Just teaching the phone the team. A few names that are also words, so it doesn’t want to capitalise or complete them. When the hell am I ever going to use the word “dickering”?
Natalie MacDonald in action against the Hawks on Saturday. (Photo: AFL Photos)
Inaugural Bomber Natalie MacDonald has learnt the importance of organisation, on and off the football field, balancing full-time university and part-time work with the commitments of playing VFLW.
The 22-year-old, who is in her final year of studying secondary health and physical education teaching, has regular 5am starts and 16-hour days to ensure all her work, study and training are completed.
As busy as she is, MacDonald wouldn’t change anything about her full-on lifestyle as she knows the hard work will pay off, as a teacher and a Bomber.
“The days when I’m out for 16 hours and I get home, I can’t even wind down because my brain is still go, go, go. And then the next day, it just starts all over again,” MacDonald said.
“It does definitely take its toll but it’s just what we have to do. If this is the path you want to take, you just have to suck it up and I wouldn’t change it all, but I wish there was an extra day in the week.”
During high school, MacDonald had a full schedule playing representative basketball and competing in the Basketball Victoria’s ‘Big V’ league. In 2017, she decided to make the switch to footy to focus more on her studies.
“I was playing ‘rep’ (representative basketball) and Big V, and in year 11 it was becoming too much. I was quite anxious, and it wasn’t enjoyable,” MacDonald said.
“Mum was like, ‘maybe it’s time you stopped basketball and focus on something else, especially going into year 12’ because it was interrupting everyday life, so I took up footy.”
After joining Marcellin Old Collegians Football Club’s inaugural women’s team, MacDonald quickly progressed with her football. In her first year of playing, she was selected for the Victorian Amateur Football League’s ‘Big V’ representative side, where she caught the attention of Essendon’s coaches.
Since becoming a Bomber in 2018, MacDonald has seen growth and improvement across the club; what she believes is a result of having a core group of people involved from the beginning.
“If you look at the girls from second year to third year to this year, we’re basically the same list which is just crazy. It is just so much nicer going from year to year knowing who you’re playing with,” MacDonald said.
“From the girls who have come in, I think we have had maybe five, they just fit in so well which is really nice. Major (Brendan Major) is really big on not letting just anyone into the club, doesn’t matter who they are, how many goals they kick or disposals they get, if they’re not Essendon by culture, then it doesn’t matter, he won’t take them.”
The establishment of the Essendon culture within the VFLW program has set the club up for an exciting season and future.
MacDonald, who was best on ground in the round three win over Hawthorn, is seeing the years of hard work starting to pay off, not just individually but as a team.
Natalie MacDonald, pictured with Federica Frew, has praised the VFLW Bombers’ culture. (Photo: AFL Photos)
“I just want to be happy for the rest of the season and just enjoy it, and I enjoy footy when I’m having fun,” MacDonald said.
“A lot of the coaches push that we should just be happy and that is why we have our hashtag ‘enjoy the ride’, because at the end of the day that’s what we are here for.”
MacDonald hopes to continue her impressive form into round four and extend the Bombers’ winning streak to three games when they take on Darebin at the NEC Hangar on Sunday at 10:30am.
Footscray are cooked. Beaten 22-38 by Willy at home today after being crushed by the Pies last week.
In other matches, we have the benefit this week of 1 vs 4 and 3 vs 6, giving us a good opportunity to consolidate our position in the top bracket.
The famed Tulla Grass might get wet overnight, but it looks we’ll get another unusually very pleasant day… and we need to boost our percentage at Darebin’s expense.
Our leadership across the ground is really obvious this year: captain and vice-captain in the middle, the loud Clifford up forward, veteran Heil and 20yo Ashley-Cooper down back.
Nanscawen and Ugle overtly lead by example – hard AF at the ball. Ugle may have been “downgraded” since 2019 but she is not coasting as vice-captain. She will defend anyone against anything, she low-fives everyone onto the ground, we know her leadership record out of footy too.
Personalities within the playing group of a top level football club are varied. Some are loud and bombastic, while others leave all the talking on field.
This is even further emphasised within a VFLW team, where women from all different levels and pathways come together in an attempt to find cohesion, both on game day and behind the scenes.
Georgia Nanscawen has come from an interesting background of her own.
