VFLW Game Day VFLW 2021 Season - Preliminary Final loss to Geelong

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2021 VFLW FIXTURE:

ROUNDOPPONENTTIME/DATEVENUERESULT
1Southern Saints (H)10:30am, Sunday, February 28NEC HangarLOSS: Match Report
2Casey Demons (A)1pm, Sunday, March 7Casey FieldsWIN: Match Report
3Hawthorn (H)11am, Saturday, March 13NEC HangarWIN: Match Report
4Darebin (H)10:30am, Sunday, March 21NEC HangarWIN: Match Report
5Port Melbourne (H)10:30am, Sunday, March 28NEC HangarLOSS: Match Report
6Hawthorn (A)10:30am, Saturday, April 10Box Hill City OvalWIN: Match Report
7Williamstown (H)11am, Saturday, April 17NEC HangarWIN: Match Report
8Collingwood (A)11am, Sunday, April 25NEC HangarLOSS: Match Report
9Carlton (H)10am, Saturday, May 1Windy HillWIN: Match Report
10Geelong (A)1pm, Saturday, May 8Deakin (Geelong)LOSS: Match Report
11Western Bulldogs (H)11am, Saturday, May 15Windy HillLOSS: Match Report
12North Melbourne (H)10am, Saturday, May 22Windy Hillpostponed/abandoned
13Darebin (A)12pm, Saturday, May 29Bill Lawry Ovalpostponed/abandoned
14Williamstown (A)1pm, Saturday, June 19Downer OvalWIN: Match Report
15Darebin (A)12pm, Saturday, June 26Bill Lawry OvalWIN: Match Report
EFCasey Demons (A)12pm, Saturday, July 3Casey FieldsWIN: Match Report
SFCollingwood (A)12pm, Saturday, July 10Victoria ParkLOSS: Match Report
PFGeelong (H)12pm, Saturday, July 31Windy HillLOSS: Match Report
 
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R10: 23 point loss to Geelong
VFLW Bombers succumb to Cats
The VFLW Bombers fall to a 23-point defeat to a rampant Geelong at Deakin University Oval.
By Celie Hay - 6 hrs ago
VFLW-Bombers.jpg

Essendon’s VFLW side has succumbed to the third-placed Geelong by 23 points at Deakin University Oval on Saturday.

The inclusion of reigning Gold Coast Suns best and fairest winner Lauren Ahrens wasn’t enough to get the Bombers across the line, with the home team claiming a 5.9 (39) to 2.4 (16) victory.

Both teams applied pressure from the first bounce but neither were able to break the opposition’s defence, resulting in a goalless first term.

A best-on-ground performance from Alex Morcom helped the Bombers cut off Geelong’s forward entries, while midfielders Elizabeth Hosking and Eloise Ashley-Cooper fought to capitalise on the defenders’ hard work.

After the first break, Geelong quickly broke through for its first goal to put the pressure back on the Bombers’ backline.

Tamsin Crook and Eloise Gardner stood strong but it wasn’t enough to stop consecutive Geelong goals.

Injuries impacted Essendon in the second quarter with Cecilia McIntosh (hamstring) and Courtney Ugle (dislocated finger) both heading to the bench, but their teammates continued to fight to overturn the deficit.

Marianna Anthony attempted to change momentum with strong tackles while Alana Barba used her fast feet to evade her opponents, but the Bombers struggled to get past Geelong’s tall defence with the Cats taking a 15-point lead into the main break.

A stirring half-time address from head coach Brendon Major sparked energy within the Bombers and they came out firing.

Captain Georgia Nanscawen led from the first contest, using her strength to extract the ball and setting up Barba to kick the Bombers’ first major.

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Captain Georgia Nanscawen in action against Geelong. (Photo: Celie Hay)

Running with the momentum from their goal, the Bombers lifted to lock the ball in their forward half but struggled to convert.

Further injuries to Gardner (Lisfranc ligament) and debutant Jemma Finning (concussion) took their toll on the Bombers, with the Cats breaking through for a goal just before the third-quarter siren.

Geelong continued its dominance into the final term, kicking a goal in the opening minutes.

Essendon responded with a goal from Lori Stepnell, but the deficit was too much with the Cats claiming a 23-point win.

