ROUND 14 of the VFLW gave half the competition one last chance to show off their true qualities as their seasons came to and end.

We took note of some of the top performers across the weekend’s matches with notes being the opinion of the individual author.

Collingwood 1.1 (7) lost to Williamstown 2.5 (17)

Collingwood:

#36 Jordan Ivey (Forward/Mid)
29/10/1992 | 175cm

Stats: 12 disposals, five tackles, four marks, three clearances, three inside 50s, one goal, one behind

Ivey once again showed that her persistent foot issues are well behind her, stepping up to be one of Collingwood’s most important players. She played both as a key target up forward, but did play behind the ball for a bit and put her strong marking ability to work. That marking ability also helped her be an important target to kick to as the Pies transitioned down the ground from defence into attack.

#50 Kaitlyn Day (Midfield)
24/12/1994 | 168cm

Stats: 18 disposals, 12 clearances, 10 tackles, three rebound 50s, two inside 50s

Collingwood’s other best player on a frustrating day was arguably Day, who was industrious through midfield. In what was at times a really congested game, Day’s biggest weapon was the power in her kick and her strong ability to clear packs.

Williamstown:

#9 Nicole Julian (Defender/Mid)
19/4/1992 | 168cm

Stats: 15 disposals, four marks, two tackles, two inside 50s, one rebound 50

Normally a defender, Julian did push up into the midfield a bit on the weekend and influence the game in a different way. On the one hand she displayed plenty of strong defensive work, but was also crucial in creating plenty of attacking drive for her side.

#10 Chloe Bain (Ruck/Defence)
12/11/1996 | 182cm

Stats: 13 disposals, seven hit outs, five inside 50s, four marks, two clearances, one rebound 50, one tackle, one behind

Bain did not have to take as much of the ruck duties on the weekend as she normally would, so was put behind the ball to great effect. She took a number of key intercept marks and was a strong pillar of the defensive wall that worked to keep the ball locked in Williamstown’s attacking 50.

North Melbourne 6.7 (43) lost to Western Bulldogs 7.8 (50)

North Melbourne:

#21 Emily Paterno (Forward)
28/8/1994 | 166cm

Stats: seven disposals, three marks, three goals, two inside 50s, one behind, one tackle

Paterno is someone that has taken a back seat this season, but really rose to prominence on the weekend. She once again showed how strong her marking ability is and how powerful her kick is, but also showed strong defensive pressure and goal sense.

#40 Nyakoat Dojiok (Forward)
7/1/2003 | 175cm

Stats: 20 disposals, five marks, four hit outs, three tackles, three goals, two behinds, two inside 50s, one clearance

It was another impressive performance from the lively forward, who after an at times wobbly few weeks really showed how dangerous she can be. She really presented herself well as a target in attack, and showed really strong agility, although she is perhaps a little too willing to take on the tackle and walks a fine line of coming unstuck.

Western Bulldogs:

#63 Jaimi Tabb (Midfield)
9/2/2001 | 168cm

Stats: 19 disposals, six tackles, five clearances, four rebound 50s, three inside 50s, one goal, one behind

It was a position change for Tabb, who played more of a midfield role as opposed to a forward role but slotted into the change pretty seamlessly. Like many forwards turned bigger bodied midfielders, Tabb’s presence was really felt in the Bulldogs’ midfield as she was able to crash through packs and really get momentum going for her side.

#64 Imogen Milford (Ruck/Forward)
2/12/1999 | 179cm

Stats: 13 disposals, 11 hit outs, four tackles, three inside 50s, three goals, two marks, one clearance

It was a role full of variety for Milford on the weekend, playing both in the ruck and in the forwardline. She displayed a strong leap ability in the centre ruck contests, and both her goals were kicked in different ways but both came from about 30m out.

Essendon 10.4 (64) defeated Geelong 2.3 (15)

Essendon:

#43 Olivia Manfre (Forward)
18/9/2003 | 168cm

Stats: six disposals, three marks, two tackles, two goals, one inside 50

Although Manfre’s disposal numbers were not high, she really utilised them. She displayed strong game awareness and accuracy to set up switches in play, and was a really strong and reliable marking target. Both goals also showed off the power she has in her kick, with both shots on goal coming from about 40m out.

#52 Jayda Richardson (Forward/Ruck)
4/11/2003 | 174cm

Stats: 16 disposals, 10 hitouts, three marks, three goals, two clearances, one tackle

Richardson was another who was really able to recapture some early season former. She was a strong marker and subsequently a really helpful target and link in the transition chain for the Bombers. Her goals also came from at least 30m out and she was able to utilise some speed, bursting out of the pack to score goals on a number of occasions.

#78 Ruby Mahony (Midfielder)
14/8/1999 | 165cm

Stats: 18 disposals, seven clearances, six inside 50s, five tackles, three rebound 50s, two goals, one mark

Mahony was arguably Essendon’s most important player on the weekend, involved in a lot of the side’s attacking momentum. She displayed the marking abilities of someone a lot taller than her and plenty of power and accuracy with her clearances. She also snuck forward a few times and converted some goals, utilising her power to burst through pack and kick a goal on multiple occasions.

Geelong:

#36 Breanna Pratt (Forward)
1/10/1998 | 169cm

Stats: 12 disposals, two inside 50s, two clearances, two marks, one tackle, one rebound 50

It was a tough match for all involved in the blue and white hoops, but Pratt did provide a rare spark of joy. Playing as a forward, she presented as a target well and further up the ground she was a strong marking target in the chain of transition for the Cats.

