UNDEFEATED -- the 2022 VFLW season summary

7.19.61 defeats 2.3.15

Appleby and G.L.O.R.I.A. debut (Nalder misses a second chance to get to 50 games). COVID and other illnesses start rushing us, with Marshall the most notable OUT.

Clifford gives an on-ground eulogy for women’s footy pioneer Ann Rulton before the game, and after one of her goals.

At halftime we lead 2.10.22 to 0.1.1, and I am annoyed. Appleby has a debut goal early in the second half, thankfully.

At three-quarter time I’m going back to “our” end and this happens:

(At the time CBomb was on 13.2 for the year, so it was a fair question.)

Ayre is thrown forward in the last quarter.

The AFL photographer gives me caption material for the rest of the year:

14.10.94 (our second-highest score ever) destroys 3.3.21

Notable INs: Orritt (debut), Nalder (50 games), Barba

Federica hits 25 games.

Davies hits 25 games for us, 55 overall, and gets retrospectively chaired off at the end of the game with Nalder.

Unlike some teams (i.e. Fark Carlton), the Pies are still stacking their team with AFLW players (10).

Frew kicks 4 goals again.

7.7.49 defeats 0.2.2

We arrogantly rest Clifford, and the team falls apart (the score lies). Debuting are Teagan Williams (playing back, oddly) and Stephanie Asciak (wing).

Marshall racks up 25 VFLW games.

9.10.64 defeats 1.2.8 – most of that coming in the second half.

Drew Ryan (left) debuts alongside fellow Pioneer Williams. That’s part of 8 changes, mostly due to the “spicy cough”.

Ex-Bomber Emma Mackay plays her 100th VWFL/VFLW game for Fark Northern.

1 Like

After 12 rounds of dodging the other two top teams, we finally meet Hawthorn.

4.7.31 draws 4.7.31, and percentage matters again.

Perhaps learning from the Davies tale, someone whose initials were definitely not C.U. asks if C.U. is playing her 50th game. She is!

For TV reasons, it is an early start…

Her partner-in-crime, Barba, reaches 25 games.

La Presidenta and quite a few others succumb to COVID and the Hangar Hangover.

First Name: Surname: Injury / Unavailable Weeks Out:
Renee Tierney AFL Health and Safety Protocols 1 Week
Jordan Zanchetta AFL Health and Safety Protocols 1 Week
Bella Clarke AFL Health and Safety Protocols 1 Week
Eloise Gardner AFL Health and Safety Protocols 1 Week
Octavia Di Donato AFL Health and Safety Protocols 1 Week
Abby McDonald AFL Health and Safety Protocols 1 Week
Steph Asciak Illness 1 Week
Tia Davidge Illness 1 Week
Emily Everist Illness 1 Week
Scarlett Orritt Illness 1 Week
Kendra Heil Unavailable 1 Week
Jayda Richardson Unavailable 1 Week
Caitlin Sargent Unavailable TBC
Cecilia McIntosh Hamstring TBC
Maykaylah Appleby Concussion 1 Week

We dominate most of the day, but the Hawks rush us at the end. Below, the shot by Drew Ryan after the final siren:

It’s another (near) top of the ladder clash the next week, and the script is pretty similar: for much of the game the opposition aren’t allowed to score, and then rush us. We steady, and win 5.6.36 to 4.2.26

NAB Leaguers Di Donato and Everist debut.

Julian pops the calf.

Nalder has a huge game… and Botch of the Year.

TWEET OF THE YEAR!

Crook plays her 25th EFC/VFLW game, and Morcom reaches 50 for us.

The third top-of-the-ladder clash in a row, and while we get beaten in the midfield we triumph 4.2.27 to 2.9.21

Casey didn’t stuff up their kicking as much as that score suggests: we just made it real hard for them, with a large proportion of those scores from far out or from the boundary.

Changes since the draw a month ago:

OUT IN
Julian Heil
Bella Bella
Ryan Zanchetta
G.L.O.R.I.A Tierney
Davies CBomb

The Hawks go scorched earth and drop most of their (to be) AFLW players (OK, two of them were poached during the week) including captain Tamara Luke. They do bring in our ex-Bomber and their ex-captain Jess “#1” Trend for her 100th game.

The Hawks stuck with us for a bit, and then… 8.12.60 defeats 1.1.7

1 Like

In an equally implausible finals result we win 11.10.76 to 1.3.9

No changes for us, so last week’s changes are the changes since we last played Casey:

IN: Ashley-Cooper, CBomb
OUT: Ayre, Everist

Casey/Melbourne are not keen to win the VFLW premiership, and hurt themselves at selection. @Hoffy starts telling confident people to SHUT. UP. and then has to do so herself, thanks to the spicy cough.

Casey are right there with us to quarter time (we lead 1.1.7 to 0.3.3) but like last week it then falls apart, with 6 goals kicked in 14 minutes: captain’s goal to start it, then four kicked or set up by Fede…

… and finally Radford kicks her first VFLW/EFC goal…

I get in for the song:

1 Like

St Kilda were pretty good, and had us scared in that second quarter… but we were 6.6.42 to 1.1.7 better.

This is game #50 for me, but Bohdi is banned.

The Saints didn’t learn their lesson from earlier in the year!

ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY LET FEDE HAVE A RUNNING SHOT OFF TWO STEPS FROM FIFTY.

(The somewhat tipsy @Catherine_Lio batting off the haters in the comments is gold.)

2 Likes

JUST PLAY FOOTY.

I know many of you only came in more recently, but for me this is soooooo a story of four seasons across five years, a victory for the true believers. I still don’t believe it. We absolutely had the ability to stack the team this year, and we chose not to squib it at the pointy end, but it’s primarily a story of “the team is greater than the sum of its parts”. You don’t restrict teams to the scores of this year without a full-team dedication to pressure and sacrificing for your teammates.

Our Best and Fairest is on tonight, and I have been honoured with an invite (@Hoffy, another OG, is my +1). No inside reporting, sorry, but the rest of the season summary flows from tonight!

Hint: that means someone other than @Hoffy, @Catherine_Lio, and I needs to be live reporting tonight :slight_smile:

3 Likes

Wow, @theDJR

I just couldn’t stop reading and viewing this whole report. Fantastic stuff.

6 Likes

Brilliant season report. David.

3 Likes

Wonderful stuff DJR and congratulations to our VFLW champions.

3 Likes

:heartpulse: :heartpulse: :heartpulse:

3 Likes

Incredible write up David. So glad I jumped on the bandwagon this year and got to see a premiership in person. Now to retain that shiny thing for 2023!

Congratulations to all involved, it’s been an incredible effort from you guys building a wonderful program.

4 Likes

‘somewhat tipsy’ is very kind.

3 Likes

Did you at least drink out of the trophy?

2 Likes

Ooh, a new measurement of volume/inebriation: “how many trophies-full were you?”

5 Likes