PREPARE for some scorching heat tomorrow as the SANFL Women’s Round 2 matches all run simultaneously starting at 9am. The matches have been pushed forward to begin at the earliest possible timeslot and the Development League postponed to beat temperatures which are tipped to hit as high as 40 degrees Celcius tomorrow. Here is a look at the four games on offer.

FORM

Central District is coming off a hard-fought two-point win over Norwood, while Woodville-West Torres fell short of Sturt in an admirable first round attempt, going down by seven points.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Central District: 7
Woodville-West Torrens: 1

The Eagles have only beaten Central District once, back in Round 4 of 2021, with Central District winning on all of the other seven occasions. That loss came at Hisense Stadium, so the Bulldogs are undefeated at X Convenience Oval.

TEAMS

Central District:

B: Georgia Madigan (7), Tess Gerhardy (33)
HB: Lauren Breguet (28), Liz Wilson (14), Shelby Raven (36)
C: Jovanka Zecevic (23), Shelby Smith (1), Jasmine Evans (27)
HF: Caitlen Teague (17), Miyu Endersby (3), Dakota Williams (38)
F: Julia Teakle (6), Katelyn Rosenzewig (2)
R: Charlotte Riggs (9), Sophie Eaton (12), Caitlin Wendland (42)
INT: Demi Sonneman (20), Tiana Grovermann (45), Kasey Wendland (48), Tarly Borgas (16), Karissa Searle (22), Emma Keys (5), Ella Mickan (29), Kyesha Christensen (25)

Woodville-West Torrens:

B: Lily Tarlinton (49), Christina Leuzzi (19)
HB: Audrey Holt (10), Leah Cutting (26), Annie Falkenberg (8)
C: Olivia Evans (28), Sophie Zuill (24), Poppy Waterford (1)
HF: Grace Martin (7), Rosette Zerella (32), McKenzie Dowrick (23)
F: Klaudia O’Neill (18), Taylah Levy (60)
R: Brooklyn Kraft (33), Brianna Walling (13), Marlie Fiegert (30)
INT: Renee Forth (27), Ashley Baker (44), Bianca Portaro (3), Lucy Moore (15), Amie Blanden (12), Georgie Blades (39), Cher Waters (20), Popi Gikas (2)

CHANGES

Central District have brought in the experienced Ella Mickan along with potential debutant Tarly Borgas to and extended squad. The Bulldogs do lose arguably their two best players from Round 1 though with ruck Olivia Levicki missing due to a calf injury, while Madison Lane is out with an elbow complaint.

The Eagles have just added one player into an otherwise unchanged lineup, with Georgie Blades included in the squad and named on the interchange.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

While the Bulldogs are still waiting on the return of star small Georgia McKee, Central District is not short on talent. Fellow AFLW Academy members Charlotte Riggs and Jasmine Evans are human highlight reels, while future talents Sophie Eaton and Miyu Endersby are names to remember.

Woodville-West Torrens’ midfielder/forward Grace Martin had a great first-up game for the Eagles, while fellow State Academy members Bianca Portaro and Klaudia O’Neill were fantastic in defence.

KEY MATCHUP

Julia Teakle (Central District) vs. Lily Tarlinton (WWT Eagles)

Two AFLW-listed players going head-to-head would be a treat, and Teakle showed how much damage she could do last week kicking a couple of goals and providing a presence in the forward half. Tarlinton is more than capable of matching her, and it should be a ripping one-on-one if it happens.

STATS THAT MATTER

Both these sides comprehensively won the hitouts in Round 1, while the Bulldogs narrowly won each of the clearances and inside 50s by one, and the Eagles lost both. That looms as a crucial statistic for both sides, and with Levicki out for the Bulldogs, Leah Cutting could be a key player for the Eagles.

PREDICTION

Central District did not play at its best last week but still came away with the win. On paper the Bulldogs should be too strong for the Eagles, though a couple of crucial outs for the reigning premiers will hurt. Central District by a couple of goals.

