A review of Round 7 in the 2023 rebel VFLW season.

Wet weather played havoc across the weekend, with wind and rain making conditions almost unplayable at times as an historic first was recorded on Saturday night and just one win separates top of the ladder from eighth.

DAREBIN FALCONS vs BOX HILL HAWKS

DAREBIN FALCONS 1.1, 1.2, 1.2, 1.2 (8)
BOX HILL HAWKS 2.1, 3.3, 4.7, 4.11 (35)

ON FACE value, Box Hill Hawks’ 27-point win over Darebin looks like a comfortable, run-of-the-mill win, but for the most part it was anything but as the Falcons fought hard against their more-fancied opponents at Preston City Oval.

Sabine Cowley du Parquet kicked the first goal for Darebin inside three minutes and the home team led by seven points before the Hawks got their talons into the contest, grabbing the lead by quarter-time and edging clear with the only goal of the second.

Mietta Kendall kicked truly 20 seconds into the third quarter to give Box Hill a 23-point lead and the signs were there that the floodgates could open, but the Falcons fought tooth and nail and while they were unable to add to their own score, they did not concede another major, holding the Hawks to eight behinds from that point on.

The match was played almost exclusively at Box Hill’s end, as it recorded a remarkable 57-10 inside-50 count and won disposals by 85 and had the top seven ball winners on the ground.

The Hawks were led by Matilda Van Berkel (21 disposals, five tackles), Laura Stone (18 disposals, six tackles, seven inside-50s), Maddie Boyd (17 disposals, six marks, 16 hitouts, one goal), Laura Elliott (16 disposals, five clearances, six entries), Nic Garner (17 disposals, six marks), Ellie McLinden (1 disposals 7, five marks), Drew Ryan (18 disposals) and Grace McRae (14 disposals, eight marks, five entries).

For the Falcons, Sally Lynch (14 disposals, 22 hitouts) was terrific in the ruck, while Alyssa Mifsud (15 disposals, eight clearances, five rebounds), Karly McNiece (14 disposals, six tackles, eight rebounds), Trinity Mills (13 disposals, seven rebounds) and Zoe Larkins (12 disposals, five tackles, six rebounds) worked tirelessly in defence.

GEELONG CATS vs COLLINGWOOD

GEELONG CATS 2.1, 3.1, 4.1, 4.3 (27)
COLLINGWOOD 2.2, 2.5, 4.6, 4.6 (30)

COLLINGWOOD joined Geelong and Port Melbourne at the top of the rebel VFLW ladder, holding on to edge out the Cats by three points in a desperate finish at Deakin University.

The contest started in free-flowing style as the teams exchanged two goals each in the opening quarter before the weather started to become a factor and scoring became harder.

The Cats kicked the only goal of the second term to lead at the main break but two late third-quarter majors to Nyakoat Dojiok either side of a Sophie O’Dea strike put the Magpies five points up turning for home.

Collingwood defended grimly in the final erm, conceding only two rushed behinds early in the last before fighting through a tense but scoreless last 15 minutes to grab a crucial road victory and move to 5-2.

Geelong dominated most stat categories, winning disposals, marks, clearances, tackles and inside-50s, but just couldn’t find that one goal it needed to go a game clear on top of the table.

Jess Bates (18 disposals, 13 tackles) and Monique De Matteo (16 disposals, 12 tackles) relished the wet conditions for the Magpies, former Cat Rene Caris was a tower of strength in the ruck with 27 hitouts and a goal, while Dojiok’s two majors from 14 disposals were crucial in securing the four points.

Charlotte Simpson was probably the best player on the ground for Geelong, picking up 24 touches and five clearances while laying eight tackles. Liv Fuller (14 disposals, 24 hitouts, eight clearances, one goal) was not far behind, with Renee Garing (17 disposals, 15 tackles), Abby Favell (18 disposals, six tackles) and Georgie Rankin (14 disposals, 10 tackles) also terrific.

CARLTON vs CASEY DEMONS

CARLTON 1.1, 3.3, 7.3, 7.7 (49)
CASEY DEMONS 2.4, 2.5, 2.5, 4.5 (29)

CARLTON’s ability to rattle on multiple goals in quick succession was on show again at IKON Park as the Blues blasted Casey Demons in the third quarter to win by 20 points and move back into the top six.

The Blues piled on seven last-quarter goals to beat Essendon in Round 3 and while this burst wasn’t as devastating, it was equally as effective.

This time around they booted six in a row, including four in 10 minutes just before the last change, to blow the battling Demons out of the water.

The two goals just before half-time turned an eight-point deficit into a four-point lead at the break and the second onslaught put them 28 up heading into the last quarter.

Casey managed just one behind from quarter-time until two late majors closed the final deficit to 20 points.

Carlton’s dominance was shown by its +93 disposal and +25 mark counts, while it also outhunted the Demons with 104 tackles to 89, led by Ashlee Thorneycroft (23 disposals, nine tackles, one goal), Keeley Sherar (24 disposals, 12 tackles) and Maddie Di Cosmo (21 disposals, 10 tackles).

Their efforted allowed Millie Klingbeil (18 disposals, six inside-50s, one goal) to control play and Mia Cowan (seven marks, three goals) to finish things off in attack.

Casey only had one of the top nine ball winners, being father-daughter prospect Jemma Rigoni. The 17-year-old daughter of former Melbourne midfielder Guy had 16 possessions and took seven marks in only her second game, while Shree Fairchild (14 disposals, one goal) and Shannon Danckert worked themselves to a standstill with 18 disposals and 15 tackles respectively.

