PHILLIPS IN, CROWS WIN
By Chris Nice
There's making a comeback, then there's doing it in style.
That's exactly what AFLW MVP Erin Phillips did in her first game of the season, booting 4.2 to guide her side to their first win of 2018 against the Western Bulldogs.
The Adelaide co-captain, whose absence was notable in the Crows' opening two losses, had immediate impact upon her return and alongside experienced campaigners Chelsea Randall and Ebony Marinoff, willed Adelaide to a seven-point victory.
The Bulldogs led at every change, succumbing to the relentless Crows in the final quarter.
Getting the jump on the reigning premiers early, the Bulldog midfield worked hard to shut down the Crows' offensive style of play.
Emma Kearney and Ellie Blackburn were stellar in the midfield for a third straight week, accumulating 20 and 17 disposals respectively.
Yet the Crows had an answer for the rampant Bulldogs, bringing Sarah Perkins into the middle to combat their dominance.
The tactic was effective, with the full forward finishing her day with 11 possessions, subsequently allowing Marinoff and Randall to rise to the forefront while the Dogs were focused on stopping Perkins.
With Perkins up the ground, the Adelaide forward line had one major target, and that was Phillips.
Already with two goals under her belt, the Bulldogs were determined to shut the superstar down to ensure their third victory of the season.
But there was no stopping her on her return.
Phillips slotted her third with relative ease, and the Crows were in front for the first time.
The lead was short-lived, as Katie Brennan willed her side to a five-point lead at the end of the third term.
There would have to be something magical to get the Crows over the line, and the answer - like many of the Crows' problems - was Erin Phillips.
Crumbing the ball in the forward pocket, Phillips snapped a miraculous goal from a ridiculously tight angle on the boundary to give her side a one-point advantage early in the final quarter.
The Bulldogs managed to wrangle back control after Phillips' display, and locked the ball into their forward 50 for seven minutes.
The Adelaide defence stood tall under the assault, conceding only a minor score to bring both teams to 34 points apiece.
An all-important behind from Rachel Killian put Adelaide up in the game's final minutes, and the sealer from Jenna McCormick brought the Crows home.
The sting of defeat was even worse for the Bulldogs, with Brennan being helped off the ground in the final quarter with a suspected ankle injury.
No contact was involved in the incident, and the extent of the injury is yet to be determined.
With Phillips back in the side, Crows supporters as well as AFLW fans, have much to look forward to for the final four games of the home and away season.
With their co-captain back in the side and seemingly injury-free, the Crows will aim to notch up their second win of the season against Greater Western Sydney.
After licking their wounds, the Bulldogs will hope to restore their pride in what is coincidentally the first AFLW Pride Game against the Blues.
ADELAIDE 1.1 2.2 4.4 6.5 (41)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.1 3.1 5.3 5.4 (34) GOALS
Adelaide: Phillips 4, McCormack 2
Western Bulldogs: Brennan 2,Kearney, Utri, Lochland
BEST Adelaide: Phillips, Randall, Marinoff, Perkins Western Bulldogs: Kearney, Blackburn, Lochland
BRISBANE BATTLE TO BEAT BLUES
By Chris Nice
Brisbane’s hopes of a second consecutive Grand Final appearance are still alive following a gritty 22-point win over Carlton at Ikon Park.
The previously undefeated Blues – who sat on top of the AFLW table last week – were unable to gain control of the game for the most of the night’s proceedings.
Carlton were depleted both on and off the field, and ultimately lacked direction to come away with their third straight victory.
With coach Damien Keeping sidelined for the second week in a row with illness, and captain Brianna Davey out following her season-ending knee injury last week, it was always going to be a tough ask.
But Brisbane had difficulty breaking through Carlton’s resilient defence early on, despite Davey’s absence, resulting in a deadlocked first half of football.
The Blues held on without their captain and general in defence, repelling the Brisbane press forward.
Yet without Davey acting as that rebounding defender slicing through the midfield, Carlton were unable to counter-attack effectively and give clean entries to their forwards.
Nevertheless, the physical style of play and subsequent pressure exerted by the Blues was able to somewhat stifle the Lions, although it did little to boost their own score.
While the Lions had dominated the inside 50 count 12-5 by the end of the first quarter, this did little to reflect the scoreboard, which stood at 0.0 to 0.1 in favour of the visitors.
With neither side able to penetrate the other’s defences or transition the ball from end-to-end smoothly, the stalemate ensued for most of the second quarter.
