GWS Giants v Fremantle
12.05pm (EDT), Saturday, February 18
Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney
AFTER two tough losses on the road, Greater Western Sydney plays at home for the first time this season when it faces Fremantle.
Although the Giants find themselves in the bottom half of the ladder, coach Tim Schmidt feels the development of the team is more important than results.
“We’ve got things to work on as individuals and as a group and those are [what] we’re going to focus on,” Schmidt said after the loss to Carlton.
“If that means we lose every game but we continue to improve as individuals and a team, then I think that’s a win.
“Obviously we’re going out there to win, but the bigger picture is what we’re focusing on.”
Vice-captain and marquee player Emma Swanson will finally make her debut, after she passed a fitness test at on Thursday night.
Swanson was originally selected to play against Adelaide in round one but was a late withdrawal after suffering a hamstring strain, which also saw her miss last week’s match against the Blues.
Young forward Kate Stanton was also selected after she was a late withdrawal last week due to illness. Midfielder Alex Saundry and forward Hannah Wallett were omitted.
Fremantle has kicked just four goals in its first two games, with midfielder Lara Filocamo indicating that increasing scoring was a priority.
“We’ll assess everything and look for our forward line to regroup and work together a bit more,” Filocamo told fremantlefc.com.au.
“Hopefully we’ll kick a few more goals.”
The Dockers were forced to make two changes, with midfielder Brianna Green to miss the remainder of the season after breaking her collarbone in the loss against Brisbane.
Green was involved in a collision with Brisbane’s Brittany Gibson as both players tried to take possession of the ball in the second quarter.
Freo also lost Commonwealth Games gold medallist Kim Mickle for the season after she ruptured her ACL in the second quarter.
“The results of the scans were quite a shock,” Mickle told fremantlefc.com.au.
“I didn’t expect this to be a major injury, but you win some and you lose some.
“Now I just want to look ahead to what my options are and determine a course of action for my recovery.”
The Dockers recalled defender Ebony Antonio after her one-game suspension and picked young forward Kira Phillips, who coach Michelle Cowan said had been pushing for selection.
“She’s a dangerous forward and has been training really well over the last week,” Cowan said.
Brisbane Lions v Collingwood
3.35pm (EST), Saturday, February 18
South Pine Sports Complex
After two impressive wins interstate, the Brisbane Lions finally host their first home game of the season, at South Pine Sports Complex.
The initial success of the AFLW led the Lions to push for a venue change, but the Gabba and other potential venues were unavailable.
South Pine Sports Complex, located in Brendale (about 20km north of Brisbane), has an official capacity of just 3000 but the club is expecting a much larger turnout.
Brisbane marquee player and round two NAB AFL Women’s Rising Star nominee Tayla Harris encouraged fans to get to the game early.
“I’d probably suggest coming a bit earlier. Maybe camp out like you’re waiting for Justin Bieber tickets,” the 19-year-old laughed.
With a six-day break after the win over Fremantle in Perth, recovery was the focus of the week according to coach Craig Starcevich.
“The girls are on the crest of a wave, but at some point [their] bodies are going to catch up with them,” Starcevich said after the game against Fremantle.
“We’ll make sure they recover as best they can.”
The Lions decided to take a ‘don’t fix what isn’t broken’ mentality and selected the same side for the third week in a row.
After losing their first two games of the season, Collingwood coach Wayne Siekman conceded his team must be near perfect for the remainder of the season to achieve their goal of making the Grand Final.
“There’s a small window now… we can’t afford any more errors. Five and two (wins and losses) and a good percentage gives you a chance to get there,” Siekman said.
“If we lose, that’s it. We need to win the last five matches to give ourselves a chance.”
Collingwood made three changes to the team that lost to Melbourne. Small forward Sophie Casey accepted a two-match suspension for a bump that knocked out Melbourne’s Meg Downie, while experienced duo Lou Wotton and Penny Cula-Reid were omitted.
The Pies recalled Ruby Schleicher and Lauren Tesoriero, who were dropped after round one.
