Dees_In_October

I agree, it would make a huge difference. Our team has turned it into something of an advantage, but you have to wonder how we'd go if we played at Ikon all the time. Though there are drawbacks to those venues as highlighted by @Brownie At the very least, I wish they would consider Docklands for a Grand Final. It's sold out three (?) years in a row. Neutral W fans in Vic would absolutely turn up (if nothing else, to beat the Adelaide Oval record for the 2019 AFLW GF). But the AFL has already ruled that out for this year. Another thing they should consider but probably won't is the ball itself. While easier to handle, it's pretty widely accepted now that the smaller ball is harder to kick for distance and penetration, especially in windy conditions. And let's not forget, despite the way the AFL likes to present it, girls didn't wake up one day in 2017 and decide they wanted to play football because of AFLW. They've always been girls who wanted to play but were prevented (including actively by the AFL). It's easy to forget how quickly the perception has changed and I agree with you that the AFL don't quite understand what they have on their hands or how to best showcase it. I have many thoughts on this, obviously, but I won't go on! (Looking forward to hearing your trade thoughts on the podcast - and maybe some thoughts about the pointy end of the W season?)

Glad you enjoyed! I know what you mean about it being like suburban footy but also very much not! 😂 That's so interesting what you say about the skills looking better live. Part of that might have been the lack of wind! So true re: Rigoni. Plus the likes of Ebert, O'Hehir, Mahony, etc., it's still early days in terms of building that next level of fitness as well as the concentration to play out games.

It's a big one, and I agree that Brisbane are better than Hawthorn. Finally some options at the selection table!

Also hope to hear from first-time Casey attendee @FarNorthernD Were you shocked by the relative lack of wind?! Did you get your face painted? Play some mini golf?

First but not foremost, thank you to Port. Second but foremost, thank you to our girls for a great effort today! To the umpires: I just…no. Don’t get me started. The middle stretch of the game was some really good stuff, after a shaky start and ending with our old enemy: dominance without reward. But overall, loved our pressure and hard running. A few times I saw someone launching themselves for a tackle and thought, “There’s Heater doing her thing,” but no, it was someone else (although, yes, it was Heater a lot too!). Our physicality was great, especially in a game where Harris was pretty much out of commission in that sense—kudos to her for getting out there. Once we got some possession, the Swans did well at enacting the tried and tested method for beating us. BUT I think (hope?) we’re making inroads on this, with players not coughing up the ball as much and being composed with the release, and getting the ball beyond the pressure layer more effectively (at times). We also often had players in much more quickly to mop up any error or provide tackle support to prevent an easy chain for them. We need this because in big games no team can be perfect. It's about getting numbers in at the right times. I thought Lampard was steady in her return but as important was the flow-on effect across the field positionally. Fish vs. Rigoni was an interesting battle. I also enjoyed watching O’Hehir line up on McEvoy – she kept her feet in some big contests with a stronger and more experienced player. Gillard was vital when the game was there to be won. All in all, very good. Mick tried some stuff, our players worked into the game and... dare I say it, no injuries?

Heath Hore McNamara Hanks Gillard Zanker

It's terrible news. I'm sure many of us here know this cruel disease all too well. There was an announcement at the ground before the AFLW game today, with condolences to the family, along with the family of the teen boy who died in Bendigo last week, whose family are also MFC supporters.

Tough as nails. Tough as nails. I'm very glad we won't be seeing "stubbed toe" on the injury list 😅 Actually, how's Tayla? I was thinking, could be a late out. Surprised she isn't under concussion protocols TBH.

Well good news, because the score review's just come in (wow, much quicker than usual!) and actually, it WAS a goal!

Yes, I added this for managing expectations (mainly my own!). On my "more realistic ladder", we're about 6th and hoping to lock in finals and build form for the pointy end. It could all fall apart or we could be in for an exciting run!

The countdown continues. Credit to... Credit to Du Bois: https://www.reddit.com/r/AFL/comments/1o61ctq/the_race_to_100_aflw_career_goals_is_coming_to_a/

We're finally completing the set of 17 opponents, nearly four seasons after the last expansion! 🏳️‍🌈 And happy home Pride game! 🏳️‍🌈 Avg. games experience of teams as selected: Melbourne: 47.0 Sydney: 32.7 As selected, Sydney has a median age of 22 compared to Melbourne's 24. I know I'll have eyes on teen sensation Zippy Fish! 2025 form against same oppo: Melbourne: R3 Coll (+4), R4 Rich (+37), R7 GC (+87), R9 Freo (-5) Sydney: R1 Rich (+20), R2 GC (+82), R4 Freo (+25), R5 Coll (-26) 2025 form against current top 6: Melbourne: N/A (!) Sydney: Nth (-68), Adel (-2), Carl (+39) 2025 top goal scorers: Melbourne: Hore (15), Zanker (12), Harris (11), Bannan (7), Gall (6) Sydney: Molloy (19), Cooper (7), C.Hamilton (7), Ham (7), Kennedy (4) Barring any late outs, the 5 players not selected are the most we've had available outside the selected 21 all season. From Round 1 onwards: 3, 4, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 4, 3, 5

Yep Molloy out. Which is a shame because I'd like to see her play live, but then again, I'm not complaining 😉 Depending how all the tests went today, we might need all the help we can get! In the unlikely event that all those players under a cloud aren't available, we're actually down to 21 fit. But surely a few should be good to go.