The gold medal winning Hockeyroo only played her first game of professional Aussie rules in 2019, debuting for North Melbourne in the AFLW before winning the Essendon VFLW best and fairest in the same year.
Now, in just the third year of her footy career, she’s the captain of the Dons.
Speaking to The Inner Sanctum , Nanscawen is the first to admit that she’s never been the loudest player on field.
“I’m very much a lead by example type,” she said.
“Certainly not the loudest person in the team or the one that will talk the most, but I hope that it will be quality over quantity, and when I do speak people will listen because they feel that it’s valuable.
“I pride myself more on my actions and my professionalism in how I prepare and my attitude to training and my work ethic, those sort of things.”
Nanscawen has never held a leadership position in a footy team before, making her elevation to the captaincy even more of an honour for her.
While the players at Essendon were required to self-nominate for the leadership group voting, she still didn’t expect to be given the captaincy over her fellow teammates.
“It was still a surprise when it happened,” she said.
“We had to present to the group a 90-second spiel about our leadership style and strengths. The fact that I put myself in that position to be voted into a leadership role makes you prepare for it in some way.
“Honestly, I would have loved to be in the leadership team. To be voted in as captain by your peers is incredibly humbling and very special.
“I don’t think my behaviour will change too much from what I’ve been doing for the last couple of months. I like to think that I led throughout training with my actions before the title. It’s always nice to be thought of like that by your peers.”
While Nanscawen is new to the role, she’ll have plenty of support around her.
In the vice-captaincy position is 24 year-old Courtney Ugle, who joined the Bombers in 2018 and served as captain in 2019.
Nanscawen says she’ll be looking to the experienced Ugle and the rest of the leadership group in the 2021 season.
“I’m going to lean on Courtney and the other girls in the leadership group quite a lot during the year, being new to that leadership role,” she said.
“For most of the other girls, having had that leadership experience in previous years, it’s going to be really important that we work closely together.
“I’m a quieter person, I’m probably not going to be quite as vocal which is where the other girls step up and they create a fantastic energy. Uges has been in that captaincy position as well, so she knows what it’s all about, so I’m going to be getting a bit of advice from her going forward.
“The energy that they bring, the knowledge of football, the communication is all incredibly important for us. I think that we’ll work really well together because we do have a range of different leadership styles. That should hopefully cover most of the personality types in the group and hopefully that means we’ll work really well together.”
In terms of her individual development as an athlete that’s still new to footy, Nanscawen is hoping to continue her growth as a player through her new leadership position.
However, not changing too much about what’s already worked for her is something she also values.
“A big thing from me going into my first season at Essendon was that I wanted to relax a bit more and take the pressure off myself,” she said.
“I think that was something that always being in that elite hockey environment, I always put so much pressure on myself. I never played my best when that was placed on me.
“A real focus at Essendon was just to enjoy myself, to love playing sport again and I think that’s why I had quite a good season [in 2019]. I want to continue that.
“The fact that I now have the title of ‘captain’ I don’t think should change much about how I go about things. Of course there’s added responsibility and commitments, but in general my behaviours aren’t going to change.
“The feeling I get at Essendon is that no one’s bigger than anyone else. I really feel like we all respect each other, and there’s no hierarchy in the team. Everyone’s valued as much as everybody else, and that’s what I really love at Essendon.”
Not a step down, but a step sideways
Vice-captain Courtney Ugle was one of the lucky few women’s footballers who was able to continue playing footy in 2020, due to a lucky opportunity in Queensland playing for the Coolangatta Bluebirds in the QAFLW.
Suffering from a bad leg break halfway through the 2019 VFLW season, Ugle nearly faced the prospect of missing over 18 months due the cancellation of the 2020 season.
Being based in Queensland was the perfect rejuvenation for Ugle’s career.
“I had the best time of my life,” she said.
“To come back and play my first game after breaking my leg in 2019, to have a run around on the ground, there was no better feeling. My feet were on fire at the end of game!”
What was meant to be a quick trip up to the sunny Queensland coast ended up in a total lifestyle change.
“The original plan was for me to go for six weeks and I stayed for five months,” Ugle said.
“I loved it. But I was also being very cautious and very sensitive to the fact that a lot of females around Australia weren’t able to play any footy. I was very mindful of that, but I had an opportunity that came up and I ran with it.
