News Opposition Observation AFLW

Well, AFLW finals locked in.

Adelaide have a rest while Coll v Nth (Vic Park , 1.05pm) and Melb v Freo (Casey Fields 3.10pm) slug it out on Sat April 3.

All deserved finalists having played some great footy over the year. Adelaide Brisbane Freo are in a bracket at the top with Collingwood, Nth and Melb a rung lower.
As we saw with Blues making the GF in 2019 there may still be a possibility of a shock result but I think it will go as expected.

Adelaide in box seat with all finals in Adelaide. Too many stars in the team to let it slip at home.
Brisbane have shown that they are a quality team. Don't have the stars the other teams have but they just get the job done.
Freo are a quality side so can never rule them out.
Rest are just making up numbers I feel.
 
Last edited:
Feb 14, 2018
2,396
4,354
AFL Club
Richmond
Well, AFLW finals locked in.

Adelaide have a rest while Coll v Nth (Vic Park , 1.05pm) and Melb v Freo (Casey Fields 3.10pm) slug it out on Sat April 3.

All deserved finalists having played some great footy over the year. Adelaide Brisbane Freo are in a bracket at the top with Collingwood, Nth and Melb a rung lower.
As we saw with Blues making the GF in 2019 there may still be a possibility of a shock result but I think it will go as expected.

Adelaide in box seat with all finals in Adelaide. Too many stars in the team to let it slip at home.
Brisbane have shown that they are a quality team. Don't have the stars the other teams have but they just get the job done.
Freo are a quality side so can never rule them out.
Rest are just making up numbers I feel.

Yeah agree the teams in the finals deserved it, have been consistent all year
I'm tipping Lions, after 2 GF losses, will go one better and win it this year, with Crows and Dockers in the mix
Demon's, Pie's and Roo's won't win the GF this year
 
Very very unlikely but if the Pies and Dees get up this week its going to be a Grand Final at the MCG.

Now that would be something!



APR 8. 2021. 6:55 AM
AFLW Insight: How the four flag contenders shape up
Sarah Black



AND THEN there were four.

Three of this weekend's preliminary finalists – Adelaide, Brisbane and Collingwood – have occupied top spot at one stage of the home and away season, while plucky Melbourne's giant-killing month has played out from the middle rungs of the ladder.

All are "foundation" teams of the NAB AFLW competition, and the Lions and Dees still have their inaugural coaches in Craig Starcevich and Mick Stinear. Last week, the latter became the first to record 25 wins.

Adelaide and Brisbane have been here before: the Lions lost the 2017 and 2018 Grand Finals, while the Crows were premiers in 2017 and 2019.

Melbourne has always been thereabouts, while the Pies have made a slow but steady march up the ladder over the past five years.

Looking at the numbers, the quartet have different styles of play.

Avg. DisposalsAvg. KicksAvg. HandballsAvg. Marks
Collingwood233.8133.1100.746.2
Melbourne229.6140.888.840.0
Adelaide228.8141.986.941.2
Brisbane219.6140.479.144.6


The Pies are clearly a handball-happy team, averaging comfortably the most handballs and a kick to handball ratio of 1.32:1.

It should make for an interesting battle against the Lions, who average 21.6 fewer handballs with a kick to handball ratio of 1.77:1.

Curiously, Collingwood also average the most marks of the group despite recording the fewest kicks – the team prefers a short kick direct to a teammate rather than a long kick to open grass.

W08CoSK21MKP917445861.jpg

Collingwood's Jaimee Lambert handballs against St Kilda in round eight, 2021. Picture: AFL Photos
The other preliminary final will see Melbourne and Adelaide face off at Adelaide Oval.

It'll be a clash between two talented, high-pressure teams with no discernible difference in their basic stats.

ClearancesContested possessionsInside 50sGoals
Melbourne23.9113.331.25.9
Collingwood21.3103.029.55.7
Adelaide21.2112.134.87.0
Brisbane19.4104.230.66.0


Interestingly, Melbourne is marginally a better clearance side than Adelaide despite the presence of multiple All-Australian midfielders Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard in the Crows' engine room.

The Dees' goalkicking yips – which can even rear for just a quarter or two during a match, as seven consecutive behinds against Fremantle proved – have been well-documented, but Adelaide have regularly had inaccuracy issues of its own.

The difference between the two is the sheer weight of shots; Adelaide leads the competition in both average inside 50s and, most importantly, goals.

With the likes of Erin Phillips, Chelsea Randall, Ashleigh Woodland, Chloe Scheer and Danielle Ponter up forward, Melbourne will have to be on its guard against the minor premiers.
 
