AFLW North Melbourne Football Club AFLW - Season 2024

[Dodecahedron]

I’ve watched every one of North’s AFLW games since inception. The fact that we are dominant now has been the result of a slow build over many years. I for one, am enjoying seeing our dominance this season. However, we must put a premiership cup on the mantle or it will all be for nought.

PS: It’s nice to come back to this thread today to find that the tone-deaf, miserable, pathetic, positivity-sapping posts have been deleted by the mods.

 

[Only Forwards]

Yeah it feels at times like the opposition adjusts to the conditions better than us which is bizarre.

During the Geelong game we were going far to aggressively where they shifted to taking territory.

We were slow in adjusting.

however since that singular half of footy it’s not been an issue.

Almost like we reviewed it and adjusted our approach and are clearer on what to do when.

 

[hale]

I so love watching this team! I flew over for the GF last year and am hoping I'll get to do the same this year. (Also hopeful this time I won't be flying back after a defeat, and I won't catch COVID!)

I really wish they could do something about the AFLW umpiring standards though. It's the least enjoyable aspect of this league. I think one of the looks Ash gave the umpire yesterday sums it up well...


That free against Tahlia for a supposed push (that caused Ash's expression) was particularly galling considering Thalia herself was earlier blatantly infringed against by a doggie running up behind her and shoving her to the ground with two hands in her back (not during play, Q3 12:20 on clock). This was ignored by the umpire about a meter away and the other watching on from ~20m away.

I try not to believe in conspiracies but for a long time we've seemingly been umpired very differently to our opponents :/

 

[Luke72]

It feels like they try to keep the games close. Thankfully I reckon Croc has told them to take it out of the umpires hands. They really show no mercy and I love it.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

I so love watching this team! I flew over for the GF last year and am hoping I'll get to do the same this year. (Also hopeful this time I won't be flying back after a defeat, and I won't catch COVID!)

I really wish they could do something about the AFLW umpiring standards though. It's the least enjoyable aspect of this league. I think one of the looks Ash gave the umpire yesterday sums it up well...
View attachment 2133589

That free against Tahlia for a supposed push (that caused Ash's expression) was particularly galling considering Thalia herself was earlier blatantly infringed against by a doggie running up behind her and shoving her to the ground with two hands in her back (not during play, Q3 12:20 on clock). This was ignored by the umpire about a meter away and the other watching on from ~20m away.

I try not to believe in conspiracies but for a long time we've seemingly been umpired very differently to our opponents :/

I don’t believe in conspiracies, the umpiring standard is just not very good. But they are doing their best, and I don’t think any team is targeted particularly.

 

[Sillygit]

I don’t believe in conspiracies, the umpiring standard is just not very good. But they are doing their best, and I don’t think any team is targeted particularly.

Yup, they're just low tier umps.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

I find it funny that the one ground where we struggle to convert in front of goal is the ground we train on every week.

As much as we hate Casey Fields we are almost 20% better in front of goal there than our home ground. Our accuracy at Casey is 63.8% compared to 44.5% at Arden Street.

It's such an open field subject to winds. But you'd think we'd be pretty used to it no matter which direction the wind is blowing.

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

it can feel that way when the commentary team is constantly trying to push the narrative but I don't think it's really borne out by reality, when you're talking about scenarios where one team might kick a single goal and the other team doesn't during a downpour, there's way too many other factors that come into it to be able to point to a pattern, the sample size is too small.

I think the draw with Geelong had more to do with coming back from the Brisbane heat with a 6 day break after giving everything against a fellow top side, and then having to front up against a side that's had a chip on their shoulder about finally getting a win over us since they lost that final 2 years ago, and so threw absolutely everything at us. Alice being out also made our forward line a lot worse, I think. All the other wet weather games we've won, and decisively. We slowed down against Port once the monsoon began, but isn't it normal for a side to absolutely flog another for a half and then naturally slow down a bit since the game's pretty much already won? The closest anyone came is Richmond, where they barely outscored us in a half where we lost our captain early to an injury and had to readjust the defensive gameplan on the fly to account for her absence. Also on a shorter break than them, significantly a 3 day break compared to their 4.

What they normally point to is an increase in pressure. They particularly couldn't shut up about it during the Carlton game. But it becomes easier to shut down free-flowing football like ours with pressure when it's pouring, because clean disposal becomes so much harder. That's just physics, it's a factor that affects everyone.

The other counter-argument with regard to your last point about Carlton increasing pressure is that they did so at the expense of being able to score themselves. Basically, they flooded our forward line after quarter time and had nobody to kick to whenever they managed an intercept. They just bombed it as far as possible upfield where there were two or three of our defenders waiting. So yeah, it's relatively easy to increase pressure and stop a team from scoring so heavily if you're prepared accept a loss a quarter of the way through a game.

 

[Caracas]

I don’t believe in conspiracies, the umpiring standard is just not very good. But they are doing their best, and I don’t think any team is targeted particularly.

