This is as good an excuse as any to start this, the final home and away match thread for AFLW8. I'm expecting the girls to carve 'em up. And, while this again demonstrates that defence and victory go hand in hand, I'm also expecting our stellar forwards to put a 'Yes!' in Casey Sherriff's body language, as opposed to her 'Oh, no!' herein 😁

AFLW Halloween | Pumpkin Carving Challenge

Over to you, now, @Meggs, or one of your colleagues, for the real pre-game assessment.

(p.s. Like the tops, which they also trained in. Some kind of 'Back To' celebration?)

Thanks for kicking us off in such spooky style!

11 minutes ago, Timothy Reddan-A'Blew said:

(p.s. Like the tops, which they also trained in. Some kind of 'Back To' celebration?)

Retro jumpers! https://www.melbournefc.com.au/albums/1459316/aflw-training-gallery-retro-jumpers?modal=true&type=gallery&playlistId=1459316&playlistSize=10

"Harris set for return"

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1459233/rd10-injury-report-harris-set-for-return

Harris in for Gall is the obvious change, but I wonder if Colvin and A Mackin come in or if they stick with Wilson and Campbell/Fitzsimon.

Could really do with Gay fit for finals too. 

2 hours ago, Dees_In_October said:

Thanks for kicking us off in such spooky style!

Retro jumpers! https://www.melbournefc.com.au/albums/1459316/aflw-training-gallery-retro-jumpers?modal=true&type=gallery&playlistId=1459316&playlistSize=10

"Harris set for return"

https://www.melbournefc.com.au/news/1459233/rd10-injury-report-harris-set-for-return

Good to see a couple of Gaelics and a Basketball in there!

I imagine the bibs also had the requisite one or two capital letters on them?

Edited October 31, 20231 yr by Timothy Reddan-A'Blew
'E' before 'A' except after 'G'!

Season just started 7 weeks ago and its already the last game

what a joke

1 hour ago, DubDee said:

Season just started 7 weeks ago and its already the last game

what a joke

Agree..I've watched every game but only got to attend one. Fixturing has made it impossible (Geelong a Thursday night Frankston at 5pm on Friday).

It feels like it's just heating up and we're almost done again.

I know the bottom handful of sides probably don't have 17 competitive weeks in them, but something has to be done.

4 hours ago, deanox said:

I know the bottom handful of sides probably don't have 17 competitive weeks in them, but something has to be done.

The gulf between the ‘big three’ (Dees, Crows and Lions) and the rest of the comp is immense. How’s this for an unbelievable stat: Of the 167 matches played by one of the big three vs any team other than the big three, there’s been 3 draws, 133 wins and 31 losses! That’s nuts. That’s an 82% rate of winning. Even North aren’t immune from this rate… they’re 2 and 14 against the big three.

10 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

The gulf between the ‘big three’ (Dees, Crows and Lions) and the rest of the comp is immense. How’s this for an unbelievable stat: Of the 167 matches played by one of the big three vs any team other than the big three, there’s been 3 draws, 133 wins and 31 losses! That’s nuts. That’s an 82% rate of winning. Even North aren’t immune from this rate… they’re 2 and 14 against the big three.

Interesting, W.

It feels like there's been even less losses than that, but it's only about one and a half per team per year.

Bulldogs were in that echelon once. Nothing's guaranteed, but long may our girls thrive.

Love having Tayla back! 

As a small aside - she is obviously an accomplished boxer, I always worry she is going to do a Barry Hall the way she is treated by defenders. I do that for all those with hand to hand combat skills… my kids educator at daycare does MMA… I am so nice to her.

I know it’s irrational but maybe stop hitting her in the back of the head every bloody time…

Jordan Ivey’s in this week! Yay! A little earlier than she expected but so happy for her ❤️💙

Congrats to Libby Birch on 75 games!
🌈 And a happy Pride Round to all 🌈

Michael Voss Oval win-loss record: Brisbane 2-3; Melbourne 1-0
Melbourne's win-loss record against Brisbane: 6-2 (Melbourne last played Brisbane in the 2022B Grand Final, a 4-point win)
Selected teams avg. games experience: Melb 46.4; Bris 43.3
2023 formline comparison:
Brisbane 6 wins (2nd, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 14th and 17th); 3 losses (9th, 10th and 12th)
Melbourne 8 wins (3rd, 7th, 10th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th); 1 loss (2nd)
Both played Adelaide (Melb -10; Bris +3); North (Melb +23; Bris +2); Collingwood (Melb +42; Bris -5) and Hawthorn (Melb +59; Bris +27)

If we take the field as selected, the following 14 players will have played all 10 H&A games in 2023: Bannan, Birch, Goldrick, Gillard, Hanks, Heath, Hore, B.Mackin, McNamara, Mithen, Purcell, Sherriff, West and Zanker. Ivey's first game of 2023 means we'll have played 28 total from our list of 31.

5 hours ago, rpfc said:

Love having Tayla back! 

