The Brisbane Lions have booked their date at the MCG next weekend with a resounding performance against an understrength Collingwood side.
Yes, the quest for back-to-back is alive for another week – the Lions could’ve wrapped the game up by quarter time if it weren’t for inaccuracy in front of goal. After quarter time, they found their accuracy and found a gap by half time that the Pies simply could not catch.
It was a brave effort by Collingwood considering what has happened to other clubs that were ransacked by Covid earlier in the season.
Also consider that they missed Bri Davey, Brittany Bonnici, Jordyn Allen, Sophie Casey, Aishling Sheridan, and Eliza James – six of the best 21 in this team – and suddenly the margin of 50 points doesn’t sound that bad, given that Brisbane kicked four goals in the last quarter when the game was basically decided and the Pies looked completely gassed.
This was a game that had a lot of spot fires around the ground – players picking off the opposition off the ball and the niggles, pushes and shoves as the game progressed. It was quite refreshing to see, and I might be in the minority of AFLW fans that want to see more of this kind of stuff – games that have some feeling.
Brisbane and Collingwood have had some history over the past 12 months and this game may have just established just how hot this rivalry will be over the next few years, that’s if expansion doesn’t wreck the Pies first.
Oscillating Orla
Orla O’Dwyer is the best winger in this competition right now. I dare someone to come out and challenge me on that statement.
Consistently speaking, she has been amazing all year long with her speed, aerobic capacity and her ability to hold the line and not get sucked into the play and there was more of the same in this game. The Lions had winners on every line, but very few had the impact with her disposals in the manner that O’Dwyer did.
I’d love to know how often she got involved with scoring chains, I reckon she had a hand in at least five separate occasions where Orla’s speed broke apart the Collingwood defence and gave her forwards the silver service that has been handed to them by the midfields so often this season.
She even got on the end of one goal herself – a cracking kick from outside the 50-metre arc that got the good bounce in the goal square, the cherry on top of what was a very good game from her. That’s Orla to a tee – she loves taking the game on and she doesn’t hesitate to get others involved if she can help it.
Watching her and Sophie Conway on the other wing, it’s going to cause a lot of problems for Melbourne next week – 18 disposals, one goal and a game-high 392 metres gained from Orla in this game to go with Conway’s 15 disposals, three tackles and 368 metres gained.
Oh and it’s great to see the team at Channel Seven try to milk the storyline of Orla’s parents coming to watch her play for the first time – in the span of 90 minutes, it nearly got done to death the same way that ad about Tyla Hanks, which told us that she used to work at Bunnings – great stuff to hear, but we don’t need it drilled in every time she gets the ball.
Just Another Victim
Brisbane’s midfield mauled the Pies in this game and the numbers back it up significantly; +41 in contested possessions, +14 clearances, +15 in tackles and +24 in inside 50s.
Whilst it’s a given that the Collingwood midfield sorely missed the presence of both Davey and Bonnici in there, Jaimee Lambert has been in very good touch this year. So, did it surprise anyone to see Cathy Svarc start alongside her at the centre bounce to start the game? Be honest with yourself here.
Svarc has been a little looser with her run-with jobs this season, with Craig Starcevich allowing her to play more of an attacking role, being able to run out of stoppage and connect with the other on-ballers – I touched on how good the trio of Emily Bates, Ally Anderson and Belle Dawes were against the Bulldogs in the final round of the home and away season, and all of them were very good again without actually tearing the game apart.
In amidst all of that, I almost forgot about just how much influence Svarc can have on this on-ball brigade. Assigned the job on Lambert from the outset, the Collingwood star looked very agitated from the get-go, and you can see through every contest, Lambert was often denied the space she is often allowed to make things happen.
Svarc has got the strength and the discipline to know that you hold her accountable first before you run off and make the play and you can tell that Lambert got very frustrated with the tag as the game went on, trying to start fights with anyone willing to lend an ear, and she is fiery at the best of times. Lambert was held to 12 disposals in this game, a season low for her. Meanwhile, Svarc finished with 13 disposals, 11 of those coming from contested spaces, as well as four clearances and seven tackles for the game.
Svarc is arguably one of my favourite Lions in this side. She’s built so strongly and has got the fitness base and a steadily building knowledge for how to play the game. I can already see Starce drawing plans for who to send her to next week – Tyla Hanks, what have you got for her?
I Am The Wardlaw
Every week there seems to be a Brisbane forward that is thrust into the spotlight – this week was Jesse Wardlaw’s turn, she was massive in this game.
Collingwood’s defensive unit has been stretched at times this season, Ash Brazill turned to her netball career, whilst losing Jordyn Allen and Sophie Casey this week are also structurally vital pieces to the Collingwood backline. It forced Stacey Livingstone, Ruby Schleicher and Lauren Butler to all be more accountable on their direct opponents.
And Wardlaw started well early, impacting contests, taking a couple of good grabs and being able to hit the scoreboard early. I get the sense that she’s a momentum-based player, much like Tayla Harris; if they get going early, good luck trying to stop them.
Whilst it won’t statistically go down as a career-best day for Wardlaw, I think the commentators on Seven were onto it in saying that she was the best forward on the ground for both teams. Because she was able to at least get the ball to ground for her small forwards to get involved in it, and some of her second efforts were pretty good too – a stark contrast to last season when she struggled to really get involved.
