Dees_In_October

Headed along to Casey today - as expected, a major drop in temperature since R7 of AFLW! I missed the start of the game and the Saints' first goal. Casey were able to trap the ball in fwd 50 for long periods of the game but were unable to capitalise. A lack of marks and linking play cost us the kinds of chances that have set us apart against lesser opposition. The Saints shut down that kind of play well. Some better finishing on the half-chances near the end would have made all the difference. In fact, similar to another team I watched Saturday night in that respect... The Saints girls' ability to spread and move the ball forward cleanly in the last 5 minutes was the difference as they scored two quick ones to win the game. Cordner (who mostly played back with a few stints forward), Heath (who did some intense tackling) and Kemp played their first VFLW games for the year. I find it near impossible to tell Kemp and Lampard apart so any good work I might attribute to one could easily have been the other! Zanker played much deeper forward but was well held for much of the game. Was off injured for a long time in the 3rd but did return. I liked the intercept work of McClean off half back. Aptly named Casey Sherriff put on a great tackle when the game was in the balance and also did some excellent yelling on the mark - absolutely forced the Saints player to spray it! Bentvelzen (who may have been a late change for Smith?) also put her body on the line at an important time in the last quarter and took a big hit. Emonson was the only goal scorer after a neat pass from Birch. Guerin, Jakobbson and Hanks worked hard for little reward. Final score: Casey 1.6.12 Saints 3.5.23 And so Casey slides to 4th, in a group of 5 teams with 3 wins (2 of those teams have only played 3 games). Next week is at Casey again on Sunday v Collingwood who are 3 and 1, and have some big names. A good start will be vital!

The Casey girls are 3 from 3 and remain top of the ladder. A bit deceptive since 2nd and 3rd have only played 2 games... and our wins have come against 3 of the current 4 bottom teams. I chose the MCG over the trek to Casey so don't have anything first-hand to report, but it seems like the girls again came home strong, kicking 5.4 to 0.0 in the 2nd half. Final score: Williamstown 2.1.13 Casey 7.6.48 Goalkickers: Williamstown: Kawa (2) Casey: Tatterson (2), Archer, Birch, Davies, Smith, Zanker Hanks and Sherriff played their first games of the VFLW season. Leading disposals: Birch (17), Emonson, Lampard, Sherriff (15), Hanks, Jakobsson, Smith (14). Next week is on Sunday at Casey v. Southern Saint who are 5th on the ladder. If I attend it'll probably be a 20 degree drop since last time I was there!

Aided again by the YouTube stream, I checked out our game v Carlton at Casey. After a slow start in the 1st quarter, our girls' superior ball movement began to dominate in the 2nd, on the foundation of some good tacking and contested ball work. We were able to hold the ball in the fwd 50 for long stretches, while the defensive structure worked very well to cut off many of the Blues' attempts to go forward. In particular, Lampard was again impressive, as was Bentvelzen as the game wore on. Keeping the Blues goalless in the 2nd and 3rd set up the game. Birch was concussed in the 3rd and took no further part (making it 2 big hits in 2 weeks, not ideal). Of the VFLW players, I liked the games of Hogg, Clayton and Archer, who went in hard. Guerin knows where the goals are and I look forward to her 2020 AFLW season - she's got good one-touch skills, which is very valuable at this level especially. And only 19. Of the other AFLW-listed players, Zanker was the stand-out for me. She did a lot of the ruck work to excellent effect and she's great at ground level too. A very versatile and competitive player who brings others into it around her. Jakobsson, Smith and Emonson were again all crucial players in our chain to goal, where we had a good spread of finishers. Final score Casey 7.8.50 Carlton 2.7.19 Casey Goalkickers: M. Guerin 2, K. Oates, T. Tatterson, K. Smith, R. Clayton, B. Winbanks As of Saturday night, we sit atop the ladder... enjoy it while it lasts. Next week is on Sunday v. Williamstown, in Williamstown.

