THE second half of another monster weekend of AFL Women’s action sees four more fascinating match ups for Round 5. As we hit the halfway point of the home and away portion of the season, the fixtures may ultimately give fans a good indication of where teams sit.

FORM

Carlton will be keen to have a result either way tonight, with the Blues coming off two consecutive draws. Melbourne on the other hand suffered its first loss last weekend at the hands of Brisbane, so will be keen to bounce back straight away with a win over the Blues.

WHERE IT’S WON

For Carlton, they really need to get their hands on the ball more than they have been this season. They -38 in disposals, -66 in kicks and +28 in handballs thus far this season, compared to Melbourne’s +96, -16 and +112 accordingly. For Melbourne, they need to improve their inside 50 count. They are getting plenty of the ball as previously mentioned, but they are -25 in inside 50s.

TEAM NEWS

Carlton’s tasks got that much harder with the talent they will be missing due to injury. Phoebe McWilliams, Darcy Vescio, Amelia Velardo and Paige Trudgeon will all be missing the match with injury, and in their place comes in Serena Gibbs, Natalie Plane, Charlotte Hammans and Christina Bernardi. Bernardi will play for her fourth AFLW club after being added to the Blues list because they did not have enough fit players to fill a team.

Meanwhile Melbourne have some very handy inclusions, with Tayla Harris and Sinead Goldrick both set to return to the team and Sabreena Duffy set to make her debut for the Dees. They replace Georgia Campbell, Maeve Chaplin and Charlotte Wilson.

KEY PLAYERS

The most fascinating battle tonight is going to be in the middle. The games’ two greatest rucks of the last several year in Lauren Pearce and Breann Moody are set to go to battle one on one in Pearce’s milestone match. The pair will be looking to tap the ball down to some star studded midfield team mates, including the likes of Karen Paxman, Tyla Hanks, Abbie McKay and Mimi Hill.

PREDICTION

Although it was tight the last time these two teams met, it is hard to see that history repeating itself. The Dees girls will be frustrated with how they performed last week and keen to bounce back, especially in Pearce’s milestone match, and Carlton’s outs are just too strong to cover with who they have brought in. Dees to get the chocolates.

FORM

Richmond squared its season ledger at two wins and two losses last week with a win over the Bombers, while Brisbane remains undefeated after the Lions defeated Melbourne in Round 4.

WHERE IT’S WON

Richmond has a few areas they need to fix up in order to be a chance to beat the Lions tomorrow.

Firstly the Tigers really need to get their hands on the ball more than they have been this season. They -39 in disposals, -72 in kicks and +33 in handballs thus far this season, compared to Brisbane’s +109, +119 and -10 accordingly.

They also need to fix their inside efficiency, with the Tigers needing to turn their efficiency around by roughly 100 per cent

TEAM NEWS

For the hosts, Katie Brennan may miss the game with a foot injury, while Rebecca Miller is still a few weeks away from returning from a hamstring injury.

On the flip side, Brisbane’s list is pretty healthy, and wait in excited anticipation to see whether they will get Kate Lutkins back this year.

KEY PLAYERS

The midfield battle is going to be an entertaining one in this clash. Some of the absolute stars of both sides call the midfield home, including Monique Conti, Ellie McKenzie, Ally Anderson and Emily Bates.

PREDICTION

Despite Richmond being full of confidence and a team on the rise this season, it is hard to see anyone beating the Lions this season the way they are performing at the moment. Brisbane to win.

FORM

Gold Coast has had a bit of an up and down season thus far, but are coming off a confidence-boosting win against St Kilda last week. Port Adelaide are coming off their first win ever after taking down the Swans last week.

WHERE IT’S WON

The battles at the coalface of it all will be crucial in deciding who ultimately gets the chocolates. Port has the higher inside 50 efficiency, which is a huge head start, and although Gold Coast has the better hit out numbers and the better centre clearance tally, the Power has a higher total clearance tally.

TEAM NEWS

There is a chance that Gold Coast will regain Ashanti Bush this week from a knee injury, while Port will not be regaining either Gemma Houghton or Elizabeth McGrath from injury for at least a few more weeks.

KEY PLAYERS

For Gold Coast their nice balance of tall and small forwards is gelling nicely, with the likes of Tara Bohanna and Kalinda Howarth proving to be a nice, dynamic partnership. Meanwhile Port is proving that losing Houghton is not the end of the world, with the likes of Hannah Ewings really stepping up on the scoring front in her absence.

PREDICTION

This is a genuine 50/50 clash. Port Adelaide is coming off the confidence boost of a first ever win, while Gold Coast have had an up and down season but are building nicely. The fact that the match is in Queensland though slightly tips the balance of favouritism in the Suns favour.

FORM

Adelaide only has one loss thus far this season, but at the same time have a habit of coming back from poor starts to pulls wins out of unlikely situations. GWS on the other hand did pick up a win against the Swans a fortnight ago, but at times have looked well beaten and inconsistent.

WHERE IT’S WON

For Adelaide, they have to stop GWS’ handball game, while significantly improving their own. GWS is currently +171 in handballs compared to Adelaide’s -36. For GWS on the other hand, the GIANTS need to be aware that even if Adelaide have a bad start, the Crows have a tendency this season to come from behind and steal wins, so they need to be ready for that and not become complacent.

TEAM NEWS

Adelaide’s injury list is pretty short but does contain a couple of key players, with Niamh Kelly and Danielle Ponter both out for at least one more week. Unfortunately for GWS though, they will not be getting any of their injury listed players back any time soon, as all bar one are out for the year, with the other running out of weeks to be able to return in time this season.

KEY PLAYERS

For Adelaide, their midfield consisting of the likes of Ebony Marinoff, Anne Hatchard and others is really the core of their success. Their ability to win it out of the middle really gets things going for the Crows. Meanwhile for the Giants their absolute most key player is still Cora Staunton. A lot of their success rides on whether she is able to break free of a tag and cause issues for the opposition on the scoreboard.

PREDICTION

All signs point to an Adelaide win here. GWS at their best are exciting to watch, but even with the poor starts Adelaide have proven time and time again how strong they can really be. A lot needs to go write for GWS to even come close to matching it with the Crows.