“I was very fortunate to get a season under my belt and play some good footy and play in a grand final. I consider myself really lucky, but when opportunities come up like that, you can’t say no.”
While Ugle wasn’t voted back into the captaincy role she’s held since 2019, she’s still embracing her responsibility as an experienced leader within the group.
“Funnily enough I’ve never been vice-captain before!,” she said.
“Always really keen to take on new opportunities and learn and grow over time. Regardless of the title next to my name, I am who I am and I probably am quite a natural leader.
“Really looking forward to getting the season going and supporting Georgia and our leadership group in any way that I can.
“It’s really quite evident that [Georgia] is really professional and elite in the way she goes about her business, on and off field. She’s the first to admit she’s not the most vocal person but she really drives the standards, especially when it comes to that elite professionalism.
“With me being quite loud and her not being as much, that’s where we can really balance each other out. If you want someone that provides that elite style and standard of footy, Georgia’s your girl.”
Being given the captaincy at only 22, Ugle has developed as a leader extremely quickly.
However, she believes that part of understanding what it means to be a leader is also understanding that a title doesn’t make you who are.
“I’m on an equal playing field with the girls,” Ugle said.
“I’m quite lucky I’ve got some kilometres in my legs and a season under my belt. Everyone returned in really great condition. To be honest, I didn’t know what I was going to be coming back to, given all the restrictions still in Melbourne around that time, but we’re looking really great.
“The one thing that I’m reinforcing to the group as a whole is to back ourselves, we’re all here because we can play footy. It’s old school now, everyone knows we missed a year of footy, there’s nothing we can do about that, but we can control our attitudes moving forward coming into our 2021 season.
“It’s not my job to tell the girls how to be, but to encourage them to back themselves and believe that they are great footballers because they all are.”
More than anything though, Ugle has a passionate love for the Bombers, unmatched by even the most diehard supporters.
“Might be a bit biased, but we’re pretty great, just on how we do things,” she said.
“We want to be better as a team and individually, and we also want to be a pathway for young girls to come to and help get to that next level.
“That speaks volumes of us as leaders and our staff that are really driving the mentality, the morale and the attitude at Essendon. Of course we want that on field success as well, but I just want everyone to play good footy and love being at Essendon.
“Essendon’s where I belong, and I really can’t wait to put the jumper back on.”
The new kid at heart on the block
“I can be quite loud and also be immature and a jokester. You’d think I’d be 34 and mature,” Mia-Rae Clifford admitted with a grin.
The former AFLW Demon, Cat and Docker is now a Bomber, only having signed on in December of 2020, but has found herself voted straight into the leadership group.
Alongside rising star Eloise Ashley-Cooper and best and fairest runner-up Kendra Heil, Clifford rounds out the leadership group for the Bombers’ 2021 VFLW campaign.
“There’s not really a word to describe it, it’s quite an honour,” Clifford said.
“I didn’t expect, coming into a new club that would be a role I’d want to do, but once I got there it was exciting with all the young players and new players to the game and some old friends I’d played against as well.
“Footy’s given a lot to me, so I want to give back to footy. It evolved from that. I’m still learning myself, so it was a massive honour that my teammates would look to me as a leader and I’m happy to do that.”
Mia-Rae Clifford (L) training with her new teammates. Photo: Essendon FC
Clifford has experienced more than her fair share of highs and lows throughout her career, being delisted by three AFLW clubs despite strong individual performances.
She was both the Cats leading goalkicker in the VFLW and AFLW in 2019, with 15 and six majors respectively.
“It turned out it wasn’t enough,” Clifford said.
“Hearing you played your best footy but didn’t fit into their future plans was pretty rough to hear. I couldn’t see past that anger for a while. I thought, well, every club is different and unfortunately, even though I love Geelong to bits, I didn’t fit into their plans.
“You’ve got to take the good with the bad, even when it’s hard at the time. I’ve built that mental resilience and I think I can get through anything footy throws at me now. I try to find the bigger picture in the bad stuff that has come my way in footy.”
While coming into any new club comes with challenges, Clifford believes her AFLW experience will hold her in good stead.
A key part of that experience is being able to pass what she’s learned on to the stars of the future.