I'm going to try to keep an eye on the Demon's efforts in the VFLW this year. Pretty sure I said that last year too! But I never did make a game live. I had so much focus on the guys' march to the finals! Might be a different story this year... Here's where the Melbourne AFLW listed players are listed for VFLW: Casey - Birch, Cordner, Cunningham, Downie, Emonson, Gay, Guerin, Hanks, Heath, Hore, Jakobbson, Kemp, Lampard, Mithen, Scott, Sherriff, Smith, Zanker Darebin - O'Dea, L.Pearce Williamstown - Newman Not listed - Paxman, Daisy, Sloane Of course, the extent to which some of these players will participate remains to be seen. As far as I can tell, it's still the rule that 12 AFLW listed players can be fielded per team. I'm not sure if there's a cap overall though? Anyway, I watched Round 1 on the stream delayed... once my heart rate returned to normal from the AFL men's game! It was a scrappy affair at Windy Hill for the first three quarters, with Essendon was able to capitalise on some defensive lapses at ground level. Emonson stood out to me in the first three quarters for her cleanness and ability to read the game. Birch took a big high hit but played out the game and looks a handy addition to the backline in 2020. Then came the last quarter and our players' desire to win was palpable. Essendon kicked the first to be 17 points ahead but after that the ball pretty much camped in our 50. I'm not across the VFLW players, but the Melbourne-listed players really did come to the fore. Zanker didn't hit the scoreboard but her pressure and ruckwork around the ground were excellent. Lampard was crucial in setting up some forward entries. Smith didn't always execute her passes but drove the intensity around the ball. Jakobsson plucked some crucial contested marks in the forward line... which again makes me wonder about her potential as a swing player. The real hero though was Guerin, who kicked a monster goal from just on the centre square that really sparked the last quarter comeback. Then she kicked truly for the match winner from a holding the player free kick with under a minute to play. She ended up with 3 goals. Just like with the men's game, I thought we were gone in the dying stages. Happy to be proven wrong twice in one day! That leaves Casey 5th on the ladder. Next week is at Casey v Carlton, who had a bye for Round 1.

I was sure that at least one of these would go, given the expansion, but here we are. Good news! A different Hickey! Yet to play, so another of the unproven ones. All up we have 20 signed, which leaves 7 places plus 3 rookies. I think the rookies can only be cross-coders.

The vast majority of our big names have signed on for 2020! The expansion teams can take up to 4 players total from us, so this is great news. Locked in are: Paxman (now a Club B&F winner and 3X All-Australian), O'Dea, Scott, Lampard, Cunningham, L.Pearce, Mithen, Newman, Hore, Emonson, Gay, Cordner, Smith, Zanker, Hanks, Guerin, Sloane, Sherriff Yet to sign: Jakobbson, Downie, Heath, Radan, Guest, Phillips, Kemp, Patterson, Woodland, Whitfort, Brancatisano, Hickey. And I guess technically Daisy? The only other trade news of note for us is Libby Birch of the Western Bulldogs supposedly requesting a trade to Melbourne.

Karen Paxman led the way for the Dees in the awards for the 2019 season, which were of course dominated by the incredible Phillips. Erin is clearly a cut above, although we might wonder what an extra decade or so in a professional environment might have meant for a player like Paxman. We'll never know! Safe to say there will be a new winner crowned at Melbourne's best and fairest on Saturday, after Daisy took out the 2017 and 2018 honours. W Awards Best & Fairest 1st - Phillips (19 votes) 2nd - Hooker (11 votes) 3rd - Paxman (10 votes) Coaches Association MVP 1st - Phillips (51 votes) 5th - Paxman (32 votes) =15th - L.Pearce (18 votes) All Australians Paxman L. Pearce For the record, Paxman is now 3 from 3 for All Australian honours, alongside only 2 other players in the competition.

