AFLW - Round 2 vs WCE @ Windy Hill 2:30pm Sunday 24 August 2025

Phew.

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I hadn’t noticed Bailey Hunt was our runner today.

Is in the signature square doing high-pitched BONNIE calls :rofl:

Alexander is one of the most underrated players in the competition. Two wins from two games, it’s only our crappy percentage of 211% that’s keeping us down in fourth.

Side note: Jess Webster who called our game for Fox Footy today…

Is the Granddaugther of Morton Diston who played 12 games for the mighty Red and Black back in 1955-56.

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Watching the girls play at windy hill is one of my favourite footy experiences. Great win

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vanDeHeuvel injury presumably at 15:30 left of the second quarter, when she was run down.

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Correct. She got up and hobbled off.

Good arvo out at Windy Hill.

Getting autographs with the munchkin was such a wholesome experience, with a number of the players saying thanks for coming to watch. Brilliant. :slight_smile:

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When she got tackled it looked like her ankle got trapped but later someone mentioned she had a knee brace on so maybe her knee got caught. I hope it’s not too bad. She provides a lot of run and dash off half back (which we missed today) I think.

In the end three of their four goals were ump-assisted (the fourth including the juggled mark on the boundary line was probably correct) but it was still pretty ugly for us.

I believe we started one quarter with one of Gee and Adams on the ground (Gee in the final quarter). If there is anything we’ve learnt in the first month it’s that those two as up-and-back forwards are a huge part of our good moments.

Well, I’ve learned it, anyway. Do better, coaches.

Happy the broadcast captured the noise of the crowd going Full Fark Carlton during that final sequence ending with Alexander.

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  • Bonnie way out ahead for both teams for score involvements (5 of her own, albeit with two very uncharacteristic shocking misses). Also topped the marks, just ahead of beast Gaylor and stick insect Dyke.
  • G leads handballs (der) AND kicks AND uncontested possessions, and tied Gaylor (and Roberts and Drennan) for tackles.
  • LOL at hit-outs: McGrath 31 ahead of Murphy on 4 and Dyke on 3. However…
  • Gaylor and Nanscawen topped the clearances, with Prespakis and Dyke also ahead of their Roberts. What we did on the outside is a different question…
  • Gamble tied with a bunch of other Dons for intercepts, just behind MORCS. Ellyse also had the highest disposal efficiency across both teams.
  • Belloni had a skewed game: 7 disposals from 5 marks, and a game-leading four inside fifties. Ridewood came late to equal her on inside fifties.
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What’s our AFLM equivalent? Are we freo compared to the rest of the comp?

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Alexander is in here somewhere.

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by Danielle Croci

ESSENDON has broken West Coast hearts, snatching victory in the final seconds of the game to win by five points on a sunny Sunday afternoon at Windy Hill.

Both sides brought plenty of pressure and traded goals in the final quarterbut struggled to capitalise on their opportunities, with Essendon ultimately winning the arm wrestle 4.7 (31) to 4.2 (26).

Veteran and life-long Bombers fan Sophie Alexander was the hero of the day, marking and going back to convert at the top of the goalsquare with the Bombers down by a single point.

Essendon co-captain Bonnie Toogood lifted her side with two important goals, supported by a midfield led by Georgia Nanscawen (24 disposals, seven tackles) and young gun Amy Gaylor (22 and six, 319 metres gained).

In worrying signs though, experienced defender Sophie Van De Heuvel was caught up awkwardly in a tackle in the second quarter and was in the hands of trainers clutching her left knee, after starting well.

West Coast’s game was characterised by its clever run and carry, led by Ella Roberts (21 disposals and eight tackles) with confidence and composure.

The Eagles had the measure of the Bombers for large portions of the game, making the loss a heartbreak.

It was Essendon that got off to a quick start, with an early goal to Toogood after Van De Heuvel delivered it straight to her chest 40m out from goal.

The game tightened up though. West Coast had repeat forward 50 entries, leading nine to six inside 50s at quarter-time, but the combination of shallow entries and the Bombers’ defence meant the Eagles were unable to get reward for effort.

It was late in the quarter when a 50m penalty was awarded to West Coast’s Abbygail Bushby, which she converted.

The roles were reversed in the second quarter, with Essendon unable to capitalise on its opportunities inside 50 to make the distance to goal.

The Eagles looked much more composed, confident to chip the ball around with short kicks and create a slow build-up, taking 12 uncontested marks for the term.

This slow build-up was exemplified by the kick-mark combination of Ella Roberts, Mikayla Western and Kayla Dalgleish, resulting in second-gamer Dalgleish’s first AFLW goal.

In the third quarter, Toogood missed two opportunities to put her side in frontwithin minutes of each other – but in the closing stages of the quartershe made the toughest shot of the three attempts from the pocket to go in three points up at three-quarter time.

The ball moved swiftly from end to end in the last term, with Bomber Georgia Gee and Eagle Dalgleish trading goals, and an incredible team effort ending in Eagle Kellie Gibson running into an open goal, before Alexander’s final blow.

…

ESSENDON 1.0 1.2 2.5 4.7 (31)
WEST COAST 1.0 2.1 2.2 4.2 (26)

GOALS
Essendon: Toogood 2, Gee, Alexander
West Coast: Dalgleish 2, Bushby, Gibson

BEST
Essendon: Nanscawen, Gaylor, Prespakis, Toogood, Dyke
West Coast: Roberts, Drennan, Swanson, Thomas, McGrath

INJURIES
Essendon: Van De Heuvel (knee)
West Coast: Nil

Reports: Nil
Crowd: TBA at Windy Hill ← do they ever announce these any more?

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Broadcast captured some yobbo in a bomber jacket revving up the crowd too.

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I think you’d agree the first one was Mia Busch assisted…she stood the mark then decided to try and retreat which was not smart! Umpire had no choice but to pay 50.