The 2025 VFLW Season Summary

[theDJR]

ROUND 14 vs Footscray

@theDJR

BRING. HER. IN.

(McLay is/has been injured, hence not “them in”)

Do a “Gillard” and lock in finals for yourself (you ain’t getting any of them at Calder…)

@theDJR

Footy factory!!!

Madison Ibrahim will feature in Melbourne’s AFLW practice match against Adelaide

OUT: S. Molan (elbow), K. Peake (finger), M. Ibrahim (AFLW), S. McIntosh + E. Tassiopoulos (omitted)

@theDJR

THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND: Gallivant!

@theDJR

Trev and G join the Radio 3DJR commentary box.

Brooker most likely to play forward, says G (don’t believe named teams).

We have all the ball early, but keep missing,

@theDJR

Benno sells candy, fires… hits the point post.

We are soooooo much better, and are 6 shots at goal to 1, and losing.

@theDJR

Manfre mark with thirty seconds left…

SHE DOESN’T MISS!!!

Video at https://x.com/VFL/status/1951213103418392582

@theDJR

Brooker almost brilliant on a leading collect and slip past her opponent, but then was looking for the perfect handball. Caught, HTB.

@theDJR

10-9

Every Dog score ump-assisted.

@theDJR

Crook being very annoying. Two good rebounds

@theDJR

Fifty because Footscray.

Ump gonna be annoyed when he finds out they’re broke and can’t pay.

Fix is sooooo in.

10-22 from that.

@theDJR

Asciak (their captain, ex-EFC) is down. Double whistle.

69 seconds left, time stopped.

Face in hands suggests she knows she is right ■■■■■■.

@theDJR

Porter drops uncontested mark. Dog kicks from long range, it bounces crazily, and finally gets 10cm over the line before stopping.

10-28

@theDJR

■■■■ these umps

They paid mark interference against us before contact was made. Minutes later total reverse not paid.

Goal results.

10-34

Astonishing arseholery tonight.

Trev asks if I’m going up to AFLW round one versus GWS. I say “well, it looks like there will be nothing to do here…”

@theDJR

Crook looks around and smiles at the loud yobbo who has relocated to behind our goals for this last quarter.

@theDJR

BRING IT HOME TO ME!

Tia goals

18-34

@theDJR

LUCY!!!

24-34

https://x.com/VFL/status/1951232813111370065

@theDJR

MANFRE!!!

30-34

7 minutes left.

CHECK OUT THE YOBBO at https://x.com/VFL/status/1951234007875633351

@theDJR

Tia limping.

@theDJR

DAMAGE !!!

36-34

70 seconds left

Video at https://x.com/VFL/status/1951235230682996779

@sweatyman

………!

Did we win?

@theDJR

• Thompson is getting a real broad game at just over 19yo, can see why she was Tassie captain: this week that includes a game-high 9 tackles.
• Plummer all over the stats too: game-high score involvements, equal-high marks for us with Chaston, second for clearances for us behind Abbey, game-high inside fifties (6).
• El and Abbey game-high contested possessions, and team-high for uncontested possessions (behind only re-bounding Dog defender Gorham). And then they are dangerous when they dispose.
• The influence of Bernardi went well beyond her 16 disposals and 7 tackles.
• Manfre great last quarter; Tia two goals in the quarter despite being a bit lame, and that CLUTCH game-winner. Inside thirty (and sometimes a bit further out) they are as good as any player in the league at converting shots.
• Azzopardi and MFord not huge disposals in defence but geez they were quality (sometimes risky, but well executed).
• All of the above showed LEADERSHIP. That’s why we could turn it around, and quintuple our goals in the final quarter.

Finally… she faded, but Brooker was better than her stats suggest. Got to the right places, laid pressure, had lots of scoring opportunities (but wasted them — not alone doing that, though). Still needs to learn how to use her frame better.

In a team that currently has one “big” forward (unless Gamble relocates again), she might find a niche (especially if we can find some smalls to buzz around her). Alexander is tall-ish, but has zero presence.

@theDJR

This was our biggest ever VFLW final quarter comeback win.

Surprisingly there have been only 7 such final quarter comeback wins/draws across our 108 games.

• 19 points vs Hawks in 2021. We were 1.3 in typical horrendous Box Hill conditions at the final break, and then went nuts to win 4.5.29 to 1.9.15 (LOL Hawks).
• The classic 7.4.46 draw with the Saints at the Hangar in 2022 – watch the video below!

https://twitter.com/essendonfcw/status/1504251581084041216

• From tied with Casey to 6 point win in the final game of the H&A of 2022 (those last three rounds where we played the other top three teams and came out with 2.5 wins was epic)
• From 1 goal at the final break to 4 and a 14 point win versus Willy in 2023. Kendra Heil kicked two goals in five minutes!
• Exactly two seasons ago, round 14 versus the Dogs again, from 5 down to 13 up, and again also ensured we made finals!
• The amazing comeback down at Casey earlier this year, where we conceded a 21 point lead in the first quarter before we conceded just 1 point in the second half and got over them at the death. The yobbo went double-or-nothing that wet day, too, shifting from the wing to behind the winning goals for that final quarter.

Only seven times, and only five times for wins, but as above all were HUGE declarations of character.

@theDJR

The winning goal moved Davidge past CBomb into 4th place on our all-time goal-kicking ladder (behind Manfre, Frew, and Clifford).