“Becoming a leader at a new club, I’m still going to have to battle some things, footy can throw you all sorts of curveballs, but I feel a lot stronger with my mind and body to be able to deal with those,” Clifford said.
“Then also, be there for others who have been through all sorts of similar things or are going through similar things because I’ll be able to relate.
“Not everyone’s going to have a golden pathway in footy unfortunately, some kids will have to do it the hard way and some will get an easier pathway. Getting there for any of them, I look to be able to do whatever I can for my teammates.”
Clifford hasn’t known her new teammates, or her new captain, for very long. Despite this, she can already see what Nanscawen brings to the group as a leader.
“At the club so far, she leads by example,” Clifford said.
“You can see what she does and her work rate. Going from an Olympic background, she has that professionalism in training, she sets the standards at training.
“We have a really good mixture in our leadership group. We have those really hard workers who set the standards but we’ve also got a mixture with me and Uges who bring the fun side of it. You need to have both otherwise footy can become quite draining.
“They’ve done that really well, the girls themselves voting in a wide variety of different leaders in the group. If you have everyone pretty hardcore and focused you miss the fun side of footy, which is why we all play.”
Having moved around to many different clubs at the highest level, Clifford has found it hard to call anywhere home since leaving the St. Kilda Sharks at the end of 2017.
Luckily for her and her family, there’s already a connection with the Bombers.
“My mum was super stoked that she no longer has to buy a guernsey, she’s a Bombers girl,” she said.
“Before AFLW was introduced, I found myself to be a very loyal footballer. I was at the Sharks for 10 years, and I thought that was where I’d finish my career before AFLW came around.
“Then I thought Geelong would be the place where I’d finish up, but things change.
“The footy world is changing so quickly that it was a bit disheartening to feel like I didn’t have a home, especially when I went to Freo, knowing I was Victorian and my partner was back here in Melbourne.
“I was coming home, but I had no footy family.
“I’d already got the feeling from Courtney and everyone, they spoke so highly about the club and I know Uges loves footy as well. For her to put in the amount of effort she does at Essendon, it made me feel like I would feel the same way.
“Being around the girls, sometimes it can be quite confronting going to a new club no matter who you are or where you’ve come from. I didn’t feel any of that.
“As soon as I walked in and through my first training, it was during COVID so we only did it in groups of 10, I was so nervous but the girls were so open and loving. They just wanted to kick a footy, it was really cool.
“As soon as that happened, I knew that this would be where I’d love to finish my career, whether it would be at VFL or AFL level, I won’t be going be anywhere after this.”
With two rounds to go (with three weeks of national championships wedged in between those rounds) the Calder Cannon girls are at the back-end of a percentage logjam to reach the final four.
We play teams slightly below us who can’t make it, but the percentage gap is big enough that we need to rely on some teams above us losing. We are particularly relying on the Knights (5th) versus Tassie (2nd) and the Stingrays (4th). If we win our two games, then all we need is the Knights to win one or both of those games.
(It’s not clear to me if Geelong has gotten round to playing their game against the Bushrangers from lockdown-affected round two. However, they play us and top-of-the-ladder Oakleigh so even if they are also a 4-2 team they’re not the main threat.)
tl;dr: I don’t know if we might get access to our Cannon-listed girls early if they don’t make finals…
All four of the Cannon girls named in Draft Central’s league team of the week are on our main list: Gillard and Yassir are on the HF line, Prespakis in the middle and named as captain, and Friswell on the bench.
(Note: they cheated a bit this week and named both country and city teams, given a bunch of interstaters got a warm-up match in advance of the National U19 championships.)
Snell, who is with the Bendigo Pioneers, on our main list, and has already played for us, also got named in the midfield for the Country team.
"Never give up on your dream work hard, put in the effort and the extra hours. Your future self will thank you for it. You do not fail when you fall down, you fail once you have given up."
When it comes to gaining the attention of scouters, sometimes players must consistently put on strong performances before being recognised, while others make it onto an AFLW list on the back of a stellar breakout season. As for Alana Barba, she certainly fits into the former category—yet luckily she’s no stranger to putting in the hard yards.
In fact, even long before she was knocking on the AFLWs door, she was accustomed to hard work as she wouldn’t let her first taste of club level football dampen her footy dream.
