AFLW GRAND FINAL - 2023 AFLW season - North Melb. vs Brisbane - Sunday, 3 December - 2.30pm AEDT at Ikon Park

[Teen Wolf]

ROAD TO THE GRAND FINAL

North Melb.
Conceded the fewest points of any team this year, by quite a way. Exceptional ball-winning stats from the midfield. Very flaky forward-line.
R1: beat STK by 40
R2: beat CAR by 60
R3: beat GEE by 9
R4: lost to BL by 2
R5: beat GWS by 30
R6: beat FRE by 45
R7: beat PA by 63
R8: lost to MEL by 23
R9: lost to ADE by 3
R10: beat WB by 46
H&A ladder: 3rd, 7-3, 224%
QF: beat MEL by 41
PF: beat ADE by 1

Brisbane
Strange season with a series of losses against teams that failed to make the 8. Have always been switched on for games against other serious contenders.
R1: lost to RIC by 6
R2: beat PA by 50
R3: beat SYD by 55
R4: beat NM by 2
R5: beat HAW by 27
R6: lost to COL by 5
R7: beat GC by 36
R8: beat ADE by 3
R9: lost to STK by 21
R10: beat MEL by 25
H&A ladder: 4th, 7-3, 149%
QF: beat ADE by 2
PF: beat GEE by 4


HEAD-TO-HEAD

Brisbane lead 4-0. The teams didn’t meet in 2019 and 2020, when the Lions were at their lowest ebb. The biggest margin was 36 points in R9 2022 (S6), a game that was moved to Victoria due to floods in Queensland.

R8 2021: BL 4.11.35 def NM 2.8.20 at the Gabba
R9 2022 (S6): BL 7.8.50 def NM 2.2.14 at VU Whitten Oval
R7 2022 (S7): NM 3.8.26 def by BL 5.3.33 at Arden Street Oval
R4 2023: NM 5.3.33 def by BL 5.5.35 at UTAS Stadium


NORTH-DAKOTA?

A major talking point will be the availability of Lions spearhead Dakota Davidson, who appeared to injure her knee in Saturday night’s win against Geelong. It has almost felt like the whole season has been building up to have Davidson do something outrageous (one way or another) in the Grand Final, with public opinion widely divided about this unique character.

Whatever your appraisal of her personality, you gotta admit she’s one hell of a footballer. And yet, she didn’t play in the game between the two teams earlier in the season, which Brisbane still won!


GHOSTS OF 2018

After losing a QLD grand final in 2017, Brisbane rebounded to make a second-straight GF appearance in 2018, taking on the Western Bulldogs at Princes Park.

The Dogs--featuring current Shinboners Jenna Bruton, Emma Kearney and Kim Rennie--prevailed in another close decider. On the losing side was current Lions Ally Anderson, Shannon Campbell, Sophie Conway, and Breanna Koenen.

Current Kangaroo Tahlia Randall also played in that game, for Brisbane (her last match with the club, becoming an inaugural signing for NM shortly thereafter). Described by then coach Craig Starcevich as the “female Alex Rance

Alex Rance

Age

34

Ht

194cm

Wt

95kg

Pos.

Def

Career

Season

Last 5

D

16.6

4star

K

8.9

3star

HB

7.7

5star

M

5.7

5star

T

2.4

4star

MG

226.9

3star

No current season stats available

D

17.0

5star

K

5.8

3star

HB

11.2

5star

M

5.0

5star

T

3.6

5star

”, she spent most of that game and season in the ruck… and now she’s a key forward for Darren Crocker’s ensemble.


PREMIERSHIP PORTFOLIO, GRAND FINAL EXPERIENCE

Aside from the just-now-mentioned trio of Bruton-Kearney-Rennie, the only other AFLW premiership player on NM’s list is Ailish Considine (2 flags with Adelaide).

Brisbane will have 12 or 13 of the 2021 premiership team out there on Sunday. Several key architects of their maiden flag (Emily Bates, Kate Lutkins, Jess Wuetschner and Emma Zielke) obviously won’t be.

This will be the Lions’ 5th grand final appearance. They currently hold a 1-3 record, coming off a 4-point loss to Melbourne last year. All three losses have been by a kick or less.

Less GF experience to talk about with North, so I’ll mention the 2019 VFLW Grand Final at Ikon Park which featured Ellie Gavalas and Jasmine Ferguson playing for the Western Bulldogs and Collingwood respectively.


FITZROY FAITHFUL

The true Brunswick Street loyalists will of course be cheering on North Melbourne, the only team that will feature an actual Fitzroy player. I speak, of course, of Ash Riddell whose rise to AFLW dominance is the stuff of fairytales. Riddell won the Debbie Lee Medal in 2016 for her performance with Fitzroy in Div 3 of the VWFL, taking her team all the way to the grand final (which they lost by 9 points).


