AFLW Round 3 - Melbourne V Western Bulldogs

[Return to Glory 8,442]

You can say that again.

[faultydet 7,594]

Mifsud. Wow.

Won the battle with strength, and had such strong hands.

 

Star. Goal number 3

 

There's that basketball background again.

 

[Adam The God 30,266]

Daisy reads it so well. Love watching her play.

[Chris 2,892]

Great response by the girls

[Demon Disciple 12,153]

Bring it home Girls!

[Adam The God 30,266]

Beauty.

[Adam The God 30,266]

Really good team effort. 

[Demon Disciple 12,153]

2/2. Good day of footy overall!

[Pates 9,660]

So where does that place the girls on the ladder? Is GF on the cards?

[Mdemonski3 174]

39 minutes ago, A F said:

Daisy reads it so well. Love watching her play.

All class Daisy on and off the field.

o'dea, Paxman, mifsud and mithen also really strong. 

They are a big chance to win the Comp this year I reckon. 

Ps: Love the way the girls sing the song - unbridled joy, great to see. 

[faultydet 7,594]

Well, the Women won a new fan tonight.

I have been very sceptical of the skills that we might see, and thought the first round was an embarrassment.

 

To the posters who defended the girls, and said it would improve, I say, you obviously had better judgement than I did. I thought it would take several seasons to see good skills, but tonights game was excellent.

 

Girls, think about that. It's not a suburban kick with your mates any more. You are all being watched and cheered on by Aussie rules fans all over the world, on international T.V.

Bloody fantastic tonight. Go Dees.

 

Mifsud is mine. Step away. Power forwards bring people to the game.

(and Daisy is a really really attractive version of Gary Ablett)

[stephen247 68]

Great game - and I loved the effort and belief of the team. I was not confident we had a team to be very successful this year but we are building. My analogy is that it is like 20/20 cricket - anything can happen on the night and any team can win.

A win tonight against a flag favourite will hopefully consolidate the team and help to build the confidence we need.  I believe we recruited for the future and sustained success in a few years, but this team could be capable of anything with belief. Here's hoping...

[Lucifers Hero 39,870]

12 minutes ago, Pates said:

So where does that place the girls on the ladder? Is GF on the cards?

We are 4th.  2nd (Crows) and 3rd (Carlton) play tomorrow.  But their %'age is 200+ while ours is 122%.

If Carlton lose tomorrow and we beat them next week we have a chance of being top 2 to play in the GF but Crows and Lions would need to lose a few.  The informed view is that a team can only drop one game to make it to top 2.

So, at the moment we are an outside chance to play in the GF.  But each game we get better so who knows!

 

 

As an aside - Harriet Cordner is a beautiful kick of the footy.  Her famous Demon family genes certainly found their way to her.  Love watching her in action!  She does her name and her Demon heritage proud!

Edited February 18, 2017 by Lucifer's Hero

[FarNorthernD 5,861]

I really enjoyed that win

O'dea a favourite, seems to bleed red and blue

[faultydet 7,594]

5 minutes ago, stephen247 said:

Great game - and I loved the effort and belief of the team. I was not confident we had a team to be very successful this year but we are building. My analogy is that it is like 20/20 cricket - anything can happen on the night and any team can win.

A win tonight against a flag favourite will hopefully consolidate the team and help to build the confidence we need.  I believe we recruited for the future and sustained success in a few years, but this team could be capable of anything with belief. Here's hoping...

We looked miles ahead of the Bulldogs tonight.

I never imagined in my 48 years, that I might be celebrating my first flag, with a Womens team.

 

This team can do it.

 

Edit for acknowledgement. After copping some flack early, coach Mick Stinear appears to have designed a fantastic style of play for the girls. Well done Mick.

Edited February 18, 2017 by faultydet

[Akum 2,660]

They look much better with Daisy on the ball.

[3183 Dee 2,853]

1 hour ago, fndee said:

I really enjoyed that win

O'dea a favourite, seems to bleed red and blue

She was co-commentating the Doggies/Adelaide(?) Rd 1 game and said that she grew up barracking for the Demons.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,054]

3 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

We are 4th.  2nd (Crows) and 3rd (Carlton) play tomorrow.  But their %'age is 200+ while ours is 122%.

If Carlton lose tomorrow and we beat them next week we have a chance of being top 2 to play in the GF but Crows and Lions would need to lose a few.  The informed view is that a team can only drop one game to make it to top 2.

So, at the moment we are an outside chance to play in the GF.  But each game we get better so who knows!

 

All we need to do is win five more games and we're premiers.  That's not too hard right? 

[Lucifers Hero 39,870]

12 hours ago, RalphiusMaximus said:

All we need to do is win five more games and we're premiers.  That's not too hard right? 

I'll assume that is a genuine question. 

Theoretically, it may not look too hard but practically we may not even get to the GF and that is no longer in our control:

• only the top 2 teams play in the GF
• we need Crows, Carlton or Lions to lose at least 2 of their remaining games (due to their superior %age).
• or if they drop one game we need to win our games by huge margins while they win by very small margins. 

So, atmo we are an outside chance of making the top 2, to play the GF, even if we win our remaining 4 games.

Edit:  Update:  Crows beat Carlton by 3pts.  Ladder is:

1. Crows, 3 Wins, 230.6 %
2. Lions, 3 Wins, 157.2%
3. Carlton, 2 Wins, 172.6%
4. Demons, 2 Wins, 122.8%

The close loss to Crows by Carlton improved the GF odds for us a little.  The most critical games to determine the GF playoff teams will be:-

• Rnd 4 Demons vs Carlton
• Rnd 5 Crows vs Lions
• Rnd 6 Demons vs Crows
• Rnd 7 Carlton vs Lions

Some interesting games in the final rounds.  The GF teams might just come down to the last game of the AFLW season:  Carlton vs Lions

 

Edited February 19, 2017 by Lucifer's Hero

[Straight Sets Simon 23,113]

It's great to see a big and strong forward wearing number 9 again.

