| AFLW GRAND FINAL BRISBANE v ADELAIDE Time & Place: Saturday March 25, 12.00pm EDT Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast TV: 7mate Weather: Min 22 Max 28 Chance of rain 80%: 1-5mm Wind: ESE 25kph Betting: Brisbane $1.77 Adelaide $2.05 |
COLLINGWOOD 2.1.13 4.1.25 7.3.45 7.4.46
GOALS - Collingwood: Cameron 2, Hope 2, Garner, Tesorirero, Eva
BEST - Collingwood: Chiocci, King, D'Arcy, Cameron, Eva, Hope
INJURIES - Collingwood: Nil
REPORTS - Collingwood: Nil
OFFICIAL CROWD: 2500 at Olympic Park Oval
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Collingwood women's coach Wayne Siekman says the historic first AFLW season has been an incredible learning experience for his players. Following the Magpies' 24-point loss to Adelaide on Sunday afternoon at the Holden Centre, Collingwood officially finished their inaugural campaign with a 3-4 record, with Siekman describing his team's third quarter fightback as "breaktaking" against the grand final bound Crows. "It was an interesting game. We rate Adelaide as the best team in the competition. They set up well, and they are very well coached," Siekman told the media in his post-match press conference. "We were really looking forward to the challenge. We matched them early, but they got on top. I asked my players at half time for a really big effort. "They had thrown everything at us at, so I wanted to see what this group is made of. Their response in the third quarter was simply breathtaking. "Today showed that we're on the right track. That was probably our best football in that third quarter. But the Crows were too good, and full credit to them." Following the long break, Collingwood came out firing, kicking three goals to take in a seven-point lead to the three-quarter time break. But with Adelaide's finals hopes on the line, the Crows stormed home with the victory, despite it being a tightly contested all day. "Coaching from the bench, you try to motivate your players and keep them in the game. That has really worked well for us since we made that decision in round three. "The scoreboard probably didn't reflect the margin of the game." Australian cricketer Jess Cameron was among Collingwood's best players, with Siekman crediting his small forward for her positive mindset following her momentum changing behind which she kicked in the final term. "I love her attitude. She has been playing cricket, and she's an elite athlete already. But having opportunities and pressure, it's great. That's what the competition is all about." Captain Steph Chiocci led from the front on the field, competing in the midfield with 13 disposals and five tackles. Forward Sarah D'Arcy had strong game, amassing 13 disposals and two marks, while veteran leaders Alicia Eva and Meg Hutchins collected 11 disposals a piece. Siekman says he had partly reflected on his side's season yesterday, after Melbourne defeated Fremantle, in turn eliminating Collingwood from the Grand Final. "In a seven-week season, if you don't take your opportunities, you get hurt. It's been a really good learning experience for our squad. For next year, we know we can't have any lapses in concentration." Siekman says he would like to see a top four finals series in the AFLW 2018 season, as players and teams continue to progress. "The reason why the AFL didn't put in a finals series is because they didn't know it was going to be this good. It's been a hit. Imagine how many people would turn up next year (if there was a top four finals series). As we've seen in the competition, every team last week could've been playing for a top four spot." "The scoring has gone up this round. The players are learning. They've been in an elite environment for the first time, so they are learning the day in and day out of what an athlete looks like. They get reviews, they are doing recoveries and learning what to do to prepare for the game. The competition will get bigger and better next year." Following Sunday's game, Collingwood women's season has officially come to an end, with the players set report to the club next week. "Next week, every player will come in and have an exit interview. They'll go through their positives, and what they need to continue to work on. We will then do a medical on them, and then going forward, we will wait to hear back on the AFL about the list retention in 2018." "At the moment, where it stands, we'll be able to retain up to 20 players on our list. But we're not sure when that decision by the AFL will be made, or what that will look like. After that, we can start making list decisions for next year." ADELAIDE is into the inaugural AFLW grand final after a thrilling come-from-behind win over Collingwood in Melbourne on Sunday. The Crows surrendered a 13-point half-time lead and looked gone early in the last quarter when they fell behind by seven points. But up stepped full forward Sarah 'Tex' Perkins and mercurial onballer Erin Phillips who both kicked two final quarter goals to set up the 24-point win. It means the Crows will finish the regular season in second spot on the ladder and play Brisbane in the grand final – most likely at the Gabba – next Saturday, March 25. Sunday's game began to mirror Adelaide's season with the Crows getting off to a good start only to fade after half-time as they went scoreless in the third term. But a huge final quarter saw them snap a two-game losing streak to deny Melbourne a spot in the grand final on