CATCH EM ON THE HOP by Meggs

A sunny Sunday afternoon feast of finals footy awaits at our team’s favourite home ground, Ikon Park.  Great vibes at Princes Park where we remain undefeated from 7 matches and counting.

Expect the Dees to come out strongly, sparring and outmuscling the Kangaroos in the middle.  With Paxy back firing and our gun forwards mesmerising, hopefully we catch ‘em on the hop.

Melbourne, Adelaide and Brisbane have filled ten of the twelve Grand Final spots in AFLW history, and this dominance looks well placed to continue with all teams finishing Top 4 in Season 8.  

The North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos are desperately hoping to shatter this stranglehold.  

Kangaroos superstar Jasmine Garner is the runaway 2023 AFLCA best player for an incredible third time.  Her team relies on her dominance because when she does, they do.  

Her leading midfield buddy Ash Riddell has 320 disposals this season, an average of 32 per game.  No Demons come close to besting this stat.

North has won 67.2% of its matches since entering the competition in 2019.  Prima facie, a great record but stats can be misleading.

History shows us that the Demons, Crows, and Lions have been the Kangas persistent nemesis.

The Roos record against the Big 3 is miserable. Only 2 wins from 16 matches or 12.5%.  

Whereas its record against the rest of the competition is an impressive 88.1%.

Listening to Goldie and Heathy during the week you can tell that we’ve moved on from last week’s disappointing match.  The Demons coach was highlighting our impressive Season 8 home and away record of 8 wins, finishing second with a double-chance, and kicking the highest ‘points for’ by any club since the competition began.  

We also have goal kickers Captain Kate Hore and Eden Zanker with 20 goals each, an AFLW record.  Plus having two players from the same team winning the goalkicking has never happened in men’s or women’s footy either.

Melbourne’s emerging young talent was recognised during the week with Tahlia Gillard, Eliza McNamara and Alyssa Bannan named in the AFL Player’s Association’s 22Under 22 Squad.  

No rain but some wind this Sunday.  It should be ideal playing conditions between two closely matched hard working teams.  

Please come along if you can and be entertained by two exciting and super talented teams.

Selection this week

Importantly Paxy has been greenlighted for Sunday.  We need her run and creativity.

We hear that Georgia Campbell is in the mix to replace Rhi Watt who is out with concussion.  

Armchair selectors are hoping Georgia plays this week and that Harris and Zanker stay forward, not seconded as backup rucks.  

Aimee Mackin and Maddi Gay are seemingly available too which is great news.

Unfortunately, Casey Sherriff has broken her arm again and now out for the season.  Her clever ball use, which has led to many goal-assists this year, will be missed.

Georgia Gall, a surprise replacement last week, will be one omission.  

Our opponents, North Melbourne 

North has midfield bull Mia King as a test with neck soreness.  Utility Lulu Pullar is also a test.  

With key defender Nicole Bresnehan now returned from a serious ankle injury, North is at full strength.

The North engine room is highly respected by the Melbourne brains trust.  Garner, Riddell, Mia King, tagger Amy Smith and the highly skilled Jenna Bruton are a formidable group.

Kim Rennie and Emma King do the Kangas ruck work, but our wonderful Loz Pearce has had the edge lately and Georgia Campbell scored a goal last time they played.

Statistically North has the best defence with only 213 points against.  

The defence is led by their illustrious skipper Emma Kearney, the only player to be named All-Australian in every season of AFLW’s existence.  

With the reliable Bresnehan (who didn’t play in Round 8), and talls Ferguson, Wright, Shannon plus the speedy Irish player Erika O’Shea, the North defence is the best in 2023.  Expect to see O’Shea mark up on Banno again.

Forward wise, we kept them to 2 goals last time.  Kate Shierlaw, Tahlia Randall and Emma King resting are all capable and potentially dangerous marks.  

Our defenders led by young Gillard and co will match up well.

Meggs’ view

Adelaide and Brisbane have shown the competition how to beat Melbourne.

The Demons coaching staff know this and will be expecting North to emulate the physical attack on the ball carrier, bring numbers and apply high intensity to turn over the ball.

Melbourne must match the pressure, swarm like Brisbane did last week, lower their eyes and attack.  

