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Saturday’s match kicks off at 4.35pm AEDT and will be broadcast live nationally on Fox Footy from 4.30pm. Melbourne AFLW team: round seven Backs: Jasmine Grierson, Mia-Rae Clifford, Katherine Smith Half Backs: Daisy Pearce, Laura Duryea, Richelle Cranston Centres: Harriet Cordner Half Forwards: Karen Paxman, Alyssa Mifsud, Lily Mithen Forwards: Sarah Lampard, Shelley Scott, Cat Phillips Followers: Lauren Pearce, Mel Hickey, Elise O’Dea Interchange: Emma Humphries, Maddie Boyd, Aliesha Newman, Ainslie Kemp, Brooke Patterson, Deanna Berry Emergencies: Pepa Randall, Jessica Anderson Unavailable/injured: Stephanie De Bortoli, Meg Downie ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This could either be our last game of the season or the second last depending on how things go. For those who remember the Melbourne V Brisbane exhibition match at the MCG last year will also remember our score being 91-20 in our favour. Yes - it was an all-star Melbourne side against an extremely weak Lions outfit, but jeeez if we managed to repeat that score this weekend then we are a lock to make history and make the inaugural AFLW Grand Final (not to mention it will be the first granny this club has appeared in for 16/17 years). If we win by 70 points, this will boost our percentage over Adelaide's. If Adelaide win though, and by a large margin, then the boost won't really have an impact. As disgusting as it is, we have to hope that the filth beat the Crows next week. This will be the most likely scenario to see the Melbourne Football Club contend for the 2017 AFLW flag. We have Brooke Patterson coming back who has been quite a handy player and may provide some fresh legs for the side who pushed it to the absolute limit last week in Darwin. What's not in our favour is Freo coming off of a win and bringing that confidence in this week. Don't think they will be used to playing at Casey and also do not think they will match our confidence, team unity, etc. Adelaide would also be feeling the effects from the last round and on top of this they have to travel again to VIC to play the filth at their home ground. The scumbags have come off a large win last week and are on a run, and me thinks that their ego will want them to get a big scalp in Adelaide and end their season. Will be very disappointing and very Melbourne-like to throw in the towel and lose on Saturday, but I am confident that we are going to absolutely belt the living christ out of the Dockers and barge our way into the granny. Dees by 70 (or at least we win/crows lose).

2017 NAB AFL Women’s Competition – Round 6 Adelaide Crows v MelbourneTIO Stadium, DarwinSaturday 11 March, 5.40pm Gates Gates open 3.45pm CST Access and Ticketing This is a non-ticketed event. Entry is free from 3.45pm! TV Times The match will be broadcast live nationally on Channel 7 and Fox Footy from 7.00pm EDT. Social Media Keep up-to-date on game day with our live coverage of the game on Twitter (@melbournefc) and follow the hashtag #AFLWCrowsDeesGet a behind-the-scenes insight into the day by following us on Instagram (@melbournefc), liking us on Facebook (facebook.com/melbournefc) and adding us as a ‘friend’ on Snapchat (melbourne_fc). Melbourne AFLW team: round five Backs: Jasmine Grierson, Mia-Rae Clifford, Katherine Smith Half Backs: Daisy Pearce, Laura Duryea, Richelle Cranston Centres: Harriet Cordner Half Forwards: Karen Paxman, Alyssa Mifsud, Lily Mithen Forwards: Sarah Lampard, Shelley Scott, Cat Phillips Followers: Lauren Pearce, Mel Hickey, Elise O’Dea Interchange: Emma Humphries, Maddie Boyd, Aliesha Newman, Ainslie Kemp, Deanna Berry, Elise Strachan Emergences: Sarah Jolly, Jessican Anderson In: Scott, Strachan Out: Anderson, Jolly Unavailable/injured: Stephanie De Bortoli, Meg Downie, Brooke Patterson, Pepa Randall --------------------------------------------------- Was apprehensive about this week's preview after Round 5's loss to GWS, but it brings me great joy to say that Carlton lost against Freo. This is the first step in our last attempt at making the granny. If Adelaide lose in Round 7 and we win against freo then we will have made it to a Grand Final position. We MUST outshine our performances in Rounds 2, 3 and 4 and really bring it to Adelaide otherwise we are officially done for the season and next week's match against Fremantle won't count for much. Adelaide are a good team, we all know the hype surrounding Erin Phillips and Sarah Perkins. I've got the feeling though that with their backs against the wall, Daisy & Co will take it up a level and get the chocolates. Dais is much better than Erin and I hope to christ she puts this on display for the National TV audience on a Saturday night. Perkins is a good forward, so I'm not sure the best defensive