“I had one training session with Craigieburn Eagles when I was about seven years old and my parents pulled me out straight away because the boys kept pulling my hair trying to catch me.”
However, while her first club experience was short and sour—that doesn’t mean she stopped developing her own game. As a matter of fact, “everything I know I learnt from my dad in the backyard”.
He must have taught her well because after a long hiatus, she returned to the sport and quickly made her presence felt. 2017 saw Alana get chosen to play for the Calder Cannons, and from there she signed with the Roxburgh Park Football Club.
It was also during 2017 that she claimed her first accolade, as Calder would go onto finish the season in top spot, claiming the premiership cup in the process.
Then in 2018, despite just having one season of footy under her belt, she managed to put together a breakout season which saw her claim the EDFL Division 2 Best and Fairest. Her Roxburgh Park side would also go onto finish runner-up to that year’s premiership, and likewise, she would also finish runner-up to the Roxburgh Park’s 2018 Best and Fairest.
As good as her performance was during 2018, she managed to reach a whole other level in 2019—which stands as her best year of football to date and one that shows just what Alana can be capable of achieving.
To start off with, 2019 marked her first time representing the state as she donned the double blue of the Victoria Metro side and travelled to the Gold Coast to play in the National Championship.
As well as state football she also found success at school, being named as Kolbe Catholic College’s Sports Person of the Year.
However, perhaps the biggest achievement of hers during 2019 was the fact that she finished with the second highest tackle count in the entire NAB League Girls competition. A feat that understandably saw her finish third for Calder Cannon’s 2019 Best and Fairest, and a feat that also saw her earn an invite to the 2019 AFLW Draft Combine.
But while 2019 was her best and brightest year of football to date, it also marked the end of a chapter for her as it would be the last time that she would get to play with the Calder Cannons—time with which she “absolutely loved”.
“… I made so many memories, from camps, our Thursday night dinners, and game day. I’ll cherish those memories for a very long time.” “My favourite thing and something I am very grateful for is that my team mates were my family, especially in my final year we were a very close knit group and I definitely made friends for life. “Calder Cannons played a huge role in my development and for that I will always be grateful. It was a bittersweet feeling when I aged out of the NAB League program, I was sad to leave all the wonderful people that I met behind, but so excited to start at Essendon VFLW.”
The closing of this chapter also marked a new and exciting one for Alana, because as hinted there, she was picked up by Essendon for their VFLW side.
But despite her first season with the Bombers getting cut short due to COVID, that hasn’t stopped her from relishing her new colours.
“Essendon has been amazing. I arrived at the club at the backend of the season in 2019 with four games left. The coaching staff and the girls made the transition for me very comfortable.” “Already, I have learnt so much being at Essendon and the club is so approachable and welcoming that I’ve slotted straight in. “Club Culture is a huge thing within the VFLW team and I think they have really excelled at that. The staff are very focused on helping the girls improve, whether that be by spending one on one time with your line coach, watching footage or just helpful tips you know you can reach out and the coaches will give their 110%, they are always willing to put in the extra hours. “I know it’s a cliche, but it’s the truth when I say the club has not only made me a better player, but an even better person and the fact that I’ve only been there for a short amount of time says a lot about the club.”
‘See the Bombers Fly Up’ - image kindly supplied by Alana.
While we didn’t get to see much of Alana during 2020—there was at least one other very positive sign for her footballing future. This being that she was also a train-on for St Kilda which she describes as being “a great experience”.
“… I’m really grateful for the opportunity. I really enjoyed witnessing firsthand what it was like to be in an AFLW environment.”
“Comparing the differences and similarities across all three levels of NAB League, VFLW, and AFLW I think has prepared me well if I ever get the opportunity to take the next step into the elite level of AFLW.”
Speaking of the next step, what does the future have in store for this hard-working Bomber?
“Ultimate goal is to play AFLW, to continue improving as a player, and to be happy with where I’m at in life.”
While it is certainly unfortunate that we didn’t get to see much of her during 2020, we can at least learn from her past few years of footy.
And going by what that tells us, it is safe to say that Alana Barba has the dedication and the passion to keep knocking at the AFLWs door—and it is only a matter of time before someone answers.
’Don’t worry about what anyone says about you just do what you love and enjoy it!'