[Return to Glory 8,442]

Great win by the girls but  can the umpires pay free kicks when they're there (I realise this is rant number 2) instead of this AFL rules- lite they seem to be adopting. Daisy nailed a girl in possession as she went to kick late in the fourth. It could not have been more text book and obvious but, of course, not paid and play on. Am I missing something?

[Dees_In_October 3,383]

I love that, like Lucifer's Hero above, I'm already thinking about what's best for Melbourne when choosing who to barrack for in neutral games.

Great game yesterday. I get the feeling that our leadership group has a really good influence and control over the vibe and focus of the team.

Aside from the obvious best contributors (Paxman, Pearce, O'Dea, Mifsud etc.) I really like the way Humphries goes about it.

Also, if and when Mifsud really gets her goalkicking boots on, watch out!

[Little Goffy 14,578]

Next week we play Carlton, where a win would put us into third place, a game clear of the middle-pack. That leaves us chasing one of Adelaide or Brisbane, just need one of them to falter and leave that second grand final slot open, and in such a volatile league, I'd be seriously surprised if they didn't both drop at least one game from the remaining four, and obviously one must, when they play eachother.

It'd be hugely annoying if our early first game lack of composure (and a game disrupted by storms and lightning!) against Brisbane cost us the spot.

Anyway, four games left -

Carlton at Casey - A good defence and a good attack led by Vescio and fellow contested marker Jakobsson. Brianna Davey is a star, driving them from HB and wing, and a major reason they have the best disposal efficiency as a team. Carlton are VERY unlucky (don't mention free kicks) to not be one of the remaining undefeated teams. The Carlton-Melbourne game will be a major test of game styles - the top clearance team against the most efficient ball users, the top team for volume of inside 50s, vs the top team for contested marks and marks inside 50 - while the two teams share honours for total disposals and contested possessions. Honestly, it's a little sad that what I'd argue are the two best teams in the league have both been set a step behind the pace through unlucky losses in scrappy games. But such is life, and now one of them will be knocked out of the running in this game.

Western Sydney at Blacktown - GWS lead the women's game for tackles, but are nothing special on clearances and last for contest possessions. It seems a more even group with a big midfield rotation - multiple players with 'good' but not outstanding clearances and disposal counts and so forth. In the midfield, Jess dal Pos and Ashliegh Guest are the main concern, racking up tackles, their fair share of clearances and contested posessions, but also having well above average disposal efficiency. Phoebe McWilliams is their forward threat - not only an impressive 80% goal accuracy, but a generally efficient use of the ball all. On the bright side, GWS have leaked goals, giving away at least 40 points in every game so far.

Adelaide at TIO - Strangely, the team to beat is also the team with no big statistical notes. Only things worth mentioning are good but not overwhelming inside 50s, marks inside 50, and goals. That'll do it, though. This is built on three different players capable of bringing the ball effectively into attack - Randall, Marinoff and Phillips. Erin Phillips in particular stands out, with 4 goals, 3 goal assists, and top-bracket figures for inside 50s, clearances, marks, practically everything.

However, having said all that, a Carlton supporter might point out that Adelaide only won by 3 points, despite a 15-8 free kick count. Bulldogs supporters might gripe that their inaccuracy, more than Adelaide's superiority, had more to do with it. Or possibly the 30-15 free kick count, too. In fact, I didn't even look at it at first, but Adelaide is averaging 22 free kicks a game, 7 higher than the average of 15, and still 5 higher than the next most awarded.  Frees against is spot on average. Have I uncovered the first big controversy of the women's AFL?

Fremantle at Casey - If you want confirmation of GWS' tendency to leak goals, just look to Fremantle, who scored 6 of their 10 goals so far against them. Of course, GWS also scored 7 of their 13 goals so far in that drawn game. Fremantle being behind only GWS for points scored against. So, for Fremantle you're looking at a team that so far has struggled to score AND struggled to prevent opposition scoring. As for individual players at Fremantle, Kara Donnellan stands out as an all-purpose midfielder, doing some of everything and doing it well, with good disposal efficiency. More on the inside, Lara Filocomo is a top clearance winner, with solid tackle and contested possession counts. Demon bias considered, Donnellan is no Pearce and Filocomo is no Paxman, however, a set of supporting inside types, like tackle-machine Ebony Antonio, mean that Fremantle have managed to keep up a high level of clearance wins.

[RalphiusMaximus 6,054]

12 hours ago, Lucifer's Hero said:

I'll assume that is a genuine question. 

Theoretically, it may not look too hard but practically we may not even get to the GF and that is no longer in our control:

...

Some interesting games in the final rounds.  The GF teams might just come down to the last game of the AFLW season:  Carlton vs Lions

 

I had actually already factored this into my thoughts. 

The only team above us we have played is Brisbane.  So we can no longer take points off them. 

Winning five in a row means beating both Carlton and Adelaide.  They will also play each other, putting one of them clearly below us and the other level.

Both of those sides will also face Brisbane. 

Assuming we win all of our remaining games. the worst possible result for us would be for Adelaide and Brisbane to beat Carlton (Adelaide already have) and Adelaide to beat Brisbane.  That would leave us as the likely third place side based on percentage.  If Brisbane maintain their unbeaten run then winning all of our games will be enough. 

So what it amounts to is, assuming we keep winning, there is only one scenario where we don't make the GF. 

All of this is also working on the assumption that one of the other four sides don't beat the top sides.