Calling it early: this is set to be the 25th game for Porter (7 with us) and Davidge (all with us, and looking to run down Tamsin Crook’s youngest-to-reach-50 record).
Stats Leaders (leaders, us, Norf, maybe a few others).
Apart from goals, the numbers below are averages… but the rankings are sorted by totals.
Disposals
1 - Ange Gogos (Falcons) 21.5
3 - Madeleine di Cosmo (Norf) 18.5
e4 - RUBY MAHONY 18.3
7 - EL CHASTON 17.5
Goals
1 - Sharnie Whiting (Willy) 13
2 - Nyakoat Dojiok (Norf) 12
5 - Monique Dematteeeeeeeeoooooooo (Falcons) 10
Marks
1 - Georgia Foran (Saints) 5.1
e5 - Lori Stepnell (Willy) + Bella Clarke (Port) 3.3
Tackles
e1 - Aubrey Rhodes (Norf) + Ava Seton (Port) 10.3
e7 - Madeleine di Cosmo (Norf) 8.1
Kicks
1 - Ange Gogos (Darebin) 14.8
3 - EL CHASTON 12.0
e6 - Nicole Hales (Norf) 12.7
Handballs
1 - RUBY MAHONY 11.9
3 - Madeleine di Cosmo (Norf) 9.6
Hit-outs
1 - Shannon Egan (Falcons) 25.6
9 - Sarah King (Norf) 15.7
Charlotte Van der vlies is set to play for her first game for North Melbourne in Saturday’s Indigenous Round clash against traditional rivals Essendon at Arden St Oval.
A former VFLW Magpie, Van der vlies is among four changes to the Kangaroos side that lost narrowly to Williamstown in Round 8.
Paige Ryan and Marli Klaumanns-Moller come in for their first game of this season, while defender Kiara Delia also returns to the side.
Delia and Klaumanns-Moller are named on the bench alongside Nicole Hales, Sarah Hosking and Emily Paterno.
First Nations players Tahlia Meier and Mackie Sutcliffe will perform the coin toss ahead of the must-win game for the Roos, as they chase a spot in the top six.
Injuries have forced Abbie Hoiberg-Cox and Brooke Slaney out of the side this week, while Kayla Peake is unavailable and Marguerite Purcell has been omitted.
| B | M.McSweeney (22) | J. Jones (17) | |
| HB | A. Ling (24) | T. Meier (2) | A. Barba (26) |
| C | Z. Flanigan (16) | M. Di Cosmo (12) | E. Jackson (19) |
| HF | A. Rhodes (4) | M. Zander (10) | P. Ryan (27) |
| F | R. Tierney (34) | N. Dojiok (40) | |
| R | K. Reynolds (44) | E. King (5) | C. Van der vlies (33) |
| INT | N. Hales (30) | S. Hosking (13) | E. Paterno (21) |
| K. Delia (20) | M. Klaumanns-Moller (14) | ||
| EMG | G. Nicholas (9) | M. Purcell (28) | S. King (44) |
| F. Theodore (1) | |||
| INS | P. Ryan | K. Delia | C. Van der vlies |
| M. Klaumanns-Moller | |||
| OUTS | M. Purcell | A. Hoiberg-Cox (inj) | K. Peake (u/a) |
| B. Slaney (inj) |
Sorry… but these are not the Bendigo players you’re looking for!
That’s some drastic changes and research to do later today on our debutants. Hobbs @ FF is 179cm.
Prpic and Huta are the not-named INs.
Kodi Jacques is set to line up again for the side and is the only AFLW listed player in the team this week.
The side also welcomes in U18 Bendigo Pioneer players for a one-off game with Gabrielle Drage, Lavina Cox and Sienna Hobbs all suiting up for the Bombers.
Both Bailey Hunt (concussion) and Ava Jordan (illness) are outs for this week along with AFLW listed players Ellyse Gamble, Alex Morcom and Matilda Dyke.
| B | I. Porter (70) | L. Bateman (63) | |
| HB | M. Robinson (80) | M. Ford (42) | E. Chaston (61) |
| C | D. Ryan (51) | R. Mahony (78) | E. Huggard (75) |
| HF | E. Tassiopoulos (49) | S. Molan (73) | S. Orritt (68) |
| F | T. Davidge (77) | S.Hobbs (10) | |
| R | J. Morrow (60) | A. Melnikas (64) | K. Jacques (7) |
| INT | C. Prpic (58) | M. Huta (56) | S. Ford (45) |
| L.Cox (12) | G.Drage (19) |
Here’s two of them being interviewed.
