A PAIR of fixtures on Sunday saw Round 4 of the 2022 AFL Women’s season come to a close, though a make-up game on Tuesday is still to come. North Melbourne and Gold Coast were the winners against Carlton and Richmond respectively, with the former pulling away to prove its premiership credentials, while the latter again showcased its competitive spirit. We take a look at the key talking points out of either game.

By: Michael Alvaro

North Melbourne has rocketed back into the top four after overwhelming Carlton at Princes Park, defeating the Blues by 30 points on Sunday. In what was a clinical performance after half-time, the Roos piled on six unanswered goals before a late consolation to the hosts.

TALKING POINTS

Short break bites the Blues

Having done well to pressure North Melbourne in the first half with a bit of chaos around the ball, the Blues eventually ran out of gas. Kangas forwards were queuing up to hit the scoreboard by the final five minutes, and it was hardly a surprise to see Carlton fade given its unideal lead-up to Sunday’s clash. The Blues came in off a four-day break after landing in Melbourne at 4am on Wednesday morning, but they were shown no mercy despite a valiant front-up effort. They were brave, but just about beaten before the first punch.

The Roos’ deep midfield makes them better around the ground

It is no secret by now that North Melbourne’s midfield bats deep, but the continued luxuries that factor affords the Roos is showcased each week. With Mia King slotting seamlessly into the centre bounce rotation alongside Ash Riddell and Jasmine Garner, the Roos’ options around the ground are phenomenal. Skipper Emma Kearney brings a wealth of experience to the backline alongside Jess Duffin, Jenna Bruton and Bella Eddey can patrol the outer, and Ellie Gavalas hits the scoreboard when shifted forward. It creates a knock-on effect too, with Kaitlyn Ashmore currently thriving up on the wing. It means that North is not only strong in the middle, but incredibly classy around the square and up either end of the ground.

The best sides shift gears

While it is easy to put North’s late dominance down to Carlton’s short turnaround in preparation, just as much credit should go to the Roos for their ability to win the crunch moments. They led an assault on Carlton’s defensive 50 for much of the contest, but turned it on in the final term to achieve a much needed percentage boost and put their opponents to the sword. With the likes of Fremantle, Melbourne and Adelaide displaying the same trait in recent weeks, North is also proving to be quite the contender. It’s the mark of a good side.

Express delivery is always worth it

Going down the guts is the fastest way to goal, and a common theme between all the strong sides this season is their ability to use the ball effectively by foot. When Carlton tried a short kicking game, they were accused of being too cute and turning it over, but North Melbourne executed said style with much greater success. Their ability to be direct and move the ball quickly helped break the Blues, who couldn’t keep up their need to make the game more manic. The dam wall was broken – 46 inside 50s to 21, 12 marks inside 50 to two, and 18 tackles inside 50 to one.

Carlton’s green shoots are back

Carlton fans would be familiar with the green shoots phrase and phase, but this time its women’s team is catching on with the tag. With a bunch of experience lost over the last couple of off-seasons, the Blues have blooded eight debutants this year and all have served well. Forward-turned-defender Paige Trudgeon was arguably the pick of the lot this weekend, while speedy midfielder Keeley Sherar had her best game out on the wing, opposite fellow 2021 draftee Brooke Vickers. First gamer Poppy Schaap also showed her smarts, and Courtney Jones kicked goals in each of her outings until Sunday. The now is a bit grim, but the future is bright.

NEXT WEEK

Carlton gets a full seven-day break but faces another tricky task when Adelaide comes to Princes Park on Sunday, while North Melbourne travels down to Tasmania play host to Fremantle at North Hobart Oval on the same afternoon.

By: Alyce Collett

In what was a seasawing affair, it was the Gold Coast Suns to ultimately emerged victorious on the Gold Coast.

Gold Coast were the more dominant side in the first half but couldn’t convert that on the scoreboard. Richmond then came out in the third term and built a handy lead, but then Gold Coast came out and ran over the top of them in the last quarter to take out the win by five points.

TALKING POINTS

Tara Bohanna – the one that got away for St Kilda?

Once again on Sunday, Tara Bohanna proved how much of a steal she was for the Gold Coast Suns. Overlooked for several drafts, she is continuing to prove why the Suns put their faith in her, and why the Victorian clubs perhaps shouldn’t have overlooked her.

She finished with 16 touches, eight marks, three tackles and two goals – even with some late attention in a shift of opponent.

Tara Bohanna and Sarah Perkins – a partnership to get excited about

Sarah Perkins and Bohanna were a daunting partnership up forward for the Suns. They worked in tandem so well and created plenty of headaches for the Richmond defenders.

They have played together before at local level in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs, but the fact that they have rekindled their partnership should get Suns fans nice and excited for what might be to come.  

Tackling pressure was intense

From the opening bounce, the tackling pressure and intensity from both sides was up, and you could tell it was going to be a tough match for both sides. Things opened up more as the game went on, but it was still a high intensity match from both sides.

Things could have been very different if Gold Coast had been more accurate in Q1

In the opening term, the Suns had a lot more of the ball in their front half and had plenty more shots on goal than the Tigers did, but they were inaccurate and just could not capitalise on their opportunities.

In the first quarter, the inside 50 count was 12 to two in favour of the Suns, and the Suns had five more scoring shots than the Tigers did. Despite this dominance, the Suns kicked one goal five to Richmond’s one goal straight, so if they had been a little bit more accurate in the first term and capitalised more on their chances things could have been very different come the final siren.

Was fatigue a factor in the final term?

Although Richmond had a great third term, the Suns were able to run over them in the final term and take the win. Fatigue could have been a factor, as Gold Coast was coming off a two-week Covid induced break, whereas Richmond had flown in that morning and was flying out again that night post match. It is unclear as to whether this is the actual reason for Richmond’s final quarter fade out, but it certainly could have been a factor.

NEXT WEEK

The Gold Coast Suns travel down to Melbourne to face the Dees, while Richmond travels to the Whitten Oval to face the Bulldogs.