MELBOURNE 1.0.6 1.0.6 5.1.31 7.2.44
COLLINGWOOD 3.0.18 4.1.25 4.1.25 4.1.25
GOALS - Collingwood: Edwards, Hope, Grant, Cameron
BEST - Collingwood: Barden, D'Arcy, Eva, Grant, Chiocci
INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil
REPORTS - Collingwood: Casey reported for late hit on Downie
OFFICIAL CROWD: 6,917 at Princes Park, Carlton
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A FIVE-GOAL burst in just 17 minutes from Melbourne was enough to record a 19-point win against a disappointing Collingwood, consigning the Magpies to a second loss in two matches. With both teams needing a win to keep their slim Grand Final hopes alive in a short season, it was Collingwood that hit the ground running. The Magpies were led by their captain Steph Chiocci, who provided pace and accurate kicking off half-back and set up several goals. The Magpies' ruck duo of Emma King and Lou Wotton gave first use to the midfield and they jumped to a 19-point lead by half-time. Melbourne struggled to get the ball past the centre line in the first half, but came to life in the third quarter, kicking four goals and holding the Magpies scoreless. Karen Paxman was superb, the 28-year-old priority player (signed before the draft) using her experience and bigger body to kick-start the Demons. She finished with 15 disposals and a goal for the match. Magpies forward Sophie Casey will come under scrutiny for a heavy, late hit to Demon Meg Downie's jaw, which knocked her out. Downie had tapped the ball forward before getting cleaned up by Casey, and play was stopped for several minutes as she was taken off the ground on a stretcher. Melbourne coach Mick Stinear said Downie had been cleared of any serious damage and had been taken to hospital for further checks after suffering a severe concussion. The monkey off the back Moana Hope had a very quiet game against Carlton, and the Collingwood marquee forward bounced back in style in the first quarter. Intent on proving her doubters wrong, Hope was in everything early, setting up a goal and kicking one of her own – the first for the marquee player in the AFL Women's competition. She outplayed Mia-Rae Clifford, and Melbourne was forced to move Melissa Hickey on her in the second quarter. Five minutes of madness After barely raising a whimper in the first half, Melbourne came out after half-time and kicked three goals in five minutes. Cat Phillips, a former Ultimate Frisbee player for Australia and signed to the Dees as a rookie, showed speed and skill in kicking two goals – one a snap over her shoulder, and the other burning off her opponent running into goal. Karen Paxman kicked a goal between Phillips' two, an opportunistic kick out of a pack from 35 metres. From being 19 points down at half-time, Melbourne had levelled the scores after five minutes. The moment Melbourne had an outstanding third quarter, and the question was whether they could maintain their quick run-and-carry style game in the fourth – and if Collingwood would let them. Halfway through the fourth quarter, Melbourne was only six points ahead. Demon Shelley Scott had marked in the forward pocket, and looked ready to take a set shot at goal before playing on and snapping the ball. It bounced over the unguarded goal line, without a Collingwood player in sight. The questions had been answered, and Melbourne was 12 points in front, on its way to a win and a 38-point turnaround. It could be a nervous wait for… Collingwood's Sophie Casey. The forward is known for being courageous in the air and hard at the footy, but landed a late, crude hit on Meg Downie. The Demon had tapped the ball forward, volleyball style, before Casey jumped off the ground, appeared to lift her elbow, and collected Downie in the jaw. She was knocked out, and play was stopped for several minutes as she was taken off the ground on a stretcher. Downie was later taken to hospital with concussion for further observation. Say what? "We have a certain style of footy we want to play, and get it into space and take the game on. I think when the chips were down at half-time, they had nothing to lose and went for it. That's when it started to click and they began to believe in each other." - Melbourne coach Mick Stinear "We didn't play the full 70 minutes, as per the Carlton match. Our last seven or eight minutes we gave away too many uncontested marks, and allowed them to have too many easy shots at goal, which is unacceptable at this level." - Collingwood coach Wayne Siekman What's next? Collingwood hits the road for the first time and will be desperate for its first win, taking on the Brisbane Lions at South Pine Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon at 3.35pm AEDT. Melbourne heads to Whitten Oval to face the Western Bulldogs in a match of the AFLW pioneers. The game, on Saturday night at 7.40pm AEDT, will follow the men's corresponding JLT Community Series match. Ultimate frisbee champion Cat Phillips proved the value of AFLW teams casting their recruiting nets wide, when she booted two impressive goals to help Melbourne to their first win of the season. She played as though she had a lifetime of football under her belt at Ikon Park on Saturday night, showing an uncanny ability to find the goals. Skipper Daisy