This is easily the earliest we've known when the season will be, ever. A step in the right direction. I'm calling that a win, despite the season length remaining the same. The next thing is to release the fixture itself ASAP in 2026. Even locking in the first few rounds would be good for long-term marketing. And have the AFL men's grand final weekend as a floating round so that the corresponding teams to the ones competing can also play in Melbourne. Or just make it AFLW Gather Round in Melbourne (perhaps a stretch of resources?). I do also hope that they try to equalise the fixture better. One suggestion I've heard is to take into account a team's performance over two or three seasons, rather than just the previous year's result. That would have gotten us a harder fixture this season, true, but I think we can all agree that would be fairer from a bigger picture perspective! This would be so good for both competitions. It hasn't exactly been a problem for us this year, but a lot of other teams have 9 players trying to develop or find form in the cobbled together scratch matches, which is a tough ask.

Injury List Round 10 Tayla Harris — ribs / test Shelley Heath — finger / test Sarah Lampard — calf / test Saraid Taylor — hamstring / test Georgia Gall — ankle / TBC “Scans cleared her of any major damage, it’s unlikely she’ll be available for Round 10." Blaithin Mackin — calf / 1 week Grace Beasley — knee / 3 - 4 weeks Olivia Purcell — knee / Season Jacinta Hose — knee / Inactive Aimee Mackin — knee / Inactive Also of note is that Chloe Molloy is out for Sydney with back soreness.

Maybe we need to start having our players travel in lifts separately 😆 At the very least, not Kate AND Tyla. In fact, that particular group looked like our bench would three minutes to go and 50 points up in a prelim final!

Yay!

Absolutely, no excuses, but that does explain a lot. Those early stages were frustrating because I felt that it would have been an emphasis going into the game to really start well and get on top, so I was disappointed with that aspect. Adds a bit of context. Also forgot to commend Tayla and actually several of our players who really put it all on the line with the game in the balance and many out on their feet. We're going to start winning these close ones at some point!

Saturday 18th of October 1.05pm AEDT Casey Fields The tests keep coming as the Dees take on the resurgent Swans. Let's fight a bit of this: With a bit of this:

The above pretty much sums up my response to the game! I'll be honest and I'd bit my tongue because I hate to be a negatively nancy before a game, but I'll be that annoying person instead who says it after the fact: saw that coming a mile away. I know others felt the same. No Heater was a real blow against players like Bowers. Freo match up well on us and (despite the ladder) are exactly that level of team that can trouble us IF they come to play and play us smart. I guess what I'm thinking is, it's not just the best teams that are a problem for us in this way...which suggests something about where we're realistically at, regardless of ladder position. They bullied us around the ball to get that early lead, in exactly the fashion that we should have expected, so that was frustrating. And they have the class to take their chances. It's stating the obvious, but our defenders are used to us controlling the ball, so when we're not, they're tested. And I was crying out for Zanker to get in front as well... On the bright side, the fight back was impressive and it's exactly the type of grit this team needs more opportunities to practice and show - not that I'm saying we should give up three-goal leads every week! Also a shout-out to Wotherspoon who I thought played a great game. Anyway, I think this game was a very accurate reflection of where we're at as a "could be great" team in progress with some big tests ahead.

McNamara Goldrick Hanks Hore Wotherspoon Paxman

An interesting idea. I can't speak for others but if I had to guess, I'd say for the vast majority of Melbourne fans, they don't need to make a distinction because they're primarily fans of one team or the other, heavily weighted towards the men, obviously. In my household, we follow both equally, but there have been surprisingly few instances where there's been confusion. Even in the weeks where the seasons overlap (more of an issue if the men's make finals!), it's usually pretty clear from context to which team someone is referring. It's habitual just to add "in the W" or "in the men's" if needed. I can see an argument for "just for fun" or "to carve out a different identity" though. Personally, I actually love all the teams being the Demons, for the "one club" of it all. It's interesting, because although I love the W team as its own unique thing, with some different traditions, I also really like the consistent "branding" of the teams, for a sense of unity and, symbolically, equal value. That's just me though. It might be a funny one for @Ghostwriter to poll the players. I reckon asking "Would you prefer to be the 'Demonesses'?" might get some good mixed reactions 🤣

Avg. games experience of teams as selected: Melb: 45.0 Freo: 44.3 2025 Top 5 tacklers (total): Melb: Fitzsimon 66, Heath 51, Hanks 46, Hore 46, McNamara 43, Chaplin 37 Freo: Bowers 95, Newton 54, M.Strom 49, McCarthy 42, Kauffman 32 2025 Tackles i50 avg. Melb: 18.6 (1st) Freo: 14.4 (3rd) 🌈 And a happy Pride Round to all! 🌈

Well, we were all wrong! Fresh legs. FREMANTLE In: S.Verrier, A.Tighe Out: G.O'Sullivan (foot), H.Ifould (omitted) MELBOURNE In: J.Rigoni, D.Taylor, G.Campbell Out: S.Heath (finger), A.Pisano (omitted), M.Mahony (managed)

Thanks for the report! Sounds promising for the rehabbers. I think we're all keen on a selection squeeze at this point! Was Heater present? Hear she's been joined at the club by another Heath who can lay a big tackle. A little taller, I guess. We'll miss this kind of thing on the Sunday: