AFLW Round 3: Brisbane 27 Collingwood 23

THE FACTS

BRISBANE           1.2.8    2.2.14    3.2.20    4.3.27
COLLINGWOOD    0.0.0     0.4.4    2.4.16    3.5.23

GOALS - Collingwood: Cameron, Chiocci, D'Arcy

BEST - Collingwood: D'Arcy, Tesoriero, Stevens, Chiocci, Hutchins

INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil

REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil

OFFICIAL CROWD: 5,500 at South Pine Sports Complex

THE MEDIA

AFL THE BRISBANE Lions registered their third straight win in the NAB AFL Women's competition, condemning Collingwood to its third consecutive loss in the process. In front of a packed house at South Pine Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon, the Lions led for the entire game, in the end emerging 4.3 (27) to 3.5 (23) winners. The Pies surged in the third quarter to get within four points, but it was the inspiring effort of Kate McCarthy (two goals) which buoyed the Lions. Supported by skipper Emma Zielke and Kaitlyn Ashmore in the middle, McCarthy was given plenty of opportunity to show why she is one of the most explosive inside midfielders in the competition. Collingwood looked a different team in the second half, and had a chance to take the lead from a Moana Hope set shot late in the fourth but ultimately fell short. The win puts the undefeated Lions at the top of the AFL Women's ladder, while the Pies are anchored to the bottom after Fremantle and GWS earned their first competition points in a draw earlier in the day. The Lions will slip to second on percentage behind either the Crows or Carlton when the two other unbeaten sides meet to finish off round three on Sunday. Did you see that? Kate McCarthy, take a bow. The 23-year-old may have just scored the goal of the competition. After being fed the ball inside the centre square, the ex-Queensland sprint champion put the jets on, outrunning teammates and opposition alike. She took five bounces in her blistering run, travelling over half the field on a one-way trip to the goal square. Do yourself a favour and watch it here. The difference While Collingwood led most of the statistical measures, it was the key moments where the Lions stepped up and made the most of their opportunities. On two occasions, lightning quick turnovers in their back half allowed for Lions midfielders McCarthy and Ashmore to provide run and carry which both resulted in goals. From the winners' rooms After belting out the team song for the third consecutive week, the Lions are full of confidence going into next week's game against the Giants. The ladder now The Lions sit on top for now, but the winner of the Carlton and Adelaide clash on Sunday will displace them. GWS and Fremantle's drawn match means the luckless Pies are now the sole team at the bottom. Say what? "I think we were probably lucky, but full credit and we're very proud of them to hang in there and be able to compete to the end." Brisbane coach Craig Starcevich "As a coach I'm really proud of the group. Across the board everything was really positive, just not the result on the scoreboard at the end of the game." Collingwood coach Wayne Siekman What's next? Collingwood heads to Whitten Oval on Saturday night to take on the Western Bulldogs from 7:10pm (AEDT).                                  REAL FOOTY Former Australian representative sprinter Kate McCarthy kicked arguably the goal of the AFL Women's competition so far as the Brisbane Lions maintained their unbeaten record with a nailbiting four-point win over Collingwood. The 23-year-old, who had also played touch football for Australia and cricket for Queensland, switched on the afterburners with a stunning run-and-gun goal in Saturday's second quarter. Believed to be the only AFL player in history to wear a pacemaker, McCarthy left chasing Magpies opponents in her wake as she took five bounces from behind the centre circle all the way to the goal square before converting from point-blank range. She also kicked another in the last quarter to send the Lions on their way to a hard-fought 4.3 (27) to 3.5 (23) victory, with Collingwood still searching for their maiden AFLW win. "I picked it up and there was just a lot of wide open space so I thought, here's my chance to have a run," McCarthy said. "[The pacemaker] doesn't stop me at all. I was pretty tired at the end so we could blame it on that, but really it was just a long run that took a lot out of me." A strong wind favouring one side of the ground and tough 34 degree heat contributed to the low scoring. The Lions relished the conditions, dominated the first half and led by 10 points at half-time. Collingwood did not score a goal until midway through the third term, the team's first major in four quarters of football, having been held scoreless after quarter-time last week by Melbourne. The Magpies' marquee star Moana Hope finished with just two disposals, and also missed a set shot from a difficult angle in the last quarter that could have put her side in front. Coach Wayne Siekman said he would consider moving Hope further up the field to give her a better chance of making an impact on games. "Going through the numbers, we won every single area except the inside 50s and the scoreboard. We couldn't just quite get the reward," he said. Sarah D'Arcy was one of Collingwood's best in the loss to Brisbane.

