A review of all the action from Round 13 of the 2024 rebel VFLW season.
WILLIAMSTOWN vs ESSENDON
WILLIAMSTOWN 1.1 3.2 4.4 4.4 (28)
ESSENDON 0.0 1.2 1.3 1.4 (10)
WILLIAMSTOWN sealed its maiden rebel VFLW minor premiership and flag favouritism heading into the finals after extending its undefeated run to nine matches with a hard-fought 18-point victory over Essendon at DSV Stadium on Saturday.
The Seagulls haven’t been beaten since going down to Box Hill Hawks in Round 4 on April 13, with their only “blemish” in that time being a draw with the Casey Demons in Round 7.
Their huge percentage means they can’t be knocked off top spot unless they cop a thumping from Collingwood and the Western Bulldogs do likewise to finals-bound North Melbourne, with the Seagulls currently holding a one-game and 61.2 percentage advantage over the Bulldogs.
Williamstown captain Eliza Straford got things going against Essendon with a goal inside the opening two minutes and the Seagulls kept a clean sheet for the term, with Essendon not landing a major until late in the second quarter term when it was already three goals down.
Scoring continued to be tough after the break, with Brittney Gray’s strike at the six-minute mark of the third quarter being the only goal of the second half as the Bombers were held to just one goal for the second week in a row.
Essendon actually had 59 more disposals and 13 more inside-50s but struggled to score as Lori Stepnell, Gabby Biedenweg-Webster and Laura Blue proved almost impassable with 17 rebound-50s between them.
Star goal kicker Sharnie Whiting led the ball winners with 15 disposals and was important around the middle of the ground, Megan Williamson (12 disposals, nine tackles, seven inside-50s) also provided plenty of drive and Straford finished with two goals.
It wouldn’t surprise to see Ruby Mahony on top of the votes on Lambert-Pearce Medal night after she led all comers with 20 disposals for the Bombers, with skipper El Chaston (17 disposals, seven entries), Bailey Hunt (15 disposals, nine tackles), Scarlett Orritt (10 tackles) and Emily Tassiopoulos (six clearances) also performing well.
GEELONG CATS vs PORT MELBOURNE
GEELONG CATS 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.1 (7)
PORT MELBOURNE 2.4 3.10 3.10 7.12 (54)
PORT Melbourne regained its spot in the top six and kept its premiership defence alive, running away in the last quarter for an easy 47-point win over bottom-placed Geelong at Deakin University.
The Cats took it up to their more fancied opponents early with Poppy Schaap answering Ava Seton’s early goal, but as the weather turned nasty the Borough took control.
In the end the reigning premiers should have won by a lot more but for their wastefulness in front of goal that saw them kick 1.8 from the 19th minute of the opening term until half-time.
Emily Harley was the chief offender, being unstoppable in getting her hands on the ball but spraying five behinds before the main break before she finally hit the target late in the game for a well-deserved goal.
Neither team was able to score in wet and windy weather in the third quarter and there were no goals from Olivia Barton’s major five minutes into the second until Eloise Ashley-Cooper kicked truly in the 12th minute of the last, sparking a four-goal burst that blew the final margin out.
Seton was unstoppable for Port Melbourne as she again franked her Lambert-Pearce Medal and AFLW Draft chances with a brilliant 33 disposals, 13 clearances, eight tackles and one goal.
Ashley-Cooper (28 disposals, eight clearances, one goal) and Lisa Hardeman medallist Lauren Caruso (22 disposals, 12 tackles) also starred and Courteney Bromage and Olivia Barton finished the work with two goals each.
Abby Favell (29 disposals, six marks) and Lily Jordan (18 disposals, five marks, 15 tackles, five rebounds) performed well through the middle for Geelong, while Jo Sunderland (18 disposals, 10 rebounds) impressed down back, Piper Dunlop (36 hitouts) dominated the taps and Schaap never stopped trying in attack.
An extra worry for the home team was Bridget Aughton, who overcame an early head knock but suffered a right leg injury in the dying minutes.
NORTH MELBOURNE vs BOX HILL HAWKS
NORTH MELBOURNE 2.2 4.3 6.3 7.4 (46)
BOX HILL HAWKS 1.1 2.1 2.5 5.7 (37)
NORTH Melbourne franked its premiership claims and locked in a maiden finals berth, seeing off a late comeback to kick Box Hill Hawks out of the top two with a thrilling nine-point win at Arden Street Oval.
The Kangaroos’ fifth victory in a row was built on the back of a star turn from Nyakoat Dojiok, who put herself back in the Rohenna Young Medal race with three crucial goals as the home team went bang-bang with two goals in two minutes on three separate occasions.
The third of those gave North Melbourne a 22-point lead at three quarter-time after having lost to Hawks by 50 when an AFLW-influenced team cut loose in the last term.
Box Hill threatened to do the same with two goals early in the last, including Tamara Luke’s 50th at this level.
But the Kangaroos were able to steady and secure the points, steered by strong performances by Renee Tierney (22 disposals, eight tackles, one goal), Alana Barba (22 disposals, five clearances, nine tackles, one goal) and Maddie Di Cosmo (19 disposals, six tackles).
First-year Hawk Danika Spamer threw everything at the home team with 16 touches, seven clearances and 11 tackles, with Rosie Dillon (17 disposals, seven tackles), Grace Matser (13 disposals, 23 hitouts, six tackles, five entries) and Gabby Collingwood (two goals) all upholding their end of the bargain.
