SOME “scrappy” contests and hard-fought wins marked Round 8 of the AFL Women’s, while the front-running Roos continued to swipe aside anyone who dares to challenge them. Here’s what the 18 AFLW coaches had to say after their respective matches.

Hawthorn 5.3 (33) def. Fremantle 2.6 (18)

Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster:

“We had some plans in place that we’d spoken about at half-time. Obviously incredibly hard conditions out there. So just spoke like how we wanted to move the ball and then at what point in time we put a plus-one behind the ball. But when the quarter started and I actually thought the first three or four minutes we were on top and then we got the goal which obviously made it a bit more comfortable I suppose, but incredibly difficult conditions I thought the resilience players showed and the toughness in the last quarter because that was really hard work out there today.”

Fremantle coach Lisa Webb:

“I thought we put ourselves in a good opportunity, very similar to last week. In the last quarter with the breeze, we couldn’t get it done. Extremely disappointing, I think we finished with plus-six inside 50s but we just weren’t effective. I thought at times our skill level just let us down, but in full credit obviously to Hawthorn. They’re a very good team and we knew we’d have to make sure we executed, and we just didn’t.”

Melbourne 5.6 (36) def. Essendon 3.4 (22)

Melbourne coach Mick Stinear:

“Definitely take the four points, I think this time last year it was a very different scoreline, so we’ve improved which is good. But started well, a good deal of ferocity at the start of the game and I think that set the game up really. But then it was a bit scrappy for large parts, we weren’t clean enough around the ball, I felt they outworked us for a large period of the game through the middle of the ground.

“We just couldn’t quite connect forward of centre, we couldn’t win many contests in our front half as we had been doing, so credit to Essendon, they were able to take that away from us. The team did enough to win, but probably a game we’ll learn a lot from and can definitely continue to improve.”

Essendon coach Nat Wood:

“That first quarter, that first five minutes, Melbourne really came out to play and we were flat-footed and for them to get three goals so quickly, it’s quite disappointing. But within the quarter, I think the group really rallied around and were able to make some changes which I thought was really good given that it was put on the back foot, and then the second, third and even the fourth, we tried a couple of different things from a personnel and gameplan point of view, and their willingness to go out and really step forward and try to put that into action.

“I thought we looked dangerous a few times, just able to get the one goal, but I think that second half to really even out the scoreboard I thought that was a good bounce back after a disappointing start.”

GWS Giants 2.4 (16) def. by St Kilda 4.6 (30)

GWS Giants coach Cam Bernasconi:

“We probably felt like we played pretty well for four quarters, but defensively our pressure was better and we transitioned the ball from our back half to front half really well. I mean 40 inside 50s for two goals, it’s not great, so at least it’s really clear on what we need to work on this week. They are a really coachable group, we pick one or two things and we’ll get to work on it. That will certainly be our training review, going inside 50.”

St Kilda coach Nick Dal Santo:

“I thought it was a great contest today. I don’t know if either team would be really pleased with the way that they played. I felt like we had some really good looks once again forward of the football, which is something we continue to work on about our ball movement and making really good decisions. That’s a journey that we’ll continue on, and I reckon if you ask the Giants, they probably feel the same. I think they won the inside 50s by 13 roughly off the top of my head, and I thought they really challenged us in some areas. They clearly had a big trip back from Perth last week and I thought overall it was a great contest, maybe not the best spectacle.”

North Melbourne 13.10 (88) def. Sydney 3.2 (20)

North Melbourne coach Darren Crocker:

“Thought it was a real grind early. Sydney they do like to move the ball quickly and in the first quarter they were bouncing off our half-forward line and looked dangerous coming back at us. But some readjustments at quarter time just to control the speed of the game a little bit better, slowed them down a little bit more, and then we slowly surged our way on top.”

Sydney coach Scott Gowans:

“Still a bit raw at the moment I suppose. Well we came up against a good side is the number one thing that comes to mind. Then you always want to pit yourself against the best and they are clearly the best team and there’s a lot that we didn’t get right today, but it wasn’t through lack of trying. So it just shows you we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Gold Coast 2.3 (15) def. by Brisbane 11.17 (83)

Gold Coast coach Rhyce Shaw:

“We’ve obviously been learning some lessons the last couple of weeks, but I think we showed our ability to adjust. We went in with a strong plan, we knew that we’d have to adapt at different stages and I thought we did that in that second half, especially in the third quarter.