Kasey Lennox is a player whose passion for the game could not be diminished by injuries – and, despite some troubles, it seems that even the suspension of this NAB League season has not dampened her spirit either.
‘I love my footy and I’m missing it very much, I have been training and doing my best to go for runs but hopefully it is back soon.’
This year, albeit a difficult one, marks a new chapter in what has been an impressive football journey for Kasey – with 2020 marking her 11th year of football.
The first six years of her career was spent playing alongside boys, beginning at South Morang where she would play for three years before making the move to Wallan. Then, three years after joining Wallan she would join the girl’s team – where she has been ever since.
‘I love them, it is a struggle to get girls every season, but we end up with a team every year and all the girls are great.’
However, football has not been the only sport that Kasey has played – with basketball also deserving a notable mention as her basketball career stretches back roughly eight years.
In fact, when she was in the U14s she made the Victoria Country Academy squad but by her own admission she ‘Preferred footy’. However, she does say that basketball has helped a lot with her football.
As for what it is that she enjoys most about footy – well, she puts it down to ‘How rough it can be and being able to play with mates’.
It is probably for the best that she enjoys the roughness of football – as her sporting career in general has not been without rough moments. This is because, during a basketball tournament in Adelaide back in 2017, she suffered a greenstick fracture to her collarbone.
Likewise, in 2019 she fractured her eye socket playing school basketball – which makes our eyes hurt just reading that.
However, despite these injuries, the fact that she has managed to keep her spirits up and continue to be passionate towards for her sport – shows the kind of mentality that Kasey possesses.
A mentality that sees her value the experience of playing in a Grand Final, despite the end result not going her team’s way.
It is also this type of mentality that is the reason why one of her sporting memories thus far was ‘The second game for Vic Metro, when I broke my nose before half time - that was a good one’.
On a bright note however, ‘I have got a face mask I wear to protect my nose so there won’t be many face injuries at least’.
But why would Kasey value experiences that involve her side losing, or when she takes a ball to the face while trying to go ‘Up for a specky’?
Well the answer is simple – Kasey holds that much passion for her sport that she can see the good from these situations. Getting to play in a Grand Final is an amazing experience, as is getting to represent your state, and despite the loss or the injury – Kasey is still able to recognise this.
But Kasey’s football career is not limited to injuries and lost Grand Finals – in fact, her career is full of impressive accolades.
We have already mentioned that she played in the U16s Vic Metro team in 2019, but in 2018 she played in the U15s SSV Premiership team. 2018 also saw her become the Vice-Captain of NFNL Interleague team and go onto win that side’s 2018 Representative Award.
She would also play in an Interleague Premiership – as well as win back to back Best and Fairests at Wallan in 2017 and 2018.
And while 2020 marks her 11th year of playing football – it also marks her third year with the Calder Cannons, time with which she says has been ‘Great’.
‘When I first went there I did not really know anyone as I played in the NFNL and most of them played in the EDFL and there was no one from my area but they were really welcoming.’
It has also been at the Cannons that she has found her preferred playing position – which is down in the backline.
‘I never really played it until Cannons last year, they put me in the backline the whole year and now I love it.’
And she has certainly made her presence felt down back – because during just the first three games that we saw this NAB League Girls season, she collected a total of 22 disposals, 11 rebound 50s and five marks.
Through all of this, both the good and the bad – the one person that Kasey would like to thank the most for impacting her career is her mum.
‘In action for the Cannons’ - imagine kindly provided by Kasey.
So, with promising skills and an outstanding mentality – what is next for this high-spirited player?
Well she wants ‘To be able to play AFLW, and to do something I enjoy doing’.
At the end of the day, Kasey Lennox is a player whose passion for the game seems unbreakable, and when we combine this with her years of experience and impressive skill-set – suddenly her dream of playing AFLW does not seem that far away from becoming a reality.
I think they should have picked a hashtag that wasn’t already dominated by another sports team…
After COVID-19 cancelled 2020 VFLW season, the Bombers are making sure they enjoy being back on the field.
To act as a reminder as to why they play and to embrace the challenges of the 2021 season, the playing group has developed the hashtag #EnjoyTheRide.
The hashtag symbolises the importance of balancing the competitive nature of football with having fun, something captain Georgia Nanscawen said will be a key motivator in the team’s third season.
