AFLW AFLW/VFLW 2024 - General Discussion

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The Western Bulldogs will field eight debutants in their Week 1 clash against GWS at Manuka Oval this Saturday afternoon.

As revealed earlier this week, the Dogs’ four first-round draftees – Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner, Brooke Barwick, Elaine Grigg and Cleo Buttifant – will make their league debuts. Recruits Lauren Ahrens, Jasmyn Smith, Ellie Gavalas and Analea McKee will also celebrate Club debuts. Ahrens (47 games at Gold Coast) and Gavalas (41 games at North Melbourne) add the most experience of the group.
De Berry will start at half-forward in her first official outing as captain, with Ellie Blackburn and Isabelle Pritchard to attend the first centre bounce.

New coach Tam Hyett will be keen on her side starting their 2024 campaign on a high when they meet the Giants at 1.05pm on Saturday.

The match will be broadcast via Fox Footy and Kayo Sports.
 
I saw her in some vision of training, but still no Eleanor Brown in the team? Would be one of their top players so not sure why. Provides a lot of drive out of the back line and has been missed.
 
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gordo2016 said:
I saw her in some vision of training, but still no Eleanor Brown in the team? Would be one of their top players so not sure why. Lured Zimmie Farquhuson across from Brisbane where she showed something and would have played her before a few others. Good luck to the girls!
Click to expand...
Was wondering about Eleanor, does it look like she could be managing an injury?
 
www.afl.com.au

Ex-coach says 'complacent' Bulldogs are lagging behind

Former Bulldogs assistant coach Kate McCarthy details the problems that resulted in a nightmare 2023 campaign
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au

FORMER Western Bulldogs assistant coach Kate McCarthy has identified the key concerns at the club that forced wholesale change over the off-season.

Speaking on AFL.com.au's The W Show, McCarthy went into depth around the club's issues in 2023, which saw it finish at the bottom of the ladder and bid goodbye to head coach Nathan Burke among a host of other players and staff.

"Without going into too many of the trade secrets or the things that actually happened throughout the year at the club, it was really, really tough on 'Burkey' in the sense that the Bulldogs didn't actually have a head of women's football," McCarthy said.
"Debbie Lee was at the club probably two or three seasons ago and since her departure as the head of women's football, they haven't replaced her. So, there was no head of women's football, so poor old Burkey was really up against it."

Lee was appointed as the AFL's national women and girls action plan lead back in August 2022, and was not replaced until March 2024 when the club appointed Patrice Berthold to head up its AFLW program. "I think the thing they have done really well now is they have appointed a head of women's football post-review," McCarthy said. In the player movement space, McCarthy identified a "complacent" attitude toward re-signing senior players as a driver behind so much turnover.
"I think with their list management, there was a lot of (complacency) around contract negotiations and offers, which actually ended up being the reason a few of those other senior players actually looked elsewhere or thought 'Okay, maybe I will explore my other options'," McCarthy said.

"I think that really came to hurt the club in regards to those senior players."
Heart and soul player Kirsty Lamb, former No.1 draft pick Gabby Newton, former All-Australian defender Katie Lynch and emerging tall Celine Moody all moved on to other clubs after the 2023 season.

"The really sad thing is, this isn't the first time this has happened at the Western Bulldogs. They are a foundation club, they have been there since day one … In my opinion, there are expansion clubs who entered the competition two years ago who are in a better position than the Western Bulldogs," McCarthy said. Throughout the episode the panel also discuss the Bulldogs' captaincy handover, the AFLW's newly introduced ball tracking technology, Sunday's Grand Final rematch, and more.
 
www.westernbulldogs.com.au

AFLW fixture update: Dogs-Port moved to MCG

Western Bulldogs to host a double header next Friday 6 September.
www.westernbulldogs.com.au www.westernbulldogs.com.au

The Western Bulldogs will host a double-header next Friday 6 September, with the AFL confirming the NAB AFLW Week 2 game against Port Adelaide will be moved to the MCG.

Originally scheduled to be played at the newly redeveloped Mission Whitten Oval, the relocation means Bulldogs fans and members who have purchased tickets for either game will be able to attend both the AFLW game and the AFL Elimination Final against Hawthorn.