Wardlaw kicked 2.1 from 10 disposals and four marks, and whilst she didn’t record a tackle in this game, she did work very hard defensively to try and stifle Collingwood’s run and gun approach from the defensive half.
Rockin’ Ruby
I think it’s fair to say without Ruby Schleicher, the Pies would’ve lost by more.
The Lions went inside the 50-metre arc 45 times during this game in return for 20 scoring shots, and probably a few others that didn’t register a score. Schleicher did what she could to hold it down as often as she could, but the fact of the matter is, the Pies broke down in a lot of other components around the ground.
She took a few strong grabs in the third quarter to try and stem the tide, she was trying to run off her direct opponents as often as she could to provide outlets, but it was often brought to no avail as the Pies further afield lacked the poise to handle such hot pressure from the Lions.
I would’ve loved to have heard the conversation between her and Dakota Davidson in that third quarter, the crowd loved watching her put off Amelia Velardo, only to see her and a few other Pies, including Schleicher who seemed quite vocal about it, give it right back – this is the kind of fire we’ve been missing.
Schleicher’s game reads 16 disposals, eight of those contested possessions, she also recorded as well as 312 metres gained, five tackles and four marks. A solid afternoon’s work in a defence that was under siege for most of the match.
Standing Up In The Middle For The Pies
My colleague and good friend from the A3 Footy Podcast, Alex Miller had this discussion about Chloe Molloy during the week – what do you do with her?
She’s had some adversity dealt her way this season, the back issues well and truly documented, but she’s still managed some very good performances. Her history against Brisbane and specifically Breanna Koenen has been documented over the past year, but it’s good to see Steve Symonds deploy her somewhere else in this game and have her play predominantly in the midfield.
As mentioned above, the Pies got smashed in a lot of key areas around the ground, but individually, Molloy was solid across the ground in general play. It does rob the team of that genuine x-factor talent closer to goals, but I am of the belief that when Molloy does get her hands on the football, good things often happen.
She worked hard for her 18 disposals this week, but I thought her willingness to run and spread through the contest was apparent in this game. I also thought Mikala Cann played a very strong effort around the stoppages in this game, but the midfield depth Collingwood had was terribly exposed against a finer midfield unit.
But it wasn’t through a lack of effort on the part of either Cann or Molloy. Cann has had a very impressive month of footy and once again racked up 20 disposals and seven tackles trying to work off Emily Bates, whilst Molloy had 18 disposals and kicked a goal in the last quarter, intent on trying to keep the ball moving at every chance.
Other Bits
It may have been Sarah Rowe’s last game as a Pie as she entertains an offer to move North to Sydney, but she played a very lazy game. Hacked balls without thought, a couple of fresh air kicks and a defensive effort that would’ve made James Stewart spin in his hammock.
How good is having your debut in a final? Maggie Harmer was a late inclusion and had a few shaky moments – expected when you debut in a final, but also showed some signs why the Lions rated her highly.
Through limited opportunities, Sabrina Frederick gave it a fair crack I thought. Kicked a very nice goal from out of nothing and presented well – looks to be playing smarter and not harder, which is good, because she’ll blow up quite quickly if she pushed up and back.
In saying that though, I’ve got to commend the work of Shannon Campbell and Phoebe Monahan, both worked off her at various points in the game and had a bit to say when they were rebounding the ball out of defence.
Wow, Sophie Alexander a donuts game – zero disposals, zero tackles, zero anything, didn’t get injured either, so that makes things a lot worse.
The pair of Emily Bates and Belle Dawes combined for 11 clearances in this game. Dawes however, was doing plenty of link-up work around the ground too, including a very courageous mark against the flight – She’s coming into her own at the right time of the season.
Where does the improvement at Collingwood come from next season? Especially if we’re to restart in August as planned by the league. Abbi Moloney, Imogen Barnett, Ebony O’Dea, Bella Smith, Eloise Chaston – these are fringe players and showed it against the Lions, all of them really struggled to impact on the contest.
Tahlia Hickie smashed Alison Downie in the ruck hitouts this week 26-12. The biggest thing with her game this weekend was her follow-up work in the contest, she laid seven tackles which is, along with Cann and Svarc, the most of any on the ground.
Thought the work of Aleisha Newman in this game was okay. I’ve been a big critic of hers for the longest time but looked dangerous often when the ball came down the forward line. Got a good goal on the back of capitalising on a rare error by Nat Grider.
I loved the crowd’s reaction to Davidson putting off Amelia Velardo with the little dance, I’ve known it for a while, but fans up in Brisbane really get into their women’s team, Davidson is one of those players who thrives on the crowd, doesn’t mind copping some heat from the opposition too by the sounds of it.
And on that, there’s the review done for this week. Two cracking preliminary finals set up for next weekend, with Brisbane taking on Melbourne at the MCG – the first time the venue has held a women’s match since the exhibition games, and what a time to host a game, considering just how close the result was the last time these two teams met.
Don’t forget about the other game; I think these two have the best defensive units in the competition, as Adelaide host Fremantle at the Adelaide Oval. We have got ourselves a brilliant weekend for women’s football ahead, if you can get to either game, make it your mission to do so.