“I guess it’s something that ‘Maj’ (head coach Brendan Major) often speaks about why we play football, and it is about enjoying the ride. We have our values but overarching that, we don’t want to lose sight of why we play, and in the end it is because we love football and we love the group,” Nanscawen said.
“We thought that if we can get that across and even in our social media posts and really show that it is something we are pushing, particularly in the lead-up to hopefully an AFLW licence, we thought it really summed up what we are about.”
Nanscawen believes it’s important to have a hashtag that reflects the team’s focus as a way to unite the players and involve their supporters.
“As we’re heading towards hopefully an AFLW licence, I think that sort of hashtag really unites the group and shows everyone is using it and that we’re all across the same page,” she said.
“I think it helps provide a really united front for us going forward and lets the supporters know what we are about.”
From the opening four rounds of the season, Nanscawen can see moments on and off the field that reflect the team’s motive, whether it be celebrations within a game or having a laugh at training.
The VFLW Bombers bring the good vibes after their win over Darebin on Sunday. (Photo: Celie Hay)
“I think we see it in glimpses when we play good footy and celebrating the moments, like ‘Nat Mac’ (Natalie MacDonald) celebrating her goals like it’s her birthday,” she said.
“We’ve made a real point to celebrate our goals, to celebrate the little wins in the group and we see it at training; we laugh, we joke, we have a good time and I think we’re developing the balance now between having that fun side but also switching on when we need to.”
The Bombers held their jumper presentation at the NEC Hangar on Tuesday night, providing the team with the opportunity to share their message to club’s staff and sponsors.
“It’s really special; obviously it (jumper presentation) was postponed due to COVID and it feels like that’s kind of been the theme for the last year and a half,” Nanscawen said.
“But to get it done tonight and to be able to celebrate, not just the immediate group but with staff and sponsors, it really feels like we are back and just looking forward to the rest of the season.”
The Bombers’ drive to enjoy their football is reflecting on the field, with the team achieving three straight wins and sitting fourth on the ladder.
“I think on the whole we are feeling pretty up and about, obviously three straight wins is very encouraging and really promising and I think we’ve really built from round one,” Nanscawen said.
“We’re looking to keeping going on that upward trajectory and I think facing the ladder leaders this weekend is a great test for where we are at.”
The clash with league leader Port Melbourne will provide the Bombers with the opportunity to test their game style and structures against the competition’s benchmark.
“Port Melbourne has been undefeated this season so it’s going to be a test for us coming off a strong win last week. We’ll be looking to play with that same confidence and freedom as we did last week,” Nanscawen said.
“We’re really looking forward to the test and to play them at home as well. I think it should be a really good game.”
The VFLW Bombers will strive to achieve four wins in a row for the first time in their history when they take on Port Melbourne at the NEC Hangar from 10:30am on Sunday.
Top four go through – but we need to wait four weeks for the final round to happen!
If it ever happens (or has already happened but the score wasn’t recorded), Geelong beating Murray would put them level with us. However, it doesn’t matter as Calder play Geelong in the final round, and that is now a MUST-WIN to pass a team above us.
While Oakleigh lost their first game this week, that will not repeat versus Gippsland. So we need one of these:
Eastern lose to NT
Tassie lose to the Greater Western Vic Rebels
Dandenong lose to the Northern Knights
The last one is the most likely (though the Knights choked versus Tassie this weekend). The NT spiflicated the mid-table Rebels in their only game this weekend, but I don’t know who good they actually are.
Otherwise, we’ll just have to cope with Prespakis et al coming to our VFLW team a week, or three, early?
After a promising start to its third VFLW season, Essendon heads into the Easter bye sitting fifth on the ladder with three wins and two losses.
The Bombers entered round five on a three-game winning streak, which was ended in an 11-point defeat to league leader Port Melbourne.
After 18 months without footy, head coach Brendan Major said he was impressed with the way his side had adjusted to playing again, with a batch of youngsters driving the rise up the ladder as the Bombers push for a maiden VFLW finals campaign.
“I think they got back into the swing of things pretty quickly,” Major said.
“Some of the young players in Eloise Ashley-Cooper and Alana Barba have started playing some really good football. We’ve had some players from Bendigo Pioneers come in and play really important roles for us.
