A DROUGHT-breaking win, some big upsets and business as usual for others across Round 9. Here’s what the 18 AFLW coaches had to say after their respective matches.

Western Bulldogs 10.7 (67) def. Essendon 1.4 (10)

Western Bulldogs coach Tam Hyett:

“I think we’re a bit of an impatient industry. So we were pretty much coming from scratch last year and what we’ve been able to do this year is add layers to out game. Our players have invested really strongly in what we’re trying to do and tonight was really nice that we were able to capitalise on the opportunities that we had.”

Essendon coach Nat Wood:

“That’s probably a pretty honest and transparent conversation I’ll have with the group. It’s something that we definitely need to unpack. I think in the last couple of weeks we’ve risen to some tough challenges and we’ve been able to come out and negate some parts of the opposition’s game and find passages of play where we’ve been able to play a bit more like us and tonight real credit to the Bulldogs, their pressure around the ball, their ball use, their assertiveness to get to the football and outnumber at contest. It was much more superior than ours, so it’s something as a whole group I’ll stand side-by-side with the players and we’ll work through it.”

Adelaide 7.6 (48) def. West Coast 4.7 (31)

Adelaide coach Matthew Clarke:

“Obviously three and a half were pretty good. Probably in the second there was a couple of desperate saves which helped us and obviously made the margin relatively comfortable. A little disappointing to let a couple in, but it was more probably more reflective of the game in terms of them getting those couple back. Overall very happy.”

West Coast coach Daisy Pearce:

“Proud of the way they kept coming, I think we’ve come to expect that from our team, they never give up and play to the end which was pleasing to see again today. But a bit disappointing, I think the gap was how committed and clean they were in the contest early, just the amount of times that 50/50 balls there to be won they were first, they were clean when they got there and able to take the ball forward and win territory.”

Geelong 11.6 (72) def. GWS Giants 6.9 (45)

Geelong coach Dan Lowther:

“It was an important game to win, last game at home for us as well. To come out and play a game that had some really strong ebbs and flows throughout it and to be challenged from the Giants which we expected that to be the case, and then to come out and play a really strong last quarter was a really good sign of maturity, which was the message to the group post-game around the Giants are a team that is going to be on the rise, we know that. But to be able to fight through when they pushed us to the limit and finished really strong was really pleasing, so rapt for the girls.”

GWS Giants coach Cam Bernasconi:

“I just think they got the early jump on us. At three quarter time we felt like the game was in really good stead and we’ve been running out games pretty well. I just think they got momentum, three quick goals and then that was the game, and then I think once they got that headstart then you end up just chasing and you’re less proactive. I know Zar (Zarlie Goldsworthy) kicked a good goal late, but unfortunately that five-minute period was enough to give it up.”

Hawthorn 8.12 (60) def. Gold Coast 6.1 (37)

Hawthorn coach Daniel Webster:

“I think some of their ability to go from coast-to-coast was one of the most frustrating things. I mean a couple of those we had shots on goal and then didn’t defend well enough on the way back and I mean credit to them, some of the goals they kicked today were amazing, so it’s obviously a tough one because for most of the game we played very good and I think we had 20 scoring shots to seven which is a really good performance, but hurts a little bit that last little bit, but we worked very hard to that point in time and just a couple of little lapses in defence really more than anything else.”

Gold Coast coach Rhyce Shaw:

“They’re probably the best side that we’ve played so far, so it was really good to get that type of result in the first quarter, but then we just said in there before that we probably shot ourselves in the foot a little bit with a couple of easy goals for them which put it just a little bit too far out of our reach. But we were really pleased with the way we went about it.”

Brisbane 9.8 (72) def. Port Adelaide 4.9 (33)

Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich:

“Still some bits and pieces where maybe overused the ball a fraction at times just trying to invent another running handpass that might not have been on and we could have got in there quicker, but there were a lot of bits and pieces there today that we’d be pretty happy with.”

Port Adelaide coach Lauren Arnell:

“I certainly thought we pushed the Lions to play their best footy and credit to them and to Bre Koenen their skipper 100 games is incredible but I’m really really proud of our group, I thought the scoreboard didn’t reflect the game and we were really gutsy with the way we went about that last quarter especially.

“To have Piper Window go down as early as she did, a couple of girls were crook over the last couple of days, I thought it was a really gutsy way we played and I thought we had the game on our terms for chucks of it, so credit to the Lions, but our group was good.”

Richmond 2.2 (14) def. by North Melbourne 7.8 (50)

Richmond coach Ryan Ferguson:

“Highly competitive, there were moments that we didn’t take that could have put them under more pressure, there was moments that they took really well, there will be a lot to learn out of it. If we play with that energy, that pressure and still keep looking to connect up a bit better. We didn’t quite connect up well enough today to put them under more scoreboard pressure.”

North Melbourne coach Darren Crocker:

“We knew coming in that we’d planned for obviously Richmond’s best. They’ve got some highly regarded players within that lineup and their last month of footy in particular the last two weeks, they pushed Brisbane for three quarters, beat Adelaide last week. We knew that we had a feeling for what was going to come, and they really challenged us early in the first quarter their contest was really strong, their hands around the contest, they got some really good territory on us, but it was really good the way the players responded after quarter time.”

Sydney 11.10 (76) def. Carlton 5.7 (37)

Sydney coach Scott Gowans:

“We played four quarters today which was really important, that was the focus for the day. Two very similar gamestyles as well. Carlton are a very good football team and we got it on our terms early and that put them on the back foot. I thought our ability just to maintain that pressure and momentum was really important today after a really frustrating month.

“But whether we win or lose it doesn’t change, we’re still a very young, developing side and we’re going to have our ups and downs, and today we had an up. That’s just the way that footy is, but when the game’s on our terms we feel like we can compete with most sides.”

Carlton coach Matthew Buck:

“The conditions certainly got a little wild in the end, but we turned up to this game expecting Sydney to bring the fire and to their credit they absolutely did that. I thought they were terrific at the contest and really had us there today.”

St Kilda 5.5 (35) def. Collingwood 1.6 (12)

St Kilda coach Nick Dal Santo:

“It was a mature performance and I don’t want to undersell some of the challenges we’ve had so I just spoke to the group about the maturity levels of our group and the growth that we’ve shown. It was really pleasing to get another victory.”

Collingwood coach Sam Wright:

“I don’t know if its what went wrong, it was a frustrating one for us because I think they had six inside 50s to half-time, they’d scored two or three times. We had the dominance there with the amount of ball that was coming in, best pressure side in the comp they are. We matched it the whole day, thought our shape behind the ball was good, we just couldn’t capitalise in front of the ball.”

Fremantle 6.4 (40) def. Melbourne 5.5 (35)

Fremantle coach Lisa Webb:

“Yeah I am thrilled. We managed to put together especially early in the first quarter, that scoreboard pressure that we’ve really struggled with at times, so really pleased that they were able to execute under pressure. They’re a terrific team we had a plan to come in and sometimes it doesn’t always go that way, but I thought the girls stood really tough and showed a lot of grit, especially in that last quarter. But to be able to convert like we couldn’t over the last few weeks was pleasing for us.”

Melbourne coach Mick Stinear:

“Disappointed. Gutted, it’s a long way to travel to not get the points and not perform to the level you’d like to as a team so if I was breaking it down, the first quarter critical. They brought it from the start which was no surprise, but we were slow to step up and then conceding four goals the way we did. I think there was six or seven entries for four goals straight. We’ve been defending quite well, but I know we had a few changes in our backline, but still it was not to the standard that we hold to ourselves and that put us on the back foot really.”