Game is on this Sunday out at Casey Fields @ 5:05pm.

Free Entry too, hopefully it's a good turn out.

Can't make game but I'll be watching from overseas as the game will be broadcast live on Fox Footy.

Good article about the side here - http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/aflw/melbourne-has-plenty-of-quality-midfielders-and-defenders-but-keen-to-create-new-avenues-to-goal/news-story/7fe074da4828d88522d79ec7d1f65f2d

Player profiles here - http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/aflw/melbourne-demons-aflw-player-profiles-for-2017-season/news-story/bbb832ccee571c018e14d8cabd7d3859

I'm so excited I even bought a copy of Inside Football, first in a long time. (This edition has a full run-down on every women's team, player by player)

Frustrated that I can't get down to Melbourne/Casey for the game, but still hoping I can make it to one this season.

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5
Melbourne v Brisbane Lions, Casey Fields, 5.05pm AEDT

MELBOURNE
B: K.Smith 13, M.Clifford 44, C.Phillips 35
HB: M.Downie 2, D.Pearce 6, M.Hickey 18
C: H.Cordner 21
HF: S.Scott 20, E.O'Dea 5, J.Grierson 19
F: A.Newman 16, J.Anderson 28, L.Mithen 14
FOLL: L.Pearce 15, K.Paxman 4, D.Berry 7
INT: E.Humphries 3, S.Jolly 10, L.Duryea 11, S.De Bortoli 23, M.Boyd 25, A.Kemp 36
Emergencies: S.Lampard 8, A.Mifsud 9

BRISBANE LIONS
B: S.Virgo 5, S.Campbell 20, L.Kaslar 11
HB: T.Randall 16, K.Lutkins 13, B.Koenen 3
C: M.Hunt 6
HF: S.Frederick-Traub 14, K.Ashmore 10, K.McCarthy 9
F: S.Law 2, T.Harris 7, J.Weutschner 23
FOLL: S.Webb 4, E.Bates 1, E.Zielke 8
INT: N.Wallace 24, J.Stanton 17, N.Hildebrand 22, S.Goodman 19, B.Gibson 25, A.Anderson 18, J.Ransfield 15, K.Deegan 12*
*Emergencies: To be named on Friday

Other teams here: http://m.afl.com.au/news/2017-02-02/aflw-all-the-round-one-teams

12 hours ago, Demonland said:

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5
Melbourne v Brisbane Lions, Casey Fields, 5.05pm AEDT

MELBOURNE
B: K.Smith 13, M.Clifford 44, C.Phillips 35
HB: M.Downie 2, D.Pearce 6, M.Hickey 18
C: H.Cordner 21
HF: S.Scott 20, E.O'Dea 5, J.Grierson 19
F: A.Newman 16, J.Anderson 28, L.Mithen 14
FOLL: L.Pearce 15, K.Paxman 4, D.Berry 7
INT: E.Humphries 3, S.Jolly 10, L.Duryea 11, S.De Bortoli 23, M.Boyd 25, A.Kemp 36
Emergencies: S.Lampard 8, A.Mifsud 9

BRISBANE LIONS
B: S.Virgo 5, S.Campbell 20, L.Kaslar 11
HB: T.Randall 16, K.Lutkins 13, B.Koenen 3
C: M.Hunt 6
HF: S.Frederick-Traub 14, K.Ashmore 10, K.McCarthy 9
F: S.Law 2, T.Harris 7, J.Weutschner 23
FOLL: S.Webb 4, E.Bates 1, E.Zielke 8
INT: N.Wallace 24, J.Stanton 17, N.Hildebrand 22, S.Goodman 19, B.Gibson 25, A.Anderson 18, J.Ransfield 15, K.Deegan 12*
*Emergencies: To be named on Friday

Other teams here: http://m.afl.com.au/news/2017-02-02/aflw-all-the-round-one-teams

So Dom Berry finally cracked it for a senior game.

Preview

Good luck to all involved in all games, congratulations to everyone on getting us to this point. 

