the Blues.”

Katie Loynes and Alison Downie after their final AFLW match.

Harford said the duo were much-loved members of the playing group.

“They’re original players, foundation players, and great leaders for our whole squad.

“After five years with the Blues, it’s all over for those girls.

“They’ve been enormous for us but the time has come.”

Harford said the 2021 season had presented immense challenges for AFLW players across the league.

“That can unsettle a part-time playing group who have jobs and families and careers that they have to manage and this is their love and their passion and yeah there’s a little bit of income in it for them but this isn’t their main employment,” he said.

“It’s created a lot of anxiety through the year but in the grand scheme of things we’ve still been able to play what we think is the greatest game on the planet.

“It’s been a challenging year. What we’ve all been through it in the past 18-months or so; it’s been something we’ve never gone through and hope we never go through again.

“I am really proud of the girls and their resilience and ability to just focus on what’s in front of them rather than might be.”

Originally published as AFLW finals: All the news ahead of week one