AFLW Weekly Wrap Up Collingwood V GWS Morwell Reserve, Sunday 24 February 2019

​A blustery and hot location gave a definite advantage to the team kicking with the wind. Both teams were hungry for their first win, and while the Magpies probably had their best game yet, they didn’t manage to get their first win.
Collingwood
The first quarter saw Collingwood kicking against the wind. The Pies frenzied response to a quick GWS goal saw many handballs and shorter kicks working together to push the ball into their 50 but didn’t translate into any shots for goal; leaving the Pies scoreless in the first term. Livingstone worked hard in defence as did Casey and Hildebrand and whilst the Pies seemed to get off to a slower start, they had eased into the game by the 10-minute mark. The Pies showed their desperation and physicality letting the Giants know that it would not be an easy game.
In the second term the Pies came out swing with Stratton scoring the first point. Sharni Layton earned her pay with an effective tap and a well-placed kick to Membery in front position in front of the goals. Sarah Dargan also scored closing the gap. The team effort of a tight defensive game kept the Giants to just a point. The Pies had better movement and found more space this quarter but still had trouble finding targets.
After the break the Pies really piled on the defence making it very difficult for GWS in their 50 despite the unwarranted free kick to Farrugia and both teams kicking the ball out of bounds several times in a row due to the windy conditions.
In the final quarter Ross and Grant were excellent at backing up, with Alexander being held in front goals and no whistle from the umpire. Hynes was good in the ruck, but her kicking was ineffective. Membrey was awarded a free in front of goals and scored her second for the game in her debut for the Pies. Shevlin also showed great promise easily scoring her first AFLW goal with Dargan and Rowe adding another point each to the total. The last 3 minutes of the game saw Collingwood find their rhythm with a good running game and whilst they looked like a threat they were beaten by the clock.
GWS
The Giants had a flying start with a quick goal. They managed to find space easily and at times found a way around the intense Collingwood defence. Kicking with the wind in the first quarter helped cement their score and ultimately the win. Subsequent quarters brought mixed results with Staunton having the only attempt at goal in the second term. Clever use of the ball and a good running game kept the opposition busy, but the Giants had trouble breaking through the defence. Their cracking first quarter was what ultimately got them over the line.
Injuries and Umpires
Nicole Hildebrand copped a roll on the head from a hard tackle on Mackrill and left the field but was later cleared to continue playing.
The umpires missed a few free calls, especially for Collingwood but the windy conditions would not have helped them with their task. However, the ridiculous call of contact on Farrugia against Collingwood did dish out an unfair advantage. Fortunately, the ¾ time siren intervened. If the commentators say “There is nothing in that” then there is nothing in that. And whilst no team really wants charity from the umpires, when a player is held in front of goals and not given a free kick, it can make one question what the umpires are looking at. Yes, yes, it was hot and windy and possibly they had momentarily clocked off, it happens to the best of us.
Final Score  Pies 4 3 27    Giants 5 6 36   Giants by 9 Points
My Take
Collingwood have been working hard to work together and it showed on the field in this game. With the exclusion of Ash Brazill due to concussion, most of the team really stepped up and gave their all. Even with a slow start, once the team found their rhythm they looked like a cohesive unit. A 0 score in the first quarter was in no way indicative of the efforts.
Membrey was an effective inclusion and the newbies, Shevlin and Layton showed promise of things to come. Bonnici was relentless in defence as was Lambert, Livingstone and Hildebrand (before and after the head roll). MacIntosh had an impressive game that showed why she is a leader and a good role model. It really was a team effort in this game and does show just what they are capable of. If the Pies can produce 4 full quarters of a good hard game and tidy up their kicks they could be on the end of a win or two. I hope this game has silenced a few of the naysayers and garnered more support for this sport, these women and for that matter women in sport in general.
Supporters should also ease up on the Coach. We need to remember that Collingwood lost some ‘big’ players and are rebuilding. And one could argue that the results are slow at coming but they are there and were apparent this week. This was evident in the performance of the whole team and the confidence of some of the newer players. Looking forward to next week’s game. Go Pies!
#Collingwood #Forever #AFLWMagpies