The playing surface at Ikon is superb so there are no excuses for poor skills this week.

Heathy hinted that she might be shadowing Garner. As we’d expect.

Meggs would like to see Mithen take on Riddell.  Eliza Mac could be an interesting match-up on the emerging Taylah Gatt.

North has the best backline, and Melbourne the best forward line.  It’s going to be a cracker of match watching Zanker, Hore, Tayla Harris, and Alyssa Bannan strut their stuff.  

Eyes on the prize, a week off.  

Meggs fears an uncomfortably close one coming up.

Go Dees!

Melbourne by 1 point

THE GAME Melbourne v North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos at Ikon Park, on Sunday 11 November 2023 at 3:05pm (Melbourne time)

HEAD TO HEAD

Overall Melbourne 6 wins North 1 win

At Ikon Melbourne 2 wins North 0 wins

The Coaches Stinear 5 wins Crocker 0 wins

MEDIA

TV – 7 mate, Fox Footy, Kayo

Mobile – AFL Live Official App

Radio – ABC Radio, NEMBC Media (Spanish Radio).

THE LAST TIME THEY MET - Season 8 Round 8 at Ikon Park, 21 October 2023

NARRM  1.1.7 3.4.22 4.5.29 5.7.37

NORTH MELBOURNE  2.1.13 2.1.13 2.1.13 2.2.14

GOALS

NARRM Campbell Hanks Hore Sherriff Zanker

 NORTH MELBOURNE  Craven Martin

BEST

NARRM Hanks Purcell Hore Mithen B. Mackin Gillard


NORTH MELBOURNE  M.King Kearney Riddell Garner O'Shea 

INJURIES 


NARRM Nil


NORTH MELBOURNE  Nil 

LATE CHANGES 

NARRM Aimee Mackin (ankle) and Gab Colvin (Achilles) replaced in selected side by Megan Fitzsimon and Charlotte Wilson


NORTH MELBOURNE  Nil

CROWD 2,704 at Ikon Park

It was an impressive defensive display by Narrm at our favourite home ground, with North scoring a solitary point after quarter time.

Our Vice-Captain Tyla Hanks was clearly the best player on the ground and earned the 10 coaches votes.  Hanksy had great support in particular from Purcell, Hore, Mithen, B. Mackin, Gillard and Heath.

Heathy ran with AFLW Coaches favourite, Jasmine Garner, and limited her usual output, earning praise from Mick Stinear.

The Dees kept the Roos under constant pressure and Darren Crocker commented afterwards that his team couldn’t move the ball like they have against lesser sides.  

By the end of the night, it was Narrm, with our trademark #DemonSpirit, just too good for too long and back on top of the AFLW Season 8 premiership ladder on percentage.  

THE TEAMS

MELBOURNE

B L. Birch T. Gillard

HB S. Goldrick S. Heath M. Chaplin

C B. Mackin T. Hanks A. Mackin

HF A. Bannan M. Fitzsimon E. Zanker

F T. Harris K. Hore

FOLL L. Pearce O. Purcell P. Paxman 

I/C (from) G. Campbell M. Gay J. Ivey S. Johnson E. McNamara L. Mithen E. West C. Wilson

IN G. Campbell M. Gay S. Johnson A. Mackin P. Paxman C. Wilson


OUT G. Gall (omitted) C. Sherriff (arm) R. Watt (concussion)

NORTH MELBOURNE 

B E. Shannon J. Ferguson

HB E. Kearney S. Wright E. O'Shea

C A. Smith M. King T. Gatt

HF B. Eddey K. Shierlaw A. O'Loughlin

F T. Randall E. King

FOLL K. Rennie J. Garner A. Riddell

I/C (from) N. Bresnahan J. Bruton L. Burke T. Craven L. McGrath N. Martin L. Pullar R. Tripodi

IN L. Burke M. King L. McGrath L. Pullar

OUT E. Gavalas (omitted)

Injury List: Qualifying Final

Maddi Gay -Hamstring  | Test

Aimee Mackin - Ankle  | Test

Paxy Paxman - Hamstring  | Test

Rhi Watt - Concussion | 1 Week

Gabby Colvin - Achilles  | 1-2 Weeks

Sarah Lampard - Wrist  | 3 Weeks

Casey Sherriff - Arm | Season