That’s the season underway as well. More teams, more players, more stories, and all going on at the same time as the Women’s T20 World Cup in the cricket will be hosted in Australia too. We’ll have plenty of coverage from that, so look out for the blogs and reports and columns.
As for the footy, Kirby Fenwick is at Princes Park right now writing a piece on the atmosphere of the game and the event tonight, which will be waiting on your sport pages tomorrow morning Australian time. So look out for that and Kirby’s other writing throughout the season.
Carlton defeat Richmond 6.12 (48) to 2.2 (14)
The match ends as it proceeded all night, in Carlton’s forward line. Lauren Brazzale ends up with a shot at goal late in the piece, but pushes it wide. Plenty of behinds for the Blues tonight, but they managed to get enough shots through the middle to make for a comfortable victory. They looked like a team that has spent some time together: not complete polish as yet, but stitching together good sequences of passes and moving well at times.
Richmond couldn’t match that, rarely getting much in the way of quality possession together. The Tigers created pressure early by being hard at the ball, but found themselves locked in desperate defence for too much of the night, and eventually wore themselves out.
Still, that’s their first game played, and they’re underway in the AFLW.
Updated
4th quarter, 3 mins remaining: Vescio sells a dummy, slick move, then drives toward goal, but a late and well-timed first denies the major score. She’s up in the centre square now, getting in everything. Sets up Prespakis for a flying shot at goal with her 20th touch. Another miss. The kick-in ends up at the half-back boundary, with Richmond’s Stahl seeing it over. She’s been fierce at the contest all night, wearing the helmet a la Nathan Burke.
Updated
Goal! Carlton 6.9 (45) to Richmond 2.2 (14)
4th quarter, 7 mins remaining: A second goal for Richmond! Courtney Wakefield makes up for her earlier miss by slotting her first and the Tigers’ second from open play. The celebrations are almost as good this time around.
Goal! Carlton 6.9 (45) to Richmond 1.2 (8)
4th quarter, 9 mins remaining: A quick goal back for Carlton, after a scrappy push forward as Downie receives a pass over the top and dinks it through. Doesn’t matter how they come. Richmond’s glow of happiness gets a little dimmed.
Goal! Carlton 5.9 (39) to Richmond 1.2 (8)
4th quarter, 11 mins remaining: Richmond’s women score their first goal! It’s Sabrina Frederick who goes into the history books, and a rare uncluttered piece of lead-up play. Brennan receives the ball in space on the half-forward flank, and has the time to measure her kick long into the forward line. It’s over the head of Frederick, giving her space to run back and lose her opponent to mark. Then Frederick goes back from 40 out and thumps the long kick through! The Tigers celebrate fiercely, and it’s good to see how much that means despite a tough night.
Three-quarter time: Carlton 5.9 (39) to Richmond 0.2 (2)
Vescio tries to wriggle free on the boundary for one more run at goal but Sarah Sansonetti hangs onto her tight and defuses the threat. That’s the end of the quarter, with the Blues now out by 37 points.
Goal! Carlton 5.9 (39) to Richmond 0.2 (2)
3rd quarter, 1 min remaining: Carlton have dropped the hammer now. Their forward-line pressure and dominance in territory was always likely to take its toll eventually. Richmond just can’t get out of defence. At this point there’s a ruck infringement and Maddie Prespakis ends up with the free. From 30 metres out she sends it through and celebrates accordingly.
Goal! Carlton 4.9 (33) to Richmond 0.2 (2)
3rd quarter, 2 mins remaining: from that 50 penalty, the Blues come forward cleanly. Prespakis gets the entry into the forward line once again, kicking to the advantage of Harris. Mark! At the top of the square, and Harris goes back and slots her set shot this time around.
3rd quarter, 4 mins remaining: Grace Egan gets done for holding the ball for a third time tonight. She’ll have to do some work on speed of disposal. The Tigers can’t get clear though, and give up possession after that through a free for high contact. There’s a scrum inside 50 leading to a ball-up, with Harris in the ruck, then fighting for the ball in the pocket. Rebecca Miller outwrestles her this time around. Brennan is floating down into defence, just trying to have some influence on the contest. Tayla Stahl for Richmond wins a free for a hard tackle on the wing, but the Tigers turn it over and concede a 50-metre penalty for kicking the ball away.
3rd quarter, 8 mins remaining: a throw-in for Carlton after the ball trickles into the behind post, and Vescio grabs the crumb heading towards the boundary line, but her snap from the pocket bounces the wrong way. Carlton threatening to blow the Tigers away as the new team tires.
Goal! Carlton 3.8 (26) to Richmond 0.2 (2)
3rd quarter, 8 mins remaining: There’s the goal that Richmond missed out on, going to the Blues. Running play into the pocket, Prespakis with time and calm, looping the handball over the top to Brooke Walker who has made good space and receives the ball unmarked to pop through a simple score.
3rd quarter, 9 mins remaining: Richmond should have their first goal now, but that’s a shocker of a miss from Courtney Wakefield. Marks strongly about 15 from goal, shoots from 20, but leans back on her kick and screws it across the face of goal for no score.
Goal! Carlton 2.8 (20) to Richmond 0.2 (2)
3rd quarter, 12 mins remaining: Richmond start the quarter well, pressing forward, but Carlton come up with one of their best moves of the night from half-back. A couple of handpasses, a fake-out, then Georgia Gee runs the ball out of defence. Finds McEvoy on the wing, who kicks to Harris at half-forward. She’s about to mark but Makur Chuot makes amazing ground running back to spoil. But Richmond are pinged after that for diving on the ball, and a short pass finds Vescio in the pocket. She lines up her set shot and drills it!