Pearce was dynamic at half-back, every bit the league super star who got more of the ball than any other player. Much-loved by Melbourne fans, Pearce was everywhere the team needed her to be when she spearheaded the Dees' comeback in the second half. But Collingwood had their opportunities. They led by three goals at half-time and were playing a tough, relentless brand of football only to fade in the second half. A downside for the Demons was Meg Downie being stretchered off in the final term after copping a high hit. She was taken to hospital as a precaution. The side rallied however, their endeavour showcasing the strengths of the competition. Both Collingwood and Melbourne suffered heavy losses in round one, managing just one major score apiece for their entire matches. But facing each other, they were highly competitive. They scored often and played with excitement and flair. It is too early to write off either of these Victorian teams. The league's opening match between Carlton and Collingwood at the same ground was an emphatic success – security guards were forced to turn about 2000 angry punters away when the stands filled up halfway through the first quarter. The Pies' round two match against Melbourne did not attract quite the same crowd, with the 24,000-capacity ground about half full. But there was a sense of excitement about the place and enough of a crowd to give a resounding roar as the Dees' theme song rang out across Carlton. Both teams' goalkicking was a highlight. The forwards were daring and they kicked accurately. Collingwood got off to a strong start when star forward Moana Hope pulled in a strong mark at the 50-metre line, looked ready to take a shot then snuck a pass to Caitlyn Edwards, who kicked an easy goal. Hope followed up with a goal of her own just minutes later, with an around the body shot, under pressure, which with a good helping of luck bounced through. Dees tall forward Jessica Anderson got her team on the board with a lovely goal on the run, setting the game up to be a competitive affair. Collingwood beat Melbourne through the centre in the first half. Captain Stephanie Chiocci was particularly dynamic for the Pies early on, but she notched up most of her possessions in the first half. Collingwood recruited some particularly strong players into their forward line and the strategy paid off on Saturday night, when the likes of Jessica Cameron and Hope had opportunities to shine. But in the third quarter, the tide turned and it turned quickly. With a burst of energy, Melbourne found a way to break through some of the stoppages around the edges of the ground and send the ball flying into their forward 50. Pearce came to life, with stamina and skills unsurpassed by any other player on the ground. Why Melbourne won the game Melbourne had superior stamina to Collingwood, seeming to find a second wind in the third quarter when the 'Pies began to fade. Collingwood dominated the hit outs, but the Dees led the possession count 184 to 164 and used the ball more cleanly. Melbourne were highly skilful when in their forward 50, working together well to set up some spectacular goals. The play of the game Jessica Anderson booted a long ball down the ground and into the goal square. After a scramble where Collingwood's defenders almost managed to rush a behind, Alyssa Mifsud got her hands on the ball and, seemingly out of nowhere, kicked a spectacular snap-shoot goal to put the Dees in front for the first time. The moment that people will talk about Cat Phillips kicked a magical goal around her body, from the boundary line early in the third quarter that ignited the crowd and injected a new energy into the Melbourne team. A game-changing moment and one destined for the end-of season highlights package. What the win/loss means for the teams Both teams approached the match keen to record their first win the season. Melbourne, lead by possibly's AFLW's best player in Daisy Pearce, shook off any nerves to prove they are still a team to watch in this competition. But the Pies showed much more composure and promise than in round one. They now need to work on maintaining their pressure throughout four quarters. |
COLLINGWOOD have been kept scoreless in the second half as Melbourne stormed home to claim its first AFLW win. The Magpies were well on top at half-time leading by 19 points before the Demons' charge, that saw them run out 7.2 (44) to 4.1 (25) winners. Collingwood's season now looks over at 0-2 after losing to arch-rivals Carlton in Round 1 while Melbourne's Grand Final hopes are still alive at 1-1. Mo was moving early After a subdued start to her AFLW career, Moana Hope wasn't going to go quietly on Saturday night. Just two minutes in Hope marked just outside 50. She drove the ball into the pocket where teammate Sarah D'Arcy gathered. Hope then snuck forward and marked again. She had every right to go for the shot, but instead picked out Caitlyn Edwards who then had an easy six points. Not long after Hope led strongly in front of Mia-Rae Clifford and took another text book mark and goal. The Demons sent top class defender Mel Hickey to her late in the first and it quelled her influence. She ended the match with the same number of touches she had in Round 1, four. Score