Of course, H2H. If anything, there were more times yesterday that I was surprised we got a free than the other way around. The free kick count was very much in our favour. I think it’s trickier to umpire AFLW because the ball is in dispute for much more of the game. Also, everybody is giving 100% all the time, leading to lots of accidental contact. The umpires appear to err on the side of caution too much, in my view. I’m almost surprised they didn’t pay a free kick to Niamh for high contact when we were making our circle before singing our song after the game.

 

[ferball]

Of course, H2H. If anything, there were more times yesterday that I was surprised we got a free than the other way around. The free kick count was very much in our favour. I think it’s trickier to umpire AFLW because the ball is in dispute for much more of the game. Also, everybody is giving 100% all the time, leading to lots of accidental contact. The umpires appear to err on the side of caution too much, in my view. I’m almost surprised they didn’t pay a free kick to Niamh for high contact when we were making our circle before singing our song after the game.

Any other club they would have...

 

[Colby Cheer Squad]

Of course, H2H. If anything, there were more times yesterday that I was surprised we got a free than the other way around. The free kick count was very much in our favour. I think it’s trickier to umpire AFLW because the ball is in dispute for much more of the game. Also, everybody is giving 100% all the time, leading to lots of accidental contact. The umpires appear to err on the side of caution too much, in my view. I’m almost surprised they didn’t pay a free kick to Niamh for high contact when we were making our circle before singing our song after the game.

They have a tendency to officiate to Under 14s standard whereby a free kick is paid for any tackle or bump fierce enough to potentially cause an injury regardless of whether it was legal. It's possible that some of these umpires have recently graduated from junior leagues but they need to realise that the rules at this level are supposed to be the same as for AFL men's competition. This is not non-contact to protect the ladies.

 

[Liam Boy]

The other counter-argument with regard to your last point about Carlton increasing pressure is that they did so at the expense of being able to score themselves. Basically, they flooded our forward line after quarter time and had nobody to kick to whenever they managed an intercept. They just bombed it as far as possible upfield where there were two or three of our defenders waiting. So yeah, it's relatively easy to increase pressure and stop a team from scoring so heavily if you're prepared accept a loss a quarter of the way through a game.

Oh yeah, exactly. Same thing with the Port game. If you absolutely flog a team in the first half, they're going to spend the second half just trying to shut you down with the knowledge that they can't win themselves, trying to avoid a more humiliating loss. It's not realistic to expect that a 7 goal to 0 first half should mean a 7 goal to 0 second half.

 

[CURVE]

As bad as the umpiring has been in the AFLW we do generally get a pretty good run from them, we are currently +30 for frees this season, we were +57 last season and +31 in season 2022B.

What frustrates me is the number of obvious frees they miss, and more often than not they will then award a free for a far less obvious indiscretion almost immediately and usually going the other way.

 

[shinboner magic]

As bad as the umpiring has been in the AFLW we do generally get a pretty good run from them, we are currently +30 for frees this season, we were +57 last season and +31 in season 2022B.

What frustrates me is the number of obvious frees they miss, and more often than not they will then award a free for a far less obvious indiscretion almost immediately and usually going the other way.
View attachment 2133728

To many soft free kicks get called , that if not called no one would really complain about

 

[Pravda Roo]

Dominant, and don't forget Footscray has improved a bit recently. I picked a bad day to go but was good to see some North mates their in the elements.

 

[shintemaster]

Yup, they're just low tier umps.

Think about the quality of umps we regularly get on our Sunday afternoon specials in the men's competition. Now look at how poorly the AFLW players and teams have been treated with everything from scheduling, number of games etc and think about how much care goes into the umpiring if they can't even get competent ones in the men's league which they treat significantly better.

To many soft free kicks get called , that if not called no one would really complain about

In general I agree, soft in play frees get played too often. With that said, they also seem to allow some absolute sniping level stuff at times that would be a 50m or even a rough conduct charge in the men's comp. It's a little disconcerting to see hard but fair play penalised and cheap shots into a player's head in a marking contest that was gone from the men's 20 years ago allowed.

 

[Caracas]

I can’

Think about the quality of umps we regularly get on our Sunday afternoon specials in the men's competition. Now look at how poorly the AFLW players and teams have been treated with everything from scheduling, number of games etc and think about how much care goes into the umpiring if they can't even get competent ones in the men's league which they treat significantly better.



In general I agree, soft in play frees get played too often. With that said, they also seem to allow some absolute sniping level stuff at times that would be a 50m or even a rough conduct charge in the men's comp. It's a little disconcerting to see hard but fair play penalised and cheap shots into a player's head in a marking contest that was gone from the men's 20 years ago allowed.

I can’t say I’ve noticed these cheap shots you mention, S. I’m sure it happens. It just doesn’t stick out to me.

