AFLW AFLW Season 6, Mega Thread
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cats_09
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- Jun 21, 2011
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Kate is exactly what we needed! So rapt to see her back, gr8 support for Liv and Georgie.
- Sep 15, 2005
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Wish them all the best for this season, but I do wonder if a 3-4 of those players are a bit too fringe-best-21 or even unproven to be given leadership roles - I just hope the club has the heart to leave them out of the senior side if their form does not warrant selection ......
What is the expectation for the coming season. Better than last year. Competitive? More of the same?. It was pretty ugly last year, one would hope for a better standard.
Going on recent seasons, there will certainly be a better standard again reflected across the entire comp. Whether we're actually going to kick on at a rate that surpasses some others remains to be seen.
Looking at the list, I think we have reason to be both circumspect and a little confident, all at the same time.
cats_09
Otters United
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A lot will depend on the style of play
- keep going with the chip kick & mark style, well it'll be a wasted season
- bring some freedom in the play & be willing to take some risks, that'll be me beneficial in the long run
Also back in the youth
- I'm not completely unhappy with the absence of Garing; yes she's been a good player for us but feel we will ultimately be better served with those opportunities going to someone younger
- a little concerned we may back in McWilliams even if she's not going so great (as we did with Rocky last season). I'd actually preference Darby over McWilliams as she offers more versatility & can go into the ruck, meaning we can keep Barber up forward
- keep going with the chip kick & mark style, well it'll be a wasted season
- bring some freedom in the play & be willing to take some risks, that'll be me beneficial in the long run
Also back in the youth
- I'm not completely unhappy with the absence of Garing; yes she's been a good player for us but feel we will ultimately be better served with those opportunities going to someone younger
- a little concerned we may back in McWilliams even if she's not going so great (as we did with Rocky last season). I'd actually preference Darby over McWilliams as she offers more versatility & can go into the ruck, meaning we can keep Barber up forward
dazbroncos
Max Rooke Appreciation Society
- Oct 9, 2010
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Gotta keep my last Liv up forward - so yes anything to help that IMO is good.
GO Catters
Over the weekend I attended a training session for the AFLW at the club & witnessed their jumper presentation for the upcoming season (invited as my employer is a club sponsor).
I was rapt that the girls played a practice match and the style of play was noticeably different to last year - fast and quick. They took a lot of risks and honestly for this team I would rather they lose kicking 4-5 goals than only kicking 1 like last year by playing like that.
The team also looked a lot fitter. The head of the AFLW program gave a speech and he mentioned that fitness has been a focus and the team has raised their top average speed from 26 to 28km/h.
Stand outs to me for the practice game/training session were Morrison and Prespakis - both stars and a class above. Rachel Kearns can also hit a bullet pass like no one else I’ve seen in the AFLW.
Lots to look forward to for the next season but I would still temper expectations. The way all stakeholders spoke on the day I think they’re aiming for anywhere between 3-4 wins for the year. Anything else would be a bonus.
I was rapt that the girls played a practice match and the style of play was noticeably different to last year - fast and quick. They took a lot of risks and honestly for this team I would rather they lose kicking 4-5 goals than only kicking 1 like last year by playing like that.
The team also looked a lot fitter. The head of the AFLW program gave a speech and he mentioned that fitness has been a focus and the team has raised their top average speed from 26 to 28km/h.
Stand outs to me for the practice game/training session were Morrison and Prespakis - both stars and a class above. Rachel Kearns can also hit a bullet pass like no one else I’ve seen in the AFLW.
Lots to look forward to for the next season but I would still temper expectations. The way all stakeholders spoke on the day I think they’re aiming for anywhere between 3-4 wins for the year. Anything else would be a bonus.
- Sep 15, 2005
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It was pretty ugly last year, that is totally fair.
I'm not sure what to expect with the new coach. It sounds as though pre-season has been a bit more thorough than seasons gone by, but perhaps that's just talk, I'm not in any position to gauge it.
