AFLW 2019 Round 3: The Team

AFLW 2019 Round 3 COLLINGWOOD  v FREMANTLE Time & Place: Saturday 16th February, 7:15pm EDT Fremantle Oval TV: 7mate 7.00pm EDT Weather: Min 17 Max 28 Chance of rain 5%: < 1mm Wind: SSW 30kph Betting: Collingwood $4.00 Fremantle $1.25

Backs: J.Allen 6, A.Brazill 10, I.Ross 21

Half-backs: S.Livingstone 12, R.Schleicher 18, N.Hildebrand 3

Centre: B.Bonnici 8

Half-forwards: S.Dargan 46, S.D'Arcy 4, K.Lynch 16

Forwards: S.Rowe 7, S.Alexander 24, C.McIntosh 20

Rucks: E.Hynes 11, S.Chiocci (c) 17, J.Lambert 13

Interchange: S.Casey 22, M.Shevlin 35, G.Gourlay 32, M.Cann 25, H.Whitford 28

Emergencies: S.Layton 1, J.Membrey 31

In: N.Hildebrand, S.Alexander, M.Shevlin, H.Whitford
Out: L.Butler, E.Fowler, S.Layton, E.Grant (injured)
Debutants: Maddie Shevlin, Nicole Hildebrand

Collingwood News Collingwood midfielder, Maddie Shevlin will make her AFLW debut when the Pies take on the Dockers in Perth this Saturday. Having been delisted by Melbourne as a rookie early last year, Shevlin had an impressive VFLW season, which saw her awarded the team’s best and fairest. Nicole Hildebrand will also put on the black and white for her first AFLW match since departing Brisbane last season. Whilst Sophie Alexander will re-join the side, Pies’ vice-captain Emma Grant has been ruled out with an injury to her left shoulder sustained in last week’s match.

Roar Fremantle take on the winless Collingwood in the west. The Dockers have kicked the highest score of the round for two weekends straight. They couldn’t have been more impressive in their upset win over the Brisbane Lions last round, and they’ll start favourites to make it three from three when they face a Collingwood side which, despite a star-studded playing list, has underachieved in their two completed seasons. In the first professional Australian Rules football match to be played at Victoria Park since 1999, the Pies failed to kick a goal for three quarters and just avoided the embarrassment of going through a whole match without kicking a major when Sarah Dargan scored with less than five minutes remaining in the final quarter. Their score of 1.3 (9) is the equal-lowest in any AFL Women’s match, matched by the GWS Giants, who could only muster that match against Carlton last year. The trip to Perth is the last thing they would want as they attempt to break their season duck behind enemy lines, and with the Dockers on a roll at the moment, I can’t see the Pies breaking through this weekend. Prediction: Fremantle by 14 points.