VFLW Game Day VFLW 2018 Season

[CrowdedHouse]

The opening round of the VFLW season, and the first time an Essendon women's team will play for premiership points, is this weekend.

We take on Hawthorn at Windy Hill, Sunday from 1pm. Quarters (at least last year) go for 20 straight minutes, with the expected finish just before 3pm.

FREE ENTRY - FREE ENTRY - FREE ENTRY - FREE ENTRY... so take the family!

Video Stream from 1pm via the VFL.com.au site - or search for AFL Victoria on Youtube

Radio coverage from 12pm via RSN Carnival (digital radio), the RSN Racing & Sport App or rsn.net.au/digital-radio


Round 1 Teams - *Current or former AFLW players in bold - 23p = 23rd player/TAC Cup Girls player
Essendon
B: 14. J. Barker, 16. L. Morecroft, 27. A. Morcom
HB: 26. A. Madden, 7. K. Hicks, 25. R. Neaves
C: 1. J. Trend, 8. H. Bullas, 9. L. Williams (c)
HF: 35. V. Moreau, 6. A. Quigley, 43. D. Ponter
F: 3. M. DeMatteo, 30. S. Nalder, 4. N. Hardy
R: 12. B. Kearney, 32. T. Mackrill, 37. I. Malliaras
Int: 20. J. Anwyl, 40. G. Golds, 21. K. McFadyen, 10. D. Pedersen
Emg: 49. E. Bult, 18. K. Heil, 22. N. MacDonald, 46. C. Ugle
23P: 15. L. Caruso

Hawthorn
B: 21. P. Randall, 22. T. Luke, 31. J. Sibley
HB: 13. E. Nixon, 25. M. Hutchins, 36. J. Van Dyk
C: 14. O. Flanagan, 1. E. Mackie (c), 9. M. Kuys
HF: 6. J. Crockett-Grills, 28. S. Perkins, 35. C. O’Donnell
F: 33. E. Gilder, 7. P. McWilliams, 12. T. Nestor
R: 19. L. Wotton, 17. S. David, 4. S. Carroll
Int: 24. R. Dillon, 34. A. Dowler, 16. C. Papadopoulos, 15. S. Yule
Emg: 18. J. Foster, 11. D. Haines, 39. S. McNamara, 29. A. Tanner
23P: 26. C. Dyett

 

[Lore]

Unfortunately no one remembered to make a thread for this game, which is a bit sad.

Here is the club's match report:

Essendon was left rueing a second-half fade out after falling by just eight points in its AFL Victoria beyondblue round two clash with Melbourne Uni.

The Bombers held an eight-point lead at half-time and were handling the windy conditions better than the Mugars. However, three straight goals saw Melbourne Uni grab a lead that it never relinquished and Essendon was caught short 4.4 (28) to 5.6 (36).

Pugnacious small forward Valerie Moreau got her side off to an unexpected strong start when she converted from a holding the ball free kick 11 minutes into the first quarter.

She was soon joined by Jess Anwyl and Mon DeMatteo, who both kicked the first goals in their Essendon careers in the second quarter as the Bombers claimed a lead at a break for the first time.

The third quarter was a crossroads moment for the young Essendon side and the Bombers were overrun in the first 13 minutes. Melbourne Uni kicked three goals straight with midfielders Ash Riddell and Emma Kearney proving influential, while the Bombers didn’t hit the scoreboard until a Danielle Ponter snap a breath before three-quarter time.

The match hung in the balance at the start of the final term with the Bombers three points in arrears and the Essendon defence was put under the pump.

Kirby Hicks and Tait Mackrill combined to ensure the Mugars yielded just six straight behinds for their efforts. However, Essendon was unable to break beyond the centre square and the siren sounded with Melbourne Uni holding the upper hand.

The Bombers fielded three debutants in Courtney Ugle, Kendra Heil and GWS utility Maddy Collier.

“It was a game of two halves,” coach Brendan Major said after the match.

