Defence outstanding (again!);  mids and stoppage work very good (again!); forward craft hopeless (again!); handball out of trouble to put a team mate into more trouble, far too prevalent (again!).  
I’ve loved some of Paxy’s work over recent weeks.  Just kick it off the ground and gain 20 or 30 metres. There should be more of it from her team-mates!  Also loving Lily Mithen’s game.  She consistently ‘nails’ those 15 to 30 m. passes through the corridor.  Lauren Pearce is the AFLW’s Max Gawn.  Goldie is an AFLW version of Sean Wight in so many respects.  Westy continues her rise but disposal needs work.

 

Edited February 12, 20224 yr by Deeoldfart
punctuation

I couldn't believe the dream run we  got from the umps.  Stark contrast to the Adelaide game where we couldn't buy  a free, and  they  continually  got  soft ones.

 Jake  Lever must  be coaching Libby Birch!

I love how they knew they needed to get better at contested ball in the middle and how they've gone about it.

Daisy to the forward line, Paxman about 70% outside now and with Mithen, Hanks and West doing all the in and under grunt work, we are a seriously good contested ball team. West adds so much, she's great, just get the ball going our way. 

Libby Birch is a great back player and the speed of Goldrick in defence and Bannan on the wing is okay. Zanker is good to watch, she can be seriously good (the pick up on the run in the last then off to Harris for the soft free) but she also does a lot wrong. Her development is important to the team, she is nowhere near the finished product yet.

I think our forward line is good around Harris, Daisy and Hore, but one more target would be good. Adelaide's defence was super and they shut us down very well, we will need to develop other avenues to goal to seriously challenge them.

I think if we keep improving like the mens team did in 2021 we can win it. The big difference is I always thought the mens team's best was the best in the league but I don't think the girls are the best team in it yet. Hopefully they get to finals and have a good series. Go girls.

An unconvincing win, due totally to the poor kicking for goal.
A win is a win, and scores in all games are dropping as the season goes on, but unless we fix the problems up forward, we might as well start engraving Adelaide’s name on the cup.

I would like Daisy to move down back. She is not a natural forward, in that her first instinct is to give the ball off. Very useful in defenc, but not when scoring is so critical in the AFLW games.

I think Bannan should move up the ground as another tall athletic target. And we need to develop someone else, since Daisy won’t be around forever.

As @deeoldfart noted, Paxmans ability to move the ball by kicking it off the ground is exemplary, and others should be doing similar. Stop trying to pick the ball up when surrounded, just guarantees to be tackled. 
 

The real test is now coming with games against Brisbane, Freo etc. Good that we haven’t dropped games like we did the past couple of years. And can’t wait to see Purcell in the middle at the business end of the season.

That’s the best our hand balling has been. Starting to take quicker options and move the ball by hand. That’s our best way to score.

Her kicking still needs work but Westy was great by hand.

Mithen on the windy side wing was very handy, might be worth persisting with her there and using Sheriff at half forward to get more run/pace.

Really liked Fitzsimon’s forward pressure too 

23 hours ago, dl4e said:

Better quarter that and our backline were excellent. I must admit that West is playing really well, Just wish she could kick. Lauren pearce has been great as well.needs to go back and learn how to kick ( or handball) proficiently as she is a liability st the moment.

West gets far too close to on the mark when kicking and doesn't use the stand on the mark to her advantage or Look to handball and she is so poor a kick that she is almost a liability when she gets the ball although I can't question her aggression and attitude to compete.

Our conversion all day was pathetic with Harris Hore and others missing straight forward  shots on the run from less than 25m out. Should have been about 10.4 really So we are even with Harris Pearce and now Hore finding form still unreliable on the forward  line. 

I was unimpressed last week and not much more yesterday as most of our goals resulted from frees and GWS below average  defence. 

Many of the teams just underneath have a far better team game and plan than us and don't fumble as much or drop marks.

We have not progressed from last season in team play only that Tayla is covering up many cracks snd our size in defence and strength over the ball is average at best With most just thrown or bustled in contests and no clean disposal to set up clean attacking moves. We almost always find the most difficult way to play snd mess up any good attacks. 

Right  now it will need a miracle to beat Crows Freo and Lions and 50/50 vs North. We need Casey for our best Finals  results.

On the same front there is no doubt it makes it far harder to play "good standard " footy in such windy conditions at  Casey but our great record stands up against all teams there but not so much away in far better conditions at protected style grounds.

That will ultimately be a make or break for us unless we discover our mojo up forward and our game plan is simplified or perfected.