I must say as I travel into the city on the train I still feel pretty annoyed that it's Carlton and Collingwood cutting the ribbon on the competition. Us and the doggies deserve better, at the very least we should've been playing each other in round one. 

Still i'm sure the ladies will do us proud. 

Go Dees!

Women's league off to a good start, Collingwood getting smashed.

Tell you what, Daisy Pearce is a pretty good commentator too.

3 minutes ago, Little Goffy said:

Women's league off to a good start, Collingwood getting smashed.

Tell you what, Daisy Pearce is a pretty good commentator too.

The fact the Filth got smashed isn't good. The fact that it was the Blues and Pies and not a game with either the Dogs or Us is a [censored] disgrace and testament to how pathetic and gutless the AFL are, not to mention how ridiculous the amount of conflict of interest exists in the corrupt cesspool know as AFL house

Just now, Rod Grinter Riot Squad said:

The fact the Filth got smashed isn't good. The fact that it was the Blues and Pies and not a game with either the Dogs or Us is a [censored] disgrace and testament to how pathetic and gutless the AFL are, not to mention how ridiculous the amount of conflict of interest exists in the corrupt cesspool know as AFL house

That does suck. But at least we'll be in the game at the other end of the season.

Bit nervous now as A) Carlton seem to be bigger and fitter than us and have genuine fire power in Darcy Vescio and B) After getting thumped, the filth will be on the front foot as heaven forbid that all the hype about Mo Hope has turned out to be a false dawn.

Pretty happy with our defence and midfield though. Hope to christ Stinear can get the team playing well.

Looking forward to Sunday.

15 minutes ago, Rod Grinter Riot Squad said:

The fact the Filth got smashed isn't good. The fact that it was the Blues and Pies and not a game with either the Dogs or Us is a [censored] disgrace and testament to how pathetic and gutless the AFL are, not to mention how ridiculous the amount of conflict of interest exists in the corrupt cesspool know as AFL house

Yes it should have been the Dogs and us.

...but I think they've gone early.

The standard in nowhere near good enough to base a national competition on yet.

Will be interesting to watch the TV and game day numbers over the next few weeks.

My bet is they will drop off after the hype settles and reality steps in.

I know there will be many with rose coloureds but the footy was very average.

 

I thought it was scrappy, congested, poor skill rubbish.

I've heard via second or third hand information that this game is a sellout. Is this true? Can someone confirm or deny, please?

20 minutes ago, Redleg said:

I thought it was scrappy, congested, poor skill rubbish.

Gil essentially said that this would be expected in the early days, and I agree  the standard will improve over time but we have to remember how quickly this has formed.

I'm also a strong believer that there are too many teams which has diluted the talent pool.

1 hour ago, rjay said:

...but I think they've gone early.

I kinda agree, I think it might been a better idea to have this year focused on building the foundation clubs and the skills by conducting academies of sorts. That said they needed to strike while the iron was hot with the popularity gained by the games between us and the dogs. (Not that we were given recognition for it).

These first couple of years are going to be bumpy ride. Those who are believers will need to be steadfast in their resolve and support, those on the fence will likely drop off (but hopefully return in the future), and those that we saying stuff like "nobody will care", "it's crap anyway" , and more will likely feel vindicated for a while. 

1 hour ago, A F said:

I've heard via second or third hand information that this game is a sellout. Is this true? Can someone confirm or deny, please?

They locked the gates and Gill was out there apologising to people who couldn't get in.Of course, it's princess park, so not that big but they still had a great turnout. 

 

1 hour ago, Redleg said:

I thought it was scrappy, congested, poor skill rubbish.

Carlton seem to have a plan that basically revolves around crashing into people and belting the ball forward.  They also run in support really well, so if one gets tackled there's always a free outlet player behind them.  They're very reliant on Vescio winning the loose ball once they get it up there.  I suspect that Collingwood actually had better skills, but they weren't able to execute under the physical pressure and their reliance on Hope to kick goals was very apparent as Carlton got away with playing two or three defenders on her all night.  That won't work against most sides. 