WESTERN BULLDOGS vs CASEY DEMONS
WESTERN BULLDOGS 1.0 3.2 6.5 8.6 (54)
CASEY DEMONS 1.1 1.3 3.3 3.3 (21)
WESTERN Bulldogs regained their top-two spot with one game to play and knocked Casey Demons out of the top-six with an impressive 33-point win at Mission Whitten Oval.
Having potentially given up the double chance with a surprise loss to Darebin last week, the Bulldogs needed to respond but were forced to work overtime in the first half as the Demons put in a concerted effort and broke a 103-minute goal drought through impressive debutant Lilly Leighton after she won a 50m penalty in the first term.
The Bulldogs only led by 11 points at half time but news that Box Hill had lost to North Melbourne seemed to spark them and they kicked clear with five goals to one in the second half.
Trinity Skenderis put in her best performance of the year with a game-high 19 disposals and six marks.
Jaimi Tabb crashed packs for 15 touches and seven tackles, Renee Saulitis (15 disposals, one goal) was dangerous in attack and birthday girl Caitlin Pickett did well in the last line of defence.
Up forward, former captain Mary Sandral starred in her first game of the season with six marks and three goals and VFLW games record-holder Mia-Rae Clifford kicked two at crucial times.
Gippsland Power’s Leighton was outstanding in her first game for Casey Demons, picking up 14 touches, five clearances, six inside-50s, five tackles and a goal. Last year’s club champion Shree Fairchild (18 disposals, 12 tackles), Meg Macdonald (17 disposals, five marks, six tackles) and another first gamer in Zali Gallagher also impressed.
COLLINGWOOD vs DAREBIN FALCONS
COLLINGWOOD 0.3 0.5 3.6 3.7 (25)
DAREBIN FALCONS 1.0 2.2 2.2 2.4 (16)
COLLINGWOOD kept its season alive by coming from behind to retain its undefeated record against Darebin Falcons at Genis Steel Oval on Sunday.
The Magpies prevailed by nine points in a result that was overshadowed by a late knee injury to the Falcons’ star Ange Gogos.
Gogos, who led the Coaches MVP voting before it went behind closed doors and would be one of the Lambert-Pearce Medal favourites, was forced off the field in distress late in the game.
Earlier, Collingwood had recovered from being held goalless for 48 minutes to blast three majors in five minutes midway through the third term – their only goals of the match.
It proved enough as the Falcons couldn’t find a major outside goals to Ella Southgate in the opening minute of the game and Nic Callinan two minutes into the second term, kicking just two behinds in 35 seconds midway through the last term for the rest of the day.
Collingwood, which lost in-form star Akayla Peterson before the game, was led by best afield Kaitlyn Day (19 disposals, seven clearances, 11 tackles, seven entries), with Sarah Ingram (20 disposals), Jordan Ivey (14 disposals, five marks, nine tackles, one goal), Maya Ellin (13 tackles), Marnie Jarvis (15 disposals, eight tackles) and Jayde van Dyk (16 disposals, five tackles) all being important in the victory.
Gogos filled her usual spot as Darebin’s best player before her injury with 16 touches, eight clearances and 17 tackles.
Co-captains Steph Simpson (19 disposals, five marks) and Caitlin Bunker (16 disposals, six marks, 10 tackles) also leading from the front alongside experienced defender Victoria Blackwood, while Alyssa Mifsud had 11 touches, five clearances and six tackles in her 50th VFLW game for the club.
CARLTON vs SOUTHERN SAINTS
CARLTON 6.2 6.7 9.10 10.17 (77)
SOUTHERN SAINTS 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.2 (2)
CARLTON’s AFLW-stacked line-up thrashed an inexperienced Southern Saints by 75 points at IKON Park, but its horror conversion in front of goal has cost it a better chance of fighting its way back into the finals race.
The Blues entered the game six points and a hefty percentage out of the six and had the chance to at least fix one of those problems.
But after a six-goal avalanche in the opening term they sprayed 4.15 to finish with 10.17 and only lift their tally by 16 percent.
While they are now only a win outside the six, they are still 24 percent behind and would need a miracle to sneak in the back door with four results needing to go their way in the last round.
Carlton fielded 16 AFLW players against a Saints’ team without its best player and with five debutants and put the result to bed with a 38-0 first quarter before going goalless in the second as the Saints fought admirably against the odds.
The Blues finished +118 in disposals and had a huge 64-11 inside-50 discrepancy.
Mia Austin had 20 disposals, eight marks and five inside-50s and could have had a massive day, only to finish with 3.5 in front of the sticks.
Mimi Hill (32 disposals, six marks), Abbie McKay (27 disposals, seven clearances), Lily Goss (21 disposals, eight tackles, five entries), Keeley Sherar (21 disposals, six tackles, one goal) and Tarni Brown (20 disposals, seven entries, one goal) were predictably a class above.
But the Saints never stopped trying, with Deanna Jolliffe (21 disposals, five marks, seven tackles, eight rebounds), Charlotte Ryan (24 disposals, seven marks), Tessa Boyd (19 disposals, five marks, nine rebounds) and Bella Enno (15 disposals, five tackles, five rebounds) doing well against the odds.