The first bounce of the women's game will be 4.30pm (previously 5.05pm) while the men's start time is unchanged at 7.40pm. The double-header is now sold out to the general public, with a crowd of 90,000 expected. Gates will open at 4.00pm.
Fans who had purchased tickets to the NAB AFLW match at Mission Whitten Oval will receive a ticket to the MCG at no additional cost, thanks to the competition’s major partner NAB.

In a statement, the Club said it welcomed the AFL's decision.

"Our priority is to ensure that our members and fans have the most memorable experience possible, and this historic double-header will give them a unique opportunity to enjoy a feast of Bulldogs footy on a Friday night,” the statement read.

"We appreciate the myriad considerations that fixturing presents and would like to thank the AFL for acknowledging the challenges with the original scheduling and working with all of its stakeholders – particularly NAB – to ensure the best possible outcome for our members and fans.

"While this does mean we will have to wait to play our first home W game at the redeveloped Mission Whitten Oval, we are sure our Thursday night game against West Coast on September 12 will be a truly special occasion in Footscray."

The NAB AFLW match will be broadcast on Foxtel / Kayo, while the AFL Elimination Final will be broadcast on the Seven Network.

AFLW Week 2​

Western Bulldogs v Port Adelaide
4.30pm, Friday 6 September
MCG, Melbourne • Wurundjeri

AFL Second Elimination Final​

Western Bulldogs v Hawthorn
7.40pm, Friday 6 September
MCG, Melbourne • Wurundjeri
 
Bulldogs85 said:
www.afl.com.au

Ex-coach says 'complacent' Bulldogs are lagging behind

Former Bulldogs assistant coach Kate McCarthy details the problems that resulted in a nightmare 2023 campaign
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au

FORMER Western Bulldogs assistant coach Kate McCarthy has identified the key concerns at the club that forced wholesale change over the off-season.

Speaking on AFL.com.au's The W Show, McCarthy went into depth around the club's issues in 2023, which saw it finish at the bottom of the ladder and bid goodbye to head coach Nathan Burke among a host of other players and staff.

"Without going into too many of the trade secrets or the things that actually happened throughout the year at the club, it was really, really tough on 'Burkey' in the sense that the Bulldogs didn't actually have a head of women's football," McCarthy said.
"Debbie Lee was at the club probably two or three seasons ago and since her departure as the head of women's football, they haven't replaced her. So, there was no head of women's football, so poor old Burkey was really up against it."

Lee was appointed as the AFL's national women and girls action plan lead back in August 2022, and was not replaced until March 2024 when the club appointed Patrice Berthold to head up its AFLW program. "I think the thing they have done really well now is they have appointed a head of women's football post-review," McCarthy said. In the player movement space, McCarthy identified a "complacent" attitude toward re-signing senior players as a driver behind so much turnover.
"I think with their list management, there was a lot of (complacency) around contract negotiations and offers, which actually ended up being the reason a few of those other senior players actually looked elsewhere or thought 'Okay, maybe I will explore my other options'," McCarthy said.

"I think that really came to hurt the club in regards to those senior players."
Heart and soul player Kirsty Lamb, former No.1 draft pick Gabby Newton, former All-Australian defender Katie Lynch and emerging tall Celine Moody all moved on to other clubs after the 2023 season.

"The really sad thing is, this isn't the first time this has happened at the Western Bulldogs. They are a foundation club, they have been there since day one … In my opinion, there are expansion clubs who entered the competition two years ago who are in a better position than the Western Bulldogs," McCarthy said. Throughout the episode the panel also discuss the Bulldogs' captaincy handover, the AFLW's newly introduced ball tracking technology, Sunday's Grand Final rematch, and more.
Click to expand...
It's reprehensible that the club let thw women's program fall into dissaray.

Bevo had too much responsibility on the men's side during this period and the women's side was just allowed to wither away.

I'm pleased that things seemingly have been stabilised but how was it ever allowed to get like this?
 
The Dogs must gave gone hard on the AFL to compensate the people that had bought tickets to the AFLW game, for them to now to be able to go to the AFL game, although it would indicate to me that there had not been many tickets sold to the AFLW game
 
MYOB said:
The Dogs must gave gone hard on the AFL to compensate the people that had bought tickets to the AFLW game, for them to now to be able to go to the AFL game, although it would indicate to me that there had not been many tickets sold to the AFLW game
Click to expand...

The number would be negligible as most people just buy a ticket on the day. But does it apply to AFLW members as well? My guess is no.