14 minutes ago, RalphiusMaximus said:

They locked the gates and Gill was out there apologising to people who couldn't get in.Of course, it's princess park, so not that big but they still had a great turnout. 

Sorry, RM. I should have been more specific. I've heard the Melbourne v Brisbane game is a sellout.

With free entry to the game at Casey Fields I'm not quite sure how you could predict a 'sell out'! However being the first Melbourne women's game should result in a reasonable crowd, though Brisbane won't have too many local supporters, so this will reduce numbers. I would anticipate approximately 5, 000, but would be staggered if they got anywhere near 10, 000. A NAB cup game a couple of years ago between Melbourne and Hawthorn, played at Casey, drew approximately 10, 000 and the place was packed, with no room for too many more to fit. This women's game is also on a Sunday evening,  which could affect crowd numbers, with work and school the next day.

8 hours ago, Redleg said:

I thought it was scrappy, congested, poor skill rubbish.

Couldn't find a positive Red? The standard will improve and quickly. I think I said elsewhere that I would have gone with a 6 team structure. We don't have the talent yet to meet the high standards of the last three exhibitions games. Did you enjoy those games? That's where we'll be across 8 teams within a couple of seasons and then it will just get better and better. I'll repeat, the best talent in the country is still very young. The pathway has been in place for a few years now. The Auskickers are coming. I just hope people are patient. It was always going to be scrappy. Calling it rubbish, however, is a little disrespectful to the commitment of the girls involved in yesterday's game.

Was there last night as I'm friends with most of the girls and for someone who played and has been involved in women's football for a long time it was a real emotional time for all of us. That atmosphere was fantastic, was packed, people getting right into it. 

Yeah skills weren't great but I'm sure back when the men first started it wasn't either. Will take time, doubt crowds will be that big throughout the rest of the female season but what a special moment it was for them. Everyone needs to stop worrying about their skills right now and just be happy for them.

9 hours ago, RalphiusMaximus said:

They locked the gates and Gill was out there apologising to people who couldn't get in.Of course, it's princess park, so not that big but they still had a great turnout. 

 

Carlton seem to have a plan that basically revolves around crashing into people and belting the ball forward.  They also run in support really well, so if one gets tackled there's always a free outlet player behind them.  They're very reliant on Vescio winning the loose ball once they get it up there.  I suspect that Collingwood actually had better skills, but they weren't able to execute under the physical pressure and their reliance on Hope to kick goals was very apparent as Carlton got away with playing two or three defenders on her all night.  That won't work against most sides. 

Worked against us

24 minutes ago, armstrong35 said:

Was there last night as I'm friends with most of the girls and for someone who played and has been involved in women's football for a long time it was a real emotional time for all of us. That atmosphere was fantastic, was packed, people getting right into it. 

Yeah skills weren't great but I'm sure back when the men first started it wasn't either. Will take time, doubt crowds will be that big throughout the rest of the female season but what a special moment it was for them. Everyone needs to stop worrying about their skills right now and just be happy for them.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

The quality of the competition will improve massively over the next 5-10 years as more girls come through the youth girls system who didn't have to stop playing footy as they reached their teens.

3 hours ago, Goodvibes said:

Couldn't find a positive Red? The standard will improve and quickly. I think I said elsewhere that I would have gone with a 6 team structure. We don't have the talent yet to meet the high standards of the last three exhibitions games. Did you enjoy those games? That's where we'll be across 8 teams within a couple of seasons and then it will just get better and better. I'll repeat, the best talent in the country is still very young. The pathway has been in place for a few years now. The Auskickers are coming. I just hope people are patient. It was always going to be scrappy. Calling it rubbish, however, is a little disrespectful to the commitment of the girls involved in yesterday's game.

Yes, for a positive I thought the girls went in generally very hard at the ball. I thought their short passing was good. I thought the crowd was massive.

