ROUND 3 of the Victorian Football League Women’s (VFLW) is up this week, with some tight clashes to come as the ladder starts to take shape. Five teams are still undefeated – though two of the five have only played one match – while NT Thunder have the bye this week.

GEELONG v. COLLINGWOOD
Round 3 – 25/05/2019
11:30
GMHBA Stadium

Round 3 opens with a clash between two of the middle ranked teams on the ladder at this early stage of the season, with both sides sitting on one win and one loss apiece after two rounds. Collingwood’s Jaimee Lambert is currently sitting in third for disposals with 51 across the opening rounds, while Geelong’s Kate Darby has kicked four goals to start the season on a strong note. Despite letting in 12 goals in Round 1, Geelong put in a solid performance last week to hold off Essendon, kicking with accuracy in front of goal with 7.2 on the board, also putting on a load of pressure through defence to deny the Bombers space to settle in front of goal. Collingwood come into this match off a solid win over Hawthorn last round, so will want to replicate the shared effort on the ball and strong tackling pressure the likes of Lambert and Mikala Cann put on last week.

DAREBIN v. HAWTHORN
Round 3 – 25/05/2019
12:00
Swinburne Centre

Both Darebin and Hawthorn have struggled so far this season, so look for a tight match for both sides as they come into Round 3 looking for an elusive first win. It makes for an interesting match, with the Hawks struggling to get goals on the board, while the Falcons have had more trouble defensively, letting in more goals – and while Hawthorn’s losing margin is lower than Darebin’s, it seems the Falcons may have the scoreboard pressure and more options forward to get a win on the board. Meg Hutchins will be one to watch out for, averaging 20.5 touches for the season so far, while Emily Gilder kicked three goals last week and Jess Sibley two in Round 1. Darebin’s Jamie Stanton is sitting at an average of 21 disposals, while Lauren Pearce sat out of Round 1 but was solid in the ruck with 28 hitouts and 17 touches last week, also making a good target forward.

RICHMOND v. ESSENDON
Round 3 – 25/05/2019
12:00
Bill Lawry Oval

Richmond take on Essendon in what will be an interesting match, with the Tigers sitting one from one after a bye last week, while Essendon are zero from two but pushed both Casey and Geelong in Rounds 1 and 2 to show they have some fight in them. That being said, the Tigers were convincing in their 35-point victory over Darebin in Round 1, proving the Bombers will need to give this match everything they’ve got to get a win on the board this week. Tayla Stahl-Smith will be one to watch, equal first in goals kicked for the season after kicking 6.2 in Round 1, while Chloe Wakefield kicked two and four other individuals also got on the board. Essendon have some strong goalkickers of their own with the likes of Monique de Matteo and Arthurina Moreen able to put ball to boot, however it will be defensive pressure that the Bombers will need to work on to put a stop to Richmond’s forward options after going down by close margins two weeks in a row.

WESTERN BULLDOGS v. MELBOURNE UNI
Round 3 – 25/05/2019
4:30
VU Whitten Oval

In what looks to be the match to watch this round, early ladder leaders in Melbourne Uni (1st) take on Western Bulldogs (4th) to close out Saturday’s matches with a bang. Melbourne Uni have dominated so far this season, kicking 11 and 12 goals across the opening rounds and setting the sideup for a big and high-scoring season. The Bulldogs had a bye in the opening round, meaning their solid win against Williamstown in Round 2 is all they have to go off on season form so far. The Mugars are currently dominating the stats with the likes of Jasmine Garner (57 disposals from two matches), Asha Price (six goals) and Kate Gillespie-Jones (16 tackles) sitting high on their respective leaderboards with two comfortable and confident wins under their belts. The Dogs will have the home field advantage, so will hope the likes of Bonnie Toogood (24 disposals, six marks, three tackles), Eleanor Brown (19 disposals, six tackles) and Mikayla Ward (four goals, nine touches) turn it on again this week to put out a good performance.

WILLIAMSTOWN v. CASEY
Round 3 – 26/05/19
11:30
Downer Oval

A strong start to Casey this season will put Williamstown under the pump, with the Demons already having proved they have the star power and players inside 50 to get the job done, while also standing up under pressure in Round 1 to get the chocolates in a close match. The Seagulls come into this match with only one game under their belt – a 47 point loss to Western Bulldogs in Round 2 – so will want to come in strong against the well-rounded Demons. Maddy Guerin (five goals from two matches) and Bianca Jakobbson (averaging 19 touches from two games) have stood up for the Demons thus far, while Sharnie Whiting and Aliesha Newman showed some good signs last week in what was a mostly forgettable start to the season, as the only two to get on the board. Newman will take on a number of her Melbourne AFLW teammates in the Casey side, making for a very interesting contest given her unrivaled speed and ability to snap at goal, while Mo Hope will want to exert some strength this round after a quiet match to start the season.

SOUTHERN SAINTS v. CARLTON
Round 3 – 26/05/19
11:50
Skybus Stadium

Both the Southern Saints and Carlton were dealt losses last week by their respective opponents, so are sure to be raring to go this round. Though Carlton sit in twelfth on the ladder, the side had a bye in Round 1 so will hope it was just a first match blip in the radar before settling into the competition. Both sides kicked a large number of behinds last round so if they can get the ball inside 50 and through the big sticks with accuracy we could have a close game on our hands. Carlton’s Natalie Plane and Abbie McKay were among the best in last week’s loss, collecting a combined 41 touches and 16 tackles, so will want to put on a similar performance as they take on the Saints, with the likes of Alison Drennan (28 disposals, five marks, six tackles) and Olivia Vesely (22, three tackles) able to create opportunities across the field. Carlton will also need to watch out for the Saints’ multiple targets forward, with four goals from eight individual attempts.

NT THUNDER: BYE