 

[kool kangas]

As bad as the umpiring has been in the AFLW we do generally get a pretty good run from them, we are currently +30 for frees this season, we were +57 last season and +31 in season 2022B.

What frustrates me is the number of obvious frees they miss, and more often than not they will then award a free for a far less obvious indiscretion almost immediately and usually going the other way.
View attachment 2133728

The other thing is where the free kicks are paid. 5 free kicks in the backline will not hurt you as much as 5 free kicks in the forward line.

 

[CURVE]

Coaches' votes, W6: North gun retains lead as stars close in

Coaches' votes, W6: North gun retains lead as stars close in​

The coaches' votes are in for week six of the 2024 season
By Staff writers

Ash Riddell kicks a goal during week six, 2024. Picture: AFL Photos/Getty Images

NORTH Melbourne gun Ash Riddell has retained a narrow lead atop the leaderboard for the AFL Coaches Association's AFLW champion player of the year award as two stars closed in.

Riddell polled another eight votes in North's win over the Western Bulldogs to move onto 53 overall.

Teammate Jas Garner took home a perfect 10 and is just three votes adrift overall.

Adelaide star Ebony Marinoff is just one vote behind Riddell after polling 10 in the Crows' narrow win over St Kilda.

Aisling McCarthy, Eliza West, Kate Hore and Ellie McKenzie were the other players to poll 10 votes in week six.

North Melbourne v Western Bulldogs​

10 Jasmine Garner (NMFC)
8 Ashleigh Riddell (NMFC)
3 Tess Craven (NMFC)
3 Isabelle Pritchard (WB)
3 Sarah Wright (NMFC)
2 Kim Rennie (NMFC)
1 Maggie Gorham (WB)

LEADERBOARD​

53 Ashleigh Riddell (NMFC)
52 Ebony Marinoff (ADEL)
50 Jasmine Garner (NMFC)
45 Ally Anderson (BL)
43 Monique Conti (RICH)
43 Ella Roberts (WCE)
40 Charlie Rowbottom (GCFC)
40 Eliza West (HAW)
38 Ellie McKenzie (RICH)
36 Laura Gardiner (SYD)
31 Aisling McCarthy (FRE)
31 Mim Strom (FRE)
30 Anne Hatchard (ADEL)
27 Brittany Bonnici (COLL)
27 Sophie Conway (BL)
27 Sofia Hurley (SYD)
27 Madison Prespakis (ESS)
24 Mia King (NMFC)
24 Georgia Nanscawen (ESS)
21 Rebecca Beeson (GWS)
21 Alison Drennan (WCE)

 

[Hearts to hearts]

On this week’s ABC podcast Sam Lane and Chyloe Khurdas talk about how bad the compressed fixture has been and why the AFLW shouldn’t do it again - Kearney is exhibit A for the impact on the players, but they also talk how it creates extra barriers for the 50% of AFLW people who work off-field and have to juggle their other jobs with their poorly paid footy roles. Too many compromises on every front.

 

[Nate7]

On this week’s ABC podcast Sam Lane and Chyloe Khurdas talk about how bad the compressed fixture has been and why the AFLW shouldn’t do it again - Kearney is exhibit A for the impact on the players, but they also talk how it creates extra barriers for the 50% of AFLW people who work off-field and have to juggle their other jobs with their poorly paid footy roles. Too many compromises on every front.

Crocks mentioned this pre game how difficult it's been for all the staff who are part time and having to take time out of their other roles for these almost twice weekly games.

He also mentioned they were intending to rest/manage Kearney for that game but was injured due to loads.

 

[Hearts to hearts]

Crocks mentioned this pre game how difficult it's been for all the staff who are part time and having to take time out of their other roles for these almost twice weekly games.

He also mentioned they were intending to rest/manage Kearney for that game but was injured due to loads.

I heard Matthew Clarke say this week there were things he wanted to tweak but they can’t actually do training sessions because the games are so close together. And Pepa Randell from GWS was on the other AFLW podcast talking about how the girls who aren’t selected miss out when they can’t all train together. And the Sam Lame show played an interview she did with our Tahlia this weekend bagging the compressed fixture. It’s like everyone felt they had to give it a fair go but now there’s a massive groundswell against it being repeated.

Hope Laura and the invisible head of AFLW come out and acknowledge it honestly.

 

[Caracas]

Crocks mentioned this pre game how difficult it's been for all the staff who are part time and having to take time out of their other roles for these almost twice weekly games.

He also mentioned they were intending to rest/manage Kearney for that game but was injured due to loads.

It’s a bit of a lottery trying to pre-empt hamstring injuries. If Kearney had’ve been rested for one week, there’s every chance it would have nailed her later on this season anyway. At least, this way, she has an opportunity to be ready for the finals. Imagine if she did it in R8 and missed the rest of the season?!

 

[Only Forwards]

Hope Laura and the invisible head of AFLW come out and acknowledge it honestly.

I wouldn't hold my breath on that one.