approach for her. Expose her lack of fitness or put either a Duryea or Rocky on her and curb her impact? Must also watch out for Chelsea Randall, she's like their Karen Paxman. We don't play well in the wet, but this will be muggy conditions and I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the players wearing gloves. Shelly Scott is back in the team this week after she stuffed her shoulder, we really missed her last week. We're also going to play Elise Strachan, hope to see some of that brilliant kicking action. It's a big event for Adelaide in that a large number of their list actually live in Darwin and don't train week to week with the rest of the players in Adelaide. They will want to put on a show in their 2nd home town, but I think this is their biggest weakness. While Bec Goddard may have been coaching well up to this point, that group surely would not have the close, tight-knit bond that the Dees girls do and we might just have that added edge of wanting to play for each other just that bit extra. Melbourne to get the win over the Crows. Hopefully by a large amount to boost percentage. Go Dees - let's keep the premiership hopes alive. P.S. Great videos of Irish and Rocky this week on the website. http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/2017-03-10/breakthrough-stories-richelle-rocky-cranston http://www.melbournefc.com.au/video/2017-03-06/breakthrough-story-laura-duryea

NAB AFL Women’s - Round 5 GWS GIANTS v Melbourne Friday, March 3 Blacktown International Sportspark 5:05pm JLT Community Series - Round 3 GWS GIANTS v Sydney Swans Friday, March 3 Blacktown International Sportspark 7:40pm Gate Opening: Gates open from 4:30pm. Tickets: Entry is FREE to both games for all 2017 GIANTS and GIANTS AFLW members with game access, simply present your membership card at the gate for entry (subject to capacity). You can upgrade your membership to ensure entry in to this game by clicking here and entering your barcode. General admission tickets start from $20 for an adult and are available here. Broadcast details: The AFL Women’s game will be shown live on Fox Footy (channel 504) from 5pm with a live stream on AFL.com.au. The men’s game will be live on Fox Footy from 7:30pm. Getting to the game: Public Transport: Bus: Busways 728 service from Blacktown & Mount Druitt Stations stops directly at Blacktown International Sportspark, standard fares apply. Shuttle buses will operate from Doonside Railway Station to Blacktown International Sportspark every 15-20 minutes from 3pm to 10.30pm Car: Limited paid parking is available at Blacktown International Sportspark Sydney via Gate A and Gate B. A fee of $10 per vehicle applies. Match Day Activities: Free slushies at AFL W Fan zone Meet and greet AFL W players at half time of AFL match Face painting AFLW Match Day Partner: Sydney Airport is proud to be a foundation partner of the GIANTS’ AFLW team, supporting women who are leading the way in their chosen field. The three-year partnership forms part of the airport’s commitment to leading and learning in the Sydney community. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- We've got our first interstate game this week and it happens to be against the bottom of the ladder GWS Giants. This reeks of a danger game in my opinion - Melbourne needing a win to keep finals hopes alive against a winless team. Suffice to say if we do not bring it and we lose then not only are we are out of the running for the first AFLW flag, but it'll be in the most embarrassing circumstances. GWS pushed Carlton in Round 2 I believe, nearly got a win over Collingwood but were then rolled last week by the Lions. Who knows what they'll bring, but there is a lame-ish video of Stevie J training them on their website so maybe that might have some kind of impact. One thing I do know is that we have been increasing the intensity and skill across the whole team after each round so if we continue that then this week we could potentially belt the living christ out of the opposition and gain some good percentage in the process. Here's hoping Daisy outdoes her 29 touches against Carlscum and becomes the 1st AFLW player to crack 30. If we get the chocolates then we'll have won 4 in a row, which is fantastic (and required) momentum in this short comp. This will see us at a minimum 3rd place on the ladder, and if Adelaide lose to the Lions then we will be equal with them albeit on a lower percentage. Will the travel and weather have an impact on the team? Hard to say. I'm hoping they recover well as we have Adelaide in Darwin the following week in another must-win game. At the end of the day, I'm tipping we will get a big win here - but there's always the chance with the MFC of being let down at the most integral moment. Team should be released Thursday night.

