THE first two SANFL Women’s matches of Round 9 take place tomorrow afternoon with Sturt hosting Central District and Norwood looking to continue its great form against North Adelaide. We preview both games in the first of two previews.

FORM

Central District survived another heart-stopper last week, coming back to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against the Eagles. They are equal second as it sits, with the Bulldogs’ best form still to come. Sturt went down to ladder leaders Glenelg, and while the Double Blues are not out of the finals hunt, need to get a wriggle on soon if they are to make the post-season series.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Sturt: 5
Central District: 4

Sturt actually holds the upper hand when it comes to the head-to-head between the teams, though both have shared periods of success over the years. The sides split the results in 2023, with the Double Blues producing a convincing win by 37 points, similar to their Round 4 victory of five goals this year, while the Dogs won in this corresponding fixture 12 months ago by four points.

TEAMS

Sturt:

B: Lily Whitcombe (24), Sarah Wallace (37)
HB: Sophie Thredgold (17), Isabella Drew (28), Tahlia Walker (18)
C: Claudia Edmonds (22), Kate Harris (23), Molly Fletcher (31)
HF: Monique Bessen (16), Georgia Swan (3), India Rasheed (6)
F: Abby Pengelly (7), Georgia King (55)
R: Millie McCarthy (1), Alisha Gepp (15), Isobel Kuiper (2)
INT: Grace Powell (11), Winnie Thornquest (25), Amy Brooks-Birve (44), Ruby Cunningham (5), Hannah Prenzler (20), Summer Ross (42), Jasmin Fejo (36)

Central District:

B: Madison Lane (40), Tara Lord (31)
HB: Sophie Eaton (12), Miyu Endersby (3), Caitlen Teague (17)
C: Liz Wilson (14), Shelby Smith (1), Jasmine Evans (27)
HF: Latiah Huynh (41), Mikayla Antony (54), Caitlin Wendland (42)
F: Lauren Breguet (28), Tessa Doumanis (8)
R: Katelyn Rosenzweig (2), Jovanka Zecevic (23), Tess Gerhardy (33)
INT: Tiarna Grovermann (45), Charlotte Riggs (9), Dakota Williams (38), Tarly Borgas (16), Karissa Searle (22), Georgia Avery (18), Georgia Mckee (21), Shelby Raven (36)

CHANGES

Sturt has made just the two inclusions to its side from the loss to Glenelg last week, with ruck Jasmin Fejo and defender Hannah Prenzler added to the extended bench. Central District has lost Georgia Madigan to injury but regain defender Madison Lane who has not played since Round 1, for her 50th game. Georgia Avery and Georgia McKee also return as part of an extended squad.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

McKee’s return after being unavailable last week will provide a spark up forward for the Dogs, playing an internal trial in between. She will join Jasmine Evans and Sophie Eaton in the front half of the ground, while in defence, Tara Lord and Miyu Endersby are Under 16s talents, supporting Charlotte Riggs in providing rebound from the back half of the ground.

Sturt midfield/forward duo India Rasheed and Monique Bessen are the biggest dangers to Central District getting the win, while Sophie Thredgold and Edwina Thornquest in defence provide plenty of run and carry.

STATS THAT MATTER

Central District is the highest scoring team, putting up 41.9 points on average, but also conceding 45.1 points per game, the most of any club. Sturt has struggled on both fronts ranked sixth and seventh respectively, but when the Double Blues do get it forward, they are the their most efficient team. They just need to get their hands on it more however, ranked last in total possessions.

PREDICTION

Central District looks to be in the better form, though both teams have been unpredictable at times. Playing at home will help the Double Blues and they will want to keep it tight, though the firepower of the Dogs might be a bit too much.

FORM

Norwood is coming off its best performance of the season, taking home the four points against a red-hot South Adelaide and keeping the Panthers to the lowest score in their club’s history. The Redlegs now face a North Adelaide outfit that has not been able to heat up this season, notching up eight straight losses.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Norwood: 8
North Adelaide: 7

These two sides have a rich history of facing off, having played in three finals, including the 2017 grand final and 2018 and 2019 preliminary finals. Norwood’s win earlier this year by 25 points in Round 4 ended a three-match streak which went the way of the Roosters, and nudged them ahead on the overall win-loss ledger between the two sides.

TEAMS

Norwood:

B: Emily Bartsch (27), Rosie Boon (46)
HB: Sophie Arkun (43), Charli Hazelhurst (39), Charlotte Nenke (44)
C: Grace Mulvahil (11), Kate Alexander (61), Sophie Armitstead (36)
HF: Amelia Rusden (10), Kiana Lee (28), Shai Hiscock (13)
F: Elle Lineage (50), Jade Halfpenny (22)
R: Candice Belbin (26), Lana Schwerdt (41), Tahlita Buethke (1)
INT: Tesharna Maher (14), Ailene Hiebner (34), Coby Morgan (2), Sarah Branford (9), Emma Daley (55)

North Adelaide:

B: Julia Clark (33), Kristi Harvey (5)
HB: Lauren Gauci (35), Amber Ward (24), Aprille Crooks (10)
C: Jess Edwards (2), Sasha Hardin (38), Tayla Gordon (23)
HF: Lara Harding (27), Jamie Parish (20), Ella Quinn (14)
F: Jasmine Dallimore (53), Djimila Totham (30)
R: Lauren Hoffmann (45), Rachel Valenti (4), Laela Ebert (9)
INT: Zoe Perry (44), Sarcha Taylor (52), Laura Niejalke (16), Georgia Robinson (56), Teagan Robins (54), Charlie Price-Smith (55), Dakota Kendall (57)

CHANGES

Both sides have been devastated by a number of injuries, with Norwood losing young duo Georgina Birchall and Mykaela Walker to concussion protocols, experienced talents Adrienne Davies and Lauren Smith with knee injuries and Steph Simmonds due to work commitments. They do see the return of State Academy member Emma Daley who has not played since the opening round of the season, as well as the return of Sophie Armitstead and Grace Mulvahil.

Given Norwood’s outs, it might seem like the perfect opportunity for North Adelaide to strike, had the Roosters not lost key players of their own. They will be minus Brianna Arthur and Sarah Steele-Park up respective ends, while Bailey Murray and Zara Molloy are also forced out through illness and a foot injury respectively. It opens the door for as many as four debuts with Broadview duo Georgia Robertson and Dakota Kendall, Pinktails’ Lara Harding and Golden Grove’s Zoe Perry all potential newcomers.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

Laela Ebert is coming off a best on ground performance for the Roosters last round and will look to continue that form against the Redlegs, while Sarcha Taylor can provide a spark up front. On the outside Coby Morgan also was best on ground in her team’s win over South Adelaide, while ruck Kate Alexander and defender Charli Hazelhurst add some height to the Redlegs.

STATS THAT MATTER

Norwood is ranked second overall in points for and third in least points conceded, while North Adelaide is clearly last in scoring (16.5 points per game) and has struggled offensively all season. Defensively the Roosters are a little better, and they win the second more possessions of any team (230.1), but have not been able to turn that into scoring shots or inside 50s.

PREDICTION

Norwood needs to win to keep pressure on the top four, while for North Adelaide, the remaining six rounds are about seeing whose season they can throw a spanner into the works with finals beyond the Roosters’ reach.