I was surprised at how many girls can't get any distance, even with a smaller ball. I wasn't expecting 70 m torps, but I thought if a girl was having a shot from 30 m out they would make the distance and saw quite a few that didn't. I was surprised at how many easy marks were dropped. I was surprised at how many girls held onto the ball too long and got tackled and lost it. I was surprised at how poor the handball was. Given they played 16 a side, I thought it would be more free flowing than it was, especially with some of the quicker girls using their pace. I will admit I didn't watch every second of the game. Did anyone run and bounce the ball, I didn't see one bounce?

I don't mean to be disrespectful to the commitment of the girls yesterday, but if I gave an honest comment, which I did, so be it.

I don't disagree with you that it will get better, but that doesn't change what I saw yesterday.

I don't feel you need to say something is better than it was, just because it might/will improve in the future. If that was the case, you could never have a view on an event, as the next one might be better. 

I know I am probably a bit biased, as I am not really enthused about women's footy, but I watched yesterday to see how it would go and maybe get a little bit more involved. I will keep trying, but ATM I think of it more as a sidewhow and money raiser for the AFL.

As armstrong 35 said, I am happy for the girls. 

It's impossible for me to disagree with any of that Red, but at the same time, I do think it would be very easy to fall into the trap of using the highly skilled and finely honed men's game that we all love, as the 'benchmark' for the AFWL as a spectator sport.  Having said that, I know I'm really looking forward to each match over this inaugural weekend, and especially Melbourne vs. Brisbane ......... but maybe that's just because it's been a long pre-season, and I need a footy 'fix'. 

I genuinely hope it won't be the case, but I suspect that for me, the AFWL will always be no more than a nice prelude to the AFL ........ but undoubtedly quite a bit more than that when Melbourne are playing.  Time will tell!

16 minutes ago, Deeoldfart said:

It's impossible for me to disagree with any of that Red, but at the same time, I do think it would be very easy to fall into the trap of using the highly skilled and finely honed men's game that we all love, as the 'benchmark' for the AFWL as a spectator sport.  Having said that, I know I'm really looking forward to each match over this inaugural weekend, and especially Melbourne vs. Brisbane ......... but maybe that's just because it's been a long pre-season, and I need a footy 'fix'. 

I genuinely hope it won't be the case, but I suspect that for me, the AFWL will always be no more than a nice prelude to the AFL ........ but undoubtedly quite a bit more than that when Melbourne are playing.  Time will tell!

No matter how it gets spun, this is the benchmark for AFL as a spectator sport.

I'm happy for the girls to be playing and for them to get this opportunity but I'm not particularly interested in watching apart from going to see my nieces play from time to time.

Not sure how it will draw over the long term but lets wait and see.

16 hours ago, Rod Grinter Riot Squad said:

The fact the Filth got smashed isn't good. The fact that it was the Blues and Pies and not a game with either the Dogs or Us is a [censored] disgrace and testament to how pathetic and gutless the AFL are, not to mention how ridiculous the amount of conflict of interest exists in the corrupt cesspool know as AFL house

Agreed.

History was created last night.  As the trailblazers for the game, the Bulldogs and Demons had earned the right to create that history: to have the First goal kicker, the First win, the First BOG etc.  Instead the history was gifted to the big and powerful. 

The respective captains, Brennan(Bulldogs)  and Pearce (Demons) didn't think too much of it either "...Both admitted in the countdown to the AFLW premiere that a Carlton-Collingwood billing hasn't exactly filled them with romance..."

Having failed on that the AFL should have the Bulldogs play the Demons tonight giving both teams a chance to have a 'big' game with big crowds .  Instead both clubs play i/state teams which won't draw big crowds so less atmosphere etc.  At least the Bulldogs get to play tonight.  We are relegated to a 5.05pm start the night before school at an outer suburban oval.  5.05pm, really!

More respect was deserved by the two teams that worked so hard to even get the AFL to consider an AFLW game. 

Edit:  Just noticed our game is not on FTA TV.