4 minutes ago, Webber said:

Sounds good. Strangely enough, I get more excited about going to Prinny Park (Ikon, shmikon!) than Casey Fields. 

I'm a full Dees games at "Princess" Park convert now too. I used to not like that it wasn't "ours", but the benefits clearly outweigh those cons. If they could work out a way to cover that ugly Carlton logo, I'd be happy for us to play our home games there, with maybe just one out at Casey for old times' sake and to force interstate teams or Geelong to travel there haha. Of course, this is all until we build our proper club home base and AFLW boutique stadium... in the distant, distant future.

Tests all round!

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1453638/rd8-injury-report-five-demons

1 hour ago, Dees_In_October said:

On the Garner tagging question, I reckon we go Heath on Riddell. We could put a lot of energy into Garner with not much effect. It's a tricky one.

Yes, not a bad idea.  You may well be right about Garner, she might almost be "untaggable", or at least very difficult to have a significant impact upon.

 

35 minutes ago, BDA said:

Shelley heath is one of my favourites but she just bounced off the crows mids. A bigger body is needed to compete with garner and riddell. 

I know it's hard to believe but Riddell is probably smaller than Heath.  I couldn't believe just how tiny she was when I first saw her in the crowd at a VFLW game a few years ago.......I almost trod on her. 🤣

 

Relevant to our discussion. Puts Garner and Riddell as the best midfield partnership:

https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1054849/four-on-the-floor-aflws-most-powerful-engine-rooms

"Between the two of them, Garner and Riddell are responsible for 23 per cent of North Melbourne's disposals, 32.2 per cent of its inside 50s and 40.8 per cent of its clearances."

4 hours ago, Dees_In_October said:

For those unaware, apparently (according to The W Podcast with Sam Lane) the average attendance for this season could reach the metric the AFL has required to unlock an extra game next year, so 12 H&A instead of 11. Some very good attendances in the last few rounds are needed though. The AFL has kept this quiet, but it's all detailed in the new CBA. Currently I think the average is about on par with last season, which is impressive given there were definitely some double headers that bolstered those figures and none this season.

Anyway, we all like to whinge about the short season, so here's a chance to do something about it by getting along to games and get whoever to tag along. I'd also imagine that strong crowds at Ikon will beget more Dees home games there...

 

4 hours ago, Webber said:

Sounds good. Strangely enough, I get more excited about going to Prinny Park (Ikon, shmikon!) than Casey Fields. 

Our games at Casey simply don’t draw the crowds like our games at Ikon. We had just under 2,000 in attendance vs Adelaide at Casey two weeks ago. That number likely would’ve been double had it been played at Ikon. Same goes for our R3 match vs the Bulldogs at Casey where there was only 1400 in attendance.

Besides that, the girls love playing at Ikon. Never having lost a match there helps, but in every respect Ikon is the better venue. 

If anyone wants my ticket (or just can scan in to inflate attendance numbers) then please DM me!  I was planning on travelling to Melbourne for this Sat but have ended up sick...

Might be preaching to the choir in this thread though 😅

6 minutes ago, DeelightfulPlay said:

If anyone wants my ticket (or just can scan in to inflate attendance numbers) then please DM me!  I was planning on travelling to Melbourne for this Sat but have ended up sick...

Might be preaching to the choir in this thread though 😅

Sorry to hear you’re unwell, DP, and wishing you a super-speedy recovery 💕

It’s a shame you’ll miss this match, especially since there’s so few rounds remaining and it’s not always convenient for you to travel from Sydney. I’m sure you’ll be watching from home, we’ll cheer extra loud for you! ❤️💙

Huge game this. North have improved. They've maintained the stingy defence but are scoring more. they should have beaten the Lions but coughed it up badly. We can't be complacent here at all. Paxy and Tayla to return. Need to roll out the big guns.

