{"id":99228,"date":"2022-02-23T07:58:01","date_gmt":"2022-02-22T21:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/?p=99228"},"modified":"2022-02-23T07:58:02","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T21:58:02","slug":"aflw-tuesday-talking-points","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2022\/02\/23\/aflw-tuesday-talking-points\/","title":{"rendered":"AFLW: Tuesday Talking Points"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

FOR the second night in a row, the AFL Women’s has seen a thriller at Metricon Stadium, but this time the sides couldn\u2019t be split as the Gold Coast Suns and Western Bulldogs played out an enthralling draw. The Suns were the more dominant side early, but the Dogs had an almighty final term comeback to snatch the draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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TALKING POINTS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Suns blew a big chance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Going into the final term, Gold Coast held a four goal margin and looked like they were going to run over the top of the Bulldogs. But four unanswered goals in the final term meant they blew that lead and their chance at picking up a very handy four points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Bulldogs\u2019 remarkable comeback<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On the flip side, the Bulldogs\u2019 final term comeback was quite remarkable. Not only were they 24 points down at the final change, but they looked tired and just out of the contest. That kind of comeback will give that side a lot of confidence heading into the next few weeks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A pair of midfielders at either end of their careers shine brightly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Two midfielders had particularly excellent games tonight; one a Bulldog towards the end of her career and the other a Sun who is only at the beginning of hers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kirsty Lamb<\/a> was an absolute star, picking up the 18 touches, laying a whopping six tackles, kicking a goal and just creating plenty of run and opportunities for her teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the flipside, Charlie Rowbottom<\/a> was doing much the same for her side, and showing once again why she was so highly touted heading into last year\u2019s draft. She finished with 25 touches, which was the most of anyone on the ground. She also landed a whopping seven tackles and even kicked a goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How much did the schedule play a part in the results?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Both sides have had quite the brutal schedule recently, and one cannot help but wonder whether it played a part in the final result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After both teams had to contend with Covid chaos earlier in the season, they had some catching up to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The match was the Bulldogs\u2019 sixth in just 25 days, while the Suns had only a four day break after playing the Q-Clash on Thursday night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How much will this result impact the finals race?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The fact that tonight\u2019s match was a draw makes the race for the finals all the more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on percentage, if either side had won, they could have jumped up into the top six if their percentage was high enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that it was a draw means that both sides stay exactly where they are on the ladder, and that jump into the top six gets just that little bit further away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time will tell how much of an impact last night\u2019s draw has on the finals race, but it certainly spices it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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NEXT WEEK<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Both sides are in Victoria next weekend, with the Suns coming down to play the Saints, while the Bulldogs travel across town to take on the Magpies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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