“We pressured well in the first half and got some scoreboard reward, but faded in the second half. I think our ball use hurt us all day.”

Essendon will hit the tarmac next week and fly north to take on NT Thunder at TIO Stadium on Saturday.

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2018-05-12/vflw-match-report-rd-2

 

[CrowdedHouse]

This Saturday the VFLW Essendon Bombers take on the Northern Territory at TIO Stadium in Darwin... yes, you read correctly... NT have a side in the VFLW.

Match starts at 4pm (local time) thus 4.30pm in Melbourne.

Game is being live streamed via Thunder Vision at

* = Current or former AFLW players

Essendon

B: 14. J. Barker, 16. L. Morecroft, 26. A. Madden

HB: 27. A. Morcom, 7. K. Hicks, 25. R. Neaves

C: 44. M. Collier, 9. L. Williams, 46. C. Ugle

HF: 43. D. Ponter, 18. K. Heil, 6. A. Quigley

F: 4. N. Hardy, 30. S. Nalder, 35. V. Moreau

R: 12. B. Kearney, 8. H. Bullas, 20. J. Anwyl

Int: 22. N. MacDonald, 37. I. Malliaras, 1. J. Trend, 49. A. Ward

23P: 15. L. Caruso

Emg: 40. G. Golds, 21. K. McFadyen, 28. C. Portlock, 42. K. Waldie


In: I. Malliaras, J. Barker, A. Ward, N. MacDonald, C. Portlock, K. Waldie

Out: M. DeMatteo, T. Mackrill


NT THUNDER

B: 10. S. Barnett, 37. S. Allan, 13. L. Roberts

HB: 18. T. Holtze, 35. T. Thorn, 44. M. Johnston

C: 2. E. Jones, 26. C. Randall, 40. D. Varnhagen

HF: 11. J. Hickey, 30. R. Metcalfe, 17. E. Swanson

F: 24. G. Bevan, 20. J. Hewett, 5. M. Roberts

R: 25. J. Allan, 3. A. Foley, 28. R. Forth

Int: 1. L. Adam, 12. J. Anderson, 36. M. Ellis, 31. J. Sedunary

23P: 39. J. Baird

Emg: 43. K. Duggan, 23. S. Mauboy

 

[CrowdedHouse]

This Saturday before the Dreamtime Game at the MCG, the VFLW Bombers take on the Tigers at Punt Road Oval, with the first bounce at 4pm.

There will be an indigenous ceremony ten minutes before the first bounce, and the player of the match will receive the 'Aunty Joy Murphy Medal' (Wurundjeri Elder) post match.

The match will also be broadcast on digital radio via RSN Carnival, the RSN Racing & Sport app, plus via the website at rsn.net.au/digital-radio - For those at the game, listen via 89.1 FM (at ground only).

Richmond enter this game with a 1-3 record from four games, losing to Williamstown last week.
Essendon enter the game with a 0-4 record from four games, losing to the Saints last week.


Current or former AFLW players in BOLD.

Essendon

B: 20. J. Anwyl, 23. L. Morecroft, 15. L. Caruso

HB: 27. A. Morcom, 7. K. Hicks, 25. R. Neaves

C: 44. M. Collier, 8. H. Bullas, 46. C. Ugle

HF: 35. V. Moreau, 18. K. Heil, 43. D. Ponter

F: 4. N. Hardy, 6. A. Quigley, 32. T. Mackrill

R: 30. S. Nalder, 9. L. Williams, 37. I. Malliaras

Int: 14. J. Barker, 12. B. Kearney, 22. N. MacDonald, 1. J. Trend

23P: 49. E. Bult


Emg: 3. M. DeMatteo, 47. I. Farchione, 26. A. Madden, 28. C. Portlock


Richmond

B: 84. L. Bieniara, 77. J. Hocking, 69. E. Burry

HB: 73. L. Davie, 63. J. Graham, 70. E. Findlay

C: 75. B. Lynch, 76. E. Ross, 55. C. Wakefield

HF: 53. K. Dixon, 64. E. Gunn, 57. E. King

F: 66. A. Barden, 79. L. Tesoriero, 61. J. Colwell

R: 88. P. Monahan, 83. J. Gardner, 51. J. Kennedy

Int: 82. G. Bibby, 68. A. Edmonds, 71. L. Stephenson, 59. A. Woodward

23P: 89. G. Egan


Emg: 86. N. Clarke, 80. J. Louttit, 62. T. Muller, 58. C. Musico

 