I have mixed feelings: rapt for those punters who suddenly have Elimination Final tickets, but kinda begrudgingly because I forked out serious dollars on Ticketek for all my crew to attend.

As an aside, the AFL would have had the embarrassing scenario of a near-empty Whitten Oval had this change not occurred.
 

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Good to see the Tigers are still crap
 
geoffjennings79 said:
How are the two Judases going?
Click to expand...
Chicago1 would be very pleased with their efforts :p
Nah Conti v good as usual, Brennan hardly sighted

edit - Tigger comeback!

Melissa Villasenor Oops GIF by Saturday Night Live
 
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www.afl.com.au

Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner on family connection to the Dogs

A Minute With… Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner sees the No.1 draft pick share her family’s long history with the Western Bulldogs
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au

KRISTIE-LEE Weston-Turner's grandmother was a member of the Western Bulldogs cheer squad for more than 30 years, and while her dementia means she can no longer go to games, her love for the Dogs is carried on through her granddaughter.

Weston-Turner was drafted by the Bulldogs with the coveted No.1 pick at the AFLW Draft in December, much to the joy of her die-hard Bulldogs-supporting family.
"My nan was in the cheer squad for like, 30-odd years, and would drive up to Sydney, go to Perth, go to Ballarat," Weston-Turner told AFL.com.au.

"She wasn't at the draft because she's in a nursing home. So she was absolutely stoked when I went in and showed her the Bulldogs [kit].
"I remember, I think it was the most recent Grand Final that the Dogs were in, she like, set up all these Bulldog photos and there's a photo of her waving the flag outside her house, and it's just decked out in Bulldogs colours. It's just so cute.

"I'm gonna try [to bring her to watch a game]. Hopefully I can play a couple of home games, and I'd love to have her there, get a few photos, but her dementia has taken a pretty big toll."
Weston-Turner comes from a family full of Bulldogs supporters, with her uncle infamously pulling up his shirt on draft night to show off a huge Western Bulldogs tattoo over his torso.

"It's more so if you don't go for the Bulldogs then you're not welcome at Christmas," Weston-Turner said.

"When I told them that I was getting interviewed by the Dogs, they were just absolutely stoked."
As for the pressure of expectation that comes with being the No.1 draft pick? Weston-Turner is adamant she's unaffected.

"I don't think I feel it whatsoever. I don't go through life wanting to live up to other people's expectations," she said.

"I know what I've got to do within the club and within myself to, you know, get a few games under my belt and hopefully perform well.

"I know that I've set high standards for myself, and I think that's all that matters.

"So if I do the work, which I know I do, then I know I can get wherever I want."
Weston-Turner is one of four Bulldogs draftees named to make their debuts on Saturday against Greater Western Sydney.

The quartet forms just part of a new-look Western Bulldogs side in 2024, with a new coach, a new general manager of women's football, a new list manager, and a new captain.

After the trials and tribulations of last season, which saw the side win just one game and cop public sprays from their coach in post-match press conferences several times, the stage is set for the Dogs to write themselves a new chapter.
 
www.afl.com.au

Red, white and new: The challenges facing Dogs upon fresh start

We take a look at the five biggest challenges facing new Bulldogs coach Tamara Hyett
www.afl.com.au www.afl.com.au

A NEW era is upon the Western Bulldogs.

Tamara Hyett has been handed the reins after former coach Nathan Burke's departure last year and there's a massive challenge awaiting her this season. Hyett will need to lead the Bulldogs through what looms as a lengthy rebuild after a mass player exodus over the off-season.
The positives are it gives her somewhat of a clean slate to work with heading into 2024, the downside is that a heavily pillaged list might take a while to get back to the top.

AFL.com.au takes a look at the five biggest challenges facing the newest AFLW coach in 2024.

Building relationships​

All good coaches need to have good people skills to succeed and Hyett has that in spades. Hyett began her coaching career with the VWFL side St Kilda Sharks, before getting an opportunity to lead Coates Talent League side Sandringham Dragons. Players and colleagues alike say one of her biggest strengths is building relationships.

"My strengths as a coach are understanding people and building relationships. I love people and I think I recognise that from my background as an athlete is that you're a person first before the athlete," she told AFL.com.au earlier this pre-season.
Hyett spent years on the professional golf tour in Europe and the US and says that experience will hold her in good stead as she embarks on her next adventure.