Vice-captain Ugle said the Bombers’ on-field communication was their key weakness but can take key learnings from playing against top-four sides like Geelong.

“Overall, our communication between everyone, it wasn’t just one particular player or a particular line group, it was all of us,” Ugle said.

“But we have a lot of growth and development to go. We’ve come so far but we can do better, and I believe in this group and I believe in our staff and coaching. Playing against quality sides only makes us hungry but it tests us and keeps us honest.”

When her side was faced with adversity, Ugle was impressed the Essendon's ability to be flexible with younger team members in Ashley-Cooper and Barba standing up.

“‘Coops’ did a killer job at going to the backline, being told in two seconds that you’ve got to go back and she played that role really well,” Ugle said.

“I thought Alana Barba really stood up today. I think she was one of the players that kind of got us going. She was able to score, she ran all day in the midfield, and I think that’s really good for a young player for confidence and I think she did really well today.”

As the Bombers are a young team, Ugle said having two AFLW players in Ahrens and Ruby Svarc come into the team was extremely valuable, not only for performance but also for leadership.

“I think having them has been really beneficial for us. Obviously, Ruby’s one of the fastest girls on the planet so that speed on the outside is great for us when we need to break up and open up the game,” Ugle said.

“’Loz’ (Lauren Ahrens) provides a monumental amount of experience and talk and a lot of height as well, which is what we lack. It’s good to have some quality experienced players back in.”

Despite the loss, Ugle believes the Bombers are ready to embrace a potential maiden finals campaign, but acknowledges they must improve over the remainder of the home and away season.

“We are licking our lips for finals, there’s no doubt about that,” Ugle said.

“But we have to do the little things right first. We can’t really think of finals at the moment because we’ve got some groundwork that we need to make sure we can tick off before moving there.”

The VFLW Bombers will return to Windy Hill next Saturday when they face the Western Bulldogs at 10am.

GEELONG 0.3 2.5 3.7 5.9 (39)
ESSENDON 0.0 0.2 1.4 2.4 (16)

Goals: Barba, Stepnell
Best: Morcom, Ashley-Cooper, Barba, Anthony, Hosking, Nanscawen
 

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Yep live scores yay 😁 Essendon with the first behind. Hopefully the play by play works so we can figure out if it was rushed or a poster or whatever 🤔
 
We seem to be struggling now is that because other teams have got their AFLw players back?
Bulldogs and Geelong each had 9 of their AFLW players take the field against Essendon, with at least 6 from their respective best 21s.

Carlton had 7 AFLW players in that 10-goal loss to the Bombers three weeks ago, but just 2 of them were in the Blues' best 21 this year.

Given the Dogs were middle-of-the-road this season and the Cats way off the pace, these results would suggest a huge amount of quality recruiting needs to be done to take the team to the next level, which I don't think is misleading. But, admittedly, I didn't see any of the games.
 

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R11: 18pt loss to the Western Bulldogs
Write up for Saturday's game. Four of the girls out there were NAB League players from Calder, so blooding some kids :)

VFLW Bombers beaten by Bulldogs
Essendon suffers consecutive defeats with an 18-point loss to the Western Bulldogs at Windy Hill.
By Celie Hay - 21 hrs ago
Alana-Barba.jpg

The VFLW Bombers have suffered consecutive defeats after they went down to the Western Bulldogs by 18 points at Windy Hill on Saturday.

A last-quarter resurgence wasn’t enough to get the Bombers over the line with the Bulldogs proving too strong and running away with a 4.4 (28) to 1.4 (10) win.

The slippery conditions proved difficult for both sides, but the Bulldogs managed to get on the board early, making Essendon play catch-up from the start.

Eloise Ashley-Cooper was instrumental through the midfield while Mia-Rae Clifford fought hard up forward to get the Bombers on the board.

After a slow first quarter, Essendon started to regain momentum, but struggled to get past the height of the Bulldogs’ defence with the away side taking a 14-point lead into the main break.

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Head coach Brendan Major addresses his players during a break. (Photo: Celie Hay)

Alana Barba and Zali Friswell were lively throughout the third term, using their clean skills to move the ball into space and drive it forward towards goals.

