COLLINGWOOD got back on the AFL Women\u2019s winners list on Saturday with a confidence boosting win over Essendon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One player whose performance will not get talked about much but still played a crucial role in the win was Pies forward Ash Brazill<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although she did not rack up too many disposals, finishing with only the seven to her name, her influence stretched much further than a typical seven disposal game would have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe\u2019s been like that most of her season actually,\u201d Collingwood coach Steve Symonds<\/em><\/strong> said post game<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBrazzy\u2019s not one that\u2019s going to be strong on the stats sheet, but the way she runs and pressures down and breaks the game open when she gets it. She\u2019s very smart, moves the ball quickly but she hacks so quickly and she can get meterage straight away from the contest really quickly, which opens up the game for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo she\u2019s been very important for us, and she\u2019s traditionally in the past played more in defence, but we\u2019re trying to think we can her as a forward, ad she\u2019s been loving the challenge. She\u2019s been wing defence for most of her netball career so be able to have a forward mindset now is something she\u2019s really enjoying and she\u2019s up for the challenge. Has she nailed it? No, she hasn\u2019t but she\u2019s up for the challenge. She\u2019s just got to get better in that role.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watching Brazill on a football field, whether in defence or attack, it is clear her netball career has given her transferable skills for Australian Rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her defensive pressure is top notch. Even when the ball is in Collingwood\u2019s attack, she is always present and providing that pressure, both directly and indirectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She also provided plenty of influence with ball in hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As Symonds alluded to in his post match comments, one kick from Brazill is all it takes sometimes to really open up the contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A prime example of this was in the first quarter, when a long kick forward from Brazill in the middle of the oval set up a sprinting Alana Porter<\/a> to run onto the ball and slot through Collingwood\u2019s second goal of the quarter, which allowed them to take a confidence boosting lead into quarter time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Her metres gained was also an impressive tally. She finished with 221m gained, which was the sixth highest on the field, and second highest on the ground among the non-midfielders behind only Bonnie Toogood<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n