Would you call it… demonstrative?
Yowsers. I’ve got a better left-foot kick than that!
VFLW - FIRST EVER FINAL - vs Casey @ Casey - 12noon Saturday 3 July 2021 - YouTube, CaseyRadio, 3DJR
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You don’t take on TIPPA, and you don’t take on The Honey Badger!
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That was tackle tackle tackle tackle tackle PAID.
La Presidenta @Catherine_Lio, please instruct your minions to create a compilation video of all our tackles!
I blame myself for this miss: I literally said beforehand that Mia-Rae was one you could rely on…
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Concealed from the camera, but looks like a head clash for Marianna “Mez” Anthony.
Good umpire doing his job by pausing play, too.
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Casey did a “Jimmy Stynes”…
The umpire right there must have had his brain equally switched off. Ditto the commentary blaming Ahrens, totally missing that the Demon did a 180º to run across the mark a second time 
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Ugle and Nanscawen scrapping and fighting for the ball on the final siren… their efforts are what footy is about.
(Marianna does run onto the ground for the celebrations at the end, not having played in the final quarter.)
Brendan Major got a nice round of applause while we were waiting for the team to come from that far wing. Well deserved; Rutten can but wish his team was as “blue collar” as these girls.
And pressure wins finals.
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CASEY DEMONS
Goal Kickers: A. Bannan 2, T. Fellows, E. Humphries, S. Heath
Best Players: J. Parry, E. West, C. Sherriff, S. Fairchild, S. Johnson, G. Colvin
ESSENDON
Goal Kickers: T. Slender, J. Davies, A. Barba, L. Ahrens, E. Hosking
Best Players: M. Clifford, G. Prespakis, C. McIntosh, R. Svarc, L. Ahrens, T. Crook
Hmmm, let me think about this one: Svarc or Nanscawen for the bests?
GTFO.
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Epic team pressure, the captain once again BOG, and a lot of things we need to improve next week.
The forwardline was ineffectual. We got almost nothing offensively from our forwards and once the hitout had been achieved almost nothing (4 disposals total) from our two rucks (Gillard did apply six tackles). Slender was next bottom, with 3 disposals. Yassir (near-permanent forward with Prespakis a near-permanent mid), Hosking, and Davies had 5 disposals each. The latter two at least each got a goal, as did Slender.
Despite her two uncharacteristically bad set shots making this game much more traumatic than it should have been, Clifford was a star with 13 disposals, 7 tackles, and a game-leading 6 marks, all over the ground and very often at critical moments. She just refuses to lose one-on-one contests.
Midfield was a decent battle: we may not have won the clearances but our team-wide pressure ensured it was a hard slog for Casey to string together anything resembling fluency. Nanscawen, Barba, Ugle, and Prespakis were all busy. When Prespakis gets adult-fit/strong she is going to terrorise teams. Unfortunately Georgie evokes very different sentiments from the umpires than Georgia does!
Down back we had some deadset heroes. CBomb is amazing: she tied Clifford for marks, and was both the Fletcher-like rescuer and an aggressive rebounder. We have fewer monsters than possibly every other team in the league, but Ahrens is one of them at CHB. And watching the replay, Crook read the ball and wind very well, and gave us rapid rebounds as a result.
Year one: 1 win
Year two: 6 wins, mostly in a rush at the end
Year three: so far, 9 wins
This team is very much more than the sum of its parts.
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Thanks for summary DJR, hopefully they can keep going further.
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Sunday’s game: come on Patrikios, have a blinder to get the Saints the win and us the double chance!
EDIT: Patrikios hasn’t played the last two weeks. Nooooo!
(In round 10, the Saints beat Port 52-28.)
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Great post, but as a first time VFLW watcher I’m not sure how you left McIntosh out!
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CBomb = McIntosh 
It’s her nickname and when commentating I stay the hell away from Mac/Mc names as rapid auto-complete is crucial!
(It’s also why I write Nattie instead of MacDonald, and often used Emma for Mackay.)
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Hah. Shows what I know.
Carry on, nothing to see here 
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Your good judgement is noted!
CBomb has posted her summary of the day (a Celie Hay photo):
That, and the one thanking the physio for keeping her moving!
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By Celie Hay
The VFLW Bombers have held off a fast-finishing Casey Demons in its first-ever VFLW final to celebrate a three-point victory at Casey Fields on Saturday.
The windy conditions dictated the game, but Essendon made the most of the goal-scoring end to claim a 5.5 (35) to 5.2 (32) elimination final win and advance to the semi-finals.
Casey started strongly with the opening goal, but the Bombers kept up the intensity and locked the ball in their forward half.
Kicking against the wind, the Bombers struggled to convert but controlled the play and applied strong pressure to their opponents through strong tackles from Georgia Nanscawen and Courtney Ugle.
