Review AFLW Round 1: SHOWDOWN v Port Power, Saturday 2 September, 2:35pm, Norwood Oval

[brucetiki]

Round 1

Adelaide v Port
Saturday 2 September 2023
2:35pm
Norwood Oval

The AFLW season has arrived, and we start our season with a Showdown.

The previous Showdown was a pretty one sided affair, and to be honest, there's not much that has convinced me that this will be another one sided affair, with our experience over their developing side that, frankly, underachieved last season.

Also, we're 4-0 across all forms of Showdowns this season. Let's make it 5-0!

 

[cmndstab]

Round 1

Adelaide v Port
Saturday 2 September 2023
2:35pm
Norwood Oval

The AFLW season has arrived, and we start our season with a Showdown.

The previous Showdown was a pretty one sided affair, and to be honest, there's not much that has convinced me that this will be another one sided affair, with our experience over their developing side that, frankly, underachieved last season.

Also, we're 4-0 across all forms of Showdowns this season. Let's make it 5-0!

I'm expecting Port to be a fair bit better this season. Won both of their practice matches by 30+ points. Ashleigh Saint gives them a decent target up forward, and she and Phillips always had good connection. Scholz is a big inclusion in their side, and Ewings/Dowrick are excellent mids. Their backline is alright as well.

I'm expecting them to go mid-table and upset a few sides this season. Hopefully we're not one of them! Realistically, if we're serious about winning a flag we should win this easily.

 

[Firewalker]

I'm expecting Port to be a fair bit better this season. Won both of their practice matches by 30+ points. Ashleigh Saint gives them a decent target up forward, and she and Phillips always had good connection. Scholz is a big inclusion in their side, and Ewings/Dowrick are excellent mids. Their backline is alright as well.

I'm expecting them to go mid-table and upset a few sides this season. Hopefully we're not one of them! Realistically, if we're serious about winning a flag we should win this easily.

Round 1 after such a long break between seasons is always a bit of a messy match so that’s going to be the main issue making sure they can hit the scoreboard early and try to kill the game off, the longer Port are in touch the more they’ll believe they can win.

On paper it looks like Biddell will get Houghton and Prowse will get Saint née Woodland but talk is Port might also chuck Indy Tahau up forward now if that’s the case the match-ups could change with Randall going on to Houghton, Biddell on to Saint and Prowse on to Tahau, in any case they have a dangerous forward line.

Unsurprisingly reckon Ponter needs to have a big game, she’s such a hard matchup especially as Port don’t have the most agile/speedy backline.

Agree Dowrick is a danger in the middle, that type of player that can go inside to outside the Crows have struggled to deal with. Last season Port liked that real basic repeat stoppage style which the Crows have always excelled at so will be interesting to see if they try to play that style again on Saturday.

 

[Scorpus]

Goodwin and Bonner debuting

 

[Dirty Bird]

Was talking to dad, who spoke to the owners of Enjoy (Bakery around the corner from Norwood Oval) who were talking to Norwood FC officials who were in recently. Apparently it's sold out???

 

[cmndstab]

Was talking to dad, who spoke to the owners of Enjoy (Bakery around the corner from Norwood Oval) who were talking to Norwood FC officials who were in recently. Apparently it's sold out???

Wouldn't be surprising. I still can't believe they didn't schedule it at Adelaide Oval.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Wouldn't be surprising. I still can't believe they didn't schedule it at Adelaide Oval.

Agreed.
It's still set up for footy for another month too.
It makes zero sense to have it anywhere other than AO if played in the first half of the season.

 

[Interloperer]

When did the crazy antivaxxer get welcomed back into the fold?

 

[cmndstab]

When did the crazy antivaxxer get welcomed back into the fold?

Last season, technically - but she was pregnant at the time I think. Frankly, I'm not sure she still has a place at AFLW level even without her strange views.

 

[Dirty Bird]

Last season, technically - but she was pregnant at the time I think. Frankly, I'm not sure she still has a place at AFLW level even without her strange views.

But was it strange?

I'm not an anti-vaxer.

But the difference between covid vaccines and others is the amount of clinical trials other vaccines go through, including seeing long term side effects.

Look - Being an anti-vaxer to everything, I agree, that's strange views.
But being an anti-vaxer to stuff that hasn't had the time to get proper trials, that I can understand.

fwiw - I got fully vaxed (work requirement) and a booster (travel requirement) but I can understand why someone would've been against covid vaccination when it came out back in 2021.

 

[cmndstab]

But was it strange?

I'm not an anti-vaxer.

But the difference between covid vaccines and others is the amount of clinical trials other vaccines go through, including seeing long term side effects.

Look - Being an anti-vaxer to everything, I agree, that's strange views.
But being an anti-vaxer to stuff that hasn't had the time to get proper trials, that I can understand.

fwiw - I got fully vaxed (work requirement) and a booster (travel requirement) but I can understand why someone would've been against covid vaccination when it came out back in 2021.

Not just strange, as a nurse working in an intensive care unit, Varnhagen refusing to get vaccinated during an pandemic was extremely negligent. But this is not the place for yet another excruciating Covid vaccine debate.

Needless to say, there are enough other reasons to raise an eyebrow at Varnhagen's continued involvement at AFLW level without turning to her personal views. She looked all but past it back in 2021, and the competition has come on in leaps and bounds since then. Unless spending years fighting legal battles and giving birth have somehow improved her as a footballer, she's going to be a long way off the pace.

 

[El Doederino]

Are we playing the smurfs today?

 

[JP Sauce]

Are we playing the smurfs today?

Smurfettes

 

[Firewalker]

Randall up forward

 

[Firewalker]

sensational effort from Kelly

 

[JP Sauce]

Great, another dodgy hit the post call!

 

[Firewalker]

Najwa Allen looking like a liability when the ball hits the ground, Dowrick already causing issues.

Of cause it’s Saint… missing a shocker

 

[jenny61_99]

Lol

 

[jenny61_99]

Not loving the commentary

 

[Eagleboy2011]

Womens football standard.

 

[JP Sauce]

Lol

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Firewalker]

Umpires have their instructions

 

[Minor Threat]

Not sure I’ll ever get used to seeing Phillips, and now Saint, in Port colours

 

[jenny61_99]

Womens football standard.

Can’t argue about the fierceness of attack on the ball.

 

[jenny61_99]

****