PREVIEW | VFLW Round 5 – Can expectations be defied?
THE third week of the Sydney teams present in the AFLW also brings the third all-Saturday extravaganza in a row, as all 14 teams are set to take the field tomorrow.
Williamstown vs Western Bulldogs
10am
DSV Stadium
Williamstown will be glad to be back at home this week and have the chance to use its unique home ground advantages in the first match of the day tomorrow.
It faces a Western Bulldogs side who will be breathing a massive sigh of relief after almost butchering things against Essendon last week.
These two are also only half a game apart from each other on the ladder so the result could be very telling.
Williamstown has made one change, bringing in Camryn Tyrrell for Neve Crowley. Meanwhile the Bulldogs welcome back Tallia Pulcino but also lose Amelia Klingbeil.
Box Hill vs North Melbourne
11:30am
Box Hill City Oval
These two sides could not be coming into this week’s game off more contrasting results. If the Kangaroos could have picked a side to play after the last fortnight they have had, they probably would not have picked the very front running Hawks.
The Hawks have brought back some big names too, with Sophie Locke and Jessica Matin two of five changes this week. The Kangaroos have made four changes of their own, bringing back the likes of Amanda Ling and Felicity Theodore.
GWS vs Geelong
1pm
Tom Wills Oval
The timing of this clash is very interesting.
GWS are on a roll after two big wins, while Geelong is on a winning streak at the moment, but was given a huge scare last week by Darebin so will be looking to bring back some consistency into its game. It will be a huge test for the Cats though, with no VFLW side coming close to either of the Sydney sides thus far this season.
The Giants have some big names in this week, bringing in Georgia Garnett and Katherine Smith for their first VFLW games of the season, while the Cats happily welcome back Caitlin Reid and Olivia Cicolini as two of four changes.
Sydney vs Casey
1:05pm
Blacktown International Sports Park
The timing of this clash is also particularly interesting.
Like their cross town rivals, the Swans have dominated their time in the VFLW, but they face a Casey side this week that will be up and about after downing the previously undefeated Borough.
The Swans’ inclusions are all AFLW listed, with Ella Heads, Ruby Sargent-Wilson and Alana Woodward all coming in.
Casey for its part welcome back Samantha Johnson and Siobhan Sheerin, but lose the likes of Sarah Lampard and Alyssa Bannan.
Carlton vs Port Melbourne
2pm
Ikon Park
The two surprise losers from last week come together to battle it out at Ikon Park as the Victorian based action moves into the afternoon.
Expect this match to be hard fought as both sides will want to show that last week was not a sign of the wheels galling off the rails.
Carlton has called in the big name reinforcements, with Darcy Vescio and Mimi Hill the headline acts of a list of seven changes.
The Borough for their part have made four changes, with Maddie Shevlin coming in, but they do lose Stella Reid and Isabel Bacon.
Darebin vs Collingwood
2:15pm
Genis Steel Oval, Preston
This game has had a time change, but not an importance change for these sides. Collingwood will be looking to make it two in a row, while Darebin, buoyed by the frustration of letting last week’s game slide away from them, would want to finally break their losing run.
Darebin has only made the one change, bringing in club legend and co captain Steph Simpson, while Collingwood in contrast has made seven changes. Erica Fowler and Eliza James are just two of the seven AFLW listed players the Pies have included this week.
Essendon vs Southern Saints
2:30pm
NEC Hangar
The final match of the weekend sees two sides who will be disappointed with their respective matches last week and want to bounce back as quickly as possible. Although they lost in very different ways, the frustration both sides will be feeling is the same.
Essendon has brought back AFLW listed stars Georgia Clarke and Lily-Rose Williamson, but Steph Wales has dropped out of the side.
Meanwhile the Saints have brought back four of their AFLW stars, including Natalie Plane and Darcy Guttridge.