2023 AFLW Final Series

[GC2015]

Dates and venues for week 1 of the finals are locked in.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Some interesting timeslots there.

 

[Saints2001]

Some interesting timeslots there.

Yeah was listening to the W Show yesterday and Sam Lane said she'd talked it over with the AFL and according to them:
- Brisbane got the early Sat game to allow them to fly home that evening otherwise would have had to stay overnight
- GC and Sydney being less impacted crowd wise by a night game rather than Adelaide vs Brisbane (insinuation being Adelaide game would have better turnout during the day than evening...smells like BS to me)
- No Fri night game as it clashes with WBBL, and coverage of both sports is by Ch 7
- AFL didn't think having both Sunday Victorian games consecutively would affect crowds significantly (there's no way to attend both games in full in person as it's a 60min between venues)

 

[GC2015]

Anyone got predictions for round 1 of the finals? I'm thinking:

Brisbane def. Adelaide
Gold Coast def. Sydney
Geelong def. Essendon
Melbourne def. North

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Adelaide
Sydney
Geelong
Melbourne

 

[Teen Wolf]

Free-to-air guide for the weekend:

Adelaide v Brisbane
Seven (VIC, SA, WA), 7mate (NSW, QLD)

Gold Coast v Sydney
7mate (VIC, SA, WA, NSW, QLD)

Geelong v Essendon
Seven (VIC, SA, WA), 7mate (NSW, QLD)

Melbourne v North Melb.
Seven (VIC, SA, WA), 7mate (NSW, QLD)

 

[Teen Wolf]

Adelaide should really be looking to lay down a repeat of round 1 S6, their only thumping of the Lions to date. Brisbane have, so far, played well enough at the crucial times to avoid full punishment for many dumb and undisciplined errors. But, unlike last week where I tipped them to beat Melbourne, I think they'll approach this match with a nothing-to-lose attitude... and be inadequately focussed because of it.

Gold Coast, much like GWS a few rounds ago, pulled off a home win last week without their no.1 player vs a fellow mediocre team. Managing to do that two weeks in a row is a little harder, but given Sydney are also without Ally Morphett, it would again be pretty ridiculous if the Suns can't get the job done. That would mean reversing the practice match result from three months ago (while pre-season form across the league has held up very well, it hasn't been infallible--see the GWS v Rich turnaround).

Similar expectations apply for Geelong (entering their 3rd finals campaign, still aiming for their first win), who played a dreadfully low-energy handball-to-nothing game against Essendon a month ago. It will be the first time Bonnie Toogood has played a final since the 2018 GF (1 kick, 0 goals, 0 marks, 1 tackle), and Maddy Prespakis hasn't added to her 2-1 record in finals since 2020 which is a pretty long drought for a player of her ability.

While it can't be said that North should beat Melbourne, they shouldn't be getting beaten at the source like the two previous times. If they do lose, it should be because of inferior forwards and key defenders, per their MCG meeting last season (or in countless matches against Adel and BL). Of all the scheduling decisions this weekend, I'm most surprised by this game not being at Casey--it was a big deal when NM's home week 1 final wasn't at Arden Street, but it's a non-issue when the shoe is on the other foot.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Loyal readers should have got a chuckle out of the below post from 7AFL, but for those who only traverse this part of BF when their team has a sniff of finals, I'll explain why again.



Any ideas for the currently nameless GF BOG medal, they ask. Well, I guess one idea would be to name it after the person whose likeness appears on the medal itself...



...but then again, Katie Brennan is on three other AFLW medals as well, so perhaps it's time to share these around more.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Here's something to quietly mull over while watching this weekend's games, from The Age:

The judges’ choice: Who are the top 10 AFLW players right now?
1. Jasmine Garner, North Melbourne
2. Monique Conti, Richmond
3. Chloe Molloy, Sydney
4. Ebony Marinoff, Adelaide
5. Kate Hore, Melbourne
6. Anne Hatchard, Adelaide
7. Ellie Blackburn, Western Bulldogs
8. Ally Anderson, Brisbane
9. Maddy Prespakis, Essendon
10. Bonnie Toogood, Essendon

Honourable mentions:
Bri Davey, Alyce Parker, Ash Riddell, Georgie Prespakis, Nina Morrison, Tyla Hanks, Charlie Rowbottom, Laura Gardiner.

Blackburn and Maddy Prespakis clearly belong in the current Top 5 above the far less consistent Molloy and Hore.

Bri Davey getting an honourable mention (while Emily Bates, Kiara Bowers, and even Emma Kearney get nothing)… taking the piss there.

No ruck on the list. I suspect Ally Morphett would've got the last spot if she played the whole season (Laura Gardiner, yeah nah--may as well put in Handballer Hill).

There is no defender among those 18 names, either. Eilish Sheerin probably would've got a HM if Richmond made finals.

The article also waxes lyrical about "a generational changing of the guard" and then doesn't mention any teenagers, such as Zarlie Goldsworthy and Ella Roberts who both had great seasons.

 

[MelbourneGWS]

ABC’s analysis of the strengths of the finalists.

