The year we failed to win a final -- the 2024 VFLW season summary

[theDJR]

ROUND 11

VFLW - Round 11 vs Hawks @ Windy Hill - 12noon Sat 1 June 2024

Hawks are all over the shop. Their win today was based on kicking 8 goals either side of three quarter time against a consistently poor FCFC. At least we had the decency, and respect for tradition, to belt Darebin though! [image]

Hawks are top of the ladder with double our percentage, so we win 6.3.39 to 4.5.29

@theDJR

As reported by Radio 3DJR three weeks ago:

PERKINS ANNOUNCED!

@theDJR

Also…

BERNARDI ANNOUNCED!!

@theDJR

Also…

HUNT and MARSHALL are back!!!

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IN: C. Bernardi, B. Hunt, D. Marshall, S. Perkins
OUT: I. Porter (unavailable), A. Cariss-Brett, M. Huta, A. Jordan

That’s one hell of a mic drop… 145 AFLW games between them. It’s very Hawks-like.

We’ve played the Hawks more than any other team:

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Year	For	Against	Result
2018	21	60	-39
2018	14	41	-27
2019	20	56	-36
2021	55	27	28
2021	29	14	15
2022	31	31	0
2022	60	7	53
2023	27	27	0
2023	32	15	17
2023	31	21	10
TOTAL	320	299	21

@theDJR

What I’d like to see today, apart from glorious debuts and Hawthorn losing top spot: Sarah Ford getting more of the ball.

We’ve trimmed our deep mid depth this week, so step up please.

She’s had 4 of 10 games primarily on the inside, and 6 on the wing. Total of 33 CBAs, which is only behind other non-rucks Mahony and Melnikas (they have 93 and 72 respectively, but have spent close enough to all of their games in the middle).

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Whoops. Clearance streams forward and we trail 0-6 in the first 30 seconds.

@DonBomb

Break time. After their quick goal in the first minute, we held them well with stout, relentless defence. 0 -7.

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Stevenson has 9 for them.

Ford doing what I asked!

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Perkins shepherds at the top of the goal square for an easy mark by Tayla.

7-7

Not quite as funny as the Ava Jordan mark in the final practice match, but in both cases it happened because Sarah was controlling what happened in that goal square.

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@barnz

manfre should coach the forward line, terrific lead

Having Perkins means Manfre CAN just lead (or front-and-centre). The downstream impact is significant.

@DonBomb

Olivia with her second goal! We are converting well this quarter. Amazing change in the game.

We lead 21-7 at half time.

@theDJR

Tassiopoulos denied mark… but she goes again, and gets it forward regardless, and Perkins marks.

@AngryAussie

Beautiful by Tassiopoulos.

@theDJR

EFC goal #1 for Perkins!

27-7, held off the instant charge at us.

@theDJR

C2C!

Melnikas takes the free for OOBOTF and hits up Dani. Molan runs past, gets the handball. Her chip is a bit ugly but is straight to Chaston, who shrugs a tackle and squirts it to Tassiopoulos on the wing. Emily runs then picks out Manfre… who drops it, but recovers and handballs straight back to Tassiopoulos on the way past. She makes an effective tap to Davidge, who pops it over the top and Ryan runs into 25m to GOAL while being tackled.

33-7

@theDJR

Utter scrub punt by Hunt lands in the hands of Bernardi. Playing in front pays off!

EFC goal #1 by Bernardi!

39-8

That’s the three-quarter-time score. That means we can just snooze through the last quarter, right?

@theDJR

Arrogant, starting with Mahony and Molan on the bench.

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We’ve been murdered in the ruck (by Luke, and by the umpiring).

@AngryAussie

Hawks have players called Collingwood and Brisbane. I hate it.

@theDJR

39-22

We’ve lost control, but they can’t kick straight… and time is almost gone.

@theDJR

We calm the game with a series of mature kicks and marks. Best mark was a hard-leading one by TiaDavidge on the wing.

@theDJR

The song at twitter.com – Bernardi and Perkins kept them waiting!

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@theDJR

Obviously our two debutants kicked their first EFC goal today. Hmm, now I need a list of everyone who has done that: the most obvious one being Alex Quigley some 89 games ago.

The formula is done, and there are 19 players to goal in their first EFC VFLW game… and it’s a pretty reliable indicator of a quality player!

Makaylah Appleby would be the only one who disappeared. But she had good hair, so I’ll forgive her.

GAME 2018-01

• Alex Quigley
• Danielle Ponter
• Valerie Moreau

GAME 2019-01

• Shae Audley

GAME 2019-02

• Ally Anderson
• Freda Puruntatameri

LOOOOOOOOOOONG GAP

GAME 2022-01

• Renee Tierney ← 2 goals

GAME 2022-02

• Liv Manfre

GAME 2022-08

• Makaylah Appleby

GAME 2022-10

• Stephanie Asciak

GAME 2023-01

• Caitlin Sargent

GAME 2023-01

• Zoe Hurrell

GAME 2023-03

• Paige Scott

GAME 2024-02

• Amy Gaylor

GAME 2024-03

• Emily Gough

GAME 2024-05

• Bailey Hunt ← 2 goals

GAME 2024-06

• Tassiopoulos

GAME 2024-11

• Sarah Perkins
• Christina Bernardi

@theDJR

This also allows me to do stuff like this.

You may have forgotten she started as a mid.

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Coach votes go secret from this point on.