Putting my head in the sand re: Round 1 and checking in here instead. The pain is less fresh! Zanker played a couple of games at the end of the 2018 season and pretty sure she was 18 or 19 then. Mithen, of course! I felt like a broken record praising her early in the season! And I agree about the coach - a bad result next year might signal time for a new approach. I actually think the top coaching gig requires a very particular skill set given the challenges of the competition structure and the quickly changing game style from year to year. Cordner has for sure become more than a sentimental favourite. Good call on L.Pearce. I probably overlook her improvement because I'd expected it off the back of her VFLW season. But it really was quite the rise! It'd be great if Cunningham played in the VFLW this year, everything she needs will come from more games. I think she went back to basketball last winter though so who knows. Yeah, we could all see it early, and presumably with less info than the ones making the conferences! Mind boggling stuff. I hope you are correct in your call for 13 games but I don't hold out much hope. Glad to hear your kids enjoyed the season. Agree completely! Definitely flies under the radar but is a consistent player and, easy to forget, only 20 years old so lots of potential to add that next level to her game. On that last point - with the way some 18-year-olds played across the competition this year, I think in a couple of years there'll be a tipping point where the skills of the youngsters have to be weighed against the experience of the middle tier players. Will be interesting. 1. Definitely agree, we really missed Cranston in this regard. Gay started to step into this role as the season went on but it was clear against the Crows that we were lacking in this area. 2. Typical Melbourne, feels like we're constantly waiting for that one last marking option and then when we get one the delivery into 50 falls apart! 3. Yep, teams who know when to play the slow game often succeed. Maybe it just hasn't made it to the top of the 'to do' list yet, there's a lot to work on.

Paging some other regulars I've seen around here this season for their views: @Lucifer's Hero @dl4e @Meggs @La Dee-vina Comedia @Dee Zephyr @Little Goffy And I'll jump in with mine: Best new player - Gay Most improved player - Cordner Most underrated player - Downie Player we missed the most from the 2018 list (aside from Daisy!) - Cranston 3 players we can least afford to lose to expansion - L.Pearce, Paxman, Hore 3 players you wouldn’t mind having a chance at another club ? - Ones we could cover and that have been in and out of the team - Guest, Patterson. Phillips, who's a good player but I think we could upgrade a similar type. Best win - A lot of our wins felt like not enough, but I guess Brisbane was most comprehensive. Worst loss (apart from Round 7!) - Freo. Could have won, should have won. Would have shaped the season. Best goal/other highlight - Zanker v. the Bulldogs. Can't go past it, not even Newman on the run v. North. Keep the coach Y/N? - Y. Continuity between seasons overrides any misgivings at this stage. Player with most potential in 2020 and beyond - Hanks. Great one-touch skills and movement, will find more consistency with experience. Most important area for improvement in 2020 (besides goal kicking accuracy!) - Better handball-kicking balance. Need to know what to do when the handball game is shut down. Type of player most needed in the draft/trade - We definitely seemed to lack strength around the ball in comparison to the Crows. Unfortunately, this type of player will be in hot demand from expansion teams. Off-season wish list – what needs to happen for success in 2020? - As many players as possible to play VFLW, preferably together at Casey. Alignment between the levels is becoming stronger and teams that can have that continuity in the second best comp. will be advantaged. How should the season be structured with 14 teams in 2020? No conferences! Ideally, a 13 game H&A season. Realistically, a straight ladder with most teams playing each other. And an easier draw for North and Melb to make up for this year ?

Before we switch our focus to the men’s team, I thought we should tie up our discussions of the women’s season before the farcical finals and long off-season begins. I’ve thought up some discussion points, feel free to add your two cents on some of these or your own reflections. Best new player Most improved player Most underrated player Player we missed the most from the 2018 list (aside from Daisy!) 3 players we can least afford to lose to expansion 3 players you wouldn’t mind having a chance at another club ? Best win Worst loss (apart from Round 7!) Best goal/other highlight Keep the coach Y/N? Player with most potential in 2020 and beyond Most important area for improvement in 2020 (besides goal kicking accuracy!) Type of player most needed in the draft/trade Off-season wish list – what needs to happen for success in 2020? How should the season be structured with 14 teams in 2020?