FORM

West Adelaide is coming off a memorable after-the-siren victory against South Adelaide to take home the four points, while North Adelaide struggled to score, going down by 22 points to Glenelg at Thebarton Oval in Round 1.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

North Adelaide: 7
West Adelaide: 4

After North Adelaide’s reign of dominance over its western rivals saw it race away to a 6-1 lead in the head-to-head, West Adelaide has won three of its past four games against the Roosters, including one of only two matches it did win in 2023.

TEAMS

West Adelaide:

B: Tiana Fernandez (20), Jess Chyer (18)
HB: Brooke Smith (12), Madi Russell (1), Lucy Boyd (2)
C: Emma Kilpatrick (27), Keeley Kustermann (8), Paige Allan (35)
HF: Ella Maxwell (29), Nicole Hooper (11), Lauren Young (30)
F: Hannah Button (7), Chloe Tonkin (14)
R: Jemma Ellis (19), Zoe Venning (9), Ruby Ballard (22)
INT: Tess Huxtable (25), Asha Dufour (15), Emily Mableson (44), Georgie Pater (26), Grace McNicol (21)

North Adelaide:

B: Jemma Charity (7), Jess Edwards (2)
HB: Ella Quinn (14), Ella Metcalfe (40), Lauren Gauci (35)
C: Katelyn Pope (13), Amelie Borg (22), Sarah Steele-Park (36)
HF: Tayla Gordon (23), Tamara Henry (31), Laela Ebert (9)
F: Julia Clark (33), Maddy Guerin (51)
R: Indi Buckskin-James (19), Kristi Harvey (5), Cristie Castle (1)
INT: Amalie Innes (11), Aprille Crooks (10), Sarcha Taylor (52), Brooke Wilson (60), Djimila Totham (30), Jamie Parish (20), Lucy Reddaway (47)

CHANGES

West Adelaide coach Bruce Dawes was happy with his side’s Round 1 performance, and made just the one change – a forced one – with Grace McNicol replacing the injured Olivia Smith (shoulder).

North Adelaide will be without talented runner Erica Greet as well as Jessica Luciani, with AFLW-experienced duo Maddy Guerin and Lauren Gauci coming in alongside Jamie Parish and potential debutant Lucy Reddaway.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

West Adelaide has a quartet of top-age AFLW Academy members with defender Lucy Boyd, forward Ruby Ballard and midfielder Asha Dufour covering each third of the ground. Last week’s match-winner Emma Kilpatrick deserves special mention for her first SANFLW goal handing West the win, having transformed into a winger. Double bottom-ager Emily Mableson made her debut in Round. and will be better for the experience, while bottom-ager Chloe Tonkin is an outstanding contested mark.

North Adelaide’s Laela Ebert was sensational in defence last year, best-on for the Roosters showing off her skill and decision making. She along with Jemma Charity provide some consistency coming out of the backline, while bottom-age small Sarcha Taylor provides ground level pressure.

KEY MATCHUP

Paige Allan (West Adelaide) vs. Katelyn Pope (North Adelaide)

Both these players are crucial to their team’s structures and provide enormous amounts of run and carry. They can get forward and hit the scoreboard, but also drop into defence to assist the backs. No doubt this contest should be a great one-on-one clash.

STATS THAT MATTER

North Adelaide’s defence is superb, and considering they had 24 less inside 50s and 10 less clearances last week, it was a credit to the Roosters not to lose by more. They’ll need to take another step up against a West side which won both those areas against one of the title favourites.

PREDICTION

West Adelaide’s form was scintillating last week, and while North Adelaide will get better over time, the Bloods look ready to go from the first bounce and will be tough to beat. Expect an arm-wrestle for the most part but the Westies to pull away late to grab a tight win.

