AFLW 2024 AFLW season - Geelong & the greater league...

[winty]

The commentators on Foxtel mentioned that they think with so many players who are relatively new to the side playing tonight (ie. Kennedy, Kenny, Featherston, O'Rourke, Bragg and Thorne) that we lacked the cohesiveness we would normally have if the players were more familiar with each other.

Makes you wonder then why we never allowed some of the girls to play together more in the VFLW to build up that cohesiveness. I think last year we had a lot more AFLW listed players playing in the VFLW earlier in the season, and then in the last month or so pulled them out to rest them up for the AFLW, which is why the VFLW side crashed out of the top six, but at least it gave the girls a better idea how each other plays. I think we even had Chloe Scheer play a few VFLW games last year. I think this year we were lucky to have half a dozen AFLW listed players play any one week at VFLW level.

I know that when Sydney played a few games against VFLW sides earlier in the season, their team was stacked with AFLW listed players. Pretty sure Hawthorn did the same as well when they flogged us by 16 goals early in the season too.

Just on my last point, I had a look at the sides who played in the VFLW game vs Box Hill I spoke about where we lost 0.2.2 to 14.14.98. Of our AFLW listed players, only Melissa Bragg, Chantal Mason and Brooke Plummer were playing for us (Caitlin Thorne was also playing for Box Hill).

As for the Hawks, Emily Bates, Eliza West, Aine McDonagh, Casey Sheriff, Mackenzie Eardley, Bridie Hipwell, Tamara Smith, Emily Everist, Lucy Wales and Kristy Stratton all played in that match.

So, in other words, it was 3 AFLW listed players vs 10. You only need to look at Hawthorn's improvement this season to see how beneficial building up team synergy by playing together at the lower level has been for them.

 

[AnUltimateRessie]

Thinking of someone like Rohan as an assistant - obviously when the two seasons were completely separate it allowed the time to focus on his AFL career, and then turn to the AFLW over summer. With the AFLW now starting in August, pre-season starting in June, how much focus could he give to his assistant coaching role compared with his playing career?

Rohan is only a development coach and isn't that major in the scheme of coaching. They usually have very little say in the space of setups, strategy and ball movement

 

[PzBlinky]

Just on my last point, I had a look at the sides who played in the VFLW game vs Box Hill I spoke about where we lost 0.2.2 to 14.14.98. Of our AFLW listed players, only Melissa Bragg, Chantal Mason and Brooke Plummer were playing for us (Caitlin Thorne was also playing for Box Hill).

As for the Hawks, Emily Bates, Eliza West, Aine McDonagh, Casey Sheriff, Mackenzie Eardley, Bridie Hipwell, Tamara Smith, Emily Everist, Lucy Wales and Kristy Stratton all played in that match.

So, in other words, it was 3 AFLW listed players vs 10. You only need to look at Hawthorn's improvement this season to see how beneficial building up team synergy by playing together at the lower level has been for them.

Yeah, I was wondering back then why other teams were running a swathe of AFLW players through their VFLW team while we only did a couple at most. Would be interesting to know the reasons.

 

[cats_09]

If she’s getting a game, we’ve got issues. We’ve got issues

We've got issues further up the ground, and while Scott is probably in her last year, she's not one of our main issues at the moment

She's been much improved over recent weeks, and if anything it comes from playing deeper than earlier this season - 6 goals in her last 3 games is double her total goals from 7 matches last season

If she keeps going at 1->2 goals per game over the remainder of the season, she would have played her role

 

[cats_09]

Just on my last point, I had a look at the sides who played in the VFLW game vs Box Hill I spoke about where we lost 0.2.2 to 14.14.98. Of our AFLW listed players, only Melissa Bragg, Chantal Mason and Brooke Plummer were playing for us (Caitlin Thorne was also playing for Box Hill).

As for the Hawks, Emily Bates, Eliza West, Aine McDonagh, Casey Sheriff, Mackenzie Eardley, Bridie Hipwell, Tamara Smith, Emily Everist, Lucy Wales and Kristy Stratton all played in that match.

So, in other words, it was 3 AFLW listed players vs 10. You only need to look at Hawthorn's improvement this season to see how beneficial building up team synergy by playing together at the lower level has been for them.

Yeah, I was wondering back then why other teams were running a swathe of AFLW players through their VFLW team while we only did a couple at most. Would be interesting to know the reasons.

Don't hold me to this, but when the AFLW was run over summer in that Jan/Feb through to March time period, with the VFLW starting not long after the end of the AFLW season, I'm pretty sure they had a rule in place about VFLW teams with an AFLW affiliate being able to field no more than 10(?) "senior" listed players per match

During those early seasons, I'm pretty sure we did run more of our AFLW players through our VFLW team, but definitely seems something steered away from this year and I'm not sure why

Looking at our AFLW listed players & their VFLW games this season:

• Bella Smith, 1
• Brooke Plummer, 11
• Bryde O'Rourke, 5
• Chantal Mason, 8, kicked 8.5 from her 8 games
• Gabbi Featherston, 3
• Abbey McDonald, 7; averaged 25.1 disposals & twice had a season high of 35
• Melissa Bragg, 2

With the large break between seasons, we really needed to make better use of the VFLW season and then there's more than a few of our AFLW players who really could have used an extended run through there

 

[cats_09]

This may be a stupid question, but is anyone else surprised that Rankin is only 26?

