A review of all the Easter weekend action across the rebel VFLW.
WESTERN BULLDOGS vs NORTH MELBOURNE
WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.3 6.4 8.5 8.6 (54)
NORTH MELBOURNE 0.1 1.2 2.3 2.3 (15)
SIXTEEN losses, 651 days.
That’s how long it had been since the Daughters of the West rang out of the Western Bulldogs’ rooms after a rebel VFLW triumph. However, you would have been able to hear it at the Montague St Bridge after the Bulldogs finally tasted success with a 39-point thrashing of North Melbourne at ETU Stadium on Good Friday.
The Bulldogs, who last won in the final round of the 2021 home and away season, when they defeated Casey Demons by 14 points, went within a point of breaking through against Box Hill Hawks last week.
But had plenty of time to soak up the success against the Kangaroos, effectively wrapping it up with four goals to none in the first quarter to lead by 26 points. They won every quarter, with two goals to one in the second and third before a solitary behind was the only score of the last term.
The Bulldogs dominated with ball in hand as they earned 39 inside-50s to 18 on the back of a convincing 44-23 hitouts advantage, 35-17 clearances and 53-29 marks.
Tahlia Meier, one of only three Bulldogs to play in that previous victory (alongside captain Mary Sandral and Trinity Skenderis), was a crucial factor in breaking the drought with 20 disposals, five tackles and five clearances. Sarah Skinner (17 disposals, five tackles, six clearances), Jaimi Tabb (15 disposals, seven tackles, six inside-50s) and Dom Carbone (15 disposals, eight clearances) provided strong support, while Brianna McFarlane had a blinder in attack with three goals.
Annabel Scott (19), Jess Mourney (18), Reni Hicks (17) and Taylah Gatt (17) were the best for the Kangaroos, but they were never in the contest as they slipped to their first loss of the season.
WILLIAMSTOWN vs PORT MELBOURNE
WILLIAMSTOWN 2.1 2.2 2.2 3.2 (20)
PORT MELBOURNE 1.0 2.4 2.6 3.8 (26)
New recruit Steph Williams wasted no time endearing herself to her new club with an ice cool set shot in the dying stages to hand Port Melbourne a fiercely contested six-point win over arch-rival Williamstown at DSV Stadium.
The Borough fell behind at quarter-time after the Seagulls kicked two goals in the space of four minutes late in the opening term, but the visitors had a four-point lead at the last change thanks to Chanelle Slater rolling home the only major in the middle two quarters midway through the second.
Sarah Cameron’s goal gave Williamstown the lead eight minutes into the last but the Borough added two behinds to level things up before Williams eased home the winner from 40m out with 73 seconds left on the clock.
The Seagulls had 61 more disposals than the Borough couldn’t make it count as the visitors stuck an amazing 121 tackles in 80 minutes of footy (Williamstown still had 85 of its own).
Lauren Caruso (17), Stella Reid (14) and Jessie Williams (13) were amazing in that category for Port Melbourne with 44 tackles between them, with Caruso also having 17 disposals and five clearances in a brilliant display across half back.
Isobel Hartog (15 disposals, five tackles, five clearances) and Kaitlyn O’Keefe (14, seven tackles, five clearances) were also good, while Williams kicked 1.2 and was better than her 10 touches suggests.
Bridie Kennedy (18 disposals , eight tackles) worked hard for the Seagulls, with Maddie Edwards (17 disposals, nine tackles) and Sharnie Whiting (16 disposals) also impressive and Eliza Straford (six tackles, one goal) dangerous in attack. Debutant Natasha Phipps (20 hitouts) held her own against Beth Wilson (25) and Kate Dudley (19).
CASEY DEMONS vs COLLINGWOOD
CASEY DEMONS 0.1 2.4 2.4 3.7 (25)
COLLINGWOOD 4.2 4.2 5.6 6.6 (42)
COLLINGWOOD produced one of the greatest turnarounds in rebel VFLW history when it stunned Casey Demons by 17 points at Casey Fields on Good Friday.
The Magpies were coming off a 37-point hiding from Port Melbourne while the Demons had broken all their club records in a 122-point rout of Darebin, but the visitors left their hosts shellshocked with four unanswered goals in the first quarter, with AFLW draftee Eleri Morris kicking things off before Nyakoat Dojiok added two either side of a Monique De Matteo major.
The Demons tried to work back into the game with 2.3 to 0.0 with the wind in the second term, but Collingwood took control again in the third and held firm in the last quarter for a crucial victory.
Jess Bates was again in brilliant touch for the winners, picking up 24 disposals, seven clearances and 11 tackles, with support coming from captain Caitlin Bunker (15 disposals, eight tackles) and Dojiok (14 disposals, two goals).
Megan Fitzsimon pushed Bates for best-on-ground honours with an outstanding 27 possessions, eight clearances and seven tackles for the Demons, who also had former Magpie Marla Neal (17 disposals, six tackles, five clearances), ruck Leah Swain (15 disposals, seven clearances, 23 hitouts), Ciara Burke (15 disposals, five marks) and Belinda Woolcock (14 disposals, seven tackles) in good touch.
