Coaching in an infant league
Is the Adelaide Crows’ Bec Goddard a genius who figured out where the AFL Women’s (AFLW) standard was at and developed a style of play accordingly? Or is she a dinosaur who’s about to become extinct?...
View ArticleAFLW must believe in the future
I’m not sure what’s going to happen in the AFLW draft, but I’m pretty sure Carlton are stuffed. Don’t get me wrong, the Blues recruited some great players in the offseason – or I think they did. Still...
View ArticleAFLW 2018 team preview and predicted finish: GWS Giants
Despite only winning one game last season, it’s not patronising to suggest that the Giants have the makings of a reasonable team. Given the distance that New South Wales and the ACT are behind the rest...
View ArticleAFLW 2018 team preview and predicted finish: Carlton Blues
I’ve talked a little about Carlton recently, so if you’re desperate to know why I’m so down on the team who boast gun forward Tayla Harris, possibly the league MVP last season if she weren’t injured...
View ArticleAFLW 2018 team preview and predicted finish: Collingwood Magpies
What follows may seem a harsh judgement on a team that grabbed Chloe Molloy, the most outstanding young forward in the draft, with the second Victorian pick. In fact, Collingwood’s entire forward line...
View ArticleAFLW 2018 team preview and predicted finish: Fremantle Dockers
Fremantle got spanked last season after most of WA’s outstanding talent left for interstate, and their second marquee midfielder did her ACL. This season they’ll need more depth, pace and skill in the...
View ArticleAFLW 2018 team preview and predicted finish: Western Bulldogs
If there’s any team that agrees with me about the importance of midfielders, it’s surely the Bulldogs. Maybe it dawned on them last season, watching their poor team battling with one star (Lambert)...
View ArticleAFLW 2018 team preview and predicted finish: Adelaide Crows
The Crows are an enigma. No one expected them to do well last year because South Australia’s development of women’s football has been, let’s face it, pathetic. Lacking local talent development,...
View ArticleAFLW 2018 team preview and predicted finish: Brisbane Lions
Yes, I’m tipping the Lions to fall at the final hurdle once more in 2018. But it’s a small price to pay for what could become a multi-year domination of the competition. The thing is, Queensland girls’...
View ArticleAFLW 2018 team preview and predicted finish: Melbourne Demons
In the last two rounds of season one, the Demons began playing like the best team in the competition, only missing the Grand Final because of a round five loss to GWS, of all teams. That loss happened...
View ArticleWinners and losers from AFLW Round 1
After plenty of speculation following the trade period and draft, Round 1 of AFLW gave us something concrete to look at in terms of how each team has changed and looks positioned for 2018. Carlton...
View ArticleAFL’s memo to AFLW coaches shows a worrying lack of wisdom
In the wake of the AFL’s extraordinary memo telling AFLW coaches to loosen up their coaching style, several things spring to mind. It was the AFL’s decision to bring the AFLW’s commencement forward by...
View ArticleWinners and losers from AFLW Round 2
After a week of controversy in the media, the second week of AFLW 2018 saw three teams go to a 2-0 record – and the same number to 0-2. Carlton Blues vs GWS Giants It’s hard to spend time talking about...
View ArticleWinners and losers from AFLW Round 3
Round 3 of 2018 AFLW season was full of classic, close matches, and might be the best week of AFLW we’ve seen so far. Adelaide vs Western Bulldogs Talent matters. There’s a lot of talk in sports about...
View ArticleAFLW makes Jeff Kennett uncomfortable – so what?
Funny place, Australia. We’ve got all these tales we like to tell about ourselves, like how no one person is more important than any other person, and no one should be allowed to tell anyone else what...
View ArticleWinners and losers from AFLW Round 4
Round 4 of the 2018 AFLW season saw records broken and a few surprising results. Bulldogs vs Carlton Brooke Lochland exemplifies the one thing the AFLW can offer fans that the AFL can’t — to see the...
View ArticleWinners and losers from AFLW Round 6
A dramatic penultimate round of AFLW action has set up an exciting five-team race for the grand final. Fremantle vs Adelaide Adelaide were lucky to get away with this one. Fremantle beat them...
View ArticleBulldogs’ breakthrough flag can be the beginning of an AFLW dynasty
For a while it looked as though the weather would spoil the Bulldogs’ party. The Bulldogs were the better team all year, and had a better lineup on paper even without Katie Brennan, but the Grand Final...
View ArticleA wishlist for AFLW season 2019
Here’s a list of things the AFLW needs to do differently next year. More games Seven rounds isn’t enough. For elite athletes who could be playing other sports, a 45-week offseason is pushing it, and a...
View ArticleWinners and losers from AFLW expansion
North Melbourne are certainly a popular team for defecting AFLW players, but that popularity doesn’t seem to extend to AFL Headquarters. The Kangaroos scored a coup in the AFLW’s expansion period,...
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