A determined Bombers outfit returned after the first break, with Georgie Prespakis and Alana Barba using their clean skills through the midfield to move the ball up forward.
Goals to Barba and Elizabeth Hosking sparked the Bombers’ enthusiasm, with the momentum turning their way.
Mia-Rae Clifford’s AFLW experience was evident as she took strong marks to set up her teammates while also providing great leadership.
Making history: The VFLW Bombers run out for their first-ever final. (Photo: Celie Hay)
An on-the-run goal to Jessie Davies followed by a set-shot major to Tara Slender gave the Bombers a 23-point lead at half-time.
But the Demons came out firing after the main break, utilising the wind to kick three consecutive goals.
Tamsin Crook and Cecilia McIntosh fought hard across the backline to stop the Demons from taking the lead, while Ruby Svarc used her speed to chase down her opponents and cause turnovers.
Heading into the final term, Essendon’s lead had been cut back to four points and the momentum sat with the Demons.
Casey carried its energy from its comeback into the last quarter and took the lead with an early goal.
It took until the final minutes for Essendon to hit the board again, with Lauren Ahrens awarded a 50-metre penalty and a direct shot at goal.
After Ahrens converted to give the Bombers a three-point lead, the home team fought hard to get the ball towards its forward line, but Essendon’s defence stood strong.
Lauren Ahrens is surrounded after her match-winning goal. (Photo: Celie Hay)
There was elation on the final siren, with the Bombers’ players running from everywhere to celebrate their maiden VFLW finals win.
There were jubilant scenes as the final siren sounded at Casey Fields. (Photo: Celie Hay)
First finals win
Both sides made their VFLW finals debut on Saturday, but it was the Bombers who came out victorious.
For Clifford, who was best on ground for the Bombers, the win was a reward for the persistence and hard work that everyone involved in the VFLW program had contributed since the team’s inception in 2018.
“It’s just amazing. I think the girls played with their hearts on their sleeves today and that’s what we wanted to do - play the Bomber way. We’re so excited and happy,” Clifford said.
“Everyone is running and screaming around, but the work rate was there and we’re just so stoked to come home with the four points after all the hard work we’ve been doing.”
Courtney Ugle and Alana Barba pose for their customary post-win photo. (Photo: Celie Hay)
Determination until the final siren
After a ruthless second quarter, the Bombers had to fight against the wind to keep their strong lead.
Casey managed to capitalise on the strong conditions during the third term but Clifford said it was the Bombers’ grit and attitude that helped them overcome the Demons’ response.
“We always prepare for anything here at Casey. We just went man on, run, back our speed. We have a lot of young quicks and some old quicks,” Clifford said.
“We just had to be hungry for the ball and fight the whole way until that final siren, and I think we really showed that when the wind was against us.”
At three-quarter time when the game was in the balance, Clifford said the Bombers remained confident in their abilities and didn’t drop their heads.
“I think we were expecting them to come out firing. They’re a great side and they’ve had a great year so we knew they were going to bring the heat in that third quarter and we just had to ride it,” Clifford said.
“I think we actually did really well even though we conceded a few goals. I think the way we stood up and pressured, we didn’t allow them to have too much flow so I think we just had to hold our ground and just fight.”
Veteran Cecilia McIntosh couldn’t contain her excitement. (Photo: Celie Hay)
Balanced team
With five NAB League players lining up for the Bombers in Saturday’s elimination final, Clifford believes that despite having a young team, the leadership of the more experienced players helped keep the team composed in the dying moments of the game.
“I think we have a great combo to be honest. I think the young ones are there as well but we have the middle-age group with those level heads like Ahrens and ‘Morcs’ (Alex Morcom), ‘G’ (Georgia Nanscawen) in the mid and ‘Ugez’ (Courtney Ugle),” Clifford said.
“Then you have these young spritely ones running around, so I think we have a great balance of maturity and youth.”
Prespakis was one NAB League player who stood out to Clifford, with the 18-year-old demonstrating her maturity and ability to be clean around the ball at the next level.
“Definitely Prespakis today, she’s only in her third game in senior women’s footy and she’s just gone up and up and up,” Clifford said.
“The way she just darts around people, and her body and the way she uses it is just amazing, so I can’t wait to see her future and I’m so glad I get the opportunity to play alongside her now.”
The VFLW Bombers will continue their maiden finals series when they compete in a semi-final next weekend, with their opponent dependent on other results.
CASEY 1.0 1.0 4.1 5.2 (32)
ESSENDON 0.3 4.5 4.5 5.5 (35)
Goals: Barba, Hosking, Davies, Slender, Ahrens
Best: Clifford, Prespakis, McIntosh, Svarc, Crook
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The two oldest? 