Each of the AFLW top eight's biggest assets ahead of finals

With the top eight settled and AFLW finals on the horizon, Gemma Bastiani takes a look at the greatest strength of each remaining team.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Teen Wolf]

Highest post-2020 home crowds:

ADELAIDE
22,934 – 2021 GF v BL at Adelaide Oval
16,712 – 2022 (S6) GF v MEL at Adelaide Oval
8,722 – 2023 R1 v PA at Norwood Oval
6,382 – 2021 PF v MEL at Adelaide Oval
5,452 – 2022 (S6) PF v FRE at Adelaide Oval
3,632 – 2023 R9 v NM at Norwood Oval

GOLD COAST (excluding games in Mackay)
1,902 – 2021 R1 v MEL at Carrara Stadium
1,873 – 2023 R7 v BL at Carrara Stadium
1,506 – 2021 R9 v GEE at Carrara Stadium
1,419 – 2022 (S7) R5 v PA at Bond University
1,329 – 2022 (S6) R4 v RIC at Carrara Stadium
1,181 – 2023 R4 v WB at Carrara Stadium

GEELONG
4,404 – 2023 R1 v WB at Kardinia Park
4,338 – 2022 (S7) EF v NM at Kardinia Park
4,312 – 2023 R5 v MEL at Kardinia Park
4,252 – 2022 (S7) R1 v RIC at Kardinia Park
3,658 – 2023 R10 v HAW at Kardinia Park
3,071 – 2021 R1 v NM at Kardinia Park

MELBOURNE (excluding double-header with men's final)
8,412 – 2023 R1 v COL at Princes Park
6,436 – 2022 (S6) PF v BL at Melbourne Cricket Ground
5,592 – 2022 (S7) PF v NM at Princes Park
2,704 – 2023 R8 v NM at Princes Park
2,581 – 2021 R2 v RIC at Casey Fields
2,555 – 2022 (S7) QF v ADE at Princes Park


So ah, I guess we should expect crowds this weekend to at least be:

Adelaide: 5k
Gold Coast: 2.5k
Geelong: 6k
Melbourne: 4k

 

[GC2015]

Had a look into the finals records of the teams that made it this year and found some interesting results:

1st Adelaide 7-3
2nd Melbourne 6-2
3rd North 3-3
4th Brisbane 5-5

5th Gold Coast 0-1
6th Geelong 0-2
7th Essendon - debut
8th Sydney - debut

Surprised to see Brisbane are a 50/50 team in finals with how many GFs they've played. Curiously, the ladder positions are almost exactly what they should be in terms of each club's finals record.

 

[Mitchell Madness]

North are my smokey for the series.

 

[Teen Wolf]

So it's Brisbane that comes out switched on, and Adelaide starting preeeetty casual. And I know, wind, umpires, magic goal etc etc. But still, quite a few Crows are looking like they just rolled outta bed.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Wowee I strongly believe (based on watching/listening the broadcast, which could be misleading) the Kelly goal on the siren wouldn't have counted if either a) the siren was louder or b) the umpire(s) had better hearing. Quite incredible how Adelaide's luck turned on its head in the latter stages.

Davidson injury at HT makes it hard to not mention Brisbane's last match against Adelaide in SA, when she (and Lutkins) went down early and the Lions got pumped.

 

[DEVO]

Has Marinoff ever hit a target, she does so many good things and gets a lot of the ball, but her disposal is woeful.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Gould 18.4 for the season and misses that. Same spot on the same ground where Tahlia Randall missed from to cost NM victory a couple weeks ago.

Ponter been fairly useless so far too. Jones gonna have to kick 6 or 7 at this rate.

 

[DEVO]

Marinoff doesn't even look where she is kicking.

 

[BallaratBulldog]

Not really surprised Brisbane won despite not tipping them. I know it’s easy to look at a few upset losses and try and count them out. Beating the Demons last week was the hint.

 

[Teen Wolf]

That's gotta be Adelaide done. Ain't no way they'll win a prelim on the road with the way Hatchard is playing. Turning point of the whole season feels like when she copped one in the mush a few weeks ago from Grider (or whoever it was). Nothing about her has seemed right since, even though her stats today look good (kicking was only temporarily redeemed by teammates taking some difficult marks).

It's not every day when the losing team has the top 7 possession winners, and yet it was the right result. Brisbane nearly blew that game with terrible back half errors, and a couple players not being able to competently take a running bounce in open space. It could be said that Adelaide players (such as Ponter, Gould and Bonner) actually blew it, but the game was mostly played on BL's terms.

 

[GC2015]

Anyone got predictions for round 1 of the finals? I'm thinking:

Brisbane def. Adelaide
Gold Coast def. Sydney
Geelong def. Essendon
Melbourne def. North

1/1 so far. Let's see if the Suns can make it double delight for Queensland later tonight.

 

[Teen Wolf]

McEvoy kicking goals in a white jumper at Metricon, takes me back to the first 90 seconds I ever saw her play.

Gold Coast looking like the tired team that's travelled back from Perth, and then travelled again for this game, on a 6-day break... Swans absolutely torching them ffs. Not unlike how the pre-season encounter started.

 

[parano1a]

Suns still in it.
Swans have a key player out of the game injured.

 

[Borough Blood]

Molloy giving it to the nuff nuff in the crowd

 

[Saints2001]

Oof that's a rough half for the Suns. Molloy turning it up and the Swans are just swarming all over the Suns.