WITH the finals at the forefront of everyone’s mind, the clubs pulled out all the stops to put their hand up for grand final contention. The Bulldogs once again put the rest of the competition on notice, now sitting a game clear at the top of the ladder and just about securing their position in the grand final. Saturday’s clash at Norwood Oval showed that Adelaide still had plenty of fight left in them, with a strong win against the struggling Blues. Melbourne also secured an important win over the Brisbane Lions, who were in ominous form.

Melbourne 4.10 (34) defeated Brisbane 4.4 (28)

In a close encounter, Melbourne came away with the four points, winning by a goal in the end after a late Brisbane fightback. After two weeks on the road and consecutive losses, the Demons hit their straps against an in-form Brisbane Lions outfit at home. Though the Demons struggled with inaccuracy in front of goal, they did enough to secure the win. The huge victory for Melbourne put them back in grand final contention, now sitting on equal points with the Lions at the top of the ladder.

Key moment:

The Dees were right at home at Casey Fields with captain Daisy Pearce showing her dominance. After a disappointing outing last week, with a mere nine disposals, the Demons captain came out firing. The Darebin Falcons recruit proved to be the difference for Melbourne this week with her strong on-field leadership and class. The inspirational leader dominated against the Lions, scrumming hard and imposing herself on the contest. Pearce slotted two impressive goals while racking up 24 touches for the night. Brisbane struggled to contain the superstar, who impressed across the field and lead her team to a much-needed victory.   

Impressers:

After failing to hit the scoreboard in the past few weeks, Brisbane forward, Sabrina Frederick-Traub had a stellar game, bagging three important goals. The South Fremantle recruit starred, taking huge grabs and hitting the contest hard to get herself into dominant scoring positions. Teammate Kate Lutkins was inspirational, amassing 26 touches for the Lions with 21 of those being kicks. Melbourne University player, Kaitlyn Ashmore also stood tall for the Lions, taking a whopping eight marks for the match. Elite Melbourne duo, Karen Paxman and Elise O’Dea racked up the possessions with 25 and 23 disposals respectively. O’Dea’s tackling pressure was immense, with her 12 tackles ensuring that her physical presence was felt. Meanwhile, Tegan Cunningham hit the scoreboard for the Dees after missing out last week in the Northern Territory.

Fremantle 3.3 (21) defeated by GWS 6.3 (39)

The Giants were off to a flyer, dominating for the majority of the match against the Dockers. GWS put its foot down in the second quarter, keeping Fremantle to one goal for the first half and skipping away to a handy lead. The Giants won the contested marks and marks inside 50, while Fremantle struggled in both areas. The contested marks seemed to be the point of difference, as the Dockers were unable to compete with GWS’ marking and scoring ability.

Key moment:

GWS showcased their running game and tackling ability throughout the match. The Giants impressed with their ability to break lines and transition from defence to attack with ease. Meanwhile, their tackling pressure was immense, applying 77 tackles in comparison to Fremantle’s 69. They also laid six more tackles inside their attacking 50 than Fremantle, creating more forward pressure and showcasing their ability to trap the footy inside their half of the ground. Their hunger for the footy allowed them to create more scoring opportunities and set up strong structures.

Impressers:

In a team effort, the likes of captain Amanda Farrugia impressed for the Giants, bagging a goal and amassing 10 touches. Giants’ forward Phoebe McWilliams also starred once again, scoring a goal and making herself a physical presence up forward. The ever reliable 36 year-old, Courtney Gum stood tall for the Giants, bagging a goal and racking up 16 touches for the game, proving age is no issue. Meanwhile, Irishwoman Cora Staunton also impressed with her clean hands and commitment to the footy, working hard to slot a well- deserved goal. Dana Hooker starred for the Dockers, leading the way with 19 touches for the game, while the likes of Ebony Antonio also contributed with 19 possessions in a disappointing outing for Fremantle. Swan Districts recruit, Stephanie Cain was influential for the Dockers, slotting a goal and amassing 15 touches.