Eighteen-year-old midfielder/forward Georgia Walker, who was signed as an injury replacement player pre-season, will make her AFLW debut.
Western Bulldogs v Melbourne
7.40pm (EDT), Saturday, February 18
Whitten Oval
The Western Bulldogs will be looking to get their season back on track when they host Melbourne in their third straight home game to start the season.
The match will be the second game of a double-header, following the JLT Community Series match between the Dogs and Melbourne on Saturday afternoon.
After the loss to Adelaide, Western Bulldogs coach Paul Groves said his aim for the week was to keep morale high, with a focus on fun.
“Nobody likes losing,” Groves said.
The Bulldogs will be without skipper Katie Brennan, after the athletic forward rolled her right ankle against Adelaide. Brennan had previously injured the ankle in a practice match against Collingwood on Australia Day, but the club expects she will miss only one game.
Defender Laura Bailey accepted a one-game ban for a late bump on Adelaide’s Courtney Cramey and will also miss.
Kirsty Lamb was named in the team after serving a one-game suspension, while Jaimee Lambert was selected after missing last week with soreness.
Experienced defender Kimberley Ebb will make her AFLW debut, with Romy Timmins omitted.
Melbourne rookie and former Ultimate Frisbee star Cat Phillips said the come-from-behind win over Collingwood had given the team a lot of confidence for the rest of the season.
“We’re all a lot happier this week and a lot more confident in our game plan and that it can hold up,” Phillips told melbournefc.com.au.
Melbourne has also been affected by injury, with defender Meg Downie suffering a serious season-ending hamstring injury in the win over the Pies.
Downie was knocked out by an illegal bump from Collingwood’s Sophie Casey late in the game, but the club believes she suffered the injury just moments before the hit.
“When Meg was regaining consciousness, she actually mentioned to the medical team that her hamstring was injured,” women’s football operations manager Debbie Lee said.
“The medical team thought she was still concussed when talking about it, but Meg was quite right.
“We got an MRI scan on Monday and unfortunately the results weren’t what we were hoping.”
Forward Sarah Jolly was omitted, with Richelle Cranston back from suspension and forward Aliesha Newman also picked.
Adelaide Crows v Carlton
11.35am (CDT), Sunday, February 19
Thebarton Oval
Adelaide hosts Carlton in a top-of-the-ladder clash, with both teams enjoying impressive wins in the first two rounds.
The match will be Carlton’s first away from Ikon Park and coach Damien Keeping believes his team will be prepared.
“We’re ready for our next challenge of going interstate for the first time,” Keeping said.
“Adelaide [is] very good around the contest and up for the competitive side of the game. We’re expecting a fierce contest.”
Carlton midfielder Jessica Kennedy said the team was looking forward to taking on the Crows.
“They’ll be different to Collingwood and GWS, but to be the best you have to play against the best,” Kennedy told carltonfc.com.au.
“Their form is really good so it’ll be an exciting game.”
Carlton welcomes back vice-captain Madeline Keryk, who missed last week’s win over the Giants with soreness, as well as forward Bella Ayre. Kate Darby and Jessica Kennedy were left out.
Adelaide ruck Rhiannon Metcalfe predicted the Blues would be hard to beat but said the Crows were focusing primarily on continuing to play fast, attacking footy.
“If we keep sticking to what we’ve been doing and everyone plays their role, it’s proven that works effectively.”
The defensive side of the game will be a major focus for Adelaide, said coach Bec Goddard.
“We’d like to cut down the uncontested possession other teams seem to be having at will against us,” Goddard said.
The Crows were forced to make one change, with midfielder Sophie Armitstead out for the rest of the season after suffering a meniscus tear in her left knee during the third quarter of the win over the Western Bulldogs.
“It’s devastating news for Sophie … but I have no doubt that she’ll tackle this challenge head-on,” coach Bec Goddard said.
“She is a great talent and has a bright future ahead of her.”
Sarah Allan, Monique Hollick and Justine Mules were added to the extended squad of 24.