The Bombers’ backline, led by Alex Morcom, stood strong against their fast opponents but it wasn’t enough with the Bulldogs further extending their lead, leaving the Bombers looking defeated.

But Essendon came out firing in the final term, determined to reduce the deficit with debutants Emelia Yassir and Neve Crowley demonstrating their clean skills in the wet conditions.

After controlling the last quarter, the Bombers finally broke through for their first goal in the final five minutes but the change in momentum was too late with the Bulldogs securing an 18-point win.

Blooding youth

The Bombers introduced more youth into their side with Crowley and Yassir joining their Calder Cannons teammates Friswell and Kasey Lennox at VFLW level.

Although young, the quartet didn’t look out of place at the higher level with their clean skills and strong marks adding an extra sense of class to the Bombers’ line-up.

Coach Brendan Major was impressed with how the NAB League girls stepped up and fitted in within the Essendon side.

“They’re really good and they’ve come in prepared so they can really just fight really hard,” Major said.

“It’s always a big step for them as the players playing against them are a lot bigger at this level, so they did well.”

Last-quarter surge

Essendon’s final quarter showed the style of football it is capable of with the home side gaining control of the play through tough tackles and clean possessions.

An increase in energy across the field inspired the Bombers to change momentum and restrict the Bulldogs to one point while finally getting on the board themselves.

But after a scoreless first three quarters, the four-goal deficit was too much for the Bombers to overcome.

Major was impressed with his side’s resilience and positive attitude when behind on the scoreboard.

“The Bulldogs played well but I thought we probably didn’t play at the level that we would like to at this point in the season,” Major said.

“I think we played the game out. The last five minutes were the best parts of the game even though the game was done.”

Young leader steps up

Leadership group member Ashley-Cooper was dominant through the midfield with solid tackles and clean clearances into space.

Ashley-Cooper fought hard to against the Bulldogs’ defence to find space and send the ball forward, resulting in a best-on-ground performance.

Eloise-Ashley-Cooper.jpg

Eloise Ashley-Cooper was in red-hot form against the Dogs. (Photo: Celie Hay)

Major was pleased with Ashley-Cooper’s effort across four quarters, with the young midfielder inspiring the team’s final-quarter lift, but said a team effort was needed to win.

“I think ‘Coops’ (Ashley-Cooper) played pretty well and Friswell played well across half-forward and Coops through the midfield,” Major said.

“But we (the team) were probably just a step off today.”

Essendon will look to return to the winners list and confirm its position in the top six when it hosts the 10th-placed North Melbourne at Windy Hill next Saturday at 10am.

ESSENDON 0.1 0.1 0.3 1.4 (10)
WESTERN BULLDOGS 1.1 2.2 4.3 4.4 (27)

Goals: Clifford
Best: Ashley-Cooper, Clifford, Morcom, Friswell, Barba, Yassir
 

Essendon's VFL and VFLW teams will take to Windy Hill on Saturday for a double header against North Melbourne, with entry free for all fans.

The jam-packed day will begin at 10am when the fifth-placed VFLW Bombers strive to stay inside the top six and on track for a maiden finals berth.

The VFL Bombers, who enter round six on the back of a 15-point win over Frankston, will then face the Kangaroos from 2:05pm.

To celebrate the double header, The Terrace Bistro at Windy Hill will have a $16 special for a chicken parma, chips and salad/vegetables. Bookings are essential - call Windy Hill Venue on 8371 0300.

Please note: All VFL games at Windy Hill this season are free to enter, but fans must scan in via the QR codes around the ground upon entry.

ROUND 12 - VFLW
Essendon v North Melbourne
10am, Saturday, May 22
Windy Hill

ROUND SIX - VFL
Essendon v North Melbourne
2:05pm, Saturday, May 22
Windy Hill
 
Looks like Round 13 is being treated as an unscheduled bye. So the Darebin game is off.

Next game has been announced though;
VFLW - ROUND 14
Williamstown v Essendon
1pm, Saturday, June 19
Downer Oval
 
HT

WIL: 2.1 (13)
ESS: 2.6 (18)

Based on the score board we look dominant but are failing to convert...
 

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