I'd really like to see the match committee being as bold as practicable in terms of team selection, which is why I just expressed a little bit of concern with regards to the club's leadership announcements (probably the first negative that I've felt since pre-season began).
Georgie Rankin has absolutely proven herself a superb clubwoman, but she has been a fringe selection since the club's inaugural season - to be fair she improved a little last season on the back of a massive pre-season, and hopefully that continues.
But seeing her elevated to the leadership group gives me concern that the club may now feel obliged to play her week-to-week, when - imo - it might come at the cost of playing talented but unexposed kids.
Similarly, Madeline Keryk has been elevated to the leadership group but I worry that this now means the MC will feel obliged to play her week-to-week.
Unlike Rankin, Keryk has been pretty stalwart for us to date, but she is limited and can only really play down back, where I wonder if we might have girls coming through who could surpass her output if given the opportunity. Does she keep someone like promising 2-gamer Carly Remmos out of the side? I'd like to see what Remmos can do; we know that Keryk will give her all, but she is slow and steady rather than dynamic.
Chantel Emonson has been given a leadership role despite not playing a single game for the club; she looks to have really silky skills, but the fact remains she was a fringe player at Melbourne and has not established herself in our team. I hope she does so, but again, if her form is poor does the club persist with her due to her leadership status? I hope not.
Phoebe McWilliams was retained on the list as a 36yo KF despite being pretty underwhelming, imo. I'd love to see the club back in young tall forwards Liv Barber and Georgia Clarke, but with McWilliams still on the list I'm wondering if there is room for all 3. My guess is that Clarke might play less games than she should.
I'm hoping we get plenty of games into rookie Gabbi Featherston and mature-ager rookie ruck Olivia Fuller; we've got to play Georgie Prespakis.
Personally I'd have given Becky Webster a leadership role, she has not put a foot wrong since joining the club in it's debut season as an 18 year old and is pound-for-pound close to our best and most consistent player.
We'd certainly want to improve upon last seasons solitary victory - I'd like to see the club far more competitive at Kardinia Park for starters.
I'd also like to see the club eliminating scoreless quarters from our games, let alone entire halves of football.
''Doubling'' our wins would be the bare minimum improvement/target imo - and as far as I'm concerned it will all come down to that willingness to be bold at the selection table.
- Sep 15, 2005
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Thanks for that report, much obliged - Kearns sounding quite promising.
- Sep 15, 2005
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%100 agree with all this.
Thx for that. I will hope for the best . The fringe melb player comment gives me pause. Make me feel like our W side is the current status of the Suns. Tough time still to be had for the girls. I had the feeling the comp went ahead and if anything we stalled or backed off. The merge of the two divsions did us no favours.
- Sep 15, 2005
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could do, but it'd be a bit of a shame (imo) given the progress she showed up forward in the VFLW this year ...
Personally I reckon Meg, Ivey and McMahon should be our 3 tall defenders most games ... hope to see McMahon bounce back, she was very flat last season.
- Sep 15, 2005
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She was the player we got as comp for Purcell flying the coop ...
I forgot to mention Chloe Scheer, who we lured from the Crows ... she's had injury issues but she is a potential match-winner and still young.
The club will no doubt try to balance pushing games into the kids while still giving them the protection and resilience of older more mature players to support them, but it'll be a tricky balance to strike.
We have a ton of young talent on the list, even with Denby Taylor and Millie Brown taking a break from the game we still have all sorts of up and comers; Nina Morrison turns 21 tomorrow, and her remaining draft buddies Becky Webster and the finally-improving Sophie Van De Huevel are still just kids themselves. Georgia Clarke is a KPP still learning the ropes but I've been pretty content with her progress.
Laura Gardiner, Darcy Moloney and Liv Barber from last year's draft class all look super-promising, particularly Gardiner.
Even ''mature-age'' recruits like ruck Olivia Fuller and Annabel Johnson, both still very young in both age and football terms, are a big chance making it I reckon.
So I am somewhat optimistic despite the shiteshow of last season. Like yourself Turbo, I'll hope for the best.
I hope not, she's showing potential fwd.