Simply out-played, out-classed and maybe, out-coached. A very disappointing end given that our best can be terrific. Unfortunately, we were so far off that today and the Crows were comprehensively on top in every facet. They should go all the way. From slim pickings, the efforts of Mithen, plus Downie and Cordner under siege, were our best. And of course Emonson for kicking truly ? Despite a poor effort and result, I have every respect for our players, playing for the love of the game and often making sacrifices to do so - some we hear about and others we don't. They'll be disappointed to say the least. At some point this week before we're all consumed by the men's game, I'll try to put a thread together where we can reflect on the good, bad and the ugly from this season - there's lots to celebrate and this last game will probably overshadow those aspects so it would be good to do that while the season's still fresh.

If it plays out like this I will eat my hat but what a happy meal it would be!

Holding it out of reach of the other clubs... if only.

Max just casually leaning there ? I think they also usually tally up the captain's predictions on premiers, brownlow, rising star etc. at this event.

I wonder how they'll approach it - take the pressure off and play with a bit of reckless abandon, or like any other game. Back in our game (which is our usual approach) or go defensive then try to steal it?

Despite those epic highlights from Cunningham and Zanker, plus O'Dea's efforts to drag us over the line, that was probably our worst result of the season. Too many players giving away unnecessary free kicks and we were diabolical in front of goal in the first. Interestingly, we lead the competition in contested marks and are 2nd in marks inside 50, probably mostly due to Cunningham's Inspector Gadget arms. Adelaide have kicked 48 goals 43 behinds to be 2nd in goal kicking accuracy compares to our 38 goals 43 behinds and 4th. And that's the difference. So... we'll need a miracle at Casey this Saturday but I hope at least they go out swinging. The conference system has obviously done us no favours, but close losses and failure to add % when we had the chance have cost us yet again. That wind-affected game against the Pies is the other one we could have capitalised on better despite the conditions. It's also probably worth acknowledging that we've been very lucky with injuries overall compared to some other teams and have had a very settled team from week to week, which is especially beneficial in the short season. So while we've had some bad luck (robbed by the umps against the Roos), we've certainly had a good run of luck in other ways, and like Lucifer says, only have ourselves to blame for the lapses that cost us against Freo and the Dogs.

Victory from the jaws of defeat. Cunningham - cool as a cucumber!

I actually can't deal with how absurd the conference system is and how unfair it would be if we end up better than most of conference B and still don't get in. Too bad we softened up North for the Crows. I'm not even joking, we seriously did! Not to take away from the Crows' form, but North looked worn down. Anyway, I'm trying to focus on the continued development of our team (in the hope they don't all get poached next season!)... and let the rest play out as it may. Awesome game by Maddie Gay. I remember someone on here asked about her earlier in the season and I hadn't seen much from her yet, but clearly, she was building her way into a new team and has been great the last two weeks. It's good to have some other players getting prolonged opportunities in the midfield, not just in Daisy's absence, but I also feel like O'Dea's role has changed in that regard. I liked the dash shown by Guerin, another Maddie I think, and hope she gets another game next week. Probably my favourite part of our effort yesterday was the team commitment to preventing Staunton getting a roll on in the last quarter. Every time she got the ball, there was a Dee right onto her and sometimes two (or three!) trying to either surround her to prevent the side-step or take her down. They weren't always completely successful - although I think Zanker succeeded towards the end - but it felt like a mini-competition within the game at one point. I noticed Smith, in particular, being very aware of that particular danger. Fingers crossed for goal kicking accuracy in the last two games...

I still reckon some fans of other teams underrate his brilliance because a lot of what he does is so split-second that you can barely see it in the tv coverage, let alone at the ground. I say this every time an Oliver thread comes up, but in the 2017 season I was making GIFs of his best handballs but gave up in 2018 because there were just so many and it was actually really hard to capture even in a GIF!

