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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Sport
Jonathan Howcroft

AFLW 2021 grand final: Brisbane Lions hold off Adelaide Crows – as it happened

Courtney Hodder
Courtney Hodder kicks the first goal in the AFLW grand final between Adelaide Crows and Brisbane Lions. Photograph: Matt Turner/AAP

Summary

Thanks for joining me this afternoon. It was a gripping conclusion to another superb AFLW season with Brisbane Lions defending magnificently to secure their maiden premiership. See you next year.

And together, Starcevich and Zielke hoist aloft the 2021 AFLW premiership cup! Congratulations Brisbane Lions.

Now it’s Craig Starcevich’s turn on the mic.

Emma Zielke takes the stage to hand out some thanks on behalf of the Brisbane squad.

Player of the match - Kate Lutkins

Brisbane defender Kate Lutkins is a thoroughly deserved player of the match. She collected 18 touches and six marks in a performance that typified the Lions’ exceptional defence.

Updated

Ange Foley, limping badly, with her left knee strapped, climbs the steps onto the dais to thank sponsors and congratulate Brisbane. Regular captain Chelsea Randall looks on forlornly from the outer. It’s been a brutal end to the season for the Crows.

Time for the presentations.

That was a heck of a defensive effort from Brisbane who stuck to their task for four quarters despite Adelaide dominating territory and possession for long periods. Campbell, Lutkins and Koenen in particular were outstanding, while in midfield Svarc was a workhorse. Hodder’s magical finishing early on broke the game open.

Brisbane win the 2021 AFLW grand final!

Adelaide 3.2 (20) v 6.2 (38) Brisbane

Q4: 1 min remaining: Adelaide 3.2 (20) v 6.2 (38) Brisbane - The countdown to Brisbane’s premiership celebration is on.

Q4: 2 mins remaining: Adelaide 3.2 (20) v 6.1 (37) Brisbane - Wuetschner misses with a tight set shot deep in the left forward pocket. Not that it matters any more.

Q4: 3 mins remaining: Adelaide 3.2 (20) v 6.0 (36) Brisbane - Adelaide’s job is now three goals in three minutes. Brisbane are almost home.

Q4: 4.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 3.2 (20) v 6.0 (36) Brisbane - Svarc lays a game-stopping tackle in midfield. Adelaide look crestfallen. What more can they throw at this defensive machine?

Q4: 6.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 3.2 (20) v 6.0 (36) Brisbane - Adelaide rebound into space, Thompson takes possession near 50, dashes inside, heads for home... and a Brisbane hand is there to spoil and keep the scores as they have been for most of the final quarter.

Q4: 8 mins remaining: Adelaide 3.2 (20) v 6.0 (36) Brisbane - You’ve read this script already. It’s all Adelaide, but they can’t convert pressure into opportunities and Campbell defuses the situation with a towering intercept mark.

Q4: 10.00 mins remaining: Adelaide 3.2 (20) v 6.0 (36) Brisbane - Svarc runs out from trouble, but there’s target and she can only dump a clearing kick back to the Crows. Adelaide reload and head deep inside 50 once more, but yet again some desperate last ditch defending keeps them out. Eight inside-50s to zero this quarter.

Q4: 11.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 3.2 (20) v 6.0 (36) Brisbane - Adelaide are throwing everything at this. They’re pumping in repeat entries inside-50 but there are no clear marking opportunities against the massed ranks of Brisbane’s backline.

Q4: 13.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 3.2 (20) v 6.0 (36) Brisbane - The Crows should do much better, but with two one-on-ones to go to, neither target is hit and that imperious Brisbane backline does its job once again.

But then calamity strikes. Jones marks a weak clearing kick and she’s gifted 50m - very very harshly - for O’Dwyer making late contact. The result is an unmissable goal, and the Crows believe again.

Q4: 15 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.2 (14) v 6.0 (36) Brisbane - One quarter of the season remaining. Can the Crows fight back?

3QT: Adelaide 2.2 (14) v 6.0 (36) Brisbane

Right on the siren Dawes dusts herself off after receiving a high tackle and strikes a perfect fading free-kick from 35m to send the Lions into the final break with one hand on the premiership cup.

Q3: 1 min remaining: Adelaide 2.2 (14) v 5.0 (30) Brisbane - That could be it. Campbell does magnificently in midfield to secure the contested mark and turn defence into attack. Wuetschner works hard to keep the ball alive with three Crows on her back before Svarc slams the ball onto her boot from 40m that is destined for goal and Arnell smashes it through to make sure of the six pointer. The Lions are in dreamland.