 

9 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Sorry to hear you’re unwell, DP, and wishing you a super-speedy recovery 💕

It’s a shame you’ll miss this match, especially since there’s so few rounds remaining and it’s not always convenient for you to travel from Sydney. I’m sure you’ll be watching from home, we’ll cheer extra loud for you! ❤️💙

Thanks WCW! 💖

Bit gutted since I've been planning to attend Round 8 since Round 1!  But convalescence on a couch with our girls playing hard against a top side is the next best option.  Although my cheering won't help my throat 😂

Just left an AFLW function at the ‘G where Mick gave us an injury update. Paxy, Madi and Loz are all good to go. Tayla is being given another week off since there’s some tendon issue tied in with the hammy thing. Nothing serious but they want to make sure she’s 100%. Gabi is “50/50” and another omission is Lampy. An x-ray revealed she has a small fracture in her wrist that will see her miss 3-4 weeks. 

9 minutes ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Just left an AFLW function at the ‘G where Mick gave us an injury update. Paxy, Madi and Loz are all good to go. Tayla is being given another week off since there’s some tendon issue tied in with the hammy thing. Nothing serious but they want to make sure she’s 100%. Gabi is “50/50” and another omission is Lampy. An x-ray revealed she has a small fracture in her wrist that will see her miss 3-4 weeks. 

Was wondering how they test 'Managed'...

23 hours ago, Craig T said:

Yes, not a bad idea.  You may well be right about Garner, she might almost be "untaggable", or at least very difficult to have a significant impact upon. 

So, without being over-conscious of her, a keepings-off tactic may need to be employed. I wonder how advanced the women's comp, and of course our trend-setting team, are in these 'finer', skill/tactics, aspects of the game. They're certainly advancing very quickly in most of the others!

4 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Just left an AFLW function at the ‘G where Mick gave us an injury update. Paxy, Madi and Loz are all good to go. Tayla is being given another week off since there’s some tendon issue tied in with the hammy thing. Nothing serious but they want to make sure she’s 100%. Gabi is “50/50” and another omission is Lampy. An x-ray revealed she has a small fracture in her wrist that will see her miss 3-4 weeks. 

I don't like the sound of this tendon issue.........

Those are some good ins, but we're definitely on a bit of an injury rollercoaster. Sucks for Lampard. Fingers crossed that they really are just being careful with Harris and she can get some continuity soon.

Some background to the game...

Princes Park win-loss record: Melb 6-0; Nth 3-1
Melbourne's win-loss record against North: 5-1 (in 6 meetings, the average margin has been 7.3 points)
North's 2023 formline: The Roos have 6 wins on the board, their only loss coming against Brisbane (4th) in R4. Their wins have been against the currently placed 6th, 9th, 10th, 13th, 15th and 16th (Melbourne's: 6th, 8th, 14th, 16th, 17th and 18th). Both teams have played and beaten Geelong (Melb: +49; Nth +9) and GWS (Melb: +77; Nth: +30). North has the stingiest defense in the league, with only 126 points conceeded, compared to 198 for the Dees. Randall is North's leading goalkicker with 14, next best is Shierlaw with 8.

Selected teams avg. games experience: Melb 41.5; Nth 37.8

Last time they met: Our last match-up in the 2022B PF was a physical affair, with North putting immense pressure on our ball carriers. To some extent, it was the Roos' wayward kicking and failure to create good forward entries that put them out of the game (18 i50s in the 3rd for just 2 behinds), as the Demon defence stood firm. North played with a spare back, and Kearney in particular cleaned up behind the ball, while Garner had a typically prolific game. In the end, Paxman and Hanks pushed us across the line and a bit of Daisy brilliance sealed the deal for a 16-point win. Also notable given Harris is out is that she was limited in this game by an early injury, forcing the likes of Zanker into the ruck. This time round we're playing a second ruck anyway, though of course we'll still miss her as an aerial threat.

26 minutes ago, Craig T said:

I don't like the sound of this tendon issue.........

