ROUND 6 of the AFL Women’s continued with the three favourites and premiership contenders, North Melbourne, Melbourne and Fremantle all getting wins over their lower-ranked opponents.

By: Elly Kirlis

It was a game that was competitive for most of the match at Swinburne Centre, but in the end, it was the Kangaroos getting over the line over a resilient Tigers outfit. The Kangaroos have won four straight games and are in good form at the moment, getting the chocolates with a 19-point win, 5.7 (37) to 2.6 (18).

TALKING POINTS

Tigers competitive, could not make most of opportunities

To the Tigers credit, they were competitive for most of the match but will certainly be disappointed not to sustain consistently for four quarters. Some crucial stages of the game, turning over the ball when the game matters will no doubt be a key message and something to take away before their next match. Key standouts for the Tigers would no doubt the in-form Monique Conti, Katie Brennan getting involved in the marking, Rebecca Miller and Ellie McKenzie giving effort and Emelia Yassir providing the energy. Key injuries will certainly hurt including the depth of the team and finding others to step up when the game is on the line.

Tigers should be proud of effort and intensity

Despite the loss, one positive the Tigers can take away is having the ability to give effort and to take it up to a team like North Melbourne, showing grit and fight, not letting the scoreline blowout and fighting for the ball. With the injury list growing as each week goes by, the never give up attitude is something the Tigers must continue to do for the rest of the season.

Kangaroos going under the radar at the moment

North Melbourne is certainly going to be a dark horse going into the second half of the season. After a tight tussle and match last week against Fremantle, they will no doubt be dangerous. With the style of football, they are playing at the moment, they have no doubt been playing well and found their identity, after questions how they could go against the top teams and playing consistently against the lower-ranked teams. The style of footy is certainly exciting to watch.

Kangaroos able to work through the tough moments of the game

The Kangaroos no doubt had a challenge with the Tigers fighting and not giving up easily. Key players such as Ellie Gavalas, Ash Riddell, Jasmine Garner, Mia King, Jenna Bruton, have no doubt stepped up and done the little things well and playing their role. The leadership and poise the Kangaroos certainly mattered as the game was on the line.

NEXT WEEK

Richmond’s next match sees them travel to Western Australia to take on the West Coast Eagles at Mineral Resources Park. North Melbourne take on Collingwood, in a rematch of the 2021 elimination final, at North Hobart Oval.

By: Alyce Collett

Melbourne was back to their dominating best down at Casey Fields, thrashing GWS to the tune of 37 points.

The Dees were on from the opening bounce, and looked more like the Dees side the league has come to known from years gone by. GWS went almost the entire game scoreless, but finally managed to get on the board in the dying minutes of the final quarter.

TALKING POINTS

Underestimate Sinead Goldrick at your own peril

Sinead Goldrick may not be one of the most well known Dees, but she is proving week in and week out how crucial she is to this Dees side.

Particularly in the first quarter, her run and carry was crucial in countless pushes forward for the Dees and her tackling pressure and intensity around contests was second to none.

Future opponents will have to keep an eye on her and make sure she does not cause too much havoc if they want any hope in winning.

Melbourne stars strong

A characteristic of Melbourne’s games over the last month or slow has been their slow starts. Well thankfully for Dees fans today, that was not the case. Although it was npt the fastest start in the world, they didn’t give up a lead and they kept GWS scoreless.

Experience was not the answer for GWS

GWS had five inclusions this week, and they were among their most experienced players. Unfortunately for the GIANTS this was not the answer to their problems as they were outplayed by the Dees at every turn. Now the GIANTS coaches need to go back to the drawing board to work out a solution to their problems.

Wind causing havoc

Now the wind down at Casey Fields has a reputation for being notoriously tricky, but yesterday’s wind was even more difficult than normal. It made scoring impossible, and unlike normal match days it was affecting both ends of the ground. Also unlike normal match days, it was more blustery down the carpark end of the ground, which for anyone who knows Casey Fields well is the opposite end to the normally blustery end.

Alison Brown does something not many do in the modern age

Originally listed as an emergency for the Dees AFLW side, Alison Brown played for Casey in their win over Port Melbourne yesterday morning. She had 10 disposals, two marks and three tackles in the win.

Then only hours later, she was lining up for Melbourne’s AFLW side after Sarah Lampard was a late out with illness. She backed up her performance this morning with an eight-disposal and two-tackle performance in the Dees win.

NEXT WEEK

Melbourne travels to Brisbane on Monday night, while GWS host Adelaide on Saturday afternoon.

By: Michael Alvaro

Fremantle kicked away after half time to a crushing 42-point win over Carlton on Saturday evening, further cementing the Dockers’ contender status. While the Blues were up at the first break and competitive with their early pressure, the home side adjusted beautifully and eventually broke down the dam wall. When it rained, it poured.

TALKING POINTS

Morrison’s moment turns the tide

Carlton was well on top in the first term, with spearhead Darcy Vescio looking dangerous, a better balanced midfield group winning plenty of ball at the source, and the defensive line set up well. It took a slight lapse on the Blues’ part on the last line, and an opportunistic Mikayla Morrison to turn the tide. She snatched the ball on the point line and sped away to convert her maiden senior goal, getting Fremantle on the board and shifting the momentum for good. Morrison went on to bookend the Docker’s four third-quarter goals, as her side ran away with the win. The best sides take a mile when given an inch.

Speed vs. strength in midfield

Saturday’s midfield battle was pegged as one of Carlton’s strength against Fremantle’s speed. With the Blues applying good pressure around the ball early, their strength won over at the stoppages and they registered most of their forward 50 entries in the first half. That changed after half time as the likes of Hayley Miller and Gabby O’Sullivan got their hands on the ball. With better control of the middle, Fremantle didn’t allow time for Carlton’s defence to set up properly and even when it did, the Dockers were able to control the ball and draw that backline forward before taking advantage over the back.

The Vesci-show is back… almost

After going goalless in their first three outings, and again last week, we are starting to see signs of the Vesci-show returning. Vescio looked ominous in the first term, with everything Carlton sent inside 50 going through its spearhead, and their dynamism coming to the fore. Vescio kicked the first three scores of the game (1.2), proving a menace when the ball hit the deck and so nearly giving the Blues an absolutely ideal start. A change of opponent and less looks as the game wore on petered out the show, but it was good viewing while it lasted.

Carlton out-thought, again

It is easy to point fingers when things are not going well, but with the effort there early it was clear that Carlton was simply out-thought once again. The Blues had the game on their terms with the midfield on top and the flow of the game allowing the defence to set up and cut off Fremantle’s slingshot style. The Dockers’ braintrust allowed for an adjustment though, with Trent Cooper‘s troops controlling the ball more steadily in transition to get closer to Carlton’s defensive line and go deeper when entering the attacking arc. It created more one-on-one situations where the Blues defenders couldn’t cope with speedier opponents. Additionally, the Blues’ backs could not set up quickly enough when Fremantle gained quick entries from midfield, and there was no Plan B on Carlton’s end. The Blues were overwhelmed again.

NEXT WEEK

Fremantle does not yet have a finalised Round 7 fixture, but Carlton will return home and prepare to take on St Kilda at Princes Park on Saturday evening.