and score fast is the key The Demons looked a different team in the third term. Top liners Mel Hickey, Karen Paxman and Daisy Pearce all got moving. Cat Phillips, the ultimate Frisbee player, showed speed and agility and was crucial to the scintillating 4.1 quarter as the Demons took the lead for the first time in the match. The big knock on the Dees was their lack of a forward line. But on Saturday night Jess Anderson presented better and Alyssa Mifsud got her hands on it. But it was more about the fast ball movement, thanks largely to Pearce and Paxman, which allowed them to score. Did we need to move the game from Olympic Park? Yes, the 6917 would have been spilling out of the 5000-capacity Olympic Park. It's interesting to see which clubs have the most fans. Carlton drew almost 8,000 after its family day and the Bulldogs had just over 7,500 for their clash against the Crows. The Dockers have their first home game this afternoon, going head-to-head with the W-League Grand Final. How harsh will the MRP be? Three players were suspended after Round 1 and this week, Collingwood's Sophie Casey appears in trouble. Her late hit on Meg Downie required an unconscious Downie to be stretchered off with a neck brace. Casey didn't have her eyes on the ball and raised her elbow to Downie's head. Melbourne coach Mick Stinear said Downie had been cleared of any serious damage by medical staff but was being sent to hospital after the head knock. "Still a heavy concussion," Stinear said. "Fingers crossed she continues to improve." Who won't be playing the last Saturday in March It's seems harsh that a season could be over by Round 2, but that's the way it looks for GWS and Collingwood in this seven-week home-and-away competition. With just the top two qualifying for the Grand Final, two losses, like Collingwood and GWS have suffered in the opening rounds, puts sides behind the preverbial eight ball. Adelaide is unbeaten and after its impressive showing on Friday night against the Bulldogs, it's hard to see the Crows dropping a match. The Blues were tested by the Giants but responded and are also unbeaten. If you're lucky a club might be able to drop one game and still make the Grand Final. When the lights go out You don't call the game off, not in AFLW. The temporary lighting in one of the pockets went off in the third term. The crowd tried its best to help, waving their lit phones. The lights were re-set at the last break and returned to their full glow for the last quarter. Collingwood AFLW coach Wayne Siekman has lamented a disappointing second half as his side succumbed to their second straight loss, going down to Melbourne by 19 points at Ikon Park on Saturday night. After outplaying Melbourne in the first half and leading four goals to one at the long break, the Demons piled on four unanswered goals in the third term, and eventually ran out the game stronger to come away with a 7.2 (44) to 4.1 (25) victory. In a similar vein to last week's loss against Carlton, Siekman says his team didn't play out the full 70 minutes. "They outworked us tonight," Siekman told the media post-game at his press-conference. "The message to our players at half time was to be conscious of Melbourne breaking the game open. "Melbourne came out and executed their game plan perfectly in the second half. Full credit to their players and their coaching staff for being able to do that." The Magpies' disposal efficiency going into the forward 50 was the highlight of the first half, as Moana Hope, Emma Grant, Jess Cameron and Steph Chiocci got the scoreboard ticking over with accurate set shots at goal. But after a scoreless second half, Siekman said his side "needed to take more risks". "We weren't brave enough or willing to take the game on after half time. We outplayed them convincingly in the first half, but we couldn't manufacture that after the break." The forward group were starved of opportunities in the second half and this ultimately cost the side's first victory in the AFLW competition. "Our forwards couldn't do much when the ball doesn't get down there," Siekman said post-game. "Sarah D'Arcy hits up the footy and she's been a real positive in our forward line. Alicia Eva was great tonight, her work rate was exceptional. Moana Hope was up and about, but we just didn't get her the chances in the second half." "In the middle, Amelia Barden was great, and ruckman Emma King rebounded well after last week and gave her first use of the football in the first half." In the short, seven-week AFLW competition, the Magpies will need to win their last five games to have any chance of making the Grand Final. "There's a small window now, we can't afford anymore errors. 5-2 and a good percentage gives you a chance to get there. It we lose, that's it. We need to win the last five matches to give ourselves a chance." The Magpies head to Queensland next week to face-off against the Brisbane Lions in a Saturday-night blockbuster. This will mark the first away trip for the AFLW team, and Siekman says he is excited by the opportunity. "To get on a road trip and get on a plane will be great for our team." "I'm really looking forward to next week, heading up north to meet Brisbane."
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