“Another one is Tamsin Crook, who has come in from Calder (Cannons) and played really consistent football down back for us, which is exciting for an 18-year-old.”
With a new-look squad heading into the season, the young side has had numerous debutants across its opening games; something that excites Major for the future.
“I think ‘Snelly’s’ (Elizabeth Snell) game, the one game she played for us was quite good. She played at quite a high standard through the midfield and showed a level of poise that will set her up really well for the future. Tamsin obviously has been really, really clean and has simplified the game, which is good to see,” Major said.
“Grace Dicker is one of the most exciting prospects at Essendon in the VFLW program. She has got serious speed and attacks the player with the ball extremely hard, so she’s got some small things to work on. If she can clean those up, she could be a very good player, very damaging player at this level and even go to the next (AFLW).”
With all the new additions, Major has been pleased with the overall team performance in the first five rounds, but is aiming for more consistency as the season progresses.
“We’re slowly building. I think it’s really easy when you’re winning to overlook the things you’re doing wrong and really easy when you’re losing to focus on the things you’re doing wrong, so there’s been some consistent themes throughout every game that we’ve been working on,” he said.
“We try not to get too distracted by the little things and the little moments in games that may mean a win or loss. We’ve built the foundations quite well and there’s the start of something really exciting.”
The Bombers’ five-woman leadership group, led by captain Georgia Nanscawen and vice-captain Courtney Ugle, has been a driving force behind the team’s early cohesion on the field.
“I think the leadership group’s performing extremely well on the field. I think they’re just finding their feet off the field. We’re lucky we’ve got a very good playing group. They’ve blended really well together and the leadership group is a bit part of that,” Major said.
“But obviously being a new group, they are going to take more time to really solidify and drive the standards that they want to drive. So five weeks in, they’ve done a great job so far but it’s just continuing to build.”
After five very physical games, Major said his team would embrace the Easter bye to rest and recharge, physically and mentally, ahead of the second half of the season.
“I think one of the big things about trying to produce consistent high-level effort is giving yourself enough downtime mentally,” he said.
“It will be really good for them to get away from the club, and they still obviously have their conditioning stuff to do, but it’s really a bit of a reset and a bit of a break to see family.”
The VFLW Bombers will hope to recapture their winning form when they return from the bye to take on Hawthorn at Box Hill City Oval on April 10.
I’m going to go further and not take it one week at a time.
In the remaining 9 games we play 2 teams above us (Geelong, Collingwood) and 7 teams below us.
Remaining games:
Hawks (away)
Willy (home, which is Windy Hill from here onwards)
Pies (away) - *
Fark Carlton (home) - * ‡
Geelong (away) - * ‡
Footscray (home) - * ‡
Norf (home) - *
Darebin (away)
Willy (away)
*possible influx of AFLW players
‡ NAB League finals – so at the earliest we get Calder top-ups against Geelong. Snell is at Bendigo so may be free versus Fark Carlton (Bendigo are in the Country top four by a slither of percentage currently, but face a stronger team than the Murray Bushrangers do in the final H&A round).
Win the first two and the last two and we’re on 7 wins from 14 games. Even with a good percentage that will not be enough, due to there being a few bad teams which inflate the top six.
So we need to beat at the very least one AFLW/VFLW team. I have no info on who will drop back (to linked teams, or to us) but I make the following comments:
We’re big underdogs vs Collingwood, undefeated in the VFLW and one of the top AFLW teams. But then again, lowly us destroyed top-of-the-ladder Collingwood the last time we played them…
Fark Carlton are mediocre at both levels. The important thing is to not let Vescio kick 9 goals. And it would suck if they’re the only one with a Prespakis in the team.
Footscray are even more mediocre at both levels.
Geelong – their AFLW team won 1 of 9 games this year. However, we know that at these levels having a handful of standout players can swing a game.
Norf – VFLW team is not great; AFLW team scraped into the AFLW finals and almost wobbled the Pies out this weekend
Note that we are the only team to get 8 home games; Willy get 6.
But you didn’t read this far to see vague statements. So below are the results of my modelled outcome, which works on the highly-scientific basis that in each game the two teams score the average of their previous scores and their opponent’s previously-conceded scores.
That sees us move up to third, and the Saints (8 wins) replace Fark Carlton in sixth place.