Belinda Woolcock (13 disposals, six rebounds) fought hard against the tide and Leah Swain had 34 hitouts and seven tackles, but they couldn’t stop their team falling to a fifth loss in a row and two wins outside the top six at the midway point of the season.

PORT MELBOURNE vs NORTH MELBOURNE

PORT MELBOURNE 0.1, 0.3, 0.3, 0.4 (4)
NORTH MELBOURNE 0.2, 0.2, 0.3, 0.6 (6)

NORTH Melbourne pipped Port Melbourne by two points in unique style at ETU Stadium on Saturday night, as horrible weather conditions destroyed any chance of clean football.

In the first match in VFA/VFL history (men’s or women’s) to finish without a goal being kicked, it was the Kangaroos who scrambled well enough in the wet to win.

North scored two behinds in the first term, one in the third and three in the last to get over the line after the scores were level turning for home.

Port Melbourne laid 107 tackles to 89 in the bruising affair, but it was Audrey Rhodes (29 disposals, nine clearances, five tackles), Reni Hicks (25 disposals, seven tackles, five inside-50s), Marli Klaumanns-Moller (22 disposals, 11 tackles, five entries), Jess Jones (16 disposals, 22 hitouts) and Annabel Scott (21) who were the keys to the victory.

The Borough were chasing a sixth-consecutive victory and came agonisingly close, with Jessie Williams (22 disposals, five clearances) and Lauren Caruso (18 disposals, six rebounds, five tackles) giving their all, while Courteney Bromage (15 disposals, seven clearances, 18 tackles) and Kate Adams (14 disposals, 13 tackles) laid an astonishing 31 tackles between them.

WESTERN BULLDOGS vs WILLIAMSTOWN

WESTERN BULLDOGS 0.0, 4.0, 4.0, 6.2 (38)
WILLIAMSTOWN 2.4, 3.5, 6.7, 6.7 (43)

A SHARNIE Whiting-inspired Williamstown grabbed its third win in four weeks to stay in touch with the top six, holding off a fast-finishing Western Bulldogs by five points in a thriller at ETU Stadium on Sunday.

In a match heavily affected by a strong wind blowing down the ground, the Seagulls grabbed a 22-point lead when Aleisha Newman and Whiting goalled either side of quarter-time but found themselves behind by the main break after the Bulldogs hit back with four goals in 13 minutes.

Whiting exploded in the third term with three majors in six minutes to re-establish a 19-point gap turning for home but her team couldn’t score again as the Dogs came hard, falling short by less than a kick after Kiera Whiley’s after-the-siren goal.

Whiting’s four goals from 13 disposals made her the match winner for Williamstown, with Jasmine Kawa (16 disposals, 26 hitouts, seven clearances, six tackles) magnificent as a makeshift ruck and Perri King (16 disposals, seven clearances, five tackles) and Newman (14 disposals, five entries, one goal) also important.

The Bulldogs slipped to a fourth loss by under a goal in their six defeats, but it was not through lack of effort from Jaimi Tabb (17 possessions, 16 tackles, six clearances, one goal), Sarah Skinner (18 disposals, eight clearances, five tackles), Dom Carbone (15 disposals, seven tackles, one goal) and Jorja Borg (43 hitouts).

ESSENDON vs SOUTHERN SAINTS

ESSENDON 0.5, 1.7, 1.8, 2.8 (20)
SOUTHERN SAINTS 0.0, 0.1, 0.1, 1.2 (8)

ESSENDON recorded its fourth-consecutive win with a slogging 12-point victory over Southern Saints in a brutal second Grand Final rematch for the seasons.

In treacherous conditions at NEC Hangar, the reigning premiers all-but repeated the dose from last year’s decider, almost shutting the Saints out in conceding just one behind in the first three quarters.

But despite that, they didn’t put their rivals away until late, with Olivia Manfre’s goal early in the final quarter ensuring the challenge would be too big for the runners-up despite Emma Stuber responding with what turned out to be their only major.

In a game where a remarkable 210 tackles were laid, Bomber ball magnet Amelia Radford (26 disposals, five clearances, 13 tackles) and ruck Steph Wales (19 disposals, 30 hitouts, nine clearances, seven tackles) were absolutely standouts.

Grace Dicker laid 19 tackles to go with 14 touches and five clearances, while Ash Van Loon (13 tackles) and Georgia Clark (17 possessions) also played their part.

Madison Capsalis had 16 touches, 11 clearances, 10 tackles and five inside-50s to be the Saints’ best, while last week’s hero Tessa Boyd (17 disposals, six rebounds), Winnie Laing and Deanna Jolliffe (15 disposals, six tackles each) and Alexandra Hynes (12 tackles, 17 hitouts) provided strong support.

ROUND 8 FIXTURE

Round 8: Saturday, May 13: Carlton vs Western Bulldogs (11:00am, IKON Park); Box Hill Hawks vs Essendon (12:00pm, Box Hill City Oval). Sunday, May 14: Southern Saints vs Port Melbourne (10:00am, Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval – VFL double header); Williamstown vs Casey Demons (2:00pm, DSV Stadium); Darebin Falcons v Geelong Cats (3:00pm, La Trobe University); Collingwood vs North Melbourne (3:00pm, AIA Centre – VFL double header).

Click here to view full fixture and ladder.

Broadcast and streaming: All matches in the 2023 rebel VFLW seasons will be live streamed free via the AFL website (AFL.com.au) and AFL Live Official App.

Live scoring and stats: Live scoring and stats will be available via both the AFL Live Official App and VFL App. Download the VFL App from the Apple or Google Play stores.