AFLW Week 2 of the 2023 AFLW Finals

[Teen Wolf]

Saturday, 18 November

Adelaide v Sydney
7.15pm ACDT, Norwood Oval
Seven (SA), 7mate (VIC, WA, NSW, QLD)


Sunday, 19 November

Melbourne v Geelong
3.05pm AEDT, Ikon Park
Seven (VIC, SA, WA), 7mate (NSW, QLD)

 

[Teen Wolf]

A rare 1st v 8th finals matchup. That alone suggests an impending whopping. And, before the season started, we'd have assumed an Adelaide v Sydney encounter at Norwood Oval was the stuff 100-point margins are built on. But the Swans have won respect, while finding award-worthy help from budget players, in addition to enjoying career best form among the prime suspects.

While we must merely imagine what a Crows-Swans clash looks like, we need only cast our minds back to Round 5 to envision a Dees-Cats fixture. And that was a 74-25 thumping. Having to wait about six seasons for their first meeting... yes, their second one comes around after about six weeks. In that time, Geelong have started to look a bit better and Melbourne have started to look a lot worse.

Unfortunately, both underdogs are dealing with some serious personnel issues. Sydney have done a tremendous job of covering for Ally Morphett, and then handled the loss of Bec Privitelli early in last week's EF remarkably well--doing that against a top team is a completely different assignment, though. And while Geelong are getting more out of Aishling Moloney by the week, they're going to need wayyyy more from Shelley Scott (whose form and fitness has been well down on last season) to beat Melbourne, now that Chloe Scheer is out with a cracked collarbone.

 

[Ticky009]

A rare 1st v 8th finals matchup. That alone suggests an impending whopping. And, before the season started, we'd have assumed an Adelaide v Sydney encounter at Norwood Oval was the stuff 100-point margins are built on. But the Swans have won respect, while finding award-worthy help from budget players, in addition to enjoying career best form among the prime suspects.

While we must merely imagine what a Crows-Swans clash looks like, we need only cast our minds back to Round 5 to envision a Dees-Cats fixture. And that was a 74-25 thumping. Having to wait about six seasons for their first meeting... yes, their second one comes around after about six weeks. In that time, Geelong have started to look a bit better and Melbourne have started to look a lot worse.

Unfortunately, both underdogs are dealing with some serious personnel issues. Sydney have done a tremendous job of covering for Ally Morphett, and then handled the loss of Bec Privitelli early in last week's EF remarkably well--doing that against a top team is a completely different assignment, though. And while Geelong are getting more out of Aishling Moloney by the week, they're going to need wayyyy more from Shelley Scott (whose form and fitness has been well down on last season) to beat Melbourne, now that Chloe Scheer is out with a cracked collarbone.

Losing Priv last week is going to be telling, Morphett we've somehow managed to get by with but Priv missing will hurt us way more against the Crows.

It will be good to play the best and training can only do so much - the Crows are top team and we need to measure we're we are at.

 

[DEVO]

Losing Priv last week is going to be telling, Morphett we've somehow managed to get by with but Priv missing will hurt us way more against the Crows.

It will be good to play the best and training can only do so much - the Crows are top team and we need to measure we're we are at.

If you pressure and tackle like you did against GC it will be a very interesting game.

 

[Liam Boy]

If you pressure and tackle like you did against GC it will be a very interesting game.

Hopefully it's an incredibly tough physical game and the winner comes into prelim week bruised and battered

 

[Mitchell Madness]

Bit of pressure on Melbourne this week. Like the dees in the mens, they were flying early, but the wheels fell off late. They'd hate to be the first club to go back to back in both leagues in one season

 

[Teen Wolf]

The games in QLD and VIC last week all easily exceeded the minimum attendance figures I floated,* but the game in SA fell about 15% short.

So tonight will be a good test to see if I somehow set the bar too high in that one instance, and whether the romantic idea of Saturday afternoon being a great attendance timeslot has lost all relevance (despite what supposed fixturing bosses claim).

Adelaide's home semi-final last season at Unley Oval was very low scoring, interrupted by flooding and lightning, and played in front of just 2.5k people. And, again, that was a Saturday ~3pm game. So I'll be surprised if Norwood Oval this evening closely resembles that game in any way.

*It could be argued I set the bar for Melb v NM last Sunday too low, but I based my prediction on last year's prelim final between the two teams... which was on a Sat arvo.

 

[Ticky009]

Defence have kept us in it.

 

[Sherrinator]

Should’ve been a goal to Sydney

 

[Teen Wolf]

Good news for Sydney is they haven't missed Privitelli, by "virtue" of hardly having it in their forward half. And even when they have, their I50 entries have still been threatening.

Looked like a stone cold HTB at the end there (without getting to see a replay). Instead it's a 50m penalty and a 12-point swing to totally change the complexion of the half, albeit to a scoreline that otherwise is a more accurate representation of how the game has been playing out.

 

[Teen Wolf]

For stupid people, the takeaway from tonight's game is Sydney only made finals (and won one) because of a soft draw.

Not sure which team with a hard draw was supposedly screwed out of a finals spot. Collingwood and Fremantle were smashed by the Swans. St Kilda and Carlton also had easy draws.

Richmond had an easy draw for a team that finished 5th last year. But they lost a bunch of easy games, including in VIC against a Freo team without Bowers and Antonio.

No other team was deserving of top 8, and none of them would've fared better tonight--well, a Richmond team with Ellie McKenzie would've, but so too would've a Sydney team with Ally Morphett.

 

[Teen Wolf]

The games in QLD and VIC last week all easily exceeded the minimum attendance figures I floated,* but the game in SA fell about 15% short.

So tonight will be a good test to see if I somehow set the bar too high in that one instance, and whether the romantic idea of Saturday afternoon being a great attendance timeslot has lost all relevance (despite what supposed fixturing bosses claim).

Adelaide's home semi-final last season at Unley Oval was very low scoring, interrupted by flooding and lightning, and played in front of just 2.5k people. And, again, that was a Saturday ~3pm game. So I'll be surprised if Norwood Oval this evening closely resembles that game in any way.

*It could be argued I set the bar for Melb v NM last Sunday too low, but I based my prediction on last year's prelim final between the two teams... which was on a Sat arvo.

About 500 more through the gates this week, despite coming off a loss.

Lesson learned? I doubt it.

 

[Dirty Bird]

The games in QLD and VIC last week all easily exceeded the minimum attendance figures I floated,* but the game in SA fell about 15% short.

So tonight will be a good test to see if I somehow set the bar too high in that one instance, and whether the romantic idea of Saturday afternoon being a great attendance timeslot has lost all relevance (despite what supposed fixturing bosses claim).

Adelaide's home semi-final last season at Unley Oval was very low scoring, interrupted by flooding and lightning, and played in front of just 2.5k people. And, again, that was a Saturday ~3pm game. So I'll be surprised if Norwood Oval this evening closely resembles that game in any way.

*It could be argued I set the bar for Melb v NM last Sunday too low, but I based my prediction on last year's prelim final between the two teams... which was on a Sat arvo.

Saturday afternoon doesn't work for Adelaide (And I believe Brisbane, GOld Coast, GWS, Freo or West Coast either)

It's traditional for Victoria and Port Adelaide. And alternaitvely, Sydney has built themselves up to have a core that turn up for everything.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Saturday afternoon doesn't work for Adelaide (And I believe Brisbane, GOld Coast, GWS, Freo or West Coast either)

It's traditional for Victoria and Port Adelaide. And alternaitvely, Sydney has built themselves up to have a core that turn up for everything.

Sydney's two smallest home crowds this season were Saturday afternoon games.

Port Adelaide have only had 1 Sunday game to date, which was in the pouring rain and still better attended than a number of Saturday afternoon games they've had.

I'd be here all day listing the examples of Saturday afternoon being a bad timeslot for attendance in Victoria. I'll save time and just point out the 7k crowd for what has been, so far, the only GF in the state.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Giants' 2nd season
3-3-1
92.6%
Finished 4th (out of 8 teams)
Defeated WB (premiers), Coll (6th), Frem (7th); drew with Adel (5th)

Swans' 2nd season
7-5
96.4%
Finished 6th (out of 18 teams)
Defeated GC (7th), Coll (11th), Frem (13th), PA (15th), GWS (16th), WCE (17th), WB (18th)

 

[Ticky009]

Anyone catch the crowd figures from the game?

 

[cmndstab]

Anyone catch the crowd figures from the game?

4688 apparently.

 

[DEVO]

Well, that first quarter was a bit of a surprise, Geelong defended well early, then took control and kept the Dees goalless for the sixth time in their last seven quarters.

Can they keep the pressure going for another three quarters?

 

[parano1a]

The Dees sure love their straight sets finals exits...

 

[DEVO]

I don't want to call it game over, but could it be game over?

 

[DEVO]

A goal after the halftime siren for Dees could be huge for their season.

 

[footyknut]

Melbourne have had close to the best list every season and have been the biggest underachievers in the competition’s history.
If they don’t dig themselves out if this hole then questions have to be asked but heard the commentators say Stinear has a 74% winning record so couldn’t see any change there.

 

[Teen Wolf]

34 marks to 13 at HT. I mean, Harris took a contested grab in the middle of the ground and wasn't credited for it on the stats sheet... but that aside, the numbers seem telling.

Preeetty pathetic stuff by Melbourne. Either kicking it to a 1 on 3 most of the time, or shanking piddly little passes directly into the hands of a Geelong player.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Lauren Pearce with 3 marks I50 in the last 5 minutes, proceeded to butcher it every time.

 

[Dory_77]

Lol and they pull that s**t out now?