It wasn’t until Brisbane’s Kaitlyn Ashmore slotted the first of the game in the latter stages of the second term that the goal drought was broken.
Come the second half, a far more collected Brisbane outfit emerged, downing the Blues who were unable to prevent their opposition’s newfound composure.
The Lions got the jump in the opening minute with Jess Wuetschner snapping her first following an undisciplined 50m penalty from former teammate Tayla Harris.
Brittany Gibson chimed in minutes later, and the Blues defensive blockade subsequently fell.
Brisbane’s run, spearheaded by Kate McCarthy and Emily Bates, finally unravelled the Blues who were unable to stage a final-quarter comeback.
Although Darcy Vescio managed to bring the Blues back to within six points, two goals from 18-year-old Sophie Conway and one from ex-Blue Nat Exon stretched the margin out of reach.
While presented with opportunities late, the Blues’ inaccuracy in front of goal finally proved to be costly – their 2.6 for the game unable to topple the Lions’ 6.4.
In the three matches played so far, Carlton’s behinds-to-goals ratio sits just shy of three behinds to every major score.
If the Blues want to continue their push towards Grand Final contention, it’s an issue – further compounded by Davey’s absence – which needs to be addressed.
Now sitting at 2-1, the Lions will hope to make it one better and assert their place as potential Grand Finalists when they face off against the visiting Fremantle.
The Blues meanwhile will be aiming to secure their third win of the season against the Western Bulldogs in the inaugural Pride Game at VU Whitten Oval.
CARLTON 0.0 0.2 1.3 2.6 (18)
BRISBANE 0.1 1.2 3.2 6.4 (40)
GOALS
Carlton: Gay, Vescio
Brisbane: Conway 2, Ashmore, Wuetschner, Gibson, Exon
BEST
Carlton: Gay, Harrington, Audley
Brisbane: McCarthy, Wuetschner, Bates
GIANTS RECORD THEIR MAIDEN WIN FOR THE SEASON
By Nick D'Urbano
Greater Western Sydney has recorded a historic victory on Sunday afternoon, defeating Collingwood by 13 points at Olympic Park Oval.
The Giants fought back from a one-point deficit at three-quarter time to win their first game of the season and their second in the club's two-season history.
GWS were led brilliantly by former Magpie Alicia Eva who had 23 disposals and Courtney Gum, who gathered the ball 15 times and kicked two big goals to help her side over the line.
The Magpies are now rooted to the bottom of the ladder and sit without a win from three games after succumbing to a late flurry from the Giants who were able to close out the game.
The contrast between the two sides was highly evident on the final stat-sheet, with the Giants recording 37 inside 50s to Collingwood’s 17.
While this statistical discrepancy would generally indicate a whitewash, the Pies remained in the contest for most of the game.
Collingwood got off to a flyer, with Brittany Bonnici kicking a brilliant goal to open Collingwood’s scoring account.
Bonnici was followed up superbly by her skipper, Steph Chiocci, with the home side taking a 14-point lead into the first change.
The Giants, however, finished the second quarter strongly with two late goals from Aimee Schmidt, which put the away side in the lead at the main change as the Giants took full control.
Had it not been for wayward kicking from their Irish import, Cora Staunton, the game could have been painting a much different picture.
Staunton kicked three behinds in the second quarter and was unlucky to finish without a major to her name.
The away side continued to put their foot on the Magpies’ throat going into the third quarter as Phoebe McWilliams extended their lead.
But a major to Jess Duffin and some magic from recalled Pies forward, Moana Hope, got the Magpies back into the ascendancy heading into the final change.
Some brilliance again from Gum gave the Giants a seven-point advantage thanks to two brilliant goals of her own.
But the lead was pulled back to a single point after Hope received a 50m penalty and slotted her second, bringing the margin back to a solitary point midway through the final term.
It was late goals from Jacinda Barclay and McWilliams which soon after put the game to bed and sent the Magpies packing into round four without a single victory to their name.
Their season all but over, the Magpies will face Melbourne, and will be taking inspiration from the Dockers following their five-point victory over the premiership favourites.
The Giants conversely, fresh off their victory, will be aiming to carry their momentum forward when they face Adelaide on Sunday afternoon.