NAB AFL Women’s Competition / JLT Community Series double header NAB AFL Women’s Competition – Round 4 Melbourne v Carlton Casey Fields Saturday 25 February, 11.35am EDT JLT Community Series – Week 2 Melbourne v Carlton Casey Fields Saturday 25 February, 2.05pm EDT Gates Gates will open at 11.00am. Gate 1 is for membership scans, entering with pre-purchased tickets and those tickets purchased on the day and Gate 2 is for membership card scans and pre-purchased tickets only. Access and Ticketing Entry is free with a Melbourne Football Club membership. If you are not a member, as this is a fully ticketed event, a ticket to the 2017 JLT Community Series match will need to be purchased for entry to the JLT Community Series and AFL Women’s matches. We encourage you to pre-purchase your ticket for both games through Ticketmaster. Access to JLT Community Series matches is subject to capacity and is not guaranteed. Family Fun Day Visit our free Family Fun Day located on the Village Green near the main entrance for a range of great activities! The Family Fun Day will run from 11am-2pm. Parking Limited public parking will be available on site at the south end of Casey Fields. Get there early to secure your spot. Nearby street parking is also available. Membership and Merchandise Memberships and merchandise will be available for sale from the Melbourne marquee located outside the main entrance at Gate 1 from 10.45am. Support the women’s team with a membership from $75! 2017 scarves will also be available for members to collect. Kick to Kick Kick to kick will take place on the ground following the completion of the JLT Community Series match. Bring your footy and enjoy one of footy's greatest traditions! TV Times NAB AFL Women’s Competition – Round 4: Fox Footy –11.30am EDT Live JLT Community Series match: Fox Footy – 2.00pm EDT Live Social Media Keep up-to-date on game day with our live coverage of the game on Twitter (@melbournefc) and follow the hashtags #AFLWDeesBlues and #JLTSeries Get a behind-the-scenes insight into the day by following us on Instagram (@melbournefc), liking us on Facebook (facebook.com/melbournefc) and adding us as a ‘friend’ on Snapchat (melbourne_fc). Website melbournefc.com.au will also publish quarterly updates live from the game. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Backs: Brooke Patterson, Mia-Rae Clifford, Katherine Smith Half Backs: Daisy Pearce, Laura Duryea, Shelley Scott Centre: Harriet Cordner Half Forwards: Karen Paxman, Deanna Berry, Lily Mithen Forwards: Sarah Lampard, Jessica Anderson, Cat Phillips Followers: Lauren Pearce, Mel Hickey, Elise O’Dea Interchange: Emma Humphries, Richelle Cranston, Aliesha Newman, Jasmine Grierson, Maddie Boyd, Alyssa Mifsud Emergencies: Sarah Jolly, Ainslie Kemp In: Newman Out: Jolly Injured/unavailable: Stephanie De Bortoli, Meg Downie, Pepa Randall ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The last thing we should do is get arrogant, but jeez I've got a good feeling about the Melbourne AFLW team. OUR team. 'Twas a great win last week against the Dogs and thank christ we didn't have to hear that horribly remade 'Daughters of the West' team song. We're going in to this round with the momentum off of our back to back wins against what is considered to be one of the top 2 teams in this comp. What's working in our favour this week is their best player Brianna Davey is out with a back injury and another key defensive player is out for the season with an ACL. This is a massive advantage having her out as she is probably one of the best in the comp and according to Carlscum match preview, they are resorting to putting Darcy Vescio up at CHB. As always, this mightn't be the case on game day but the advantage this provides shouldn't be understated. Need to capitalise and dominate. They came off second best against Adelaide last week by a whopping 3 in points in a thrilling one goal game. After being so heavily beaten they will be looking to come out firing this week. Many will refer to the practice match we had prior to Round 1 where we got one goal and they beat us by 44 points. I think that's irrelevant now as the team has well and truly clicked and are starting to look dangerous up forward. Not to mention that the Demon ladies themselves will want to make up for the praccy spanking - Laura 'Irish' Duryea (Number 11) looked absolutely filthy so lets hope she irons someone out. This is another MUST win game as we sit 4th on the Ladder, equal with Carlton, and we simply have to get the win to jump over them to 3rd and keep our grand final chances alive. Also looking for Freo and the Giants to get a win as well to keep the Lions and Adelaide stagnant. Alyssa Mifsud found her feet last week and booted 3 majors, giving us a great key forward target to work alongside Jess Anderson. Considering our forward line was considered to be our weakness, it's great to see it finally gelling together. Rocky was back in the team last week and again missed an easy shot on the run in front of goal, but I'm willing to let it slide as she wasn't in the Round 2 game where we lifted as a team. Hopefully she steps up this week and boots a couple. Daisy Pearce again was terrific, getting 26 touches and showing the comp that she's still the best. Kazza Paxman did even better by getting 27, could these two be the first AFLW players to crack 30 disposals in a shorter game? I think we can seriously win this one.