“But Brisbane are just a really, really good team and I think we’re just not at that level quite yet and our players are learning what success looks like, and what really good teams look like, so that’s something we can take out of it. We’re obviously disappointed with the result and the way we played for periods of the game, but we’re also making sure that we learn a lot from each and every moment that we get.”

Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich:

“We’ve been building for a couple of weeks now. We’re starting to definitely move the ball quickly and aggressively. Our pressure was really high tonight, even in the third quarter when it was a little bit of a stalemate, we were up by 40 in pressure which was really good. Some of our mojo around stifling the opposition was back tonight and being able to move the ball quickly was impressive as well. Pretty happy with that.”

Port Adelaide 8.6 (54) def. Western Bulldogs 5.5 (35)

Port Adelaide coach Lauren Arnell:

“I think the most obviously pleased to win, and then the most pleasing part beyond that is our group’s response. We’ve had some challenges with second halves and particularly last quarter and obviously Bulldogs showed up in a really strong fashion and applied a lot of pressure to us, particularly in that first half and I’m really proud and pleased with the group’s response when things weren’t necessarily on our terms earlier in the game.”

Western Bulldogs coach Tam Hyett:

“Second half they brought the heat, their pressure increased, contest numbers were better so they out-worked us around the contest and then clearance. They had probably better field position than us for most of the second half so that’s where they got us.”

Richmond 8.10 (58) def. Adelaide 6.11 (47)

Richmond coach Ryan Ferguson:

“We’ve been building particularly the last two weeks into this week so the last three weeks now. Sometimes its hard to convince the whole group of we didn’t get it quite right and we are building and it’s okay to be building and now we’re playing some really good teams, but we are building some momentum. They embraced that, got to work, played really well against Brisbane for a long time, but they flexed their muscle and were really good, but we were able to go with them for longer today and impart our game on them for the full four quarters than dropping away for a quarter.”

Adelaide coach Matthew Clarke:

“Well in the end, Richmond probably deserved the win because they played a bit better than us. Ultimately they were able to control uncontested possession a little bit all throughout the game to be honest. We were up at half-time by obviously a couple of goals, but even in the first half they’d been able to find marks and move the ball pretty effectively. By contrast, our skill execution, our fundamentals weren’t quite where they needed to be under pressure so they win, we lose.”

Geelong 5.7 (37) def. by Carlton 7.13 (55)

Geelong coach Dan Lowther:

“We haven’t won here (GMHBA Stadium) since last year against the Lions but full credit to Carlton, they stopped us from playing the game we wanted to play today. It was a warm day, but both teams had to battle through the conditions there. But I wish our homeground was a bit more a fortress for us, but it doesn’t appear to be the case right now.”

Carlton coach Matthew Buck:

“I think the world ‘mature’s a really good one. Geelong to their credit just kept coming at us and tested us in all different ways, around the ball, forward of the ball. The maturity to hold on and kind of fight back and then hit the scoreboard late and I think we kept them scoreless in the last quarter as well. Really mature and I think that comes off some tight games we’ve played previously. Going back in the year as well. We enjoy being in that tight contest and we understand our scenarios and we can go to that when we need to. We executed really strongly again.”

West Coast 8.14 (62) def. Collingwood 2.5 (17)

West Coast coach Daisy Pearce:

“It was good, we were slow to get going and just sort of a bit reactive and let Collingwood be first to the ball which after last week we knew they’d come out pretty hot so it was a bit disappointing. To their credit they turned it around probably in the last five minutes of the quarter themselves. I thought Mikayla Western, Jess Rentsch, even Sarah Lakay, a couple of their contests late in the quarter jolted us to life. But that was the real focus going into the second quarter and I thought we dominated  the game in that space for the next three which was good.”

Collingwood coach Sam Wright:

“Disappointing. I think the way we started the game looked like us, our identity, and then the last three quarters we couldn’t get near it. The way that I see it is that we were predictable in our role and our system in that first quarter and when you go away from that predictability as a side, it’s hard to get connection whether it’s in defence or offence. We’re a developing side but our players have got to understand what that looks like better.”