[CrowdedHouse]

As a curtain-raiser to the men's VFL match, the Bombers and Hawks meet for the 2nd time this year in the VFL Women's (weird fixturing).

Coming off the double-bye, the Dons sit last (13th) and are the only team without a win this season.
Hawthorn, coming off a 5 goal win against the Saints, sit 4th with 4 wins and 1 loss.

The game will be broadcast live on RSN Carnival digital radio (and on 89.1 FM at the ground only).
You can listen on your PC via rsn.net.au/digital-radio or on the Tune In app (search RSN Carnival 2)

Teams - Note: Current or former AFLW players in bold

ESSENDON

B: 25. R. Neaves, 7. K. Hicks, 5. M. Warburton

HB: 17. T. Hetherington, 16. L. Morecroft, 27. A. Morcom

C: 44. M. Collier, 37. I. Malliaras, 46. C. Ugle

HF: 35. V. Moreau, 18. K. Heil, 47. A. Ward

F: 4. N. Hardy, 12. B. Kearney, 22. N. MacDonald

R: 30. S. Nalder, 9. L. Williams, 8. H. Bullas

Int: 15. L. Caruso, 3. M. DeMatteo, 32. T. Mackrill, 1. J. Trend

23P: 36. C. Rendelmann

Emg: 14. J. Barker, 49. E. Bult, 26. A. Madden, 28. C. Portlock


HAWTHORN


B: 22. T. Luke, 21. P. Randall, 31. J. Sibley

HB: 4. S. Carroll, 36. J. Van Dyk, 13. E. Nixon

C: 17. S. David, 1. E. Mackie, 9. M. Kuys

HF: 14. O. Flanagan, 25. M. Hutchins, 33. E. Gilder

F: 8. R. Beeson, 28. S. Perkins, 5. C. Perera

R: 32. K. Ebb, 39. S. McNamara, 6. J. Crockett-Grills

Int: 45. M. Cann, 40. E. Macdonald, 16. C. Papadopoulos, 19. L. Wotton

23P: 43. E. Woods

Emg: 37. J. Barnden, 24. R. Dillon, 11. D. Haines, 29. A. Tanner

 

[Lore]

Can't see a thread for this one, so for posterity...


Match details:

Essendon has named two debutants to play in its round-eight double-header with the Casey Demons.

Carlee Portlock (forward pocket) and Liz Flack (23rd player) will pull on the red and black for the first time.

The Bombers have regained Danielle Ponter and Jess Anwyl for the clash with the Demons, who sit in tenth place on the ladder with one win.

The first bounce will be at 11.30am at RAMS Arena in Craigieburn. Essendon’s VFLM side will play at 2.10pm in the second part of the double-header.

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2018-06-28/vflw-team-rd-8

Selected team:
B – Hicks, Morecroft, Caruso
HB – Morcom, Hetherington, Neaves
C – Collier, Bullas, Ugle
HF – MacDonald, Heil, Morecroft
F – Portlock, Ponter, Hardy
R – Nalder, Williams, Mackrill
I/C – DeMatteo, Kearney, Trend, Anwyl
23P – Flack
Emergencies – Barker, Quigley, Malliaras, Ward


Match report:

Essendon is still searching for its first win after a final-quarter fadeout saw the Bombers fall by 26 points to Casey.

Momentum ebbed and flowed in the clash at a soggy and intermittently windy RAMS Arena, with Casey kicking four of their six goals across ten-minute bursts in the second and fourth quarters respectively.

