Before the game the Bin Chickens swoop in to steal Ford (though we don’t know that yet). Despite that, we still rest Nanscawen, and that will ultimately determine the result of this game.
Brendan Rhodes reports that this is Jesse Davies’ 50th VFLW game… and no one reads that. She eventually gets carried off 5 games later.
Hint to the club: the first game next year should see Mia-Rae hit the big 100, and Grace Dicker 25.
It’s a hot day (forecast top of 26) and there is a gale blowing from the north.
It’s 18-18 at quarter time, which means we did VERY well into the wind. We actually lost the inside fifties 4-11 but we’re winning at both ends of the ground. Marshall is on 5 marks (the Saints are on 6) after the first 20 minutes.
The Saints are bigger than us, again, and have found someone who can wrestle Frew… but they let Fede take one step from 48 out and BANG it goes through post-high.
We win the second quarter 14-0, but that’s not great given the strength of the wind. Hannah Stuart has 14 disposals at halftime, and they are winning the middle handily.
The wind is over 40kph now (and the gusts more). We don’t flood in defence until quite late, with a bloodied CBomb sent back and doing well.
The umpires are… let’s be kind, interesting. That, the wind, and weakness in the middle sees us concede that quarter 0-28.
No joke is too soon for me:
The Saints hold firm for 14 minutes. And then… let’s hand over to @PH_WARFRadio and Bray Taylor’s video editing.
It’s a uncharacteristically sunny and still day. CBomb announces her retirement (end of season) before the game, and perhaps in shock we give up the first 13 points of the game. If you let the Saints kick without pressure, they hit targets very well.
Finally Mia-Rae tackles, gets the free, and tells Radio 3DJR to get stuffed by kicking a difficult one from the boundary line.
Shortly afterwards Ugle fires a bullet pass to a leading Frew. She converts, the score is 14-13, and for the first time in four years we are not going to concede the lead.
Clifford kicks another just before half time. Saints are held scoreless for the quarter.
Nicole Julian pops a calf in the third quarter, from which we exit 27-14 ahead.
The Saints come out hard in the last, ol’ Unco Nalder somehow lets a ball slip past her in the goal square, and we’re under pressure. Sim otherwise had a hugely positive game.
A sling on Dicker head-first into the ground finally releases the pressure, and we win 5.6.36-4.2.26 to trigger the tweet we never knew we needed.
SUNDAY’S VFL Women’s Grand Final is about more than the culmination of a single campaign for Essendon.
Season 2022 could not have been more different from back in 2018, when the Bombers first joined the VFLW.
A one-win year saw them comfortably finish last on the ladder back then, but fast forward four years and they have not lost a game in 2022, en route to their first Grand Final.
Coach Brendan Major has witnessed all the highs and lows of that journey, having been the Bombers’ one and only coach in their VFLW journey thus far.
When asked earlier this week to reflect on that journey, Major found it hard to “encapsulate” it all.
“From the start, the club has been fantastic in its support of women’s football and support of the program,” he said. “I think that as a staffing group and as a coaching group, we’ve focused on the fundamentals and we put our people first, and I think that as the years have gone by we’ve just maintained that focus on good people and developing our people, creating a space for them to have the opportunity to develop, and then taking that responsibility to develop and we’re here because of that.”
Major spoke glowingly of how much of an impact those six players have made on the group at Essendon.
“Huge, absolutely huge,” he said. “When you talk about development of a list and development of a group, it’s about training standards as a whole group. It’s about a group of people getting together and putting what’s best for the team in front of what’s best for them.
“When talking about Courtney Ugle, Kendra Heil, Morcom, Simone Nalder, Mariana Anthony, Natalie Macdonald, those types of players, the players that are really good football players in their own right and probably haven’t quite had the recognition they may get [in relation to being drafted], or they may get next year, they have been tremendous for the Essendon Football Club over a number of seasons just through sheer hard work.”
Unlike many of the VFLW sides, Essendon has chosen to keep its now AFLW-listed personnel playing right the way through the season.
“For us it’s about what’s best for the player,” Major said. “We’ve pulled a couple of players and that’s ok because that’s what was best for them. So I’m not going to make judgements on what the other clubs have done, they’re all in unique situations, and they’ve done what they think is best for their club.”
The Bombers may have the favourite tag heading into the match, but try telling that to Major.
“If you look at the two contests we’ve had with the Southern Saints this year it was a draw then it was 10 points, and it could have gone either way,” he said. “It was very close for most of the game and the first half of the game they very much had the run of play. So, although statistically without losing a game this year I can understand why people would say that, but I would expect a very even game this week. I don’t think it’s going to be too heavily favoured one [way] or the other.”
So, will this journey over the last few years culminate in the ultimate glory for Major and his Bombers? Only a few more days until all will be revealed.
Since the last time we played in round 13 we have made the following changes.
IN:
8. E. Ashley-Cooper
20. C. McIntosh
22. N. MacDonald
45. B. Clarke
OUT:
25. I. Ayre
19. N. Julian
43. O. DiDonato
34. E. Everist
Despite me going on about them out-sizing us historically, their team, and particularly their forward line, last week was not based on size. So the above changes are a useful upgrade for us.
I like how we named lots of emergencies. Give them the experience, at least a bit, especially for the two OGs there. Those two NAB Leaguers didn’t get drafted, either, so let’s try to hold onto them!
An asterisk means they were added to our AFLW team. All but Ayre have gone to the end.
Seniors, representing the Class of 2018:
Simone Nalder
Kendra Heil
Courtney Ugle
Alex Morcom
Natalie Macdonald
Juniors, representing the Class of 2019:
Eloise Ashley-Cooper*
Georgia Nanscawen*
Cecilia McIntosh <— “junior”
Liz Hosking
Federica Frew*
Marianna Anthony
Alana Barba*
Sophomores, representing the Class of 2021:
Mia-Rae Clifford
Tamsin Crook
Grace Dicker
Freshwomen, representing the Class of 2022:
Amelia Radford*
Danielle Marshall*
Renee Tierney*
Jordan Zanchetta*
Joanne Doonan*
Bella Clarke
Brendan Rhodes joins me in paying attention, at least.
ESSENDON sharpshooter Federica Frew is within reach of a significant milestone if she is able to have a day out in the rebel VFLW Grand Final against Southern Saints at ETU Stadium on Sunday.
Rohenna Young medallist Frew, who has booted 33 goals for the season, needs another three majors to reach 50 VFLW goals in her career, a terrific achievement given she will only be playing her 33rd match.
To add context to that achievement, only her co-captain and games record holder Mia-Rae Clifford (59), Darebin’s Stephanie Simpson (58) and Hawthorn recruit Jess Duffin (54) have kicked more goals among active players, while Moana Hope (126, including 106 for St Kilda Sharks in 2016), Katie Brennan (125), Jasmine Garner (104), Darcy Vescio (96), Jaimee Lambert (93), Sarah Perkins (92), Christina Bernardi (57), Lauren Arnell (56), Chloe Molloy (56), Tara Bohanna (49), Kaitlyn Ashmore (49) and Alex Quigley (48) are no longer active in the VFLW, placing Frew 16th overall.
- walking off from final training singing happy birthday to Nalder