TWO of the closest games this week occured in the Casey v Carlton and Darebin v Hawthorn clashes. Casey got the job done over the Blues by 10 points while the Falcons caused an upset, defeating the finals-bound Hawks by four points. We watched both games in the round and noted down which players made an impact during their respective matches.  

Casey Demons vs. Carlton 

By: James Halley

#13 Katherine Smith

The in and under specialist kicked a late goal in the third term with a quick kick out of a pack. She was her usual best in the midfield for Casey.

#25 Madelaine Shevlin

After being on the end of a beautiful kick from Eden Zanker, she kicked truly from 30 metres out. She was in the play a lot up forward putting on a lot of pressure.

#26 Shae Sloane

She is capable of taking good contested marks on the last line of defence. She is really good under pressure and rarely makes a mistake. In the last quarter she was really handy, affecting a lot of shots on goals.

#29 Eden Zanker

Zanker worked her way into the front on a nice lead and converted in the first minute nicely. Only minutes later, she was awarded a free kick after being blocked off the ball. It resulted with another goal for Casey. Also early in the first term, she delivered a beautiful kick inside 50 to hit Madelaine Shevlin on the chest for another early goal. She presented all day and created multiple chances as a result. Early in the third term, Zanker snapped her third goal from the boundary, showing her skill level.

#35 Catherine Phillips

Nice evasive footwork, allowing her to weave in and out of traffic. Her gut running across the wing gave her many opportunities to drive the ball inside 50.

Carlton:

#3 Darcy Vescio

Although in the first term there was not much ball in the forward line, Vescio still got plenty of the ball. Late in the last term, she played down back to make sure the Blues did not concede any more goals. She puts on a lot of forward pressure, which allowed lots of Carlton exit kicks to be executed. She was one on one with Casey Sherriff in the goal square and managed to edge her opponent off the ball and soccer through the Blues’ second goal of the game. Moments later, she had another chance but had more time then she thought and squandered it.

#10 Sarah Hosking

In the second quarter, she was one of the catalysts as to why the Blues were able to make a comeback, as she was dominating the midfield. She laid many bone-crunching tackles to keep the Blues in the contest.

#19 Georgia Gee

She kicked her first goal in her third game of Victorian Football League (VFL) Women’s and the first goal for Carlton. She took advantage of a loose ball and hacked a kick along the ground in a display of footy smarts.

#34 Akec Chuot

In the second term, Chuot showed her dash from across back half and her superb foot skills to hit up Sarah Hosking. Later in the term, she marked strongly and converted easily after the half time siren.

Darebin vs. Hawthorn 

By: Taylah Melki

Darebin:

#12 Jessica Dal Pos

She created a good forward thrust to create a scoring opportunity for her teammates through her hard running across the ground. Dal Pos dazzled with her strong run and carry through the middle of the ground and really opened up the defence of the Hawks with her clever kicks and bursts of speed.

#13 Kate Shierlaw

Shierlaw showcased her strong hands throughout the match, taking plenty of good grabs under immense physical pressure. She impressed with her ability to read the play of the game and get into damaging positions. She opened the Falcons’ goal scoring account, nailing a goal from about 30 metres out on a slight angle. Her second efforts were good, working hard throughout the game to win the footy and trap it inside the Falcons attacking 50. Overall, she had a really solid game and was a real presence up forward providing good leads and footy smarts to win the ball at the contest.

#14 Meghan McDonald

Once again she was a key ingredient down back to stop the attack of the Hawks. McDonald read the play well and dropped into the holes to take good strong defensive marks showing that she backed herself at crucial times.  She impressed with a good pick up off her toes and was clean with ball in hand.

#20 Maddy Guerin

Guerin worked hard all game to win the ball, going in hard at the contests and putting her body on the line. She was involved in a great scrumming play to bag an important goal in the last term. She showed some great awareness to shrug off a few players and open up the space to allow herself to throw the ball onto her boot and give the Falcons a much needed win.  

#24 Brooke Patterson

She was strong in the one on one contests and used her body well to position behind the ball. Patterson showed composure and awareness when the footy came her way, checking her kicks and handballs. She imposed herself around the contest by laying strong tackles and good bumps to try and win the footy for the Falcons.

#30 Elise O’Dea

O’Dea starred once again for the Falcons with her class around the ground on display. Her clean hands in close and ability to release teammates was second to none. She worked tirelessly throughout the match and was rewarded for her hard work with a good goal in the second quarter. She is a real play-maker for the Falcons, setting up some good forward thrusts with clever kicks and strong marks. She impressed with her ability to read the play and put the ball into space to allow her teammates to open up the ground ahead of them.

#40 Lauren Pearce

Really impressive game across the field. She showcased her footy smarts in the ruck with clever taps to advantage, allowing her midfielders to run onto the footy and break away from the packs. Pearce proved to be a key player, taking a few big grabs and imposing herself on the contest, tackling hard to help trap the ball inside their forward half. She used her good long booming kick to create scoring opportunities for her team by bombing the ball into a dangerous position in the forward 50.

Hawthorn:

 #6 Julia Crockett-Grills

She displayed some good bursts of speed through the centre to open up the forward line and create a scoring opportunity for the Hawks. Crockett-Grills showcased her clean hands around the contest to dish the ball off to her teammates effectively and cleverly.

#7 Phoebe McWilliams

Yet another strong performance by McWilliams, working hard across the ground to win the footy. She starred with her strong lead-up at the footy and ability to take good strong marks. In the third quarter, McWilliams clunked a big contested mark inside the forward 50 but was unable to convert missing the shot after the siren. 

#13 Ebony Nixon

Nixon was really solid down in defence, taking a few good intercept marks and helping to halt any forward play by the Falcons. She showcased her good strong hands and positioned herself well behind the ball to protect the backspace and stop the forwards from getting out the back.

 #14 Olivia Flanagan

She looked ominous up forward throughout the match, taking a strong juggling mark in the opening term showcasing both her control and aerial ability. Flanagan only registered a behind though, missing from about 40 metres out on a slight angle. She applied plenty of forward pressure to trap the footy inside the Hawks’ forward half, laying strong tackles. Flanagan was really clean out of the centre and sent a long driving ball into the forward 50, sparking a scoring chance for the Hawks.

#25 Meg Hutchins

Hutchins was solid once again showcasing her fierce intent, tackling hard and trying to trap the ball in her side’s attacking half. Her clean hands in and around the contest were second to none and she used the footy effectively and efficiently. She used her long booming kick to send the ball into the forward 50 and created a real presence on the field. Hutchins as per usual provided a good option for her teammates to hit up with strong leads and good hands in tight. She was a real play-maker for the Hawks, constantly getting involved and working hard to extract the footy in tight situations.