Casey 5.4 (34) lost to Southern Saints 7.8 (50)

Casey:

#10 Joanna Lin (Forward)
20/2/2002 | 162cm

Stats: Nine disposals, four tackles, three goals, two marks, one inside 50

Lin was Casey’s main target in attack on the weekend, and despite not being the height of a tall forward, played with the marking strength and confidence of one.

Most of her goals came with a bit of quick speed off the line, but came from a variety of distances from goal, showing another side to how dangerous she can be. She also showed how good she is at reading the flight of the ball, at one stage running backwards and still able to land the mark.

#27 Jessica Pacevski (Defender)
23/2/2006 | 172cm

Stats: nine disposals, four tackles, two marks, two rebound 50s, one clearance, one inside 50

The youngster finished off her debut spell in the VFLW with an impressive performance off the half back line. She was a strong intercept marker, and had the body strength to apply a legally forceful bump to push a Saints’ player off balance and make sure their kick went straight out of bounds.

Southern Saints:

#29 Chloe Hunt (Forward)
2/12/1997 | 175cm

Stats: nine disposals, four marks, four goals, three behinds, one tackle

After a lean few weeks it was a true return to form for Hunt, who capped off a stellar debut season in the league. She displayed strong body pressure in the marking contest and hard to push off balance, and her goals came from a variety of distances from goal, showing another side to how dangerous she can be. Most of her goals came in the second half, which was a huge part in helping the Saints really gain some momentum and kick away from the Dees.

#39 Gabriella De Angelis (Wing)
17/11/2000 | 161cm

Stats: 18 disposals, six marks, four clearances, two inside 50s, two tackles, one rebound 50

It was the kind of game where pace and powerful disposal were in handy, and that was exactly what De Angelis brought to the game. Although playing like she was much taller than she is, she was a really strong marker, and was able to use that in combination with her pace down the wing to become a really important cog in the Saints’ transition down the ground.

Port Melbourne 4.9 (33) drew with Box Hill 5.3 (33)

Port Melbourne:

#25 Jordan Mifsud (Midfielder)
29/11/1996 | 172cm

Stats: 15 disposals, nine tackles, six clearances, ne mark, one goal, one behind

As an up and down season for Mifsud marked by injury comes to its conclusion, Mifsud returned to the kind of form on the weekend that earned her that Lambert-Pearce Medal last year. She was industrious through midfield and quite productive, and even snuck forward to kick a goal from about 40m out after bursting through a packet.

#36 Ava Seton (Midfielder)
19/4/2004 | 165cm

Stats: 18 disposals, nine tackles, seven clearances, three inside 50s, two marks, one goal

After a quieter few weeks, it was return to true form for Seton. She was absolutely everywhere but in a helpful way, particularly early, working on the bottom of several packs to extract the ball out and help her team.

Box Hill:

#38 Matilda Van Berkel (Defender)
6/9/2002 | 174cm

Stats: 13 disposals, six marks, five rebound 50s, one inside 50, one tackle

It was a bit of a different role on the weekend for Van Berkel, who normally plays further up the ground but played more on the half back line against the Borough. The change in role did not seem to phase Van Berkel though, who was a strong intercept marker in that half back region, derailing a number of attacks forward from the Borough.

#60 Rosie Dillon (Midfielder)
19/3/1996 | 164cm

Stats: 19 disposals, nine tackles, five clearances, three marks, one rebound 50, one goal

Although it was still a midfield role Dillon played, it was more of a defensive minded one than an attacking one. She played closer to the backline, but did push forward to take an intercept mark that set up Box Hill’s first goal, and managed to kick one of her own later from about 40m out.

Carlton 3.5 (23) lost to Darebin 5.2 (32)

Carlton:

#52 Isabelle Khoury (Midfielder)
10/3/2003 | 164cm

Stats: 20 disposals, five clearances, five tackles, two inside 50s, two rebound 50s, one mark

Much of Carlton’s success on the weekend came from it’s midfielders, and Khoury was at the forefront of that. One of Khoury’s biggest strengths was her ability to extract the ball out from a contest and get it going forward for her side.

#70 Isla Baldwin (Midfielder)
22/12/2005 | 162cm

Stats: 26 disposals, six tackles, five clearances, two marks, two inside 50s, one rebound 50

Baldwin was another one of Carlton’s young midfield brigade that drove a lot of the side’s success on the weekend.

She did not stop running all game, and provided some key intercept work off half back.

Darebin:

#36 Sam Basis (Midfielder)
9/10/1996 | 165cm

Stats: 15 disposals, six tackles, four marks, one clearance

After having spent much of her debut VFLW season under the radar, Basis played a more prominent role on the weekend that one compare to some of her earlier season performances. She helped set up a lot of the attacking play, and one prominent moment was her perfectly timed and executed smother in the second term.

#52 Monique DeMatteo (Forward)
24/5/1997 | 168cm

Stats: nine disposals, three tackles, three goals, two marks, one inside 50

DeMatteo capped off a break out season with another stellar performance, also earning the Rohenna Young Medal in the process. She may not have touched the ball much but she made those disposals really count, kicking a number of quick early goals to really get the Falcons going.