SUPERFOOTY KATE McCarthy knows how to set hearts racing. She electrified the largely pro-Brisbane crowd on hand to watch the Lions' four point victory over Collingwood with a scorching five-bounce sprint that ended in the best goal of the AFLW so far. It was one of two goals she kicked to be the difference in the Lions' 4.3 (27) to 3.5 (23) victory over Collingwood in front of 5500 at the South Pine Sports Complex at Brendale. McCarthy is already an inspiration for being the first player in the AFLW to compete with a pacemaker. "It doesn't stop me at all,'' she said. "I was pretty tired at the end so we could blame it on that (pacemaker), but really it was just a long run that took a lot out of me.'' She is clearly also the competition's pacesetter. The Lions midfielder collected the ball just behind the centre circle midway through the second quarter and put the jets on, leaving a trail of defenders in her wake. Her pace was no secret to the competition given her resume as a former Australian touch football and track and field representative. And she's also a state cricketer. But to see it in action was something else. Rarely do players have multiple bounces unless they are out on a wing and there has been a switch of play. The 23-year-old's charge was straight through the middle of the ground. And no one laid a hand on her. For Collingwood fans it would have raised memories of one of their own, Phil Manassa who kicked the goal of the year in 1977 with a four bounce effort for the Pies. "I picked it up and there was just a lot of wide open space so I thought, here's my chance to have a run,'' she said. "I had a few bounces and got about 30m out and thought about kicking it but then thought. I'd better just be safe here so I had one more bounce.'' Her students at Clairvaux McKillop College will have something to talk about at school on Monday. "Some of the boys and a lot of the girls have been getting around me, that has been great,' she said. The Pies surged back in the third quarter and, with the aid of a strong wind in the final term looked capable of causing an upset. McCarthy gave the Lions the breathing space they needed with her second when she sprinted into space to get on the end of a handpass from Kaitlyn Ashmore who had broken trough from the middle of the ground with a powerful run of her own. Emma Zielke, Emily Bates, Leah Kaslar, Sabrina Frederick-Traub were other standouts for the Lions. The Pies were best served by D'Arcy and captain Stephanie Chiocci.                                  COLLINGWOOD NEWS The AFLW Magpies may not be flying home to Melbourne with the four points, but their best performance to date has coach Wayne Siekman confident the club's first win isn't far away. Collingwood came as close as they've been to securing victory in the AFLW, but ultimately were defeated by the hometown Brisbane Lions by four points in a thrilling fourth quarter finish at South Pine Complex in Queensland. Both teams battled it out in trying conditions - which saw temperatures reach a sizzling high of 36 degrees, as extreme winds and humidity also play a role in the contest. After a scoreless first quarter, the Pies stormed home in the second half but were unable to take the lead in the final term, going down 3.5 (23) to Brisbane 4.3 (27). Despite Collingwood's winless start to the competition, Siekman says he is "proud" of his team's improvement against the Lions. "It was a great effort," Siekman told the media in his post-match press-conference. "We came up here with a good game plan and a good attack and we won every single area except the inside-50 count and the scoreboard, and that's just part of the game. "This was the first game we've played the full four quarters and the effort was still there until the final siren sounded. As a coach, I'm very proud of this group." Forward Sarah D'Arcy reaffirmed her status as one of the best young forwards in the AFLW competition, backing up her first two impressive performances with another dominant 14 disposal, six mark, two tackle and one goal game. D'Arcy was the driving force behind Collingwood's third-quarter momentum swing, presenting across centre-half forward and working hard in tough conditions. After a disappointing third term fade-out against the Demons last week, the Pies kicked two goals into the breeze – thanks to Jess Cameron and skipper Steph Chiocci – to pull back and trail by four points heading into the final break. Despite the result, Siekman was full of praise for side's performance. "It was a tight contest all day, but we just couldn't quite get the reward on the scoreboard." "It was a huge improvement from last week, and as the season goes on we keep improving. "We just couldn't quite get across the line today." After being omitted from last week's game against Melbourne, Lauren Tesoriero returned to form, collecting 14 possessions and five tackles in the middle. Defender Nicola Stevens was another standout for the Magpies, amassing 13 disposals and five marks, including a courageous grab in defence in the final minutes of play. Next week, the Magpies hit the road again – this time, just down the freeway - to face the Western Bulldogs at VU Whitten Oval in a Saturday night blockbuster. After an improved performance against the Lions, Siekman says his team needs to take the next step to secure their first victory. "We have to keep finding that next edge to get over the line now. We had our first four quarter effort, and now we just need to find that extra 5-10% to get us across the line." "We want players to come in and play their role and represent the club (like Georgia Walker did today), and if they do that, we'll get our first win. "We set up the best side to play the opposition every week. We'll look at the Bulldogs and what they do well, and well pick a side that we think that could go in and beat them."