The Bombers trailed by nine points at three-quarter-time and were looking resurgent after returning key forward Danielle Ponter kicked a pair of goals when Casey was looking to run away with the match.

Needing to score quickly and repeatedly, the Bombers were left wanting as Casey’s AFLW experience came to the fore and guided the Demons out of trouble in the 6.11 (47) to 3.3 (21) win.

The young Bombers are continuing to make a name for themselves in VFLW for their pressure around contests and were well led by the relentless tackling of Maddy Collier, Hayley Bullas and Tait Mackrill (although Mackrill’s aggression did see her get her number taken for a sling tackle in the second quarter).

The Bombers blooded two more debutants in forward Carlee Portlock and defender Liz Flack; Flack proved a revelation in her first match not only for Essendon but in VFLW as she held the fort deep in defence and saved a goal for her side on more than one occasion.

Luck rarely favoured the Bombers: their chances took a real blow when Tanya Hetherington and Beth Kearney clashed heads in a marking contest late in the third quarter.

Not only was Essendon forced to play out the match with just two on the bench, but the loss of the pair’s height and experience proved costly.

Essendon will play Richmond in a VFLW/M double-header at Windy Hill next Sunday from 11.30am.

ESSENDON 0.1 1.2 3.3 3.3.21
CASEY 0.1 2.6 4.6 6.11.47

GOALS
Essendon – Ponter 2, Moreau
Casey – Sloane 2, Hore, Cordner, Bentvelzen

BEST – Collier, Ponter, Flack, MacDonald, Mackrill, Ugle

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2018-07-01/vflw-match-report-rd-8

 

[Old Stuckup]

First VFLW win! Essendon 5.4.34 defeated Richmond 3.8.26. Great day for the girls.

 

[Lore]

Another one for posterity; a narrow 6 point loss to Footscray.

Essendon will look to make it two from two when it takes on Footscray from 1pm on Sunday at Henry Turner Reserve.

After claiming their first win against Richmond, the Bombers will be strengthened by the return of Tanya Hetherington in round 10.

Hetherington missed the history-making victory after sustaining a head knock against the Casey Demons in round eight.

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2018-07-12/vflw-side-rd-10

FINAL TEAM:
B – Flack, Hicks, Caruso
HB – Morcom, Laan, Neaves
C – Ugle, MacDonald, Williams
HF – Moreau, Morecroft, Mackrill
F – DeMatteo, Quigley, Heil
R – Nalder, Bullas, Collier
I/C – Hetherington, Hardy, Anwyl, Trend
23P – Winbanks
Emergencies – Madden, Barker, Malliaras, Ward

A week after claiming its first ever win, Essendon came back to earth in round 10 with a narrow six-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.

The match went down to the wire with five lead changes before Bulldog forward Mickayla Ward put her side clear halfway through the final quarter at Henry Turner Reserve.

The Bombers had their chances to regain the lead but, try as they might, couldn’t break the half-forward line under mounting desperation in the final minutes and lost 4.5 (29) to 5.5 (35).

With Aysha Ward a late in for Chloe Laan, the Bombers hit the ground with all the vigour they displayed against Richmond as Val Moreau claimed advantage from a free kick to slot the first of the match with the wind.

The Bulldogs regained the lead in a high-scoring second quarter as Ellie Blackburn and Annabel Scott kicked back-to-back goals before Lauren Morecroft and Moreau replied to hold the half-time deficit to just five points.

Essendon struggled to break the game open with the wind in the third quarter, but the Bombers finally helped themselves to a stroke of luck when Tanya Hetherington received a free kick for an anti-density infringement in the shadows of the siren and slotted the set shot.

Although the Essendon backline repelled with growing maturity in the final quarter, the match boiled down to a single rebound play; ten minutes into the term, Morecroft’s set shot from the paint of 50 missed to the left-hand side and the Dogs slung the ball forward where Ward dribbled through her second.