FORM

Both these sides are coming off a win and technically sit one and two on the ladder after Glenelg defeated North Adelaide by a round-high 22 points, while Sturt got home in a thriller – but still the second highest winning margin – by seven points over Woodville-West Torrens.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Glenelg: 5
Sturt: 5
Draw: 1

These teams tend to provide some pretty unique scorelines against each other, with Sturt winning by 40 points in Round 12 to make finals while earlier in the season, Glenelg won comfortably by 29 points. The season before, Sturt moved into the grand final with a 17-point preliminary final win, after Glenelg had crushed the Double Blues by 40 points just over a month earlier in Round 9.

TEAMS

Glenelg:

B: Poppy Scholz (20), Sarah Goodwin (56)
HB: Ellen Tyminski (18), Jorja Eldridge (28), Lauren Edwards (34)
C: Ella Boag (43), Piper Window (45), Violet Patterson (6)
HF: Grace Duffy (10), Tamsyn Morriss (12), Brooke Tonon (40)
F: Sam Franson (5), Jess Searle (23)
R: Alex Pearce (30), Jasmin Stewart (48), Jess Bates (29)
INT: Chloe Harding (26), Marie Martino (15), Ash Dyer (1), Ellie Kellock (8), Eloise Mackereth (9)

Sturt:

B: Lily Whitcombe (24), Sarah Wallace (37)
HB: Sophie Thredgold (17), Winnie Thornquest (25), Tahlia Walker (18)
C: Summer Ross (42), India Rasheed (6), Molly Fletcher (31)
HF: Abby Pengelly (7), Georgia Swan (3), Alisha Gepp (15)
F: Zara Walsh (14), Millie McCarthy (1)
R: Jasmin Fejo (36), Kate Harris (23), Isobel Kuiper (2)
INT: Claudia Edmonds (22), Monique Bessen (16), Georgia King (55), Amy Brooks-Birve (44), Isabella Drew (28), Alysha Healy (10), Ruby Cunningham (5), Grace Powell (11)

CHANGES

Winning form is great form, but for Glenelg, there was no way AFLW-listed midfielder Jasmin Stewart was not making her way into what is already an A-Grade on-ball group. The unlucky player to miss is bottom-ager Matilda Wilmore.

Sturt has not had to force any changes, but instead added three players to an extended squad. Dangerous small forward Alysha Healy comes back after her NTFL Women’s season, while Ruby Cunningham and Grace Powell have also been added to the bench.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

Glenelg AFLW Academy member Poppy Scholz was simply sensational in defence last week and will be one to watch again, as is hard-running winger Violet Patterson. Bottom-age forward Eloise Mackereth has a safe set of hands and adds X-Factor to the Bays’ forwardline.

Sturt debutants Sophie Thredgold and Edwina Thornquest held their own across defence last week and looked good, while India Rasheed and Monique Bessen had their moments of class. Expect them to only get better as the season wears on.

KEY MATCHUP

Alex Pearce (Glenelg) vs. Jasmin Fejo (Sturt)

A mouthwatering master against the apprentice clash which might be the SANFLW’s Gawn-Grundy contest for Round 2. Former Sturt ruck Pearce goes up against her former teammate in Fejo, with the athletic basketballer already matching her one game from last season. Now taking over Pearce’s number one ruck mantle at the Double Blues, she looks ready to have a huge season.

STATS THAT MATTER

Not so much on-field statistics, but Tamsyn Morriss plays her 50th SANFL Women’s game, which is great testament to a Glenelg player who came through the junior development pathways with the state side and has played in a variety of roles for the yellow and black.

PREDICTION

Glenelg’s midfield is simply sublime. It would challenge quite a few AFLW midfields, so if the Bays get on top there, then they will be hard to stop. Sturt has a strong midfield itself, with some X-Factor squeezed in so it should be a close game, but it is hard to go past the “home” side to win this one, even with the visitors playing at their main deck.

