They’ve wound back the gate opening to one hour before (vs 1.5 hours for round two), so try not to be the person still queued at game start.
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WARFRadio.com broadcast game.
I’ll be there (but not calling).
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Confirmation of gayness can take a very long time.
Brown is 1-2 weeks better than last week.
Wales and Strong are “test”.
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I’d say if Wales is fit, she’ll play.
I’m going to guess: Strong and Wales in for Bannister and Murphy.
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Isn’t McDonald Geelongs captain?
Yeah, I don’t think they’re putting Wales as THE photo for the changes, and releasing the call-to-home video with Strong, otherwise!
EDIT: hmmm. Has the Strong video linked in the club email been taken down?!?
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Only for six years. Zero commentary on their website, just the sterile announcement of OUT.
I’m all on board the McDonald situation(s) favouring us over Geelong.
Geelong cover us better than we do…
Deakin Performance Stat of the Week - The Uncontested Possession Game
One significant area of Sunday’s game will be the uncontested possession count, a statistic that the Bombers have excelled in so far this year and Geelong have not.
Essendon rank third in the AFLW for uncontested possessions per game across the first three weeks, averaging 143.0 per match which is only behind North Melbourne and Sydney.
The Bombers were able to control this facet of the game with a +22 differential over their opening three games, able to move the ball to the outside and play the game on their teams.
By comparison, Geelong were soundly beaten in the uncontested possession count by North Melbourne (-37) and by Sydney (-24), any area they will need to focus on in Round 4.
Team Uncontested Possessions
Per Game Differential AFL Rank
Essendon 143.0 +22 3rd
Geelong 134.7 -23 6th
Bombers Player to Watch - Georgia Nanscawen
One of the most in-form players in the competition, Georgia Nanscawen has made a blistering start to the 2025 AFLW season.
The star Bomber sits sixth in the competition for disposals (25.7 per game), third for tackles (10.0), 15th for clearances (4.3) and fourth for contested possessions (14.0).
Nanscawen has also performed strongly against Geelong in the past averaging 23 disposals (14.5 contested), 7.5 tackles and 6.5 clearances across the most recent two clashes between the teams.
Where Geelong Can Improve - Defensive 50
Over the last three seasons (35 total games), Geelong had only conceded 50 points or more in a game on two occasions, but they have conceded that number to all three opponents so far in 2025.
North Melbourne (51 points), Adelaide (65) and Sydney (50) were all able to pick holes through the Cats defensive structure, with Geelong conceding a total of 25 goals in three games which is tied for the fourth most goals conceded by any team so far.
The AFLW competition average for scores per inside 50 sits at 37.4% so far, the Cats conceding 60.0% to Adelaide and 42.4% to Sydney which is something they will need to rectify.
This will be an area of focus for Geelong this week in particular, facing an Essendon team that has scored on 47.3% of their inside 50 entries so far in 2025, ranked the third best team in the AFLW in that area.
| TEAM | GOALS PER INSIDE 50 | SCORING SHOTS PER INSIDE 50 | AVERAGE SCORE |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFLW Average | 17.2% | 37.4% | 5.8 Goals, 6.8 Behinds |
| Essendon | 24.7% | 47.3% | 7.7 Goals, 7.0 Behinds |
| Geelong | 12.0% | 33.0% | 4.0 Goals, 7.0 Behinds |
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Discussed here:
They note that her direct replacement is likely one of two possible debutants. I wonder if the absence of Toogood AND Bannister emboldened them to do that.
Makes me doubly want Wales to warm up at FF and kick a bag.
Also ka-ching.
Geelong, meanwhile, will unveil a pair of debutants, after sensationally dropping captain Meghan McDonald from the side that currently sits 0-3. Defensive duo Sienna Tallariti and Lexi Gregor have earned their first run in the hoops for the club’s must-win clash with the undefeated Bombers on Sunday.
ESSENDON
In: S.Strong, S.Wales
Out: D.Bannister (injured), C.Murphy (omitted)
GEELONG
In: G.Featherston, A.Gregor, S.Tallariti
Out: M.McDonald (omitted), M.Bragg (omitted), E.Fowler (omitted)