Lady Gaga’s Born This Way blares through speakers as a drag queen puffs her chest and pouts at passers-by. Rainbows adorn makeshift stalls as butch dykes hold hands, pausing to take it in. No, this isn’t Mardi Gras, or Melbourne’s Midsumma, it’s the Whitten Oval on a Friday night – and the scene is set for a game of Australian rules football. Yes, this is footy at its most incongruous – or perhaps yet another reminder of what sets AFLW so far apart from its male cousin.
The AFL has at times been accused of symbolism when it comes to occasions such as these, but it was hard to be cynical when one took in the effort that had been made for the AFLW’s inaugural Pride Game. Field umpires were dressed in rainbow socks, goal umpires waved rainbow flags and Bulldogs’ players gave away rainbow footballs at match’s conclusion.
Beyond the surface, however, the Western Bulldogs had invited Ro Allen – Victoria’s commissioner for gender and sexuality – to the club to train staff on inclusive language, and a decision was made to purpose-fit the club with gender-neutral toilets for the benefit of non-binary and some trans patrons. Although some ultimately stayed away in protest of issues such as the AFL’s historic exclusion of transwomen (Hannah Mouncey most famously), these were significant and laudable steps in an unfamiliar direction.
Before the game, the teams ran through a singular banner that read: “Feel proud tonight/As you go out and run/But the best victory was/When the ‘Yes’ vote was won”. Fittingly, the Dogs’ Pride guernseys were inscribed with a “Yes” on their back, while Carlton’s rainbow bled from the traditional CFC logo, symbolic perhaps of the impact its AFLW arm is having on a club that refused to go public in support of marriage equality. Hannah Scott’s emotional coming out video, posted on the social media in the lead-up, set the tone, and it was perhaps no surprise that it was the Bulldogs’ players – left in no doubt as to their club’s commitment to equality – who took the field with conviction and poise.
"It's really important they know the true me & who I am."
— WesternBulldogs AFLW (@BulldogsW) February 22, 2018
A tale of love & pride. Hear @Scotsford32's #RealStrength story #AFLWPrideGame
📽 - https://t.co/cLG87ziid0 pic.twitter.com/cDtAzjUsOQ
In the absence of their skipper and spiritual leader, the Dogs had been widely written off as premiership fancies. Brennan’s injury was considered a blow too many for a side that had already lost its No1 draft pick and promising youngster Daria Bannister to ACLs. In their absence, however, it was the lesser-lights who stood up, none more so than Brooke Lochland, the former speed skater who mused that she may have been at the Winter Olympics if it hadn’t have been for AFLW. Her seven majors smashed the previous individual record of four equalled by Erin Phillips the week before in a performance even her coach admitted he “didn’t see coming”.
Bonnie Toogood, already a clear winner for best surname in the AFLW, also stood tall with three goals of her own, while the usual suspects in Emma Kearney (26 disposals) and Ellie Blackburn (18) were critical to their team’s fortunes. Together, the Bulldogs piled on twelve goals to break the record for the highest AFLW score, all the while sending a reminder to the naysayers that the competition (which had no pre-season) needs time for players and teams to hit their groove. This, clearly, was the performance the AFL has been waiting for – but it was patience, not any memo, that did the trick.
For Carlton, it was a miserable night given even their touted defensive nous broke down to allow a flood of goals. The absence of captain Bri Davey and, even more importantly, contested-mark specialist Tayla Harris, was telling, but the Bulldogs were missing personnel of equal talent. Where the Blues looked bereft of ideas, the Dogs ran with a fluency of a well-drilled team confident of their capacity to break the lines. The eventual, record-breaking margin of 73 points was a fitting measure of their dominance.
As poor as Carlton were, they are likely to escape the brunt of scrutiny after Melbourne put in an even more disappointing performance in Alice Springs. The Dees had experimented with an unusual pre-game build-up, asking players to stay with the team after their trip to Perth the week before, moving directly on to the Northern Territory where they visited and participated in the club’s Next Generation indigenous academy. The players also sported a specially-designed indigenous jumper for the round, which livewire forward Aleisha Newman helped design as the club’s only indigenous AFLW player.
Faced with 37 degree heat and stifling humidity, however, the Demons faded badly, while their most recognisable midfielder Daisy Pearce was tagged out of the game and had little impact on the contest. It is an indictment that the Demons, with a grand final appearance looking increasingly likely, failed to show the endeavour of the then-winless Pies, but that would be to underestimate a club spurned.
Former player Kate Sheahan had, of course, made headlines earlier in the week for her critique of coach Wayne Siekman, and was roundly questioned for her right to comment as head of Richmond’s AFLW football operations. If this performance was anything to judge by, Collingwood’s players gave Siekman a rousing tick of approval. Perhaps what would have pleased him most was the form of Mo Hope; not so much for her two goals and another assist, but for her much-improved forward pressure. Christina Bernadi, meanwhile, was everywhere for her 12 disposals and one major, while Jaimee Lambert (19 disposals) finally showed Pies fans why the club gave up so much to secure her from the Bulldogs.
Up north, Brisbane’s game against Fremantle was a far less attractive, congested affair, with more wild weather (200mm of rain falling in 48 hours) keeping fans at bay. For the Lions, Jess Wuetschner was at her opportunistic best, this time with two clever, soccered goals, her wet-weather smarts showing her teammates the way. In the first quarter the Lions had persisted with a run and carry game that was ill-suited to the conditions, but with the adjustment after quarter-time, came away with a deserved win. Kate Lutkins, who finished with 18 disposals in defence, continues to be an unheralded and vital part of her team’s continued success in season two.
The conclusion of the round delivered the first draw of the season – the culprit of yet more extreme weather conditions, with the Giants and Crows battling teeming rain in Blacktown as much as each other. That Adelaide managed to claw back a draw was a victory of sorts, but the result is likely as good as a loss given the team’s percentage is already the league’s worst. Not left wanting was season one’s rising star Ebony Marinoff, who by game’s end had broken both the AFL and AFLW records for most tackles in a game with 21; quite the feat given the shorter duration of AFLW games. Her desperation showed just what a premiership means to the women of AFLW, even if the Crows may now be unable to defend their inaugural crown.