WHO IS THE BEST AND FAIREST OF THEM ALL?

There will be at least two League B&F winners featuring in this game, through Emma Kearney and Ally Anderson. Perhaps there will be a third, depending on how things go at tonight’s W Awards, for which more shall be spoken on in the awards thread.

Shannon Campbell (who was swung forward in familiar fashion on the weekend, kicking the winning goal) is the only player coming into this game with a Grand Final BOG medal to her name, having taken out the award last year in a losing side.


DUCK OF THE IRISH

Both teams are likely to feature a couple Irish players: Erika O'Shea and Niamh Martin for North Melbourne; Orla O'Dwyer and Jennifer Dunne for Brisbane.

Ailish "Ducky" Considine will probably, at best, be named as an emergency, but if she's to make a late charge into a grand final line-up this year, it wouldn't be her first time.

 

[Teen Wolf]

So thems are the facts, here's what I figures:

Last time they met, North Melbourne led by 18 at half time, at which point I said it was criminal how they were getting away playing so soft. My reaction to Brisbane scragging back and winning that game by 2 points was a mixture of disgust at the re-emergence of bad habits and relief to see bad habits not go unpunished.

NM continued to be too easily bullied by the seasoned pros through to their R8 loss vs Melbourne. They flicked a switch the following week against Adelaide—up by 7 at HT, I said it was the best they’d ever played. While they blew that game against the Crows, it was certainly the beginning of them looking like a proper premiership team (i.e. not just playing pretty kick-mark footy, but also putting in consistent 4 quarter hardness).

I think their chances this week are as follows:

• Play to full potential and produce something similar to the QF thumping against Melbourne – 30%
• Control most of the game, be sloppy in front of goal, do just enough to win – 30%
• Meltdown in an all-time mental capitulation to commemorate the 25-year anniversary of 1998 – 40%

With where the two teams are at list-wise (particularly the advantage NM ought to exploit through height differences), Brisbane should not be winning this game. But a 40% opposition choking hazard is nevertheless rather juicy.

On the eve of the season, I plotted BL finishing the H&A in 5th, knocking out Geelong in the SF before falling short in the prelim against… North Melbourne. Many of us didn’t get sucked into the idea of them being decimated, but few of us thought they’d be in another GF this soon.

Isabel Dawes’ rapid rise to a new level of physicality has been the number 1 factor in the Lions’ ability to defy the odds (essential in helping cover for the loss of Emily Bates), followed by Jade Ellenger and Dakota Davidson having much better (and more… interesting) seasons than the last.

Overall it’s a bit of a Catch 22 game for the Lions. A free hit in one sense: never been favourites to win the flag this season (unlike last), finished 4th, on the road, the year will still be looked at positively and the future still bright regardless of the result. On the other hand, back-to-back GF losses is a gut punch that nobody needs, and you never want to take these opportunities for granted.

I’ll put down my tip as North by 21, with the BOG medal going to Emma King somehow. Garner to kick the first goal, naturally.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Feeling as confident as you can be about a grand final

Play ikon park well as shown by our last 2 games there, lions aren’t used to that ground

Home ground advantage, have been settled in Melbourne and not travelled for a month now

Fresh list this is Flagroos season

 

[Cdog71]

Alotve things seem to be going North’s way.

Bris do have quality leaders though and they will feel like the underdogs.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see Conway go looking for Gatt and get in her grill.
I do think her and Craven can get out bodied a little easily at times.

 

[Saints2001]

I'll say the (short lived) trend of ex-St Kilda captains moving and their club winning the premiership will continue with Shierlaw to kick the winning goal for North...although after her brain fade for just staring vacantly with no game awareness while Hatchard played on to kick that last goal in the prelim she does need a wake up a call!

But I do think North will be too good for the Lions here, they seem to have found some self-confidence and belief that they can match it with the top clubs now and I think that will carry them over the line. Brisbane have been fantastic but will be pipped at the post.

 

[Teen Wolf]

 

[TigerTrain23]

Will they move it to Marvel?

 

[The Nostradamus]

Will they move it to Marvel?

Nope
In the contract that it would be ikon if in vic

Won’t be moved less than a week out

They may reconsider the contract for next year tho in light of this

 

[DEVO]

Nope
In the contract that it would be ikon if in vic

Won’t be moved less than a week out

They may reconsider the contract for next year tho in light of this

With North becoming the league's new superpower it would be a smart move to look at Marvel for the next few seasons.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Nope
In the contract that it would be ikon if in vic

Won’t be moved less than a week out

They may reconsider the contract for next year tho in light of this

There's no contract, mate. There's nobody to make a contract with.

