COLLINGWOOD 3.0.18 4.1.25 5.1.31 5.2.32
FREMANTLE 2.1.13 2.1.13 4.2.26 4.7.31
GOALS - Collingwood: White, Hope, McIntosh, Cameron, Eva
BEST - Collingwood: Kuys, Stevens, Eva, King
INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
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Collingwood has won a thrilling encounter against Fremantle by one point in stifling conditions at Rushton Park on Saturday. After trading blows in the early stages of the first quarter, Collingwood booted four consecutive goals to enter the long break with a 12-point lead. Fremantle hit the front early in the third term with two quick goals, but the Magpies replied through Alicia Eva and held firm under a barrage of forward 50 entries to record their second AFL Women's win. Collingwood coach Wayne Siekman said he was proud his team was able to overcome challenges with heat – much of Saturday's game was played in temperatures in excess of 30-degrees – and travelling. "I think the time difference is quite a tricky one," Siekman said. "We woke up early to try and make this a 1.30 (pm) game and not a 10.30 (am) game." "They were pretty cooked halfway through the second quarter. For the whole of the third quarter, you could see when they came off they had a towel around their head on the bench. "A couple of players couldn't go back on for two or three minutes, so they needed more time." Siekman said he expected the Dockers to start strongly, but thought his side could expose Fremantle in the third and fourth terms – a period in which Cowan's side has typically struggled to compete. "Fremantle always start games well and they always start the quarters well, but what's happened in the last few weeks [is that] their second halves have fallen off a fraction because pressure is applied," Siekman said. "Today they rose to another level… They were quite loud and vocal." "We were just trying to control that footy and we did it well for the last 60 or 70 seconds." Dockers coach Michelle Cowan lamented her side's inability to play out the full match, but preached optimism ahead of next week's match against Carlton at Domain Stadium. She said a 10-minute period either side of quarter-time – during which Collingwood kicked four unanswered goals – was costly for her team. "You've got to play four quarters and that lapse in 10 minutes probably hurt us a little bit," Cowan said. With the victory, the Magpies' slim chances of reaching the AFLW Grand Final remain alive, while Fremantle is still yet to register its first win. It was over when… Moana Hope stepped up, but this time in defence. The Collingwood spearhead had a quiet day in front of goal, watched closely by Fremantle defender Tayla Bresland. But her most valuable contribution came at the other end of the ground when Fremantle, one point in arrears, was fighting hard for the lead. With the ball sent skyward towards the Dockers' 50 metre arc, Hope ran courageously back with the flight to reel in a strong mark and soak up the final few seconds left in the match. The siren sounded and the Magpies claimed a win by the barest of margins. Work in progress Their endeavour cannot be discredited, but Fremantle lacked polish. The Dockers finished the match with more disposals, clearances, inside 50s, marks inside 50, contested possessions and tackles than their opponents, but were hurt by an inability to convert their chances. Conversely, Collingwood scored from seven of its 15 inside 50s and moved the ball cleanly forward of centre. Five minutes of madness With its dominance at clearances, Fremantle spent large portions of the final quarter in attack. Many of the Dockers' forwards were finding themselves in likely goal kicking positions, only to be thwarted by the Magpies' rigid defensive structure and fervent attack on the ball-carrier. What unfolded was a goalless final term, with Collingwood's sole fourth quarter scoring shot the difference. Who's that? Though she may not be one of Collingwood's more recognised players, Melissa Kuys had a telling impact on the game. Kuys came off the interchange bench to amass 17 possessions and four marks in the backline and midfield. Her fitness stood out in the 32-degree heat and her 14 kicks were largely used to good effect. On a day when marquee signings Hope and Emma King had just nine possessions between them, Kuys' efforts were even more important. Say what? "It was good to see that we could hang on and show a bit of resilience which is a positive thing for this team." - Collingwood coach Wayne Siekman "Statistically we probably should win the game, but I thought Collingwood fought really hard throughout the four quarters and held on to win deservingly." - Fremantle coach Michelle Cowan What's next? The Magpies cannot afford to lose another match and need results to fall perfectly their way for any chance to feature in the AFLW Grand Final on March 25. Their next challenge is to overcome the Giants at the Holden Centre next Saturday. The match is set to start at 11.05 EDT. Collingwood have claimed a second consecutive win with a hard fought one-point victory over Fremantle in hot conditions at Rushton Park. Collingwood kicked three consecutive goals either side of quarter-time but Fremantle responded with two quick majors to start the second half in the heat, in Mandurah, to set up an exciting finish. The Dockers were chasing their first win of the AFLW competition but it wasn't to be with the Magpies holding on for a 5.2 (32) to 4.7 (31) victory to improve to a 2-3 record. Nicola Stevens racked up 18 possessions and six marks for Collingwood with Melissa Kuys gathering 17 disposals. Lara Filocamo had 21 disposals for the Dockers, Dana Hooker 20 and Gemma Houghton 15. Tayla Bresland produced an impressive defensive job restricting Collingwood forward Moana Hope to just four kicks – for a goal and a behind. But Hope did take a crucial mark at half-back in the dying stages. It was a goal-fest early on with five in the first quarter, Collingwood kicking the last two to claim a five-point advantage. The only goal of the second quarter went the way of the Magpies' Cameron as they led by 12 at the main break. As the temperature moved beyond 30 degrees, the Dockers started the second half on fire with two goals in a minute to Houghton and Amy Lavell as they regained a one-point lead. Alicia Eva ran on to a ball in the goal square and soccered it through just before three quarter-time to put Collingwood back on top by five points. Fremantle continued to push in the last quarter and had several good chances to move in front but the Pies survived to claim victory by the barest of margins. |
