AFLW North Melbourne Football Club AFLW - Season 2024

[HongKongRoo]

reckon Pullar in for Smith on Weds to play our best team

then against the tigers in tassie on sunday we rest a few

Love to see Pullar come in but Smith is a running machine and does a mountain of work. Reckon she is the most unsung of our players but plays an essential role. Would probably have her in over Craven or Eddy honestly. See how O'Loughlin's thumb pulls up.

 

[The Nostradamus]

Love to see Pullar come in but Smith is a running machine and does a mountain of work. Reckon she is the most unsung of our players but plays an essential role. Would probably have her in over Craven or Eddy honestly. See how O'Loughlin's thumb pulls up.

I think one of smith or craven will get dropped for Pullar in our best team on that wing

For mine smiths slow reactions (she’s constantly second to the ball), poor kicking and fumbling make her the one to go out imo

 

[Liam Boy]

Love to see Pullar come in but Smith is a running machine and does a mountain of work. Reckon she is the most unsung of our players but plays an essential role. Would probably have her in over Craven or Eddy honestly. See how O'Loughlin's thumb pulls up.

You are talking to a brick wall. He is never going to get it.

 

[Teen Wolf]

Disappointing if we don't get a few favourable ootf and last touch calls tomorrow night:

 

[The Nostradamus]

Pullar and Martin in for Bruton and Shierlaw both managed

 

[Limerick]

Disappointing if we don't get a few favourable ootf and last touch calls tomorrow night:

View attachment 2120258

James Brayshaw on the boundary?

 

[CURVE]

Carlton have made four changes.

 

[shinboner magic]

Carlton have made four changes.

View attachment 2120638

Who’s B. Bogue

 

[andana]

Who’s B. Bogue

Blaithin is Irish

 

[King Corey]

Interesting not to replace Shierlaw's height.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Interesting not to replace Shierlaw's height.

The ins seem odd replacements for the outs.

 

[King Corey]

The ins seem odd replacements for the outs.

Maybe they have Glenn Luff as guest selector.

 

[The Nostradamus]

reckon eilish sheerin sling tackle costs her a week or 2

So misses our game on sunday

 

[Caracas]

Maybe they have Glenn Luff as guest selector.

Maybe, Crocker is working on his Plan B?

 

[The Nostradamus]

reckon eilish sheerin sling tackle costs her a week or 2

So misses our game on sunday

Looks like tigers players don’t want to play us

Yassir sling tackle should also get a week

 

[CURVE]

Interesting not to replace Shierlaw's height.

Isn't it supposed to rain in Melbourne tomorrow?

 

[The Nostradamus]

Looks like tigers players don’t want to play us

Yassir sling tackle should also get a week

Lol a third tigers player sling tackle

This one not as bad as the previous 2 tho which should get weeks

 

[Nate7]

Isn't it supposed to rain in Melbourne tomorrow?

yes, heavy and all day if the BoM is to be believed.

 

[CURVE]

The under-the-radar shift that's elevated Roos' biggest weapon

The under-the-radar shift that's elevated Roos' biggest weapon​

Ash Riddell is impacting the game in a different way this season, thanks largely to the evolution of Ruby Tripodi as an added strength at the contest
By Gemma Bastiani

Ash Riddell handballs during the match between North Melbourne and Port Adelaide at Mission Whitten Oval in round four, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

WATCHING North Melbourne's midfield play this year, one might assume that things have continued on as usual.

The impressive trio of Jasmine Garner, Ash Riddell and Mia King look as strong as ever, picking up where they left off last year where they came agonisingly close to the club's first AFLW premiership.

But a minor shift has happened. Looking more closely, Riddell's clearance numbers have fallen, and she's hitting the scoreboard more, with much of that thanks to the evolution of Ruby Tripodi as added strength at the contest.

Ash Riddell 2023 v 2024

	AVG. DISPOSALS	AVG. CLEARANCES	AVG. SCORE INVOLVEMENTS	TOTAL GOALS
2023	29.9	5.5	4.3	2
2024 (WEEK 1-4)	30.8	2.8	7.3	4

Riddell's role hasn't changed, per se, but her method of impacting through the midfield has altered slightly.