FORM

Two sides coming off heartbreaking losses meet at Noarlunga tomorrow morning, with South Adelaide going down to West Adelaide by three points after the siren in Round 1, while Norwood fought hard but fell two points short of Central District.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

South Adelaide: 10
Norwood: 3

Two of the original four sides in the competition, these sides date back to the very beginning. South Adelaide has had the wood over the Redlegs in general having won 10 of the 13 times they have played. Surprisingly, two of Norwood’s three wins have come at Noarlunga, with the Panthers only holding a narrow 3-2 head-to-head record over the Redlegs at the venue.

TEAMS

South Adelaide:

B: Jaslynne Smith (35), Esther Schirmer (23)
HB: Sam Pratt (22), Nicole Mark (16), Litonya Cockatoo-Motlap (15)
C: Laquoiya Cockatoo-Motlap (11), Caitlin Couch (10), Morgan Johnston (1)
HF: Jess Waterhouse (8), Lily Baxter (56), Emily Brockhurst (13)
F: Mel Anderson (6), Jordann Hickey (4)
R: Tiffany King (14), Brooke Boileau (37), Nikki Nield (2)
INT: Chelsea Farr (21), Sarah Wright (5), Layla Vizgaudis (20), Lauran Clifton (41), Bonnie Dodds (40), Shae Archbold (17), Zoe Flesfadar (29)

Norwood:

B: Charlotte Nenke (44), Rosie Boon (46)
HB: Emily Bartsch (27), Charli Hazelhurst (39), Najwa Allen (66)
C: Coby Morgan (2), Kate Alexander (61), Tahlita Buethke (1)
HF: Ameila Rusden (10), Shai Hiscock (13), Jade Halfpenny (22)
F: Adrienne Davies (8), Stephanie Simmonds (17)
R: Sachi Syme (4), Elle Lineage (50), Sarah Branford (9)
INT: Nicola Burns (23), Kiana Lee (28), Candice Belbin (26), Lana Schwerdt (41), Emma Clark (7)

CHANGES

South Adelaide has been forced into making several changes and going in with an undersized ruck department after both skipper Brianna Cleggett and fellow ruck Jacinda Schunselaar were declared out with foot injuries. Rania Shelford will miss due to work commitments , while Caitlin Radbone was the unlucky omission. Coming into the side are the likes of Jess Waterhouse, Caitlin Couch and Shae Archbold to provide some attacking flair, while Sarah Wright, Nicole Mark and Lauren Clifton are a part of an extended bench.

Norwood has kept its changes more simple with top-ager Emma Daley missing due to that ankle injury she sustained in a tackle last week, with athletic tall Rosie Boon coming in to add some height to the defence.

AFLW DRAFT WATCH

South Adelaide will have two top-age State Academy members in forward Archbold and defender Esther Schirmer, but a lot of underage talent with the likes of Lily Baxter, Zoe Flesfader and Layla Vizgaudis to watch over the coming years.

Norwood’s side is highlighted by the explosive Coby Morgan who has moved into a wing role this season. She will be complemented by ruck Kate Alexander, while bottom-age utility Charli Hazelhurst was impressive first-up playing in defence last week.

KEY MATCHUP

Jess Waterhouse (South Adelaide) vs. Emily Bartsch (Norwood)

Bartsch might play on a taller opponent, but has the versatility to also go on a small such is her defensive prowess. She will play a tight game on whoever she goes on, and as Waterhouse is the most damaging South forward, she might be called upon to play that role. A huge potential contest between two competitive beasts. It will also be Waterhouse’s first SANFLW game since 2022.

STATS THAT MATTER

Another 50-game milestone occurs here in South defender Samantha Pratt, while Norwood will be hoping to have an easier time at the hitouts compared to last week, especially given South is set to be missing some crucial first-choice rucks.

PREDICTION

South Adelaide does not lose at home too often, and though history says Norwood does well down at Noarlunga, the Panthers will be disappointed with letting the Round 1 match slip. Both these sides have enough defensive and offensive players to impact the game, with the homeground advantage the difference, and therefore tipping the Panthers to come away with a single-digit win.