"We're lucky that these are talented people that play football. So, the strength of mine is to build that rapport, and have an understanding of the balance that is required to [perform] in a high performance environment.
"Having been an athlete myself in an individual sport, (Dogs players can) leverage off the fact that they are very lucky to have teammates around them for support.

"But first and foremost, it's building that connection with people. I love it. That's what I thrive on."

Hyett's had experience working with young stars through her involvement in the Dragons and that will hold her in good stead as she embarks on her role at the Bulldogs this season.

Rejuvenating old stars​

The Dogs had their fair share of turmoil last campaign, and it only got worse as the season ended, with a third of their list leaving the club. But for those senior players who are still at the club, it's been a refreshing start. Superstar Ellie Blackburn has handed over the captaincy reins to midfielder Deanna Berry, who is set to lead a new-look leadership group of Blackburn, Elle Bennetts, Isabelle Pritchard, Isabella Grant and Jess Fitzgerald. Blackburn said the refreshed program had been really positive despite still being in its infancy.

"It's been really good – obviously there's been a bit of a change-up since last season, with a whole new-look team with a whole new range of players and staff that have come on board, but it's been really positive to start off with," she told SENearlier this pre-season. The Dogs have had a pretty big clean out, but the early signs are that their core group of senior players left are well and truly on board with the new path the club is headed.

Playing the kids​

The Bulldogs acquired some extremely exciting youth over the off-season. Last season's wooden spoon finish meant the Dogs got access to the No.1 pick, selecting Kristie-Lee Weston-Turner. Weston-Turner is a powerful athlete with explosive speed and strong aerial ability. While she is more than capable of playing as a midfielder at some stage, it looks as though the impressive youngster will begin her AFLW career in the forward line, helping to cover the loss of some established talent forward of centre. The Dogs also pounced on dynamic duo Brooke Barwick and Elaine Grigg at the draft. Barwick, a Tasmanian product, is a solid ball user and her evasiveness and line-breaking ability were key factors as to why the Bulldogs selected her with pick No.4 last year. Grigg, taken with pick No.6, was one of the most exciting players of last year's draft, possessing elite speed, agility and a strong defensive workrate. Rylie Wilcox, Heidi Woodley, Keely Coyne and recent draftee Cleo Buttifant are other youngsters to have shown promising signs during their start to AFLW life and will feature prominently for Hyett's side moving forward. Nabbing three top-10 talents in the one draft gives Hyett the nucleus for their next premiership push.

Managing list turnover​

The Dogs turned over almost a third of their list last season as four senior players requested trades away from the club. Midfield veteran Kirsty Lamb joined Port Adelaide, ruck Celine Moody is set to partner with her sister Breann at Carlton, Katie Lynch has moved north to Gold Coast and Gabby Newton headed west to join Fremantle. Rocky Cranston and Kirsten McLeod both hung up the boots and the Dogs axed four players to cap off a big off-season of player movement. But with that comes great opportunity. Lauren Ahrens (Gold Coast) and Ellie Gavalas (North Melbourne) have come via other clubs and should slot straight into the best side, while Analea McKee, Jasmyn Smith and Zimmorlei Farquharson are also seeking more opportunities at the Bulldogs this year. Mature-age ruck Jorja Borg has also been added to the squad to give insurance for star ruck Alice Edmonds. There's been monumental changes at Mission Whitten Oval (which has also been revamped!) so there's bound to be some teething issues in Hyett's first season at the helm.

Giving the fans something to smile about​

There's no way to sugar coat things, rebuilding can be a challenging time for supporters, although it can be an easier pill to swallow if there's been recent success. The Bulldogs won just one game last year which led to such significant change over the off-season. But here's hoping things are about to change and Dogs fans can have beaming smiles once more. Hyett is a western suburb local so coaching the Bulldogs is a match made in heaven. Hyett has always brimming with pride and excitement at the possibilities that await the club in the future, often noting that the Bulldogs can "shape their own narrative". Fingers crossed the Bulldogs can bring an exciting brand to the fore under Hyett, even if it doesn't immediately result in wins.
 
First half particularly the second quarter was pretty good in some windy conditions. But no real scoreboard reward.

Fallen right away after that. Defence first attitude requires the intent for the full quarters
 
This is terrible.

I know we are young and will struggle, but it doesn't explain why our work rate is so much worse than other sides and why we continue to gift goals through dumb 50m penalties.
 

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AFLW AFLW/VFLW 2024 - General Discussion

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