RICHMOND started and ended its Victorian Football League (VFL) Women’s season with a win, but fell away in the middle. The Tigers lost every game between their byes, but had some impressive and unexpected wins against the Bulldogs, Melbourne University, Southern Saints, as well as Essendon. With an AFLW team on the horizon, the future is bright for these players, as they will get the opportunity to further prove themselves by cementing some more wins in the 2019 VFLW season.

Position: 12th
Win-loss: 4-10
Percentage: 69%

Results:

Round 1: Defeated Western Bulldogs by 38 points
Round 2: Lost against Darebin by 39 points
Round 3: Lost against Collingwood by 43 points
Round 4: Lost against Williamstown by 31 points
Round 5: Defeated Essendon by 34 points
Round 6: Defeated Melbourne University by 29 points
Round 7: Bye
Round 8: Lost against Hawthorn by four points
Round 9: Lost against Essendon by eight points
Round 10: Lost against Casey by 18 points
Round 11: Lost against NT Thunder by 23 points
Round 12: Lost against Carlton by 41 points
Round 13: Lost against Geelong by 59 points
Round 14: Lost against Williamstown by one point
Round 15: Bye
Round 16: Defeated Southern Saints by three points

Key players:

#52 Jessica Kennedy

Kennedy captained Richmond for its inaugural VFLW season. She is an inside midfielder who is quick, courageous and is also an incredibly smart footballer. She took out Richmond’s Best and Fairest by one vote with 49, with Jacqueline Graham finishing second.

#68 Alice Edmonds

She was outstanding in the ruck for Richmond all year, exceeding expectations. Her dominance gave the likes of Kennedy first use of the football in the middle of the ground. She was rewarded with VFLW Team of the Year honours on the bench as a relief ruck.

#53 Kate Dixon

Dixon was named the vice-captain for the Tigers in season 2018, and took charge of the forward line with her presence. She was the spearhead at full-forward that Richmond needed to crash packs and take pack marks. She won the club’s goal kicking with nine goals from fourteen games.

#63 Jacqueline Graham

Jacqueline Graham had an outstanding year, playing in the back line for Richmond. Nothing would get past her which led to her being named in the AFL Draft Central Team of the Year. She was further rewarded for her efforts in the back half with finishing second in the club’s best and fairest count, one vote behind winner, Jessica Kennedy. She was able to not just beat her opponents but also spread and win her fair share of the ball, which was an advantage for the Tigers as they used her damaging kicks to start attacks from the back half.

Season summary:

Finishing twelfth may not have been the result that Richmond was looking for ahead of the 2018 season, however four wins in season 2018 will spur the Tigers on for greater success in 2019. Although they did have some blowout losses, they did not let defeat keep them down. They finished the season off strong, losing to Williamstown by one point then beating the Southern Saints by three. The season highlight for the Tigers would be in Round 1, when they knocked off AFLW premiers, the Western Bulldogs by 38 points in a win that surprised many.