ROUND 3 of the 2021 Victorian Football League (VFL) season saw Carlton get on the board at the third time of asking, while league frontrunners Collingwood and Port Melbourne kept their perfect records in tact. Elsewhere, Casey, Essendon, and Geelong added wins to their now-positive tallies as the 12-team ladder begins to take shape and upcoming fixtures trickle through. All that, and more in our weekend wrap.

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WESTERN BULLDOGS 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 (18)
COLLINGWOOD 2.4 | 4.4 | 5.9 | 10.10 (70)

Collingwood thrived under the Whitten Oval lights on Friday night with a runaway 52-point win over the Western Bulldogs to go 3-0 in 2021. The Magpies should arguably have been further ahead at half time and while some inaccuracy lingered in the third term, they doubled their goal tally in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs went scoreless in the second half, amplifying the 10.10 (70) to 3.0 (18) final scoreline.

Senior-listed tall Bella Smith snared her season-best goal tally of three in the black and white, finishing as one of the Magpies’ seven individual goalkickers. State league standout Matilda Zander also found the goals alongside NAB League jet Olivia Meagher, while Sarah Rowe made a successful return from injury and Imogen Barnett continued her good form. Kristy Stratton was another to do so, named best afield for the winners.

Bulldogs fans will be buoyed to see Bailey Hunt return unscathed from her calf injury, as fellow senior-listed players Annabel Strahan and Amelia Van Oosterwijck pushed their cases for senior berths. Vanessa Murphy earned full votes in red, white and blue, while skipper Riley Christgoergl played an important role in defence alongside Louise Bibby.

GOALS:

Bulldogs: M. Purcell, I. Grant, M. Denahy Maloney.
Collingwood: B. Smith 3, M. Zander, K. Colborne-Veel, O. Meagher, K. Stratton, I. Barnett, S. Rowe, E. Jackson.

BEST:

Bulldogs: V. Murphy, N. McMahon, R. Christgoergl, A. Strahan, L. Bibby, K. Neumann Stone
Collingwood: K. Stratton, S. King, B. Smith, I. Barnett, M. Neal, C. Bunker

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ESSENDON 2.3 | 6.5 | 7.6 | 8.7 (55)
HAWTHORN 1.1 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 3.9 (27)

A six-goal to one first half was enough to see Essendon home against Hawthorn on Saturday, in an exciting clash between standalone sides. The Hawks finished strongly after finding themselves 35 points down heading into the last break, booting a couple of consolation goals and showing plenty of fighting spirit as they went down 8.7 (55) to 3.9 (27) at The Hangar.

Two of the Bombers’ three multiple goalkickers also featured among the votes, with Mia-Rae Clifford (three goals) and Natalie MacDonald (two) the pair in question. Skipper Georgia Nanscawen found plenty of the ball, while NAB League graduates Alana Barba and Eloise Ashley-Cooper were also promising in the famous sash. Debutant Elizabeth Snell was another in that category, fresh off her Under 19 exploits.

Catherine Brown won plaudits as Hawthorn’s best player afield, while fellow goalkicker Olivia Flanagan also impressed for the yellow and gold. Northern Territory talent Dominique Carbone was a handy inclusion for the Hawks as another youngster to show her quality, among her side’s best players with the likes of Meg Hutchins, Lauren Szigeti, and Nicole Cormack, who featured for consecutive weeks.

GOALS:

Essendon: M. Clifford 3, N. MacDonald 2, F. Frew 2, F. Theodore.
Hawthorn: C. Bain, O. Flanagan, C. Brown.

BEST:

Essendon: N. MacDonald, E. Ashley-Cooper, E. Snell, A. Morcom, M. Clifford, A. Barba
Hawthorn: C. Brown, N. Cormack, M. Hutchins, K. Dudley, L. Szigeti, D. Carbone

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CASEY DEMONS 3.2 | 3.5 | 8.8 | 9.11 (65)
NORTH MELBOURNE 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.6 (12)

Casey came away comprehensive victors over North Melbourne on Saturday afternoon, making better use of its home conditions to put the game to bed by three quarter time. A five-goal blitz after the main break ensured the Demons would return to the winners list, with North having to wait until term four to register a major score, eventually going down 9.11 (65) to 1.6 (12).

Competition for spots among Melbourne’s senior camp will be hot ahead of finals, with AFLW-listed players Niamh McEvoy (three goals) and Chantel Emonson (two) making an impact as they search for recalls. Casey skipper Samantha Johnson was named best afield, while Eliza West again snared a goal to go with some handy votes.

Former Richmond-listed youngster Ciara Fitzgerald continued her scoring form with North Melbourne’s sole major of the game, seeing the Roos mercifully escape going goalless. Meagan Kiely was adjudged her side’s best player for the second week running, with Tasmania Sarah Skinner another to continue her eye-catching form at state league level.