Half time: Carlton 1.8 (14) to Richmond 0.2 (2)
Almost that opening goal for Richmond in the dying seconds of the quarter, as they race forward from a turnover, get it long inside 50, and have Laura McClelland run back onto the loose ball and screw a snap around her body at goal. But it’s offline, and the Tigers will have to keep waiting.
2nd quarter, 1 min remaining: Egan done for holding the ball again in the forward pocket, trying to break a tackle but stripped of the ball. The Tigers get the ball to half-forward but McEvoy arrives to take a tough contested mark for the Blues. They work their way up the field carefully this time, mark to mark rather than trying to surge through the lines. It goes through Sarah Hosking to end up with Harris taking a set shot from the pocket, but misses again.
The Blues are 1.8 (14) at the moment.
2nd quarter, 7 min remaining: A long kick towards the 50 for the Blues puts the Tigers under pressure. Vescio strips the ball at the arc and thumps it forward, but through the hands of Harris near the goalsquare with three to beat. The Blues get possession again, back for a mark to Loynes who drives to the square, but a quick kick is touched through for a behind. Then as the game keeps being played in Carlton’s half, Tayla Harris marks about 45 out and launches a long set shot with that high-kicking action, but it fades right of goal and Vescio can’t keep it in.
2nd quarter, 9 min remaining: Tigers are on the board! Not that much to cheer about yet, but Brennan grabs the loose ball at 50, runs laterally to the goal, then lets loose a booming shot at the sticks. It fades left for a point, but they’re away.
Updated
Quarter time: Carlton 1.5 (11) to Richmond 0.0 (0)
Desperate stuff from Monahan again, who races back to make a tackle on Joanne Doonan as the Carlton player was racing from the pocket towards goal. The ball comes back in and Vescio is claiming a pack mark but the umpire says it was touched. Finally Richmond get a clearing kick and Conti marks to relieve the pressure in the final seconds of the quarter. It’s been a tough one for Richmond, and the advantage is clearly with the more experienced Blues.
Goal! Carlton 1.5 (11) to Richmond 0.0 (0)
1st quarter, 1 min remaining: A clean run of marks from Carlton out of defence, Downie to Dalton to McEvoy at centre-half forward. But the final kick only finds a contest. Cleared out, comes back in, and Katie Loynes gets a free kick for high contact! There was a hand clearly grabbing the top of her shoulder. Loynes takes her shot from 25 out and dobs it.
1st quarter, 3 mins remaining: Bernardi has the Tigers’ first shot at goal after a mark up forward, but her shot falls short. Brennan takes the crumb but is wrestled over a boundary line.
1st quarter, 4 mins remaining: Maddie Prespakis comes off the field looking dazed after an accidental head bump. Bad news. Vescio has her thigh strapped. Katie Brennan gives away a 50-metre penalty as the Tigers try to go forward.
1st quarter, 7 mins remaining: Opening round last season was a jumble of nerves, a lot of fumbles. Possession has been a lot cleaner tonight, some good pick-ups and quick handballs. The Blues come forward again, but Phoebe Monahan who wrestled the first behind over the line is there to spoil possession and force another behind. That’s the fifth for the Blues, they’re piecing together a goal in increments.
1st quarter, 11 mins remaining: Carlton dominating possession, surging forward again. Vescio rucks a loose ball bouncing near the boundary, Harris roves the tap but is pushed off her kick. At the top of the goalsquare, Hosking has a couple of opportunities to shoot but both times looks to hand off. The second time it comes unstuck.
1st quarter, 14 mins remaining: A quick exit from the bounce and the Blues stream forward, into the goal square but Akec Makur Chuot does some desperate work on the last line and the ball is wrestled over for a rushed behind. Coming back out of defence, Carlton’s Grace Egan cuts the ball off but is tackled as she tries to kick. Incorrect disposal.
Jade van Dyk had some injury trouble in the warm-up, but she’s taken her place in the starting team. And we’re away...
We’re getting the power tunes on the PA: Tigerland followed by Beyoncé singing Freedom. For Carlton tonight, most eyes will be on Darcy Vescio tonight: the forward wasn’t at her best last season with injury, but she’s the most watchable player in the league when she is. Maddie Prespakis won the club best and fairest in her debut season last year, as you do. Brianna Davey tied her for that award, but was traded to Collingwood over the off-season. Tayla Harris is still in navy blue though, she of the iconic photograph fame.
The Tigers have drafted ambitiously. Katie Brennan crossed from the Bulldogs in a trade that surprised many. Monique Conti did the same. Sabrina Frederick crossed from the Brisbane Lions, where her powerful style of play impressed over the first couple of seasons. Christina Bernardi arrived from Collingwood.
Carlton meanwhile played off in the grand final last season, though they were thrashed by the Adelaide Crows.
Preamble
Good evening from sunny (smoky sticky hazy) Melbourne, and good evening from the start of footy season. It may only be the start of February but it’s AFLW time, with the expanded women’s competition starting tonight. As has quickly become traditional, Carlton will be one of the teams to kick off the season. And now that season can follow a tradition of the men’s game with Carlton taking on Richmond. The Tigers are one of the new teams joining this year, and they will face the challenges of all new sides entering this competition as the players try to work out how to best operate as a team.
The teams will be back at Princes Park, the old-style home ground of the Carlton Football Club, with the gates open for free entry and a big crowd expected. I’ll be here to keep you updated if you can’t see a television or hear a radio.
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