Preview AFLW Round 7 Fremantle vs North Melbourne, Saturday 16 March Fremantle Oval

It all comes down to this, Fremantle in Fremantle to secure a place in the finals.

Freo will be without defender Alex Williams who tore an ACL on the weekend but will go into the game pretty confident with a form line pretty similar to ours, their only defeat coming at the hands of Adelaide.

Teams seem to have tried negating our playmakers over recent weeks with Emma Kearney and Jess Duffin copping heavy tags and I suspect the Dockers will try a similar approach. I'd like to see us do likewise and send someone to #6 Kiara Bowers who seems to be heart of their team. I actually think that Beth Lynch might be good as a run with type, she is small but she is quick and really fierce at the contest.

The other standout player they have from what I have seen is #27 Gemma Houghton up front, she is a good mark and kick and will require pretty close attention, I think Thalia Randall will get the first shot and can hopefully keep her quiet. I don't think they have anyone good enough to keep Duffin out of the game this week.

Hopefully Kearney and Kashy can have more influence this week, Elisha King has been getting better each week and Jenna Bruton has been a star. With Abba and Beth Gibson spending time in the middle if Kearney is tagged out of the game I'd send her down back and give one of the other girls a crack in the guts.

NORTH MELBOURNE

  • Second in Conference A on 20 points with a percentage of 143.7
  • Plays Fremantle (third in Conference A) at Fremantle Oval on Saturday

If North Melbourne wins = Qualifies for finals. A big win in conjunction with an Adelaide victory will lead to a battle of percentage for top spot. A small win alongside an Adelaide win will lead to second spot. If Adelaide loses, North Melbourne will finish first.

If North Melbourne draws = An Adelaide win would see the Roos qualify in second spot, due to their slightly superior percentage over Fremantle. An Adelaide loss would mean the Roos would finish first.

If North Melbourne loses = A loss and an Adelaide win would mean North Melbourne missed out on a preliminary final. If Adelaide loses, it becomes a percentage battle for second spot with the Crows and Melbourne.


Carn the Roos!
 
Mar 10, 2018
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I really hope they can get the job done.
It's going to leave a nasty taste in the mouth if we miss out due to the ridiculous conference set up.
Having said that I'm sure the girls aren't thinking that way...they will just be preparing as if this is a final.
They have been great to watch over the season, to me they already feel like a huge part of the club.
Roos by 8 points.
 
If we can't roll Freo there then you would have doubts about us facing the Crows in the finals. Hopefully we have a good win and that builds our confidence back up and we can hit the finals with some momentum.
 

goalieboy82

Norm Smith Medallist
Sep 28, 2007
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and now a word from a Dachsador:
Sissy Rose, my little Dachsador
sissy-in-jumper-1-jpg.611958

barks the following:
 

nj23

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Jan 24, 2019
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I can’t find anywhere that lists injury updates. I’ve seen Ash in the social media pictures from the games but I don’t think I’ve seen her foot. She should be only a week or so away if the original diagnosis was correct.

Walked past Ash at Marvel after the game on Saturday. She was walking normally to my untrained eye so hopefully that's positive.
 
I think that’s about it, I can’t see Adelaide getting beaten by too much if at all.
My understanding is that it's a mathematical impossibility for us to qualify if we lose. If Adelaide lose to Melbourne and we lose, we'll drop to fourth most likely, as Melbourne have a better percentage than us as well already.
 
On paper Fremantle's results say they're right up there with, or above, us and Melbourne but I haven't quite seen it that way out on the park. Looking at it purely in terms of who has shown the brightest glimpses this season, I'd actually be more concerned about facing Carlton or Brisbane in a sudden death match-up.

What the Dockers have been doing well is generally confining their bad patches to solitary quarters, whereas those Conference B teams I've mentioned have spent long stretches (sometimes spanning weeks) looking totally lost.

Freo like a fast free-flowing game so it should be an entertaining all-or-nothing encounter on a Subiaco-sized ground in front of a large hostile crowd by AFLW standards. I'm expecting we'll have every chance to play our style and get the win if we're accurate in front of goal, WA state representative Emma King popping up and kicking a few more would be handy.
 
I'm a little concerned about this one, our back six hasn't been as strong in the last fortnight as it was in the first month, and against a fast team like the Dockers it could look a little pedestrian. We have the talent to win, but if our midfield doesn't dominate, I fear we can get blown away in similar fashion to the Adelaide game.
 

jess_1804

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Aug 21, 2013
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If we draw we make it, then if melbourne win adelaide dont play finals. What a system.
You’re correct, I didn’t even realise that. What a cluster fluff these conferences are! That’d be the absolute best case scenario, we’d finish top and get home finals.
 
You can’t argue against the fact that it’s one incredibly exciting final round. The AFL can rightly argue that their conference setup has been a huge success. It turns out we’ve had an elite conference and a wildcard conference. At the end of it all, the best team will most likely win the flag. In fact, the two best teams will surely play off in the final. If we can’t beat Freo, we’re never going to beat Adelaide. It, naturally, riles because we are definitely top 4. However, it’s more interesting this way. On the other hand, both Prelims could be landslides. If that turns out to be the case, I’ll change my mind...


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Nicole Bresnehan is set to return to the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos’ line-up for the do-or-die clash against Fremantle on Saturday.
Bresnehan has missed the last three games due to a wrist injury, but comes into the side, presented by Powershop, in place of omitted defender Beth Lynch.
The Tasmanian was a strong performer in the opening three rounds of the season, with her ability to quell the influence of the opposition’s best small forwards a valuable asset for the Roos.
Lynch will be joined by Emma Humphries as one of two emergencies for the Round 7 fixture at Fremantle Oval.
A win for North will take it through to the finals.
 
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