State of Play hosts Joe Pignataro and Gemma Bastiani preview the big topics ahead of this weekend's VFL and VFLW action.
Who holds the key at Box Hill City Oval?
Box Hill are one of the VFL powerhouses of the modern era, playing finals in 22 of 26 completed seasons since the turn of the century. The Hawks have won three premierships in that time and are now competing in their third preliminary final in four years. The Hawks will have to turnaround their most recent match up against Essendon where they were kept to 46 points, their lowest score of the season. They’ve won all three matches since and scored more than 100 points in each of those games. Sam Butler has averaged three goals and 21 disposals over that period and looms as a huge threat to the Bombers this week. Can Butler be the one who delivers the Hawks a spot in the Grand Final for the first time since 2018?
North Melbourne Werribee hunting a third straight Grand Final
The Kangaroos are four quarters away from playing in an historic third-straight VFLW Grand Final, where they would be looking to becoming the first team to win a VFLW three-peat. The Roos have had the week off and will need to overcome their great current-day rival Collingwood in the second preliminary final. Including last year's decider, North Melbourne have been on the right side of the ledger in the past three matches against the Magpies, winning each by a margin of six points or less. While a majority of its premiership-winning defence will be out there on Saturday, it’s a different-look Kangaroos line up elsewhere on the field this September, compounded by the fact AFLW selection may play a factor in the outcome of this game. Do the Roos bounce their way into history or will the Magpies swoop in and spoil the party?
History awaits for one of the standalones
Regardless of the result of the VFLW first preliminary final on Saturday, the women’s programs at both Williamstown and Port Melbourne should be applauded for the position they find themselves in. In his first season at the helm, Paul Groves has guided the Seagulls to the minor premiership for the second time in three years. Meanwhile, Port Melbourne came from behind to end Carlton’s campaign last week. Williamstown is a win away from participating in their first ever VFLW grand final, while Port Melbourne is hopeful of getting back to the big dance - a spot they occupied in 2023 when they became the premiers after beating Collingwood in the decider. A lot rests on the shoulders of Emily Eaves in the midfield and Mia Zielinski in the forward line, who have been dominant forces for Williamstown. Port Melbourne will place a reliance on Georgia Foran and Mia Caffry to mount their case for a spot next weekend.
A defensive power-struggle on Sunday
Port Melbourne heads to GMHBA Stadium as the second-best defensive unit in the Smithy’s VFL. In the past two months, the Borough are conceding an average of just 72 points per game. A brilliant defensive profile from Brendan McCartney’s men. The only team that’s performing better defensively is Geelong. Mark Corrigan’s side is tight. Opposition sides have only managed 63 points on average against the minor premiers. Skipper Daniel Capiron has moved back into defence recently after starting the season in the forward line. Jed Bews has been the general too, very much playing the Tom Stewart role in this line up. He is the organiser and is the reason opponents feel even more constricted on the already narrow GMHBA Stadium surface. The Cats will be highly fancied to progress to their first Grand Final since 2013, but write off this Borough outfit at your own peril.
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