Excellent question. Here’s the answer to the question you didn’t ask: access to the Cookson and Reynolds stands does not need a special ticket.
Just get there early… the article doesn’t state a gate-opening time, though!
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Sunday game, so another 24 hours to wait.
ESSENDON
In: D.Marshall, L.Cutting, A.Barba ← the emergencies last week
Out: None
ST KILDA
In: D.Guttridge, D.Jolliffe, N.Exon
Out: None
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MORCS not ready yet.
Gee CHF, Toogood banished to a flank.
| B: | 36. Brown | 14. Gamble | ||
| HB: | 7. Jacques | 27. Van De Heuvel | 26. Van Loon | |
| C: | 33. Clarke | 4. Prespakis | 27. Van De Heuvel | |
| HF: | 8. Toogood | 2. Gee | 10. Vogt | |
| F: | 24. Alexander | 3. Bannister | ||
| Foll: | 30. Wales | 20. Cain | 32. Scott | |
| Int: | 21. Wuetschner | 17. Clarke | 5. Nanscawen | 22. Radford |
| 9. Walker | 6. Marshall | 18. Cutting | 11. Barba |
Too much AFLM ■■■■ cluttering news sources. Give us clear air!
Nat Exon and Deanna Jolliffe could potentially make their first appearances of the season this Sunday, with the pair being added to the squad for Round 2 against Essendon.
The 40-gamer Exon was last seen in club colours during last season’s Round 9 win over Port Adelaide, while Jolliffe missed the opening round of season 2023 after making six appearances in her debut campaign.
| B | Natalie Plane | Bianca Jakobsson | |
| HB | Serene Watson | Grace Kelly | Ella Friend |
| C | Tyanna Smith | Molly McDonald | Steph Chiocci |
| HF | Jesse Wardlaw | Nicola Stevens | Hannah Stuart |
| F | Maddie Boyd | Nicola Xenos | |
| R | Simone Nalder | Jaimee Lambert | Georgia Patrikios |
| INT | Ash Richards | Olivia Vesely | Beth Pinchin |
| Hannah Priest | Alice Burke | Darcy Guttridge | |
| Deanna Jolliffe | Nat Exon |
Hi Sim!
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Why is Nanscawen named on the bench?
Link to audio of SEN interview in the article.
By Blake Gaffiero
For someone who started as a reluctant ruck, Steph Wales has become an integral presence in the middle for the Bombers entering her second AFLW season.
Standing at 188cm, Wales’ athleticism was on display in the Bombers’ round one win over Hawthorn, gathering 11 disposals and four clearances to go with 19 hit-outs in a solid opening outing.
The 20-year-old told SEN Breakfast that although the ruck wasn’t her favoured position throughout her junior career, she’s learned to embrace her strengths and use them to advantage in the centre.
“I didn’t like it (rucking) too much in my early years of footy and always let Lucy (twin sister Lucy Wales) play in the ruck when we were on the same team,” Wales said.
“I don’t mind doing the ruck stuff but (getting) around the ground is definitely my favourite, I like getting involved with the mids.
“I’ve definitely learned to love it a lot more.”
The Bombers have an enticing weekend ahead, with their first home game of the season to be played at Windy Hill against the Saints.
With the famous ground set to host its first AFL-competition match in over 32 years, the significance of the event hasn’t been lost on Wales and the team.
“The club has been really good at slowly educating us on the history of Windy Hill and why it’s so important we get back there,” Wales said.
“Hearing from some of the girls who grew up supporting Essendon, it means so much to them, so it’s pretty insane that we’re going to head back there and continue creating history.”
In the midst of an exciting period for the club, Wales and her family have been forced to endure significant challenges over the past two months.
Steph and Lucy’s younger brother Cameron Wales suffered a serious spinal injury on holiday overseas back in July, resulting in incomplete quadriplegia.
With a difficult period of recovery ahead, the Wales family is staying strong.
“(Cameron) spent six weeks over in Italy recovering and has now made it back to Australia, so it’s been really good to have him home,” Wales said.
“He’s had to have another surgery to stabilise everything, but he’s in really good spirits and he’s helping us all get through it with his positivity.
“We’re going to need a lot of help, but the support so far has been absolutely amazing and humbling. It’s great to know so many people love and support him.”
You can donate and show support for Cameron and the wider Wales family via the GoFundMe page here.
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Ummm, Van De Heuvel named on the wing and at CHB??
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So… Busch is dropped?
EDIT: the AFL match centre has Busch on the wing. Must be the first time that source has ever been right!
Third-highest favourite for the round. No pressure!
(Leading are Melbourne 1.02 and Norf 1.05… and we don’t have to play them in the H&A!)
Final team is unchanged from last week.
Dani on the outer? 
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ST KILDA
In: D.Guttridge
Out: B.Pinchin (omitted)
So they replaced one duplicate with a different one.
For the ambitious types: here is what is needed to claim (current) top spot on the ladder.
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Reminder: that young lass @Catherine_Lio will procure you a jam donut if you say a happy belated birthday to her.
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The Saints barely touched the ball last week. Two of the top 13 disposal givers from round one.
Also, the AwFuL code monkeys obviously never considered the possibility that these two teams would ever play each other, and so coloured us both in black.
EDIT: actually, it’s worse than that. The bulk of teams, including the like of Norf and the Hawks, are assigned black.