AFLW 2019 Round 3 In Review

After three rounds it looks a race in four with the Crows and Demons joining the Dockers and Kangaroos by winning in dominant, Premiership-contention fashion.

Sadly all four teams are in the same conference and as the chasm widens between the two pools, an increasingly entertaining, high-scoring and skilful 2019 AFLW season threatens to descend into farce as the best teams continue to belt the lesser teams who will inevitably play finals ahead of them. 

North Melbourne 8.5 (53) def Western Bulldogs 3.4 (22)

Who, What, Why: 

The Western Dogs came back down to where we thought they were: minus the two superstar midfielders who absolutely destroyed them Friday night. Emma Kearney was business as usual, but it was Jenna Bruton who really dominated her former side, racking up a career-high 22 touches and owning the stoppages.

The Dogs played to their potential, but just ran into a very clinical, very polished North Melbourne side which doesn’t have a weakness, and in fact, we are starting to see how well they recruited outside their well-known star signings, with players like Ash Riddell, Alison Drennan and on Friday, debutant Courtney Munn (4 goals) who just slotted into AFLW football with aplomb.

Key Takeaway: With the conference system setup in 2019, the Bulldogs will be playing for their AFLW season against the Brisbane Lions on Saturday at Whitten Oval. The teams look evenly poised in what should be a cracker. The Kangaroos haven’t yet played the two sides that could potentially trouble them in Fremantle and Adelaide. Melbourne is half a chance to slow them down, but any team without clearance specialists and solid intercept defenders is just not going to be able to compete with North Melbourne for four quarters this season. It will be very interesting to see what happens at Casey Fields on Sunday.

Carlton 10.5 (65) def GWS Giants 5.6 (36)

Who, What, Why: 

I’ll be the first to put my hand up and say I was bullish on the Giants going into this, despite the Stats Insider model identifying the Blues as the value play early in the week. While the Giants hadn't won a game in the first two rounds, I expected that the likes of Courtney Gum, Jess Dal Pos, Alicia Eva and youngster Alyce Parker would be too much for the Blues in the middle.

GWS were fumbly and bumbly early on, and never really recovered after Carlton applied scoreboard pressure. No composure from the Giants, with way too many players overrunning the ball or not reading a crucial bounce properly and being out of position.

Four free kicks to Carlton right in front of goal made the difference much bigger than it probably should have been in the end, but Carlton were absolutely deserved winners here, with Maddi Prespakis having an amazing 20+ disposal and 3 goal game, and Tayla Harris and Darcy Vescio finally firing.

Key Takeaway: The win for Carlton covered over a lot of deficiencies that remain, especially in defence. If they win the clearances they can compete for long parts of the day, but if it is close out of the middle, or if a team  - like Geelong for instance - has a star intercept defender like Meg McDonald, then the Blues’ scoring will be limited which makes it hard for them to win. The Giants season is all but over after 3 weeks, expect mass changes positionally and personnel for Round 4.

Fremantle 7.9 (51) def Collingwood 2.6 (18)

Who, What, Why: 

 The Dockers did what they needed to do against a vastly out-classed Collingwood side. Kiara Bowers was brilliant, Dana Hooker and Kara Donellan were solid in third gear, Kellie Gibson was up and about early which bodes well for the rest of her season, and Gemma Houghton could easily have finished with five goals.

For the Magpies, debutant Maddi Shevlin impressed with stints in the midfield and across high half-forward, Eliza Hynes was very solid in the ruck, and Sarah Dargan saw a lot more of the ball this game. Sadly none of them had any answer to Fremantle’s midfield dominance and once the ball got into Collingwood’s defence (or over it in most cases), the Dockers were simply too fast and too skilled.

Ash Brazill was trialled on-ball early on, but when they realised she couldn’t help with clearances AND they had sacrificed their best defender, she swiftly returned to defence. She copped a solid knock in the third term and went off (Miller got a week for it at the tribunal) and it is too early to say if Brazill will be back in Round 4.

Key Takeaway: Fremantle have a real shot at AFLW Finals this season. It's a big game against the Crows on Saturday, probably game of the round at TIO in Darwin, absolute shame it is not at Optus (or on Channel 7). I'm looking forward to see how the Dockers go in the midfield battle against the Crows, and also how Fremantle navigate around Chelsea Randall because they did so well against Kate Luktins but on a much bigger ground. Collingwood are simply a basket case.

Adelaide 10.6 (66) def Geelong 6.1 (37)

Who, What, Why: 

The Crows executed to perfection, and absolutely could have given the ton a big nudge here had a few easy chest marks been taken, or a few bounces bobbled their way. The Cats showed the AFLW what happens if you don’t tag Ebony Marinoff: she destroys you with 33 touches and a bail-out handball whenever - and wherever - her team needs it.

Anne Hatchard is the real deal, as is Jess Foley. I was very strong pre-season about how the Crows’ pre-season ruck injuries made them better not worse, and we saw that in spades at Norwood on Sunday, as Foley returned 17 hitouts, 17 disposals, 7 marks and 4 tackles and a goal: midfield numbers from a dominant tap ruckman. She should have had 2-3 goals too. Loved how they swapped Hatchard into the ruck to spell Foley too.

Add in Erin Phillips, Chelsea Randall and more than half a dozen really solid b-graders like Rajcic, Mules, Scheer, Cramey, Forth, Thompson and Varnhagen, and this Adelaide team is frighteningly good at it’s best. Geelong were not that bad they just ran into a 10/10 game from an elite Adelaide. Mel Hickey and Rocky Cranston will be better for the first-up run for their new club. Love Madeline McMahon, she will get better and better.

Key Takeaway:  The Crows should start favourites against Fremantle on Saturday, but it’s going to be a real coin flip. They are a genuine AFLW Premiership threat, but if they don’t beat the Dockers here they may not even make the finals, so this game looms as a mini Preliminary Final unless both sides can beat the Kangaroos. Geelong are a real chance to play finals in a softer conference if they beat Carlton on Saturday.

Melbourne 9.6 (60) def Brisbane 3.3 (21)

Who, What, Why: 

 Talk about 10/10 performances, Melbourne delivered one in Brisbane on Sunday, smashing the Lions on the back of relentless full-team pressure. They harassed until they got the ball, then once they had it they used it quickly and well.

Eden Zanker continues her rocks or diamonds season with a corker of a game, Karen Paxman decided to let Elise O’Dea just coast this game in third gear, taking over as the dominant Melbourne on-baller, with 24 touches, four tackles and a goal, and Lauren Pearce’s 21-disposal game was brilliant.

The Demons have this posse of smaller mid-forwards who make them a really fast, high-pressure side. Kate Hore, Lilly Mithen, Tayla Hanks and Alisha Newman all have pace, can tackle and all of them have sublime skills. 

For the Lions - as we discussed last week - they are just missing one premium, elite midfielder. Their young rucks were belted a bit by Pearce but you can cover that if you have enough on-ball talent. Sadly Jordan Zanchetta is not cutting it in there, and when Emily Bates has a bad game, far too much is left to Ali Anderson and Nat Exon.  

Key Takeaway: The Lions were down on a few defenders which is not ideal when you are getting smashed in the middle, so they can definitely improve, but the Demons were the big surprise for mine. I thought they could win it, but maybe just by a kick or two. Not 41 points. Expecting a little reality check for them when they come up against the Kangaroos on Saturday.

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