Adelaide 8.7 (55) defeated Carlton 2.8 (20)

In an unexpected draw last week, the Crows came out with a point to prove, dominating against the lacklustre Blues, who struggled to apply any scoreboard pressure. The Crows showed why they are still finals contenders, smashing the Blues by 35 points. Though Carlton showed glimpses of control particularly in the first few minutes of the third quarter, they were unable to match it with the reigning premiers who outclassed the Blues across the ground. Carlton were plagued by inaccuracy in front of goal while the Crows capitalised on their own scoring opportunities.

Key moment:

Though the Blues made all the running in the third quarter with plenty of repeat entries into their forward 50, they were unable to capitalise on their scoring opportunities. The Crows’ back-line stood up under pressure, keeping Carlton to two goals for the game with their impressive team defence. Adelaide weathered the storm in the third term to keep the Blues at bay, getting plenty of numbers around the footy and tackling hard to keep its finals hopes alive.

Impressers:

Ruth Wallace impressed for the Crows slotting three majors and showcasing her extreme agility. She was complemented by teammate, Chelsea Randall who was in everything, amassing 15 touches. Randall imposed herself on the contest and really flexed her muscles in the third quarter. Morphettville Park recruit, Eloise Jones was also a multiple goal-scorer, bagging two goals for the game in quick succession. Jones showed her class and skill, slotting a stellar goal from the boundary line and putting her in the running for goal of the year. Down the other end, the return of star forward ,Tayla Harris bolstered the Blues’ forward line but it was to no avail, as the Blues finished with a mere two goals by full time. The Zillmere Eagle recruit slotted one goal and racked up 11 disposals, doing what she could for her side. Katie Loynes also starred in the navy blue, laying 10 tackles and ensuring that her physical presence was felt around the ground. Loynes put her body on the line and contested hard for the footy.

Adelaide will be sweating on the fitness of superstar Erin Phillips, who once again succumbed to her ongoing quad injury.

Collingwood 6.5 (41) defeated by Western Bulldogs 7.7(49)

With the Pies searching for their second win, they fell marginally short against the in-form Western Bulldogs, who continued to shine. The Dogs led at every break, putting their hand up for grand final contention. The Magpies fought back to be within 12 points at the main break but could not do enough to over-run the skilful Western Bulldogs team. The Bulldogs now sit a game clear at the top of the ladder and look unlikely to miss out on the grand final.

Key moment:

The Western Bulldogs’ ability to capitalise on scoring opportunities proved to be the point of difference between the two teams, with the Pies dominating uncontested possessions, marks and tackles. Going at 63 percent efficiency inside the forward 50, the Dogs showed their ability to convert in front of goal, while Collingwood struggled to make the most of their forward 50 entries. Collingwood entered their 50 22 times, but only scored 11 times in comparison to the Western Bulldogs, who had 30 inside 50s and scored from 19 of them. This ultimately allowed the Dogs to control the flow of the game and dictate the terms in which the match was played on.

Impressers:

Christina Bernardi continued her hot form, having another stellar game for the Pies. She racked up nine disposals and slotted a major in the last quarter to bring Collingwood back into the contest. Teammate Caitlyn Edwards dominated up forward, bagging two goals and amassing 11 touches while Jasmine Garner impressed in defence, being the Pies leading disposal-getter, with 13 touches. The St Kilda Sharks recruit starred with her clean hands and good use of the footy, going at 60 percent efficiency. The efforts of Steph Chiocci with 12 possessions, and first-year player, Chloe Molloy who scored her first AFLW goal, also didn’t go unnoticed. After her seven goal-haul last week, Brooke Lochland backed it up, scoring another two goals in the Dogs’ win. Continuing her stellar season, Ellie Blackburn dominated across the ground with a goal and 17 touches. Rising star nominee, Monique Conti impressed again, contributing to the Western Bulldogs victory with 12 touches. Darebin Falcons player, Nicole Callinan showed her class with an important goal and 10 disposals for the Dogs.

Collingwood captain, Steph Chiocci may be in doubt for next week’s game after being reported for a high bump on Bulldogs defender, Libby Birch.