Courtney Ugle and Jess Trend were prolific in the midfield. Down back, Kirby Hicks added former Melbourne AFLW forward Alyssa Mifsud to her season’s scalps, while Bec Neaves blanketed Western Bulldogs AFLW player Deanna Berry.

After spending much of the season as pillars in defence, Morecroft and Hetherington proved their versatility with their first goals in the red and black.

Although influential, Ellie Blackburn was never allowed easy possession as Alex Morcom kept the AFLW superstar honest in the first half.

Indeed, coach Brendan Major went so far as to say that his side had delivered a better four-quarter performance than in their round nine win over Richmond.

“Our midfielders were really strong around the contests, our defenders locked down hard, particularly around the half-back line,” Major said after the match.

“People expect a young side to take their time developing but you always want to be taking the next step forward rather than falling back, and we did that today.”

Essendon face reigning premiers Darebin at Bill Lawry Oval next Saturday from 12pm.

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2018-07-16/vflw-match-report-rd-10

ESSENDON 1.3 3.3 4.4 4.5 (29)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 1.0 4.2 4.2 5.5 (35)

GOALS
Essendon – Moreau 2, Morecroft, Hetherington
Western Bulldogs – Ward 2, Blackburn, Berry, Scott

BEST
Neaves, Ugle, Morecroft, Trend, Collier, De Matteo

 

[Lore]

TEAM:
B – Warburton, Hetherington, Neaves
HB – Morcom, Hicks, Anwyl
C – Ugle, MacDonald, Williams
HF – Heil, Quigley, Moreau
F – DeMatteo, Morecroft, Mackrill
R – Nalder, Bullas, Collier
I/C – Ponter, Hardy, Trend, Caruso
23P – Rendelmann
Emergencies – Golds, Malliaras, Kearney, Flack

Match report:

Essendon took it up to back-to-back reigning premiers the Darebin Falcons for three quarters before fading late in Round 11.

Although just five Bombers had ever played in a side that had beaten Darebin, their pressure denied the Falcons the width to move the ball quickly inside their forward half and limited the ease with which they could kick on goal at Bill Lawry Oval. Trailing by two straight kicks at the final change with the wind at their backs, the Bombers steeled themselves for a shot at knocking off a highly-fancied opponent. However, a quick goal to Falcon ruck Lauren Pearce made the task ominous before a long bomb from Lauren Szigeti carried the pack and snuffed out the Bombers’ hopes. The final scoreboard saw Essendon 27 points in arrears, 2.2 (14) to 5.11 (41).

Essendon displayed its best football across the second and third quarters when it first played sharp, direct football to win the second quarter (with Monique De Matteo’s spectacular bouncing goal on the run a crowd-thrilling highlight) and then shut Darebin down when kicking against the wind.

Returning from duties at the Under 18 Youth Girls’ National Championships, Molly Warburton displayed a surety in winning the ball and clearing out of defence in just her second senior match while Danielle Ponter’s strong hands and lethal right boot combined not only for her second-quarter goal but influenceon the contests further upfield. The loss of Ponter to an ankle injury halfway through the final quarter was a blow to Essendon that, compounded by Tait Mackrill sitting the match out with a knee injury sustained in the third quarter, left the Bombers two short on rotations.

Essendon heads into its second bye round next weekend and coach Brendan Major says his side has come on leaps and bounds since its first bye five weeks ago.

“We’re heaps better,” he declared. “We’ve improved structurally, we’ve improved defensively, we’ve improved all over.”

After its Round 12 bye, Essendon will play ladder-leaders Collingwood at RAMS Arena on SundayAugust 5 in the Round 13 White Ribbon Round.

Essendon 0.2 2.2 2.2 2.2 (14)
Darebin 2.1 3.5 3.8 5.11 (41)

Best – (Ess) MacDonald, Caruso, Hardy, De Matteo, Madden, Williams.

Goals – (Ess) Ponter, De Matteo.

– (D) Pearce 2, Mouncey, Szigeti, Mithen.

http://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/2018-07-23/vflw-match-report-rd-11