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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).

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.

Watched the AFLW replay of the Dees and Dogs game and only just realized they've re-recorded their theme song with a female singer and have slightly modified the lyrics. To put it nicely, it's atrocious. Absolutely shocking. Very cheesy and cringeworthy. Love how teams have modified jumpers etc but messing with the theme song seems sacrilegious and if they are going to do it then at least try to make it work. Very glad we have not meddled with our great song, but even if we did it would still be better than this mess. https://audioboom.com/posts/5591215-daughters-of-the-west-western-bulldogs-aflw-team-song

NAB AFL Women’s Competition / JLT Community Series double header JLT Community Series – Week 1 Western Bulldogs v Melbourne VU Whitten Oval Saturday 18 February, 4.40pm EDT NAB AFL Women’s Competition – Round 3 Western Bulldogs v Melbourne VU Whitten Oval Saturday 18 February, 7.40pm EDT Gates Gates will open at 2.30pm for the men’s JLT Community Series match commencing at 4.40pm. Access and Ticketing AFL and Club access members have free general admission entry to the men’s JLT Community Series match. However, as access to the venue is subject to capacity and not guaranteed, the AFL strongly recommends that members wishing to watch either game upgrade their membership to a reserved seat or register for a general admission ticket to guarantee entry on the day. Upgrade HERE. Subject to capacity, fans have free entry to the Western Bulldogs v Melbourne NAB AFLW match after three quarter time of the Western Bulldogs v Melbourne JLT Community Series match. The AFL advises that VU Whitten Oval has a limited capacity of 10,000 and considering anticipated demand for both matches, strongly recommends that all members and fans guarantee their entry by using their membership card to register or purchase a general admission ticket via Ticketmaster. Tickets are subject to availability on a first come, first serve basis and subject to an additional fee. Guarantee your entry now at ticketmaster.com.au Parking Limited street parking is available around the venue, however supporters are encouraged to catch public transport. Whitten Oval is a short stroll from West Footscray station - on the Sydneham/Watergardens line. Membership and Merchandise Memberships and merchandise will be available for sale from the Melbourne marquee (location and time TBC). Support the women’s team with a membership from $75! TV Times JLT Community Series match: Fox Footy – 4.30pm EDT Live NAB AFL Women’s Competition – Round 3: Channel 7 – 7.30pm EDT Live; Fox Footy – 7.30pm EDT Live Social Media Keep up-to-date on game day with our live coverage of the game on Twitter (@melbournefc) and follow the hashtag #AFLWDogsDees 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 games. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What a second half last week - for many reasons. Not only did we get the chocolates but we also sensationally came from behind, kept the filth´s losing streak intact and most impressively... the team clicked. It was only a matter of time before the girls stood up and really kicked into gear. The key moment for most will be our sudden burst of goals where we ran over the scumbags and kept them goalless, but for me it was seeing Daisy Pearce going absolutely hard when winning the ball. Is this the week where she unleashes and boots several sausage rolls? I won´t go on about the highlights of the game, as I´ve watched the 2nd half about 5 times now, but see below for video if interested. Err, in saying that - I will mention though that I was totally in love with Mel Hickey but Karen Paxman, Elise O´Dea and Cat Phillips have seriously challenged her for the mantle. Cat´s speed is outstanding and will likely deliver many more Jayden Hunt-like sprinting goals. O´Dea loves this club and she shows it by continuously smashing through packs alongside her superior experience/skills and of course that nice precision kick into f50 in the last moments of the game that secured our last goal from Jolly. Karen Paxman is so unassuming but runs all day, gets involved in everything, goes forward and back, plus kicked a ripper of a goal in our onslaught. Special mentions also goto Katherine Smith, Lily Mithen (Rising Star) and Laura ``Irish´´ Duryea who was terrific in defense and is doing the number 11 proud. Unfortunately, Meg Downie was knocked out in what´s known in official terms as a ´´dog act`` and has subsequently been ruled out for the rest of the season. Even though it´s still early days in the comp, Downie´s contribution on-field shouldn´t be underestimated. What is good news is that this week should see the return of Richelle ´Rocky` Cranston who´s physicality and running ability will hopefully substitute for this. At this point in the season, like most teams, we cannot afford to lose a game. If we do lose one, then we are relying on other teams to lose games as well. For once in my life, and it sickens me to say this, but I hope the filth beat Brisbane as we need to keep them at 2-1 rather than 3-0. Collingwood getting the win won´t affect our chances if we beat the Dogs and at worst if we lose, then we are even with them and will be riding on the luck of certain teams losing for us to climb the ladder. The Dogs were tipped to be flag favourites before the season started yet where taken apart last round by Adelaide. Inaccuracy in front of goal and Adelaide´s superior play was the main result of this, but it gives us a great chance. If we storm them from the start and bring it like the way we did against the filth, then I am confident that our ladies will get the win. That will automatically put us up the ladder into 4th position, and depending on percentages, could even see us jump over the Lions and get into 3rd position. Working even more in our favour is that the Dogs skipper and main goal kicker Katie Brennan was seen in the last game wearing a moon boot and is reported to have a stuffed ankle. What is also not widely known is that she was in this position a couple of years back at Darebin with a fractured foot and she still played and kicked majors to score the win for the Falcons. Not wishing injury on players, but if she remains out of the side then this makes the job significantly easier and we MUST take advantage of that. Being a Melbourne supporter, I have the other superstition in our favour being that we are going in the underdogs. God help us when we eventually become favourites. Strangely this game is on after the Men´s JLT game. If all goes well our boys will win then surely this will inspire our girls to get pumped up and finish the job. Team should be released later this evening. Side note: Was great last week to see on Jack and Todd Viney bigging up the girls on Social a Media, as well as Neita.

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.

Game is on this Sunday out at Casey Fields @ 5:05pm. Free Entry too, hopefully it's a good turn out. Can't make game but I'll be watching from overseas as the game will be broadcast live on Fox Footy. Good article about the side here - http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/aflw/melbourne-has-plenty-of-quality-midfielders-and-defenders-but-keen-to-create-new-avenues-to-goal/news-story/7fe074da4828d88522d79ec7d1f65f2d Player profiles here - http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/aflw/melbourne-demons-aflw-player-profiles-for-2017-season/news-story/bbb832ccee571c018e14d8cabd7d3859

http://m.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/afl-clubs-are-desperate-for-a-womens-team--heres-one-reason-why-20160408-go1vab.html Bastian EBA chief executive Jack Watts said companies in the insurance and finance industries in particular were interested in sponsoring women's sports, because women often made the household decisions in regards to their products. Many women's sports did not yet have the audience reach to justify potential sponsors' investments, although that was changing, he said. They're out of assets to sell," Watts said. Watts said clubs would not see a women's team in terms of short-term gain, but rather as an investment as girls' and women's participation in the game continued to grow.