Q3: 1.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.2 (14) v 4.0 (24) Brisbane - Phillips hacks forward from right centre wing, but as soon as a Crow looks to pounce on the loose ball there’s a pack of Lions waiting to force the turnover. Brisbane’s backline has been sensational.

Q3: 3 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.2 (14) v 4.0 (24) Brisbane - The Lions break and Wuetschner shows great composure to establish some territory and slow the game down. Meanwhile, the skippers from both teams have gone down. Foley is being helped from the field in the hands of Adelaide’s trainers, and Zielke is in tears on the Brisbane bench.

Q3: 6 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.2 (14) v 4.0 (24) Brisbane - The Crows are starting to hit their targets with more regularity, but they still haven’t created many scoring opportunities. The umpteenth ball inside 50 to a one-on-one is marked by a Lion.

Q3: 8 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.2 (14) v 4.0 (24) Brisbane - Would you believe it!? Brisbane make a rare break, and out of nowhere, Wuetschner snaps from 50m on the run with her left boot and the ball bounces end over end fortuitously between the big sticks. The Crows have done all the running but find themselves ten points behind with time running out.

Updated

Q3: 9 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.2 (14) v 3.0 (18) Brisbane - The Lions have done well to avoid belting a clearing kick down an Adelaide throat, but they almost come a cropper when Jones picks up a loose ball and hammers a long effort that comes off hands for a behind.

Q3: 10 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1 (13) v 3.0 (18) Brisbane - Another bomb inside 50 from Adelaide, another intercept mark from Brisbane. The game so far right there.

Q3: 12 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1 (13) v 3.0 (18) Brisbane - Gould eventually clears and Woodland does well to bring a high ball to ground, but that rock solid Brisbane defence stands tall again and keeps the Crows at bay. The game is now being played almost exclusively inside Brisbane’s 50.

Q3: 13 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1 (13) v 3.0 (18) Brisbane - The Lions begin the second half on the front foot, pinning Adelaide in their own half and picking off the clearing marks with ideal defensive structure.

Q3: 15 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1 (13) v 3.0 (18) Brisbane - We’re back underway at Adelaide Oval.

Ruby Svarc, representing the Lions, has won the inaugural half-time sprint.

Updated

The stats sheet is pretty even at half-time, with the exception of Adelaide’s dominance of inside-50s, which they lead 22-10.

For the Crows, Hatchard leads the way with a team-high 11 disposals and four tackles. For the Lions, Bates leads with 12 touches, but it’s Koenen and Lutkins that have shone, sharing seven marks between them. And then there’s Courtney Hodder, who is on her way to a medal with two goals, the second of which was special.

HT: Adelaide 2.1 (13) v 3.0 (18) Brisbane

I don’t know how, but the Lions lead at half-time.

Updated

Q2: 0.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1 (13) v 3.0 (18) Brisbane - Brisbane have only had two attacks all quarter, and they’ve scored from them both. From halfway on right centre wing the Lions worked hard to move the ball forward, until it reaches Wuetschner, who snaps a beautiful curling left-footed effort on the run that just creeps inside the post.

Q2: 1.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1 (13) v 2.0 (12) Brisbane - The Lions are just hanging on now, unable to clear their lines for almost the entirety of the quarter. But Hodder once again steps up when she’s needed, hanging onto a mark near halfway to allow her beleaguered backline a breather and a chance for Brisbane to shift play downfield.

Q2: 3 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.1 (13) v 2.0 (12) Brisbane - Nine inside-50s to two in Adelaide’s favour this quarter. And plenty of those entries have led to long spells camped near the goals. Phillips hasn’t seen much of the footy so far but she snaps away from traffic to inch the Crows ahead.

Q2: 4 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.0 (12) v 2.0 (12) Brisbane - Adelaide are still smothering Brisbane, penning them in their defensive 50, but they cannot find clean footy within scoring range.

Q2: 6 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.0 (12) v 2.0 (12) Brisbane - Wuetschner and Bodey combine neatly down the right for the Lions, but the delivery inside 50 is smuggled away by the Crows. They rebound down the open side, their right, but again they can’t find that crucial final pass.

Q2: 8 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.0 (12) v 2.0 (12) Brisbane - Adelaide resume their midfield dominance and slow surges forward, but once more, as soon as they look for a target inside 50 Koenen is on hand to intercept mark. Brisbane’s defenders have been superb early.

Q2: 10 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.0 (12) v 2.0 (12) Brisbane - The Lions finally get their hands on the footy following the restart, and in no time they level on the scoreboard! That was magical from Courtney Hodder, snapping a bouncing ball across her body and through the posts. Pure instinctive football.