Yeah nor do I. Mick mentioned Tayla’s update quickly. He wasn’t very clear about it which is why I only caught the words “tendon/hamstring/extra time” such was the vagueness. But maybe some of us are gun-shy when it comes to hammy injuries.

😬

Gone are the days when playing 'Expert Tipsters' didn't put a margin after their tips.

Libby Birch, in The Age, has gone with the highest margin among her colleagues, with 3 goals!

She'll want to have a big game!

She is with the trend, though. Only Emma Kearney tips her Roos. With a much more circumspect 5 point margin, however!

 

We starting to get a few niggles. Not idea having players carrying knocks this time of year. hopefully we can get close to fully fit come finals time.

And i agree with being cautious with Tayla. Need her fit and firing if we're to win a flag.

For anyone wanting to sit with us at the match tomorrow night, we won’t be behind the goals as we usually are. Reason being yesterday the players who attended the function were asked where they prefer having us situated. They are happy just having us there (💖) but commented that when we sit in the pocket or on the wing they can hear us really clearly. Therefore we’ll be sitting next to the players’ race (near gate six) which is where the home cheer squads have been sitting for a few matches year. I sat there when I was an honorary member of the SunScreamers (Gold Coast cheer squad) for a day at the VFL Grand Final this year. 😁 It’s a great section and the best part from our POV is that we won’t be watching through the giant netting behind the goals, and that we won’t have the enormous Carlton logo directly in our line of sight. 🥳

19 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Yeah nor do I. Mick mentioned Tayla’s update quickly. He wasn’t very clear about it which is why I only caught the words “tendon/hamstring/extra time” such was the vagueness. But maybe some of us are gun-shy when it comes to hammy injuries.

😬

Shades of Clarry’s injury without the extra mayonnaise. 

On 18/10/2023 at 20:29, WalkingCivilWar said:

 

Our games at Casey simply don’t draw the crowds like our games at Ikon. We had just under 2,000 in attendance vs Adelaide at Casey two weeks ago. That number likely would’ve been double had it been played at Ikon. Same goes for our R3 match vs the Bulldogs at Casey where there was only 1400 in attendance.

Besides that, the girls love playing at Ikon. Never having lost a match there helps, but in every respect Ikon is the better venue. 

Not with our Casey deal and as a true home grown advantage.

However it’s a bit like Hawks and Pies and Dons  and Blues playing at the G in AFL. it is fan wise a real no brainer. The girls like both venues no doubt also.

1 hour ago, 58er said:

Not with our Casey deal and as a true home grown advantage.

However it’s a bit like Hawks and Pies and Dons  and Blues playing at the G in AFL. it is fan wise a real no brainer. The girls like both venues no doubt also.

They do like both venues, very much. They prefer Ikon though, especially right now because bigger crowds are crucial. The AFL will add an extra round to next season’s fixture if the average crowd number across the season is at least 3,500. Currently it sits at about 2,700. Of all the venues in Victoria, Casey has the lowest attendance average. Naturally the girls would prefer to play in front of a bigger crowd and that’s what happens at Ikon. 

Edited October 20, 20231 yr by WalkingCivilWar

4 minutes ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

They do like both venues, very much. They prefer Ikon though, especially right now because bigger crowds are crucial. The AFL will add an extra round to next season’s fixture if the average crowd number across the season is at least 3,500. Currently it sits at about 2,700. Of all the venues in Victoria, Casey has the lowest attendance average. Naturally the girls would prefer to play in front of a bigger crowd and that’s what’s happens at Ikon. 

Includes finals, I hope.

Just now, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

Includes finals, I hope.

As far as I know it does.

As per the CBA, there’ll be 11 rounds in 2024, 12 rounds in 2025/6 and 14 rounds in 2027 if the key metrics are met (crowd numbers and television viewership). If they’re met early, additional rounds will be added early. It would be great if we can meet the minimum requirements to get a twelfth round next season. 

Pretty sad that they need to post this. But at least they have a banner for their girls, many of the clubs don’t. 😔