Sep 11, 2018
40,646
40,969
Victoria
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Storm|V/OzCricket|NBA-P|NHL-P|V8|F1
oh, a huge goal from Brazill with 21sec to go... another quality shepherd in the goalsquare to allow it to go through

4 points the difference with just that 21sec left.
 
Yep Adelaide are in a really strong position now even with Randall missing.

I wouldn’t discount Brisbane as they have proven most people wrong. No real superstars just a strong unit but they sure as hell have their work cut out for them.
 
Sep 11, 2018
40,646
40,969
Victoria
AFL Club
Richmond
Other Teams
Storm|V/OzCricket|NBA-P|NHL-P|V8|F1
should merge all of the oppo obs threads together and have an opposition observation W-edition haha


 
Can't see Harf standing for this TBH. Tayla might be on the move if true.



A pay stoush between Tayla Harris and Carlton could lead to the AFLW pin-up player looking for a new club.
Harris is asking for about $150,000 to play in the 2022 season, which would make her one of the highest-paid players in the sport.

She is a Tier 2 player which means she is paid about $25,000 to play football and the remainder would come from marketing and employment roles at the club.

Harris, 24, was believed to have earned about $80,000 this year, and the Blues are baulking at her new asking price.

Separately, the Blues are also privately questioning her dedication to football and whether she is a good fit for the team.

Coming off her worst season as a player — she finished outside the top 15 in the club best-and-fairest — the Blues were disappointed with her standards in preparation and commitment.

At one session during the past season, Harris walked off the training track — without telling any of her coaches — to post on her Instagram page.

That act drew the ire of her teammates.

She did not play the next game. The club listed her as “managed’’.

She was also late to several training sessions and arrived at the start of pre-season unfit.

Harris’ manager Alex Saundry rejected the suggestion Harris was unprofessional in 2021 and said her star client wanted to stay at Carlton.

“She absolutely wants to be at Carlton, she remains 100 per cent committed to Carlton and I’m prepared for pretty robust dialogue between myself and the club over the next two to three weeks,” Saundry said.

“We have started negotiations.’’

She added: “I think she’s worth a significant amount. The commitment to Carlton and what she’s done over the past two years for the game locally, nationally and internationally carries a lot of weight.

“Has she carried that weight (this year)? No. Does she rely on her team around her? Yes, to help her through that.

“I think she’s worth a hell of a lot, she’s worth over six figures to the game, absolutely.’’

It is an intriguing situation developing.

The charismatic and highly recognisable Harris wants to be paid for use of her image and IP.

While the Blues want her to play good football first and be committed to the program and team ethos.

The commentary around Harris is out of Carlton’s control.

During Sunday’s telecast of the Carlton v Essendon game, the Channel 7 cameras zoomed in on Harris in the grandstand.

There is AFLW superstar, said commentator Luke Darcy.

If you didn’t watch AFLW games and only listened to and watched the marketing of pin-up girl Harris, you’d think she was the best player in the women’s game.

She’s far from it, at least after the 2021 season.

She averaged one contested mark a game and six disposals. She kicked four goals for the season. And, again, finished outside the top 15 in the best and fairest in a team which didn’t play finals.

Saundry conceded COVID lockdown last year affected Harris’ mentality and affected her preparation because she couldn’t box, nor could she fulfil her marketing and appearance commitments.

“She didn’t come in at the level of fitness she normally comes in on,” Saundry said.

“Therefore, she was unable to live up to her standards.

“She self reflects, she knows she didn’t have a great year. She’s not naive to that at all and neither is Carlton. We’re keen to move past it and put it behind us really

“She’s a three-time leading goalkicker and four-time All Australian player and when she’s leading the goalkicking and when she’s All Australian they make finals.’’

Harris, who has a statue at Federation Square, is also part of a documentary being filmed about her career this year.

The blonde key forward was made famous by The Kick photograph.

Saundry said Harris could manage her extensive marketing world and football, but COVID hurt her ahead of the 2021 season.

“Tayla is better when she has multiple things on and has a very structured week and during COVID she didn’t have that,’’ she said.

“So, when you’re going from photo shoots, media appearances and jam-packed weeks to nothing and being restricted to staying indoors, it absolutely has an impact on your purpose in what you do.

“In terms of the football season, I don’t think she struggles to prioritise.

“It definitely had an impact on her mental state when you’re not performing as you want to and the way everyone expects them to perform.

“But if anyone with that calibre of attention, she’s the one who creates click bait, she’s got the image, she’s the biggest player in the game, so if she’s had an off game she’s a target straight away.

“You’d agree she’s the biggest name in the game and she can’t be adequately compensated financially for what she does in terms of use of image for that club, and she’s requested at every sponsorship event …. and they can’t adequately pay her.

“If you discount this season, she’s had some really cracking seasons.’’

Carlton chief executive Cain Liddle was contacted for comment.
 
Back