What an 'almost' game. We almost won it despite the umpires and our own mistakes. What I most wanted from this game though was for us to give it a red hot try and a four-quarter effort, which I would say we almost achieved. We certainly ran out of puff, mentally as much as physically, hence the boundary kicks in the last few minutes. It's hard when the umpires take the wind out of your sails like that though. Special mention to Gay who probably had her best game so far. Also liked Phillips' endeavour, although that wonky handball action and the way she pushes the 'traveling' rule always has me worried! Not much went right for Cordner but couldn't fault her effort. I think in the end we were just slightly outclassed (and the umpires). Accuracy in front of goal is always the story. And I knew King would get us one way or another... that was kind of predictable based on the rest of the Roos games but no one could go with her. I thought Hore played very well, particularly in the first half. I've said it before but Mithen's really gone up a level. Would like Cunningham to have a bit more urgency in turning to look for the short lead when she gets the ball around the 50. This is an easy fix and is probably just an issue of inexperience than anything else but it cost us some closer shots at goal. I found it hard to tell at the ground - but did anyone who watched on TV notice if we tried to tag Kearney at all? Every time I saw her she was in space. Interestingly she had the same number of disposals as O'Dea, but I'd say that Kearney was more influential. I think they'll have lots to work with in review (positive and negative).

And narrower, to a different proportion. The length isn't a problem because you can just size down from a men's shoe, but then the width is usually still too wide. It probably isn't an issue for kids' sizes, but after that, it makes a difference.

Thank you football gods. I'm yet to see the actual second incident (in the marking contest), but from the verdict, it sounds like common sense prevailed and the description in the initial report made it sound worse than it was. George on the outer - the incident shown in the footage is the first incident, which was just a reprimand.

Everyone could see from the get-go that it was a terrible idea, even if they managed to guess well enough to make even conferences - and yes, it would be a guess! It's nigh on impossible to know who will rise and fall from season to season, with expansion teams, the rate of improvement, the significant movement between clubs, the immediate influence of draftees. Having said that, they sure did make some weird choices based on teams' standings in the first 2 seasons. Regardless, it's not a true competition if all teams don't play each other once. It just isn't. The number 1 thing the AFL can do to improve the standard is to give teams the chance to play together for as many games as possible.

Sounds like the Cunningham report was for a separate incident to the one the commentators talked about, which was the earlier incident shown on replay that was clearly on body. Who knows what the second one was like because I'm pretty sure they never showed it. I don't like her chances the way it's described though. Bye bye 30% of the season! Our players that made the Team of the Week: Defenders: Harriet Cordner Midfielders: Lauren Pearce Forwards: Aliesha Newman Interchange: Karen Paxman

Excellent win and very even across the board - I reckon everyone out there played their role and contributed in some way. That's probably a strength this season compared to some other teams who tend to rely on their top 2-3. Cordner had a standout game and was well assisted by the way the rest of the backs organised themselves and set up. To Lions were super predictable (in part due to our pressure on the ball carrier) and we read them like a book. Once we had it hemmed in our forward line it was all over, especially given our dominance out of the middle. By contrast, when they had it trapped in their forward line in the third quarter, our defense was tenacious (helped along by some let offs by their players). Perhaps Newman's best game? Could have easily had 4! The day that Zanker kicks a bag is approaching, but for now I just love her follow-up and forward pressure. L.Pearce has improved out of sight of the back of an excellent VFLW season and I think really thrives being the sole true ruck, although they seemed to share it round more yesterday. Some of her spot up kicks into the forward line were excellent. Also probably Phillips best game this season, much more involved. If Cunningham was reported for that only slightly late and not particularly forceful hit when it wasn't even paid as a free kick I would have been annoyed. Glad it was just a mistake by the commentators, who do tend to take things and run with them. Agree with Meggs about Kat Smith, an underrated player and worth swinging forward if we need a shuffle. Our chances next week? If we can play our utmost best, anything might happen but it won't be smooth sailing. Will be trekking out to Casey to see how it goes and looking forward to seeing lots of red and blue out there.