percentage. They finished the game full of running and kicked five unanswered goals at Olympic Park which is sure to send them into next week's grand final on a wave of momentum. The only major concern from the win was a suspected concussion to key defender Courtney Cramey who was helped from the ground in the first quarter after a clash of heads, and did not return. "Not bad for a team that wasn't going to be up there was it," Perkins told Fox Footy post-match. "I can't explain (the feeling) to be honest, I had a pretty tough journey to get here but I can't thank Bec Goddard, the Adelaide Crows and the girls enough to have faith in me." Asked about Phillips' game-breaking performance, Perkins described it as "amazing". "She's one of a kind, we are very lucky to have her, big game, big player … it's pretty amazing isn't it." |
Overlooked by all Victorian clubs on draft day, cult hero Sarah Perkins made her most significant impact of the inaugural AFLW season, booting four vital goals against Collingwood on Sunday to book Adelaide a place in the first national women's league grand final and inflict a new kind of heartbreak on Melbourne. The Crows will travel to Brisbane to face the Lions at the Gabba on Saturday after kicking five goals to nil in the final term at Olympic Park Oval, ultimately beating the in-form Pies by 24 points after a compelling and topsy-turvy encounter. Why Adelaide won the game The Melbourne players in the crowd of 2500 could have been forgiven for moving towards the queue for beers at half time to get their Mad Monday started. With spearhead Perkins proving to be an immoveable presence in attack, Adelaide looked to have shrugged off poor first half kicking and a persistent Collingwood outfit searching for a fourth win in a row. But having dominated the inside 50 count 20-6 to the long break, the Crows inexplicably fell in a hole, as the Pies began to win the midfield battle, keeping Adelaide scoreless in the third term and working their way to a seven-point lead at three-quarter time, helped in no small part by the output of marquee forward Moana Hope. But sensing the urgency of the situation, the Crows lifted again, with Perkins kicking two crucial goals to swing the ascendancy back towards her side. From there Adelaide ran away with the game, equalling Melbourne's record score set a day earlier at Casey Fields against Fremantle. The play of the game With the Crows missing three chances in early minutes, they needed a settler. Star Erin Phillips provided it. Rhiannon Metcalfe gathered as the ball dropped from a marking contest at right half-forward, dishing it off by hand to Chelsea Randall who sent the ball to full forward where Phillips was waiting at the feet of the pack. She found space, steadied, and snapped a textbook crumbing goal. Co-captain Phillips would add another spectacular moment in the final quarter too when she sent through a running goal from 50 metres. The moment that people will talk about Having turned the tables on the Crows in the third quarter, Collingwood had all the momentum, and had a chance to extend their lead to 13 points via a Jess Cameron set shot moments into the final term. But Cameron missed from 35 metres, and the Crows took it down the other end. Jenna McCormick sent the ball long to full forward, where Perkins was one-out against Pie Stacey Livingstone. The burly Crow gathered and sent it through from close range, celebrating with an exuberant leap into the air. What the result means for the teams The Crows dislodged the Demons to win finish second on the ladder and book a grand final date with the Lions, who pipped them by three points a fortnight ago in Norwood. After a slow start to the season, the Pies won back some admirers with three wins in the final four weeks of the season, something to build on for 2018. ADELAIDE has booked its spot in the inaugural NAB AFL Women's Grand Final against the Brisbane Lions, with a come-from-behind 24-point win over Collingwood at Olympic Park Oval on Sunday afternoon. The Crows were led superbly by cult figure Sarah 'Tex' Perkins and MVP contender Erin Phillips, who booted seven goals between them in the inspired 10.10 (70) to 7.4 (46) victory. Phillips finished with a game-high 21 disposals and three goals, two of them coming when the game was on the line in the final term. Perkins was equally influential, particularly early in the game as she put together a sensational second-quarter burst that saw her collect seven disposals, take three marks and boot a goal to give her side the ascendancy at half-time. Midfielder Ebony Marinoff was also pivotal in the victory, thriving around stoppages to finish with 17 disposals and 11 tackles. The Crows had to beat the Magpies to earn a place in the decider after Melbourne's comprehensive win over Fremantle saw the Demons leap up to second position on the ladder. Melbourne's women's players watching on would have been buoyed by the Magpies' third-quarter comeback, as Collingwood took a seven-point buffer into three-quarter time. Captain Steph Chiocci (13 touches) and Sarah D'Arcy (13) were typically productive in the third quarter, while former Australian cricketer Jess Cameron and marquee forward Mo Hope each finished with two goals. But thanks largely to Phillips and Perkins, the Crows kicked five goals to nil in the final term to win their way into next Saturday's Grand Final.
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