As a small aside - she is obviously an accomplished boxer, I always worry she is going to do a Barry Hall the way she is treated by defenders. I do that for all those with hand to hand combat skills… my kids educator at daycare does MMA… I am so nice to her.

I know it’s irrational but maybe stop hitting her in the back of the head every bloody time…

I actually think her opponents give her a wider berth than most players for just that reason.

One punch and you know you're going to be on your bum.

Tayla plays incredibly hard but fair I reckon. She shows some pretty good discipline.

1 hour ago, Brownie said:

I actually think her opponents give her a wider berth than most players for just that reason.

One punch and you know you're going to be on your bum.

Tayla plays incredibly hard but fair I reckon. She shows some pretty good discipline.

She might be a boxer and she might play physically but she doesn't seem to have basic self control issue, like many of the AFLM players do.

Lashing out with a fist is likely more an issue with emotional regulation than boxing skill.

13 hours ago, WalkingCivilWar said:

Jordan Ivey’s in this week! Yay! A little earlier than she expected but so happy for her ❤️💙

So excited, I love Jordi!  She's the most beautiful human :)

16 hours ago, rpfc said:

Love having Tayla back! 

As a small aside - she is obviously an accomplished boxer, I always worry she is going to do a Barry Hall the way she is treated by defenders. I do that for all those with hand to hand combat skills… my kids educator at daycare does MMA… I am so nice to her.

I know it’s irrational but maybe stop hitting her in the back of the head every bloody time…

Tayla is not that kind of person, she's a beast on the footy ground as she is in the boxing ring, but she's got a hell of a lot of restraint.  She's certainly not in the Barry Hall category, put it that way.  If you ever get a chance to meet Tay, you'll see she's in reality a quiet, reserved person, and just loves people. 

Edited November 2, 20231 yr by Katrina Dee Fan

I reckon occasionally Tayla goes into a mode where she throws her body around even more than usual, but agree she's very controlled and usually plays with a sort of calm aggression. There are several more hot-headed players on our team and certainly a few more interested in the niggle than she's ever been.

Speaking of hard at it, enjoyed this interview with Goldie. She talks about the switch between codes, moving to Australia this season, and the Jim Stynes connection. It's very obvious how Sinead's experiences at Dublin, failing many times then achieving success, made her a great asset for our team in taking the next step. Probably an underrated aspect of her contribution, aside from what we (and she, as it turns out!) describe as the "chaos" she brings on the field.

 

7 hours ago, Katrina Dee Fan said:

Tayla is not that kind of person, she's a beast on the footy ground as she is in the boxing ring, but she's got a hell of a lot of restraint.  She's certainly not in the Barry Hall category, put it that way.  If you ever get a chance to meet Tay, you'll see she's in reality a quiet, reserved person, and just loves people. 

It's probably a little odd for a 40yo to have a 'favourite' player. But Tayla is my favourite. The handful of conversations she's had with my kids and I over the boundary line have shown her to be a terrific person. Loves her team mates. Excited about footy. Genuinely Appreciates the fans. Very giving of her time. 

Edited November 3, 20231 yr by HardBallGet

I'm really pumped for tonight's game and the finals ahead.

Harris back in at just the right time.

Go Dees.

18 minutes ago, Brownie said:

I'm really pumped for tonight's game and the finals ahead.

Harris back in at just the right time.

Go Dees.

Me too.  Sure hoping to end up on the top of the ladder.  Hoping - and hoping for a home grand final (hoping to be there!)  I travelled to Queensland for the Grand final last year.  What a great experience!  My son is an avid supporter too and we want a Premiership at home.  No pressure, girls!😐

The fight by WC was quickly snuffed out. Maybe in the 2nd half the crows will wilt in the heat. Is damn hot over here today.

21 minutes ago, darkhorse72 said:

The fight by WC was quickly snuffed out. Maybe in the 2nd half the crows will wilt in the heat. Is damn hot over here today.

Yeah I thought it was too good to be true. As long as it’s not a blowout, and then we win tonight. Ending this round as minor premiers means so much.  🤞🏼 

Edited November 4, 20231 yr by WalkingCivilWar

On 03/11/2023 at 16:14, Dees_In_October said:

I reckon occasionally Tayla goes into a mode where she throws her body around even more than usual, but agree she's very controlled and usually plays with a sort of calm aggression. There are several more hot-headed players on our team and certainly a few more interested in the niggle than she's ever been.

Speaking of hard at it, enjoyed this interview with Goldie. She talks about the switch between codes, moving to Australia this season, and the Jim Stynes connection. It's very obvious how Sinead's experiences at Dublin, failing many times then achieving success, made her a great asset for our team in taking the next step. Probably an underrated aspect of her contribution, aside from what we (and she, as it turns out!) describe as the "chaos" she brings on the field.

 

Love Goldie, she is very underrated...having a great season.

 

Edited November 4, 20231 yr by rjay

Loved the Hawks pride jumper.

It's a real trip man.

No Paxy! Out with hamstring soreness. 

So paxys a late out with hamstring soreness.