"If anything, we just consolidated the game plan. It's pretty similar working with the other 'middies' and just trying to get the ball forward and use our strengths," Riddell told AFL.com.au.
https://www.afl.com.au/aflw/news/1228437/w5-preview-heayweights-clash-friday-footy-extravaganza
"We've got a few bigger bodies in there that are probably a little bit stronger at the clearance work, and I can get it on the outside a little bit. So, just trying to use our strengths and then spread from the contest from there.

"We've got to use our weapons."

Ash Riddell celebrates kicking a goal during the match between North Melbourne and Geelong at Arden Street Ground in round two, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos

One of those bigger bodies is Tripodi, who has solidified her role within North Melbourne's side this year after just four games in her debut season in 2023.

Drafted with pick No.23 in the 2023 supplementary draft, Tripodi played the opening four games of the season in the forward line before making way for experienced campaigner Jenna Bruton to return from injury.

This year, with Bruton establishing herself in a new role forward, Tripodi has added to the physicality at the contest for the Roos.

"She's just provided us with some great depth through the midfield," North Melbourne coach Darren Crocker said.

"Ruby, really to her credit, her off-season was amazing, how diligent she was to take on board feedback if she wanted to play in the midfield, to work extremely hard … she really needs to take the credit, because she was the one who actually put the work in."

Ruby Tripodi in action during the match between North Melbourne and Geelong at Arden Street Ground in round two, 2024. Picture: Getty Images

Ruby Tripodi 2023 v 2024

	AVG. DISPOSALS	AVG. CLEARANCES	AVG. TACKLES	AVG. CONTESTED POSSESSIONS
2023	6.7	0.9	2.7	4.2
2024 (WEEK 1-4)	13.0	3.0	7.8	7.8

This season Tripodi has been attending just under half of North Melbourne's centre stoppages, with the already established tough nut Mia King attending the most.

"Ruby's been remarkable. She's a natural mid, and she's so clean by hand in particular," Riddell said.

"She's one of those ones that does all the grunt work on the inside, and is able to feed it out to us mids on the outside. So, she's really valuable in our team, and we wouldn't be getting the ball without her doing all the grunt work."

Off the back of Tripodi's growth, Riddell has been able to slide forward and become more dangerous around goal. This hasn't only been reflected in her kicking a career-best four goals so far this season, but in her ability to set up teammates near the big sticks.

Riddell is averaging three more score involvements per game this year as she gathers that outside ball more often and uses it effectively.

"I did work on it," Riddell said of her own goal kicking.

"To be fair, I work on it every season, and sometimes you run the same patterns and don't get used, and then sometimes you're just lucky enough to get on the end of it … I've probably been lucky to get on the end of a few from some good teamwork from my teammates."

Ash Riddell makes the most of this deep forward stoppage with a classy major

Now as the Roos stare down the barrel of their mid-week footy fixture, Riddell feels well prepared for the impact on her side.

"We don't train as much, but I think the preparation in our off season, the girls came in hungry as ever. So, with all our running, we've got deposits in the bank that will help us for this period," Riddell said.

"It's actually really exciting for us. We know that we're fit and it's actually going to help us against some of the opposition."

 

[Hearts to hearts]

I’m out of town (school holidays) so will again be asking you to cheer louder for me if you are there tonight.

 

[Only Forwards]

The whole can they do it in the wet will be answered today.

 

[Chadwiko]

Evening on a rainy Wednesday is such a dumb time for a game.

AFL is absolutely doing AFLW no favours as they try and grow this league.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Evening on a rainy Wednesday is such a dumb time for a game.

AFL is absolutely doing AFLW no favours as they try and grow this league.

At least this one is in school holidays and not during work hours.

 

[Chadwiko]

At least this one is in school holidays and not during work hours.

Still not suitable for taking young kids to the game though. But yeah.

 

[The Warlord]

Evening on a rainy Wednesday is such a dumb time for a game.

AFL is absolutely doing AFLW no favours as they try and grow this league.

Its one of those things that sounds really good during the presentation in a nice office in Docklands - a festival of football! Footy every week in Grand Final week! But the reality is just dumb.

Tbh I'm amazed that Laura Kane, who understands W intimately, went for it.