But yes, it won't be moved. And if The Weeknd hadn't postponed his tour, Marvel wouldn't be available anyway, which is likely to be the theme in future years too.

 

[Teen Wolf]

with the BOG medal going to Emma King somehow

Already looking like a genius prediction!

 

[The Victorian]

Better see not a single seat vacant though - yes including the Gardiner Stand and Heroes Stand...

 

[Teen Wolf]

Better see not a single seat vacant though - yes including the Gardiner Stand and Heroes Stand...

Tickets weren't available for those sections of the ground. The Gardiner Stand proper has been closed off to everybody for like 3 years now.

 

[The Victorian]

Tickets weren't available for those sections of the ground. The Gardiner Stand proper has been closed off to everybody for like 3 years now.

If fans can only sit in half of the stadium, then the stadium is not fit for purpose. If that side of the ground is not fit for purpose, they should demolish those grandstands and provide seating for spectators. Should have moved it to Marvel.

The thing that really annoyed me when they did the development is they added a big shed right on the boundary with no room for seats.

 

[Teen Wolf]

If fans can only sit in half of the stadium, then the stadium is not fit for purpose. If that side of the ground is not fit for purpose, they should demolish those grandstands and provide seating for spectators. Should have moved it to Marvel.

The thing that really annoyed me when they did the development is they added a big shed right on the boundary with no room for seats.

The good news is it can be fixed with another $30 million. Not only would there be a refurb of those stands, but the playing area could also be shifted east and realigned to allow for a better distribution of seating:



Such plans would have no chance of realisation if the state govt were able to say this to the AFL: "You want more money for the supposed home of women's football, but you didn't even play a grand final there between two small clubs after the last cheque we sent you. Gtfo."

GF venue in the men's comp has been highly political for at least 40 years, so it's not surprising to see echoes of that in the women's comp today.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

If fans can only sit in half of the stadium, then the stadium is not fit for purpose. If that side of the ground is not fit for purpose, they should demolish those grandstands and provide seating for spectators. Should have moved it to Marvel.

The thing that really annoyed me when they did the development is they added a big shed right on the boundary with no room for seats.

Bit of a joke but it’s the AFL after all so I don’t expect anything different from them.

Did read somewhere though that Marvel Stadium is being used all this upcoming weekend for something else, so understandable that IKON Park was the only suitable stadium available to host the GF, however this should mean the AFL need to strongly consider moving to season earlier on in the future to avoid clashes.

Should be an exciting clash regardless and hopefully the best team wins on the day and the umpiring isn’t abysmal like it was last weekend and basically the whole season this year.

 

[The Victorian]

The good news is it can be fixed with another $30 million. Not only would there be a refurb of those stands, but the playing area could also be shifted east and realigned to allow for a better distribution of seating:

View attachment 1862028

Such plans would have no chance of realisation if the state govt were able to say this to the AFL: "You want more money for the supposed home of women's football, but you didn't even play a grand final there between two small clubs after the last cheque we sent you. Gtfo."

GF venue in the men's comp has been highly political for at least 40 years, so it's not surprising to see echoes of that in the women's comp today.

Great idea in saying that, the seats on the east side of the field is practically just being relocated to the other side of the ground so there would be no increase in capacity.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Great idea in saying that, the seats on the east side of the field is practically just being relocated to the other side of the ground so there would be no increase in capacity.

The realignment would double the space, by my very rudimentary calculations.

Plus, I don't think they are able to put as many people in those lower eastern bays now as they were allowed even in 2017/18, due to reappraisal of safety regulations (quick exit access etc). So spreading out the distribution should help maximise capacity.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Supposed to be a bit of a wet week in Melbourne, but once again expected to clear up in time for the footy on the weekend. Forecast of low 20s on Sunday with just a small chance of rain in the morning.

 

[Elmer_Judd]

Good luck to both teams.

Hoping North win though

 

[boncer34]

Brisbane by 5 goals.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

Good luck to both teams.

Hoping North win though

 

[Chief]

 

[Teen Wolf]

Miscellany...

W-L-D records at Ikon Park

North Melb.: 5-2 (includes 3-1 in finals)
Brisbane: 1-3-1 (includes 0-2 in finals)

Even though this is just the 2nd grand final at the venue, it will be the third time the season ends at Ikon Park (with Brisbane involved each time). The Lions' last match at the ground was a 29-point loss to Carlton in the 2020 impromptu finals series.


Tradition

This will be the first AFLW GF since 2019 in which both teams wear their home jumper. This will look a lot more visually pleasing than the navy mess of that year, as well as the throbbing red pile of last season.


Don't sleep on these Zees!

 

[Aardvark]

Limited tickets available on ticket Master at 12.00 today.