I don't know why, but I thought she was part of the older brigade and that was one of the reasons she seems to be slowing down out there - I didn't realise that instead she was at an age when you view players as coming into their prime

 

[cats_09]

Does anyone know how to look up more detailed player stats from previous seasons compared with just the basic overview on the AFLW app?

I'm curious about Morrisons CBAs and clearance stats from last year in comparison to this season - part of me feels like last year we saw Morrison play more of an outside role, primarily on the wing with the occasionally burst in the guts at centre bounces, whereas this year she's basically been at every centre bounce unless on the bench

No doubting Morrison is strong at the contest, but when looking at the options we're playing on the wing in her places, it's often been JCG, Moloney or Friswell and nothing against them, but they aren't at the same level in terms of ball user as Morrison is

Last year we seemed to have a clear plan to get the ball to the outside of the contest and if you can get it into the hands of a decision maker like Morrison, it served us well going forward. There's obviously a benefit to having Morrison in at the coal face, but not sure we're getting the same, clean looks going forward and if that's an area we can look at things - get the ball into her hands on the outside so she has the time and space to make things happen

 

[cats_09]

Unfortunately this doesn't tell us much

Cats eventful night​

It was a rough night for Cats debutant Bryde O'Rourke whose first game was nearly over before it began. The father-daughter selection ran onto the ground to the cheers of the crowd, laid a huge tackle on the opposite wing, and then ran straight off. The 18-year-old injured her left shoulder, but much to the delight of Cats fans, returned to the ground. The tough defender tried to continue, but called it a night half way through the third quarter after playing in what seemed a fair amount of pain.

 

[ToreadorMarch]

We've got issues further up the ground, and while Scott is probably in her last year, she's not one of our main issues at the moment

She's been much improved over recent weeks, and if anything it comes from playing deeper than earlier this season - 6 goals in her last 3 games is double her total goals from 7 matches last season

If she keeps going at 1->2 goals per game over the remainder of the season, she would have played her role

Agree and disagree. I actually think our list is the biggest issue at the moment and exposed by a few key outs, eg. Pres early, Amac now, Scheer throughout and ruck issues. The Scheer one is the perfect example, because Shelly Scott is VFLW and filling in for an injury really. She’s got a few goals, a few lucky ones and agreed that she has improved over last couple of weeks, but she doesn’t offer enough and too much is falling on Parry - her game is suffering for it too. Lingy has been brilliant but she is one out of the bag, a genuine star just realising how much better than most she can be. Nothing against Shelley Scott, but she just isn’t a solution to going forward in the AFLW.

 

[ToreadorMarch]

Does anyone know how to look up more detailed player stats from previous seasons compared with just the basic overview on the AFLW app?

I'm curious about Morrisons CBAs and clearance stats from last year in comparison to this season - part of me feels like last year we saw Morrison play more of an outside role, primarily on the wing with the occasionally burst in the guts at centre bounces, whereas this year she's basically been at every centre bounce unless on the bench

No doubting Morrison is strong at the contest, but when looking at the options we're playing on the wing in her places, it's often been JCG, Moloney or Friswell and nothing against them, but they aren't at the same level in terms of ball user as Morrison is

Last year we seemed to have a clear plan to get the ball to the outside of the contest and if you can get it into the hands of a decision maker like Morrison, it served us well going forward. There's obviously a benefit to having Morrison in at the coal face, but not sure we're getting the same, clean looks going forward and if that's an area we can look at things - get the ball into her hands on the outside so she has the time and space to make things happen

Good observation. Nina has been brilliant this year and shouldered a lot of weight - more than she should. I agree we need to have the ball coming from her in space more often, as we have manufactured for Webster, who has had her best season.

 

[PzBlinky]

Don't hold me to this, but when the AFLW was run over summer in that Jan/Feb through to March time period, with the VFLW starting not long after the end of the AFLW season, I'm pretty sure they had a rule in place about VFLW teams with an AFLW affiliate being able to field no more than 10(?) "senior" listed players per match

During those early seasons, I'm pretty sure we did run more of our AFLW players through our VFLW team, but definitely seems something steered away from this year and I'm not sure why

Looking at our AFLW listed players & their VFLW games this season:

• Bella Smith, 1
• Brooke Plummer, 11
• Bryde O'Rourke, 5
• Chantal Mason, 8, kicked 8.5 from her 8 games
• Gabbi Featherston, 3
• Abbey McDonald, 7; averaged 25.1 disposals & twice had a season high of 35
• Melissa Bragg, 2

With the large break between seasons, we really needed to make better use of the VFLW season and then there's more than a few of our AFLW players who really could have used an extended run through there

That's more than I thought we'd done, but still nowhere close to other teams.

I know Bragg is a depth player but watching her last night, it was painfully obvious she's still got a long way to go (even though she's 29). Half a season in the VFLW might've done wonders for her development...and she's far from the only one.