GEELONG CATS vs DAREBIN FALCONS
GEELONG CATS 3.2 6.3 11.5 12.6 (78)
DAREBIN FALCONS 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 (2)
GEELONG went within 15 minutes of holding a team scoreless for the first time in its VFLW history on its way to a 76-point domination of Darebin at Deakin University on Saturday.
The Cats outclassed the Falcons for the majority of the game, with the visitors’ only two behinds coming to Alyssa Mifsud in the space of two minutes early in the final term.
Geelong stated its intentions with three goals in each of the first two quarters and looked set to rack up 100 points for the first time when it added five in the third, but to Darebin’s credit it fought the game out and held the home team goalless from the 14th minute of the third quarter until Sachi DeGiacomi snagged her fourth with the last kick of the game.
DeGiacomi only had nine touches, but they were high impact with 4.1 from six kicks to cash in on the quality work of Adelaide AFLW premiership player Chloe Scheer (23 disposals, eight tackles, seven clearances, five entries, two goals), while Olivia Cicolini also kicked two.
Renee Garing (20 disposals, 10 tackles) put in another starring role on return from maternity leave, while Charlotte Simpson (16 disposals, six clearances, five entries) and Mia Skinner (16 disposals, one goal) were also prominent.
Shannon Egan (31 hitouts) and Sally Lynch (22) gave Darebin first opportunity in the ruck, but apart from Angelica Gogos (16 disposals, 10 tackles, five clearances, five inside-50s) and Steph Simpson (18 disposals, five tackles, five clearances) they struggled to make an impact on the contest.
ESSENDON vs CARLTON
ESSENDON 0.0 1.0 1.2 2.2 (14)
CARLTON 0.3 2.5 3.8 10.8 (68)
CARLTON sent reigning premier Essendon spiralling to a second consecutive defeat with a seven-goal final-quarter onslaught leading the Blues to a startling 54-point belting of the Bombers at NEC Hangar on Saturday.
It was a gruelling defensive battle of wills early after the Blues kicked three behinds inside the opening two minutes, with neither team adding to that tally until skipper Christina Bernardi made it four misses in the fifth minute of the second term.
Those missed opportunities had an immediate punishment when Paige Scott kicked the first goal and the Bombers’ first score at 7:05, but it only sparked the visitors into action and Millie Klingbeil responded less than two minutes later.
Carlton led by 18 at three quarter-time and the pair traded goals early in the last before the floodgates opened and the Blues piled on six majors in the last 15 to keep the premiers without a win after three rounds.
Maddie Di Cosmo was fierce at the contest for Carlton, finishing with 18 possessions, 10 tackles and five clearances to feed out opportunities to Ashlee Thorneycroft (17, six marks, five tackles, five entries, one goal), Klingbeil (14, five entries, one goal) and Ally Bild (14, five tackles), while Emily Hurley (31 hitouts, 11 disposals) dominated the ruck.
The Bombers had the top two ball winners on the ground in Sophie Molan (19, five marks) and Lisa Hardeman medallist Alana Barba (19), but Joanne Doonan (17, five tackles, eight clearances, one goal) was their best.
SOUTHERN SAINTS vs BOX HILL HAWKS
SOUTHERN SAINTS 2.1 2.1 4.1 4.1 (25)
BOX HILL HAWKS 2.1 4.4 6.5 8.6 (54)
BOX HILL Hawks remain the only undefeated team in the rebel VFLW after just three rounds following a powerful 29-point dismissal of grand finalists Southern Saints at RSEA Park on Sunday.
The Hawks broke even with two goals apiece in the first and third quarters when the Saints enjoyed a wind advantage and monopolised the footy when it was their turn, keeping the home team scoreless in the second and fourth terms while adding two goals in each.
Box Hill enjoyed significant advantages in disposals (240-213), marks (60-26), inside-50s (46-19) and hitouts (54-33) and despite winning so comfortably the Hawks also laid 83 tackles to 69.
The Saints had the top two possession winners in Tessa Boyd (27, five clearances) and Winnie Laing (20, eight tackles), but the Hawks provided the next five in Grace McRae (18, five marks, eight tackles, five clearances), Maddie Boyd (17, nine marks, 20 hitouts), Nadia von Bertouch (17, nine marks), Caitlin Thorne (17, five entries) and Matilda van Berkel (16, six tackles), while Grace Matser (10, 31 hitouts) was also good.
Sarah Black had 21 hitouts for the Saints, for who Jemma Webster and Ilena Gentle (15 touches each) had their moment.
ROUND 4 FIXTURE
Saturday, April 15: Williamstown vs Darebin Falcons (10:00am, DSV Stadium); Port Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs (10:30am, ETU Stadium); North Melbourne vs Carlton (1:00pm, Arden Street Oval). Sunday, April 16: Southern Saints vs Geelong Cats (9:45am, Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval); Essendon vs Casey Demons (11:00am, NEC Hangar); Box Hill Hawks vs Collingwood (3:30pm, Box Hill City Oval).
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.
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