GOALS:

Casey: N. McEvoy 3, C. Emonson 2, I. Milford, H. Thomas, E. West, A. Kirkwood.
North: C. Fitzgerald,

BEST:

Casey: S. Johnson, C. Emonson, N. McEvoy, E. West, C. Conroy, S. Fairchild
North: M. Kiely, K. Greenacre, M. Lawrence, S. Skinner, C. Fitzgerald, K. Price

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GEELONG 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.4 (16)
SOUTHERN SAINTS 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.2 (8)

A low-scoring slog amid wet and windy conditions in Geelong saw the home side claim its second win on the trot, as the Cats defeated Southern Saints by eight points at Deakin University. Only three goals were kicked across the four quarters, with the Cats booting theirs in the first and fourth terms, while Southern Saints remained in touch, but were ultimately outdone 2.4 (16) to 1.2 (8) in the scrappy affair.

The constant rotation of Geelong AFLW and NAB League talent did little to disrupt the Cats, with senior-listed youngster Laura Gardiner finding plenty of the ball, as did the likes of Tamara Smith and Paige Sheppard. Goalkickers Claudia Gunjaca and Michelle Fedele were also influential, as was NAB Leaguer Annie Lee on debut.

Valerie Moreau was the Saints’ sole goalkicker for the day, as the likes of Nadia von Bertouch and Jess Matin put their hands up for senior selection by picking up a good amount of the pill. VFLW-listed players Tara Bohanna and Hannah Stuart were among Southern’s best players for the third week running, while Alison Brown also earned votes in her first outing.

GOALS:

Geelong: M. Fedele, C. Gunjaca.
Saints: V. Moreau.

BEST:

Geelong: M. Maguire, T. Smith, O. Fuller, C. Gunjaca, M. Fedele, A. Lee
Saints: N. von Bertouch, A. Hynes, T. Bohanna, H. Stuart, A. Brown, K. Ripari

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PORT MELBOURNE 2.3 | 5.6 | 6.9 | 6.9 (45)
WILLIAMSTOWN 0.0 | 2.1 | 3.1 | 3.1 (19)

Port Melbourne and Williamstown met for a historic clash of traditional Victorian rivals, with the Borough proving too strong and saluting to the tune of 26 points at ETU Stadium. Having led from the first goal, the home side was able to maintain its ascendancy throughout and held firm in a scoreless final term to run out 6.9 (45) to 3.1 (19) victors.

A pair of Borough players accounted for two thirds of their side’s major scores, with Sarah McNamara and Sophie Locke the players in question. Locke’s exploits come after last week’s three-goal effort. Ellie McDonald and Melissa Kuys were again among Port’s best, along with Richmond-listed talents Phoebe Monahan, Emily Harley, and Luka Lesosky-Hay.

Gabby Biedenweg-Webster was Williamstown’s sole multiple goalkicker with a pair of her own, named in the Seagulls’ best behind Aimee Whelan. Young forward Tahlia Merrett also hit the scoreboard and made her mark, while Ruby Tripodi was impactful at the coalface and Erin Meade again led well for the standalone unit.

GOALS:

Port Melbourne: S. McNamara 2, S. Locke 2, C. Saxon-Jones, H. Bailey.
Williamstown: G. Biedenweg-Webster 2, T. Merrett.

BEST:

Port Melbourne: E. Macdonald, M. Kuys, P. Peschke, P. Monahan, L. Lesosky-Hay, E. Harley
Williamstown: A. Whelan, G. Biedenweg-Webster, E. Meade, A. Melnikas, T. Merrett, M. Williamson

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CARLTON 2.3 | 2.6 | 3.8 | 3.9 (27)
DAREBIN 0.0 | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.2 (20)

Carlton came out on top in Saturday’s bottom of the table clash, overcoming Darebin by seven points to pick up its first win of the season. The Blues caught an early break but were pegged back well, before again advancing and being forced to defend their lead late. Inaccuracy did not prove costly for the home side at Princes Park, as they held on to win 3.9 (27) to 3.2 (20) in a low-scoring affair.

Jen Lew was again one to lead the way for Carlton as she worked hard all day, while Jorja Borg and goalkicker Akayla Peterson earned votes for their efforts. Speedy midfielder Teresa Zampaglione was again lively, while AFLW-listed youngster Winnie Laing was productive upon her return along with Jess Edwards and Charlotte Hammans.

For the Falcons, the ever-reliable Kathleen Roe stood up in her side’s third loss for the year, but it was Lucy Schneider who claimed full credit in the form of votes ahead of goalkickers Steph Simpson and Sally Lynch. Darebin’s search for win number one will continue next week as it takes on Essendon at The Hangar.

GOALS:

Carlton: P. Trudgeon, A. Peterson, C. Jones.
Darebin: S. Lynch, S. David, S. Simpson.

BEST:

Carlton: J. Borg, A. Peterson, B. Gurr, M. Wilson, T. Zampaglione, J. Lew
Darebin: L. Schneider, V. Blackwood, L. Camilleri, S. Simpson, S. Lynch, S. Cubasch