Warning: interviewer audio is often garbled.
Cox (172cm) and Hobbs (179cm) both listed as mids by Rookie Me Central.
Drage (173cm) listed as a forward.
P.S. Get a bloody proof-reader.
(They did not fix the posts or article earlier this week stating we were playing Port Melbourne.)
Bloody FCFC bastards: they’ve got Jemmika Douglas (and Alexis Gregor) to debut this week.
Lou Painter might be too good for VFLW.
Also, we’ve got screwed by that rare Sunday game versus GWS: because the game three rounds later is on a Saturday, Hunt is out for at least three games rather than two under the 2024 every-comp-but-AFL protocols.
Meanwhile, AFLM are being knocked silly and clubs are getting away with it.
Drage Drage Drage nup GabDrage GabDrage GabDrage handrails WTF Drage text-replacement it will be then; gd = GabDrage
LCox LCox LCox LCox LCo nope, also stupid LAV. Text replace lcx = LavinaCox
Hobbs Hobbs Hobbs it knows this one 
#10 Sienna Hobbs
- kicked 8 goals in the first round of this year’s Central Victoria Football League.
- kicked 9 goals in round 11 last year (both of them were pretty easy wins, but being THE leading goal-kicker at 16yo in the seniors definitely counts). Named BOG, with our winger Drew Ryan second-best with 3 goals herself.
- has kicked 5.7 from 5 games in the Coates league – also has had 5-16 hit-outs in those games
- Round 5 notes from RTC: 9 disposals, 3 marks, 6 hitouts, 1 goal, 4 behinds --Though inaccuracy might have hurt her final numbers, Hobbs still showed some enticing traits as a forward. She is strong overhead, a great size at 179cm and she showed the capacity to be good below her knees as well, having a snap after picking it up off the deck in the second term. She could have finished with a big day out, but her work to get into the right spots was at least a tick.
#12 Lavina Cox
- has a basketball background – was in the VIC country U18 team last year
- seems to have played a few different roles this year in the Coates, going by the varying Inside Fifty and Rebound Fifty stats. Two rounds back had 5 rebounds, 15 disposals, and 15 tackles.
- at this year’s Junior Combine, she won the agility test and was third for running leap.
#19 Gabby Drage
- has had no problems scoring this year in the Coates: 1.1, 3,0,. 2.3 and 2.1
- made league team of the week for that 2.3 17 disposal game – RMC said “Drage started forward and then moved into the midfield once again where she was able to find the ball well and contribute in a strongly built on-ball group. She got forward to take a couple of good marks and convert set shot goals, with one other falling short and another couple just missing. The left-footer is a point of difference in the midfield and looks dangerous when the ball is in her area.”
- In the three goal game RMC said “The classy forward was the main source of majors in the first half, kicking all three goals then including one just before half time. She has great goal sense and is capable of launching them from long range, with her versatility also getting tested in the match when she moved into the midfield in the second half. There, she was able to win a number of clean touches and worked hard, with her midfield craft something that she will build with more minutes on the inside.”
- In her first game of the year, RMC said “The clever left-footer looked dangerous inside 50 and even though her stats do not jump on the page, she impressed each time she went near it. Drage’s goal came off hands midway through the second term, and she set up two other goal opportunities going inside 50. Rarely wasting a disposal, the forward showed she will compliment the front six well.”
- Before the season started, the Pioneer coach said “She’s a key forward, pretty exciting player, got a fair bit of X-factor and flair, beautiful set shot on goal, pretty reliable up forward for us and provides a great target”
- has also played basketball, but to a lesser extent. In searching for info, I accidentally came across what the Fresh Princess of Bel-Air has been up to: Bella Ayre, ex-AFLW Rising Star and EFC VFLW in 2022, is currently on 19 goals from 4 games with Golden Square in the CVFL.
From the video:
- Sienna Hobbs has “really big hands” and strength is marking at its highest point. Importantly, she barracks for us and Sam Draper as a kid. She self-identifies as annoying.
- Gabby “Rocket” Drage will do a back flip if she kicks three goals. FEED HER MORE.
- They were very good not completely corpsing over his rubbish connection. The sillier-than-normal questions worked better with three there.
I take back what I said before… clearly Painter is not good enough to be selected.
Assuming they play, we are now 50% up on the junior games played last year: well, arguably 100% because Lila Keck didn’t last half of her game… at least Grunden got through her four quarters!
It’s been 2021 since we provided any significant number of junior games (admittedly that was the best batch of to-be-AFLW players to come through).