Updated

Q2: 11 mins remaining: Adelaide 2.0 (12) v 1.0 (6) Brisbane - Adelaide don’t have to wait much longer to take the lead though. They have dominated this quarter and deservedly hit the front when Ponter is found on the lead and she goes back to kick a beautiful set shot from 35m on the angle.

Updated

Q2: 12 mins remaining: Adelaide 1.0 (6) v 1.0 (6) Brisbane - That pressure from the Crows builds and builds and Thompson finds herself with time and space sprinting towards 50. She unloads and a point looks on the cards until a 90 degree bounce towards the goalsquare causes mayhem. Woodland is a chance to finish but she is soon wrapped up by a superb Shannon Campbell tackle.

Updated

Q2: 13 mins remaining: Adelaide 1.0 (6) v 1.0 (6) Brisbane - It’s a hot start to the second quarter until Phillips wrestles the ball free and hacks a clearing kick from the centre square. Adelaide enjoy territorial dominance, but they can’t fashion a scoring opportunity.

QT: Adelaide 1.0 (6) v 1.0 (6) Brisbane

All square at the first break. It’s been a blur of action at Adelaide Oval with fierce pressure around the footy leading to little outside ball and repeat stoppages. Brisbane started the brighter but Adelaide grew into the game and deserved to level the scores just before the interval.

Updated

Q1: 1 min remaining: Adelaide 1.0 (6) v 1.0 (6) Brisbane - Adelaide are finally on the board. The pressure on Brisbane’s defence was relentless for three to four minutes and finally it counts. A long bomb inside 50 bounced in favour of Thompson and after shrugging off the Koenen chase she tried to find a teammate before taking matters into her own hands and dribbling through from 30m.

Updated

Q1: 2.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 0.0 (0) v 1.0 (6) Brisbane - Lutkins has been magnificent in defence for the Lions and she takes another crucial intercept mark to repel a Hatchard free-kick on the arc.

Q1: 4 mins remaining: Adelaide 0.0 (0) v 1.0 (6) Brisbane - It takes an age for the Crows to clear their lines, but once they do they are out with a switch from left to right across their backline. There’s acres of space along the right flank and Phillips is isolated one-out inside-50, but the kick is offline and Brisbane intercept. Adelaide should have capitalised there.

Q1: 5.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 0.0 (0) v 1.0 (6) Brisbane - Svarc does magnificently running and bouncing her way out of traffic on the rebound. Her skill sets up the Lions once more to camp inside Adelaide’s defensive 50.

Q1: 7.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 0.0 (0) v 1.0 (6) Brisbane - Brisbane have locked the ball in Adelaide’s defensive 50 following Davidson’s pack-splitting attack on a high ball. A score looks inevitable but finally Adelaide wriggle clear and go from 50 to 50 in no-time before the key pass is intercepted. It sparks Adelaide into life though and Phillips almost holds onto a contested mark in set-shot range. The pressure continues though, keeping Brisbane in their own half.

Q1: 10.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 0.0 (0) v 1.0 (6) Brisbane - Neither side have settled with ball in hand with plenty of pressure - real and perceived - making chains of possession a rarity. Brisbane are enjoying territorial dominance with their set-up in midfield swallowing any errant clearing kicks from the Crows.

Q1: 12.30 mins remaining: Adelaide 0.0 (0) v 1.0 (6) Brisbane - Adelaide win the opening clearance, which quickly leads to repeat stoppages on the edge of Brisbane’s defensive 50. Eventually Hatchard delivers inside-50 but the Lions smuggle clear. Defence soon turns into attack with Brisbane taking advantage of the open space behind Adelaide’s defence. The pressure is fierce at ground level with the Crows unable to take clean possession and Hodder is on hand to snap neatly from just outside the goalsquare to kick the opening goal of the match.

Updated

Opening bounce!

The 2021 AFLW grand final is underway...

It is a picture perfect scene as the premiership cup makes its way into the middle of Adelaide Oval. Both sides then stand guard for the national anthem. This is running like clockwork.

Updated

And now we have the Adelaide Crows in their traditional multicoloured hooped guernseys. The crowd cheers and joins in with the melody from Halls of Montezuma.

Out jog the Brisbane Lions in their indigenous-themed, predominately white, clash uniform. La Marseillaise rolls around Adelaide Oval.

Conditions are perfect in South Australia. The temperature is around 18C, there’s no rain, and there’s only a slight westerly breeze.

25,000 tickets have been pre-sold, with a crowd in the region of 30,000 expected inside Adelaide Oval.