COLLINGWOOD have kept their AFL Women's finals hopes alive with a hard fought one-point victory over Fremantle in hot conditions at Rushton Park. Collingwood kicked three consecutive goals either side of quarter-time but Fremantle responded with two quick majors to start the second half in the heat, in Mandurah, to set up an exciting finish. The Dockers were chasing their first win of the AFLW competition but it wasn't to be with the Magpies holding on for a 5.2 (32) to 4.7 (31) victory to improve to a 2-3 record. Nicola Stevens racked up 18 possessions and six marks for Collingwood with Melissa Kuys gathering 17 disposals. Lara Filocamo had 21 disposals for the Dockers, Dana Hooker 20 and Gemma Houghton 15. Tayla Bresland produced an impressive defensive job restricting Collingwood forward Moana Hope to just four kicks — for a goal and a behind. But Hope did take a crucial mark at half-back in the dying stages. It was a goal-fest early on with five in the first quarter. Collingwood kicking the last two to claim a five-point advantage. The only goal of the second quarter went the way of the Magpies' Cameron as they led by 12 at the main break. As the temperature moved beyond 30 degrees, the Dockers started the second half on fire with two goals in a minute to Houghton and Amy Lavell as they regained a one-point lead. Alicia Eva ran on to a ball in the goal square and soccered it through just before three quarter-time to put Collingwood back on top by five points. Fremantle continued to push in the last quarter and had several good chances to move in front but the Pies survived to claim victory by the barest of margins. Collingwood women's coach Wayne Siekman has praised his team's resiliency after the Magpies held on to a one-point victory against the Fremantle Dockers in hot and humid conditions in their round five clash on Saturday afternoon. The Magpies went into the final term with a five-point buffer, but it was the Dockers who stormed home at Rushton Park, but were ultimately unable to convert – kicking five behinds to one - to go down 5.2 (32) to 4.7 (31) at Rushton Park. Following a challenging three weeks, the Magpies have bounced back to win two on the trot, and Siekman said he is proud of his side's progression. "They (Fremantle) just came out us, and we hung on, which shows a bit of resilience from our football club, and that is a real positive for this team," he told the media at his post-match press-conference. "Every week, the girls are learning what an AFL program looks like – the training, the reviews, the recoveries. "They're learning how to push through AFL games, because the standard keeps getting better. "The opposition are getting better every week, and if you are not getting better, you are in a bit of trouble, so we are seeing good progression and good momentum from our side." The Collingwood Football Club travelled as one this weekend, with both the women's and men's teams jetting across the country for their respective AFLW and JLT Community Series games against Fremantle. With a 10:30am (WST) AFLW fixture, and trying conditions in 34 degrees heat to deal with, Siekman said the weekend had been a "good learning experience" for his side. "It's always good to win a game of footy. I think we're the first Victorian team to travel interstate and win so that's a good little moment for us." "The time difference was a little tricky…but it was a good learning experience. As the game went on you could see us fatiguing and getting tired – most likely due to the heat and and the road trip - but for the siren to go and be in front at the end of the day, well that was the plan going in, so that was a positive. "They were pretty cooked middle way through the second quarter, and certainly for the whole of the third quarter. The heat was pretty significant. It was quite sticky and humid. But both teams played through it so there are no excuses." Known for their ability to run out games, Fremantle had all of the momentum as the final quarter ticked over, but a steady and experienced Magpie defence held on to the slightest of margins to help Collingwood record their second win of the season. "Fremantle have a very good running side, and we got exposed against Melbourne in the second half in round two. We had a few plans in place today to try and control that run and control the footy and deny them the outside run. We did it well enough to get that result." "You need those experienced players in games like those. I thought our backline was incredible today. "Cecilia McIntosh was great for us today but had a bit of a tight hamstring. We could have put her back on, but we didn't want to take the risk so we iced her up which meant we only had five on the bench." Defenders Nicola Stevens (18 disposals, six marks) and Melissa Kuys (17 disposals, four marks) were the standout performers, while small forward Jess Cameron (12 possessions, five marks, one goal) and Alicia Eva (12 touches, five marks, three tackles and one goal) were also influential. Next week, the Magpies will look to win three in a row, as they meet the Greater Western Sydney Giants at the Holden Centre Oval at 11:05am on Sunday. "We have GWS next week who are coming off a good win, and we've won two in a row and are building some momentum towards the end of the year."
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