5 day lockdown announced, meaning Preliminary Final postponed.
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Get rusty, Collingwood⌠youâre gonna wobble.
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The NAB AFLW Draft Combine in Victoria scheduled for Sunday July 18 at Melbourne University will not proceed as planned because of the five-day lockdown announced by the Victorian State Government. A decision on holding the combine the following weekend will be based on the changing circumstances and advice from Victorian government and relevant health departments and medical experts.
The majority of girls from Victoria, New South Wales and ACT participated in NAB AFLW Fitness Testing Days held earlier in the year where they showed their physical prowess in front of AFLW recruiters.
So that means the coming Combine is just staff asking the girls to do stuff like spell âprecipitousâ backwards? i.e. things that donât stop you playing in a Preliminary Final the day before.
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Officially delayed again.
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The rebel VFLW comp?
Sumich just missed another one from close in.
Wobble wobble wobble wobble wobble â three week break, no warm-up match.
Has DJR been in the bushes this whole time?
SUMICH AND I VOTE NO.
So the next two weeks allow community sport but without spectators?
Consequences of that TBCâŚ
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Second post in this thread⌠is dated 
We usually train Tuesday and Thursday, so not sure what theyâll try to fit in from Wednesday.
Possibly a stupid question: will the AFL enforce their own rules?
To qualify to play Finals, players must have played one game during the Home and Away Season. Clubs can select a maximum of 10 AFLW listed players in all Finals Series matches.
Is the limit of 10 AFLW players during finals based on the past season, or now? As written, it means now. Letâs see what that meansâŚ
Weâre fine, even though tonight we quadrupled our number of AFLW-listed players to 8. None of the 6 drafted girls played against Geelong in the previous game.
Geelong though⌠hmmm.
They added four of their VFLW players to their AFLW team:
Gabbi Featherstone (drafted tonight)
Annabel Johnson (drafted tonight)
Claudia Gunajca (upgraded via âyou suckâ AFLW compensation)
Olivia Fuller (upgraded via âyou suckâ AFLW compensation)
AFLW player traded in (not relevant to the main point of this post):
Chantel Emonson - from the Demons, likely eligible as she played VFLW games this year (albeit not for Geelong)
When they played us earlier this year, they therefore played 12 current or to-be AFLW players, and we played 2.
We get to add 6, they have to remove 2.
Note that one of the two being dropped was their BOG in the previous game (Richelle Cranston was sacked from their AFLW team, and subsequently picked up by Footscray as a delisted free agent).
EDIT: in previous seasons and websites you could read the actual rules. Not this year, after the AFL officially took over. So we are relying on published snippets like the above.
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One proper training session (now!) and into it.
Ditto Geelong; their lights are almost as good as ours. They just have a crappy shed/clubroom next to this ground, though. Thankfully I donât have to go down there and lock myself out off my car again!
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by Celie Hay
Windy Hill has been the backdrop to many iconic football moments throughout Essendonâs history.
And on Saturday, another event will be added to the venueâs narrative when the VFLW Bombers host Geelong in the preliminary final and their first final at Windy Hill, with a spot in the Grand Final up for grabs.
When the Bombers run out on Saturday, they will have not only a home ground advantage but also stories of past Essendon teams inspiring them to victory at their spiritual home.
Vice-captain Courtney Ugle understands the significance of Windy Hill for Essendon fans and is confident the VFLW Bombers can overcome the challenge of Geelong to add their own piece of history to the ground.
âWe were all kind of spewing that we missed out on a first final (elimination final against Casey) as a home game because itâs (Windy Hill) the spiritual home ground of the Bombers and it just hits different,â Ugle said.
âWhen you know the history behind the club and all the people that have really changed the game, the legends of the game and the people who have played the game, now we have a new era with a womenâs side that has been welcomed into the whole Bomber world.
âTo be able to play home games and finals at Windy, itâs going to hit different.â
What finals mean to VFLW Bombers
Essendonâs VFLW players tell us what a maiden finals series means to them on the eve of their elimination final against Casey.
Although fans wonât be able to attend Saturdayâs prelim due to current restrictions, Ugle is grateful for those who have shown their support throughout the season.
Essendonâs VFLW side has played three games at Windy Hill this season with a strong supporter base attending each match to show their support, something that has inspired the Bombers to a maiden finals series.
For Ugle, there is nothing better than running on to the field and hearing the roar of the crowd from the grandstands at Windy Hill.
âWhat I do love is that you can actually hear the crowd roar when youâre at Windy. I think the crowd is the best part about playing there because you know youâre going to get your supporters there,â she said.
âWeâve got some pretty loyal, passionate Bomber supporters who have showed up wherever they can.
âSome come to every game and they may not have any connection to anyone in the team, but itâs because they barrack for the Bombers that they will show their support no matter whoâs playing - boys or girls.â
The motivation to perform for their fans, who will be watching from home on Saturday, will be an inspiring factor for the Bombers, but Ugle insists the team wonât put any extra pressure on themselves.
As the side prepares for their maiden preliminary final, head coach Brendan Major has continued to incorporate a balance of light-hearted and serious moments into the teamâs program to ensure the Bombers arenât overwhelmed by the occasion.
âI love that Major has stayed consistent with how heâs approached this finals campaign,â Ugle said.
âHe hasnât really made a big emphasis on it at training, but because we all know what game is coming up, we all know how important it is, we donât need to talk about it.â
Courtney Ugle (middle) says the Bombers arenât losing their sense of fun ahead of a big final. (Photo: Celie Hay)
Ugle and Major, who have both been at the club since the inauguration of the VFLW side in 2018, can look back with pride to see how far the team has come.
In its first season, the side finished at the bottom of the ladder with only one win.
Three years later, the VFLW Bombers climbed the ladder to finish fifth with eight wins plus a nail-biting three-point elimination final victory over Casey Demons.
While the on-field success demonstrates the growth in the program, Ugle believes itâs the contribution by individuals that reflect the true progress, including the establishment of a strong culture.
âI honestly do remember the first year when we won one game and we were getting smashed every weekend. But Major believed in us and trusted the process and he has even grown and developed and evolved over the years, so Iâm really proud of him,â she said.
âThereâs been lots of girls that have come through and made their mark and left but then thereâs girls like me. Iâm still here and I wouldnât want to be anywhere else.
âBut then full credit to the girls weâve welcomed into the program too like Mia-Rae (Clifford). She has been exceptional for us and really drives that belief.â
The VFLW Bombers will embrace their three-year journey to the finals and use their challenges as motivation when they face Geelong on Saturday.
The last time the two sides met in round 10, the Cats claimed a 23-point victory in a dominant display at Deakin University Oval.
But with a Grand Final spot on the line, the Bombers hope to learn from their defeat to Geelong and redeem themselves on home turf.
âWe didnât play our best game at all against Geelong during the year. It was actually pretty disappointing the performance that we put on,â Ugle said.
âBut take that away, the way weâve been playing as a group, I will back my team in day in and day out that we will match up well.
âNo doubt about it, theyâve got a really great side but I think that the way weâve been playing with our hunt, our endeavour, our tackle pressure, and the trust we have in one another, I believe weâll get the job done. We wonât back down and itâll be a great hitout.â
The winner of the preliminary final will face Collingwood in the VFLW Grand Final at ETU Stadium on Sunday, August 8 from 1.15pm.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, fans cannot attend Saturdayâs prelim but will be able to stream the match live online, with details to be confirmed.
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