Essendon will hope AFLW captain Bonnie Toogood has avoided a serious knee injury after a sickening collision with teammate Amber Clarke in the Bombers’ 43-point opening-round loss to Fremantle.
Clarke was concussed but cleared of a neck injury, while Toogood will have scans after suffering a “heavy knock” to her knee in the incident that marred Saturday’s 10.4 (64) to 3.3 (21) defeat in front of 2820 fans at Windy Hill.
Key forward Toogood was steaming forward to take a mark inside 50 when she collected teammate Clarke, who had run into her path seemingly completely unawares, in the second quarter.
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The pair clashed heads, then Clarke’s head bounced on the ground when she landed.
Clarke was taken from the field on a stretcher.
With her day over, star goalkicker Toogood was visibly distraught on the sidelines. She was cleared of concussion and returned to sit on the bench to watch on with ice on her right knee.
“We’ll get it scanned and see,” coach Natalie Wood said.
“Obviously she’s pretty upset, mostly from being a really important leader for us and she wanted to be out there making her contributions and trying to help us put our best foot forward.”
Essendon led by eight points at the time – after Daria Bannister kicked the opening goal on return from an ACL tear – but were rattled by the incident.
Electric Fremantle took full advantage, reeling off four unanswered goals to take control.
“Those moments, they’re big. We heard that from the sidelines and that jolts everyone and I think it did jolt us,” Wood said.
“To the group’s credit though we really fought through, right down to the end. Like that last quarter, down by six goals and we were still trying to move the ball how we wanted to move it.
“It not only rattled us a little bit but it threw out our rotations – you lose two forwards … that part caught us off guard as well.”
Bannister kicked her second goal to cut Fremantle’s lead to 12 at halftime.
Lisa Webb’s Dockers also led by 12 at three-quarter time and nabbed five unanswered goals in the final term to deliver a superb thrashing on the road.
“With a minute 30 (seconds) to go, they were just ruthless and it’s something that we pride ourselves on, consistency over four quarters,” Webb said.
“We’ve still got a lot to improve on but it was a pleasing start.”
Essendon teammates Amber Clarke and Bonnie Toogood collide. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Fremantle’s “incredible” Irish recruit Aish McCarthy, who crossed from West Coast over the off-season, was dominant, racking up 23 disposals and kicking two goals, while Aine Tighe finished with four majors.
Hayley Miller (17 disposals), who was demoted from skipper to vice-captain in favour of the injured Ange Stannett in pre-season, was busy while defensive recruit Ash Brazill was influential.
Essendon midfielder Georgia Nanscawen (25 disposals, 11 clearances) was prolific, along with recruit Maddison Gay and on-baller Madison Prespakis (25 touches, seven clearances).
(AAP)
Dees conquer Cats despite late ‘time-wasting’ controversy
Melbourne will sweat on the fitness of key forward Tayla Harris after she tweaked her left shoulder in the Demons’ Kate Hore-inspired AFLW round-one win over Geelong.
Melbourne trailed by 11 points midway through the third term before Hore sparked a run of three consecutive goals to snatch a 6.6 (42) to 6.4 (40) win at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.
Harris, 27, required treatment on her already heavily-strapped left shoulder after innocuous incidents in the first and third quarters.
She left the field at three-quarter time for what she called “precautionary” reasons after dealing with the issue in pre-season.
“Obviously I’ve had some shoulder issues along the way, and just another little incident, it’s round one,” Harris told the Seven Network.
“The girls are doing an awesome job, I feel like it’s an opportunity to watch the show. Yeah, today it is (precautionary).”
The Cats have high expectations after reaching the preliminary final last season and showcased their brilliant pressure throughout the game.
The brilliant Hore (three goals, 23 disposals, six clearances) stepped up every time the game swung in Geelong’s favour.
Gun Cats trio Amy McDonald (28 disposals, nine clearances), Georgie Prespakis (21 touches) and Nina Morrison were influential, along with versatile tall Jacqueline Parry (two goals).
Geelong got off to a flyer, booting the first two goals of the game.
But Hore, who is splitting her time between midfield and attack, ignited the Demons, kicking the next two goals.
As rain started to fall, the Cats restored a six-point halftime lead via a lovely snap on the run from Rachel Kearns.
With Melbourne trailing by 11 in the third term, Hore took a terrific one-handed mark and kicked her third major, before Sinead Goldrick added another.
Blaithin Mackin (25 disposals) put the Demons in front just before the final change.
Geelong drew level before Eden Zanker restored Melbourne’s lead.
There was late drama when Parry was given a free kick after Melbourne veteran Paxy Paxman failed to give the ball directly back to the umpire, instead passing it to teammate Lauren Pearce.
Parry cut the deficit to two points, but Melbourne held on to claim some redemption for last season’s heartbreaking semi-final exit at Geelong’s hands.
“It was such a tough battle all night, so many momentum swings,” Hore told the Seven Network.
“But just super proud of our girls to get it done and fight all the way through to the end.
“But those last 30 seconds they were really coming – so good to hold on.”
Melbourne host reigning premiers Brisbane Lions at Casey Fields next Saturday while Geelong play grand finalists North Melbourne at Arden Street Oval on Sunday.