NAB AFL Women’s Competition - Round 2 Collingwood v Melbourne Ikon Park Saturday 11 February, 7.40pm EDT Gates Access for the public is via Gates 5 and 6. Please note this game is part of an AFLW double-header and will follow the earlier Carlton v GWS Giants match at Ikon Park commencing at 3.35pm. The ground will not be cleared or gates closed in between the two matches. Ticketing This is a non-ticketed event. Entry to this match is FREE. As there is no reserved seating areas available in the stadium, supporters are encouraged to arrive early to guarantee entry on the day. Parking There will be no public parking available on site due to Carlton’s family day activities – supporters are strongly advised to take public transport. Membership and Merchandise Memberships and merchandise will be available for sale from the Demon Shop marquee located outside Gate 5. Support the women’s team with a membership from $75! TV Times Channel 7 and Fox Footy will broadcast the match live nationally from 7.30pm EDT. Please check your local guide. Social Media Keep up-to-date on game day with our live coverage of the game on Twitter (@melbournefc) and follow the hashtag #AFLWPiesDees. Get a behind-the-scenes insight into the day by following us on Instagram (@melbournefc), liking us on Facebook (facebook.com/melbournefc) and adding us as a ‘friend’ on Snapchat (melbourne_fc). ----------------- Our game against the filth has been moved to Ikon Park in understandable, yet strange circumstances. A double header Collingwood home game against Melbourne at Carlton's home ground on Carlton's family day. Still, good reason being that there'll be a bigger crowd. List will probably be released later tonight, but there will definitely be no Richelle 'Rocky' Cranston as she's serving a one match suspension for absolutely cleaning up a Brizzy player last week. Still have reservations but also think the loss last week would have woken our girls up and HOPEFULLY our coaching team has done something about our forward structure. Despite the hellish weather last week, we were great at times with getting the ball out defensively (see below highlights video of Mel Hickey using her body and the girls working as a team to pop out the ball rather than holding it in) and you could see some the seeds of some good ball movement starting to grow. Daisy is a gun in the midfield and made some nice clearances, but alas was tagged a fair bit and had comprised impact. We have no idea how lucky we are to have gotten the best player as our skipper. Expecting a much better performance from her against the scumbags and hopefully a snag roll or two. Karen Paxman had the most touches and lived up to her rep as a hard running, good decision maker - confident that she'll back it up. Elise O'Dea aka "Junior" kept trying to lift the team and really got into the game towards the end. If she does this from the get go and doesn't get caught with the ball as often then she'll be a brilliant asset. The experience and connection that Paxman, Hickey and O'Dea share from multiple Darebin flags is visibly evident and they bring the other players into the game. If they maintain this in defense and at stoppages, I think we have a good chance at getting the win. Others to look out for are Lily Mithen, Shelley Scott and Laura "Irish" Corrigan (bit undisciplined at times but she steps up). Mo Hope was kept to 0 goals and 4 touches last week. Hope we repeat that for her again. We only really let Brisbane get away by giving up two 50's (which I still doubt was right, but anyway) so if we can clear that up and get some early scoreboard pressure then I think we can get the chocolates. There'll be plenty of butchered kicks, sloppy skills but there will also be some great exciting moments. If we get our first win, it'll be even sweeter due to the fact that the filth will have lost both of their first two games.