Sharni Norder has called time on her incredible sporting career. She spoke to Megan Maurice about her decision.

Sharni Norder, who made her name as Sharni Layton during a stellar netball career, is approaching retirement with the same energy that she used to take into making flying intercepts on the court and later dominating the hit outs on the football field.

With her own sporting academy, a job as head of netball at a private girls’ school, commentary roles in netball and football and a tour to promote her book, there is little chance the cross-code star will be putting her feet up and relaxing any time soon.

We’ve had the welcome to country, and now we’re onto the pregame entertainment, the multi-talented G Flip. She did not endear the crowd with her professed love for Collingwood.

Takes some serious talent to front a band as well as step back from some drum solos.

Updated

Adelaide lineup

Ireland’s Ailish Considine is the major inclusion for the Crows, taking the place of the desperately unfortunate Chelsea Randall. Ange Foley will captain the Crows in Randall’s absence.

B: A.Foley - C 3 M.Rajcic 32
HB: N.Allen 8 S.Allan 39 S.Thompson 14
C: D.Varnhagen 9 E.Marinoff 10 E.Jones 2
HF: R.Martin 5 D.Ponter 15 A.Woodland 24
F: C.Gould 1 C.Scheer 4
Foll: R.Metcalfe 11 E.Phillips 13 A.Hatchard 33
I/C: A.Considine 16 H.Button 6 J.Mules 23 T.Charlton 25 D.Cox 31

In: A.Considine
Out: C.Randall (concussion)

Adelaide Crows
Adelaide Crows celebrate victory during the AFLW Preliminary Final against Melbourne Demons. Photograph: Matt Turner/AAP

Brisbane lineup

The Lions go in unchanged. Coach of the year Craig Starcevich has barely touched the lineup since round five.

B: E.Zielke - C 8 S.Campbell 20
HB: K.Lutkins 13 N.Grider 10 B.Koenen 3
C: O.O’Dwyer 9 C.Svarc 25 S.Conway 12
HF: G.Bodey 15 D.Davidson 14 L.Arnell 16
F: J.Wardlaw 30 C.Hodder 21
Foll: T.Hickie 24 A.Anderson 18 E.Bates 1
I/C: I.Tahau 26 J.Ellenger 5 I.Dawes 17 J.Wuetschner 23 T.Smith 31

Dakota Davidson
Dakota Davidson celebrates victory in the AFLW Preliminary Final against Collingwood. Photograph: Dan Peled/AAP

Brisbane are hoping it’s third time lucky in an AFLW grand final, as Kirby Fenwick reports.

A replay of the inaugural season’s historic final game seems a fitting way to end the 2021 season, marked as it has been by plenty of drama and challenges, including the lingering bitterness of the disastrous end to the 2020 campaign in which no premiership was won – or even played for. In keeping with the spirit of the season, both preliminary finals were threaded with equal parts euphoria and despair depending on what jumper you were wearing.

Marnie Vinall sets the scene.

The AFL to this day remains a Victoria-centric competition. This is evident in many facets of the game but especially so in its urgency, following last year’s unprecedented Covid-enforced move to Brisbane, to return its season decider to its traditional home of the MCG.

Contrast this with the AFLW’s travelling grand finals. The inaugural big dance in 2017 took place at the Gold Coast’s Metricon Stadium Metricon Stadium, 2018’s was staged at Melbourne’s Ikon Park, and 2019’s at Adelaide Oval. In 2021, after the cancelled finals of the 2020 season, Adelaide Oval will again play host to the biggest game of the campaign.

Preamble

Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of the AFLW grand final between Adelaide Crows and Brisbane Lions. The opening bounce at Adelaide Oval is 1.30pm local time (2pm AEST).

This is the fourth grand final in the competition’s history, and once again it features the powerhouses of AFLW. The Crows are twice winners (2017 & 2019) while the Lions are twice runners up (2017 & 2018).

When this pair met back in round four Adelaide prevailed by 12 points, courtesy of one of the many clinics Erin Phillips has put on during her peerless career. She kicked four of the 11 goals scored that day, as well as amassing 21 disposals, eight marks and four clearances.

Phillips, winner of two previous best-on-ground medals in the grand final, will once again be the star attraction. Phillips will need to be at her best this afternoon with the Crows missing skipper Chelsea Randall through concussion.

Brisbane arrive in the familiar role of underdogs, but that status is by the finest of margins. They and Adelaide both enjoyed seven wins in the home and away portion of the season, but the Crows finished top by percentage. There is little to separate the two groups.

If you want to join in at any point during the day, you can send me an email, or tweet @JPHowcroft.

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