(AAP)
Marinoff dominates Port in Crows’ Showdown win
Adelaide’s Ebony Marinoff has produced another dominant display to lead her side to a 14-point win against Port Adelaide in their AFLW season opener.
The brilliant Marinoff collected a game-high 29 disposals in the Crows’ 7.7 (49) to 5.5 (35) victory at Alberton Oval on Saturday night.
Adelaide’s co-captain, renowned as among the competition’s premier players, propelled her side inside the attacking 50m zone eight times, won five clearances and laid 10 tackles.
“She’s an unbelievably consistent performer,” Adelaide coach Matthew Clarke said of Marinoff.
“Since she has been in the competition, she hasn’t finished outside the top three of our b and f (best and fairest award), so that speaks to what we’re going to get week-in, week-out.”
Adelaide’s Jessica Allan booted two goals and ruled the rucks with 30 hitouts while teammates Anne Hatchard (22 disposals, 12 tackles, one goal) and Madison Newman (19 possessions) were also standouts.
The Crows were never headed but Port, winners just three times in their initial two AFLW seasons, showed pluck against the three-time premiership winners.
“We took some steps forward and then there’s some things in our control that we can address, I think pretty quickly,” Power coach Lauren Arnell said.
“The Crows kicked 7.7, we gave them 5.2 from our defensive 50 stoppage (goals), so sloppy.”
Port’s 50-gamer Ashleigh Saint (15 touches, one goal), Abbey Dowrick (14 touches, one goal), Sachi Syme (18 disposals) and Shineah Goody (one goal, 15 possessions) all battled gamely.
But Crows star Marinoff was unable to be controlled – the five-time All Australian set the tone for Adelaide with a commanding first quarter.
Marinoff gathered eight disposals featuring three inside 50s to help her side create a 12-point advantage at quarter time, 3.1 to 1.1.
The Power closed the gap in the second term with majors to Shineah Goody and Gemma Houghton, punctuated by a goal from Adelaide’s Allan from a ruck infringement.
The Crows held an eight-point buffer at halftime, 4.4 to 3.2, and stretched their lead to 15 points early in the third quarter when Chelsea Biddell marked and goaled.
But the Power struck against the tide when Dowrick sprinted into an an open goal from a rare attacking foray.
The Crows, despite having 20 more inside 50s than Port at three-quarter time, led by only 10 points, 5.7 to 4.3.
Ruck Allan’s second goal gave the Crows a 16-point break just two minutes into the final term and settled the result before a crowd of 5194 spectators.
(AAP)
Debutant’s record-breaking fast start powers Giants to Bulldogs belting
The Western Bulldogs’ AFLW rebuild has hit its first speed bump in an emphatic 63-point defeat to Greater Western Sydney.
Tam Hyett’s tenure as Bulldogs coach started with a loss after the Giants slammed through nine unanswered goals to triumph 10.12 (72) to 1.3 (9) in windy conditions at Manuka Oval on Saturday.
Hyett, an assistant coach in Melbourne’s 2022 women’s premiership season, was handed the job of revamping the Bulldogs after last season’s wooden spoon.
The club won only one game and it cost Nathan Burke his job after five seasons.
“We know that there’s going to be hiccups along the way. This is one of them,” Hyett said.
“We’ll be doing everything in our control to be better.
“Round one, not ideal to have a hiccup like this but … there’s a lot of learnings out of today and I know we’ll be better for the run.”
Meanwhile, Cam Bernasconi’s Giants will cherish their biggest-ever victory after recording only two wins to finish 16th last year.
Alyce Parker was outstanding in the GWS engine room and finished with one goal, 29 disposals and seven clearances to mark her 50th game.
Nicola Barr (29 touches), Zarlie Goldsworthy (four goals) and Eilish O’Dowd (two goals) also played starring roles.
“What we want to see this year is just progress,” Bernasconi said.
“We spoke about our ability to play a system so it’s not a fluke when you play well.
“Now, the challenge for us is to make sure we can do that next week against Richmond.”
For the visitors, former captain Ellie Blackburn (25 disposals, nine clearances) impressed while Alice Edmonds took 37 hitouts to the Giants’ total of nine.
The new-look Bulldogs side featured four AFLW debutants in 2023, No.1 pick Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner, Brooke Barwick, Elaine Grigg and Cleo Buttifant and four club debutants in Lauren Ahrens (Gold Coast), Analea McKee (Brisbane), Ellie Gavalas (North Melbourne), Jasmyn Smith (Gold Coast).
O’Dowd produced a goal-of-the-year contender on debut within 15 seconds from the opening siren.
The Irish recruit won the tap against Edmonds and bolted straight through the corridor to open the scoring from inside 30 with her first disposal and set a new league record for the fastest goal scored.
The Bulldogs recorded just one point before the first break, with the hosts leading by eight points.
McKee hit the scoreboard in the second term for the only Bulldogs goal of the game, but Goldsworthy’s goal restored the Giants’ buffer after a 50m penalty was paid against Grigg for encroaching the mark.
GWS then kicked 5.6 to none to build a 44-point lead at third-quarter time.
The Bulldogs notched one more point in the final term to finish with their equal lowest-ever AFLW score.