COLLINGWOOD 2.3 2.4 4.5 5.5 (35)
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY 0.1 2.6 2.6 7.6 (48)
GOALS
Collingwood: Hope 2, Bonnici, Chiocci, Duffin
Greater Western Sydney: Schmidt 2, Gum 2, McWilliams 2, Barclay
BEST
Collingwood: Bonnici, King, Molloy, Duffin, Hope
Greater Western Sydney: Eva, Gum, McWilliams, Farrugia, Staunton
DEE-FEATED! DOCKERS BEAT DEMONS IN THRILLING UPSET
By Chris Nice
In what can only be described as an amazing upset, Fremantle secured their second win of the season, bringing Melbourne's dreams of a 3-0 season to an end.
With zero inside 50s for the first quarter opposed to Melbourne's 15, it appeared the Demons would only cement their position as premiership favourites and dominate the rest of the game.
But the Dockers clawed their way back, and after a scoreless first quarter emerged victorious by five points at Fremantle Oval, much to the delight of the West Australian crowd.
Looking to rectify their slow starts to games, the Dockers were determined to make an impact from the opening bounce.
Yet it wasn't the impact they were after.
It was all Melbourne in the opening quarter who, with the wind to their advantage, repeatedly bombarded the ball into their forward line, providing ample scoring opportunities.
Even when the Dockers got control of the ball, their kicks always seemed to land on the chests of Melbourne players, who would immediately rebound it into their forward line.
With the Demons accumulating 15 inside 50s to none in the first quarter alone, luck was definitely on the Dockers' side.
Melbourne only scored 1.5 from their manic onslaught, and what looked like certain Demon goals - such as Ebony Antonio stepping outside the goal square following a kick-out - were somehow avoided, albeit narrowly.
Antonio and Evangeline Gooch were nonetheless standouts in the defence despite Fremantle's good fortune, with both limiting several Melbourne scoring attempts.
The Dockers needed a spark to reignite their fight in the second quarter, and that came in the form of debutante Emily McGuire.
Following a long-bomb from Antonio, McGuire found herself at the fall of the ball, and with a great deal of skill and agility, picked the footy up one-handed and snapped it around her body for Fremantle's first score.
McGuire's goal reinvigorated the Dockers, who were much more cohesive and were able to link the ball from end-to-end much cleaner than in the previous quarter.
Still, the Dockers were sloppy entering the 50, and appeared to be hoping for opportunities rather than creating them.
Antonio soon rectified this, and after finding herself in the forward line backed herself from 40m out to convert, giving the Dockers the lead for the first time in the match.
While Daisy Pearce had racked up 15 disposals in the first half despite being tagged by Kara Donnellan, her efforts were unable to result in any team score for the second quarter.
Desperate to hold onto their one-point lead, the Dockers got off to the ideal start with an Amy Lavell major, which was soon followed by another to Lisa Webb.
Three minutes into the quarter the Dockers were up by 13 points, but Richelle Cranston wouldn't have it that way.
Bursting through the midfield, Cranston took two bounces and went long, with goalsneak Aliesha Newman besting her opponent in a footrace to the ball and soccering it through for a goal.
Cranston continued to dominate in the quarter, accumulating another two inside 50s in rapid succession, one of which ended in another Cunningham goal which levelled the scores.
Karen Paxman off the back of a stellar game against the Crows, regained the lead for the Dees with an easy set shot in the final minute of the quarter.
With only six points separating the two sides going into the final quarter, the pressure lifted.
Both teams were aware of what was at stake - a 3-0 start for Melbourne would almost guarantee a Grand Final spot, while Fremantle's finals flicker would turn into a definite possibility should they pull off a massive upset.
Fremantle were up for the challenge, and with remarkable coast-to-coast goals from Melissa Caulfied and McGuire, were back in the lead.
With a margin of five points following a heroic rushed behind from Leah Mascall, the Dees were desperate to steal the victory away from the valiant Dockers in the cruellest of fashions.
Despite a frenzied press into their 50 in the last few minutes of the quarter, Melbourne were unable to score that magical goal, resulting in Fremantle attaining their second win of the season.
The Dockers will be dreaming of 3-1 figures as they come up against Brisbane next week, while the Demons will come out firing against their old adversaries, the Western Bulldogs.
FREMANTLE 0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 (36)
MELBOURNE 1.5 1.5 4.6 4.7 (31)
GOALS
Fremantle: McGuire 2, Antonio, Lavell, Webb, Caulfield
Melbourne: Cunningham 2, Newman, Paxman
BEST
Melbourne: Pearce, Cunningham, Cranston
Fremantle: Donnellan, Antonio, Gooch
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