Four games decided by less than a kick. Classy goals and seemingly impossible marks made possible. New faces and familiar ones, too. There was plenty to like about the opening round of the AFLW.
Debutants Geelong and North Melbourne started strongly, both recording wins. Fremantle made a spirited statement under new coach Trent Cooper and the Bulldogs started their premiership defence with a hard-fought win over the Crows.
But the action started at the Cattery where nearly 20,000 fans packed into GMHBA Stadium to see Geelong make their debut. If those fans were hoping for an exciting game of footy, they were not disappointed.
Collingwood dominated the opening quarter with the first goal coming off the boot of Sophie Alexander who kicked truly from just inside 50. It wouldn’t be until the dying moments of the first quarter that Geelong’s Maddie Boyd would kick the Cats’ first, but she deftly wrote her name into Geelong lore.
The match continued in the contested fashion it began, neither team willing to budge an inch and heading into the final quarter, Collingwood held the slimmest of margins. A Geelong behind off the boot of Jordan Ivey levelled the scores. But with under two minutes remaining, it was up Nina Morrison, the 2018 No 1 draft pick and the youngest player on the Cats’ list, to decide her team’s fate. A point was all it would take and it would be all Morrison would deliver. Still, her 22 disposals, two marks and eight tackles, alongside her match-winning point, confirmed her as the talent her drafting indicated.
Another nailing-biting finish graced the second match of the round when the reigning premiers took on Adelaide at a packed Norwood Oval. The Bulldogs started strongly but struggled to convert their opportunities. A similar fate met the Crows, and it would come back to haunt them. A last-ditch effort by the Crows was hampered by a superb smother from Tiarna Ernst and at the final siren it was the Dogs who walked away with the four points.
The contested style and razor thin winning margins of the first two games weren’t duplicated in Hobart as the North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos made a strong statement in their decisive 36-point win over Carlton.
Emma King marked her name in the history books, booting North’s first AFLW goal and added one more and seven tackles to her performance. A refreshed Mo Hope added to the scoreboard, joining five of her teammates as the Roos shared goal-kicking duties. And while familiar faces in King, Hope, Bruton and Kearney were valued contributors, so too were new faces Ash Riddell and Sophie Abbatangelo. North will face more difficult challenges in the coming weeks, but their win sends a pretty clear message about their intentions.
Back on the mainland, fans flocked to whatever shelter they could find as the mercury climbed at Casey Fields. On the oval, Melbourne and Fremantle both had a point to prove: the Demons were keen to demonstrate the absence of Daisy Pearce would and could be ably managed, while Fremantle were champing at the bit to write themselves a new script after a disappointing beginning to their AFLW story.
Two quick goals from Melbourne seemed to prove their point but Fremantle were fast to respond with Sabreena Duffy using her first AFLW kick to score her first goal. Duffy, a 2018 Under-18 All-Australian defender, looked right at home in the Dockers’ forward line alongside Ebony Antonio and Ashley Sharp.
Going into the main break, Fremantle held a 20-point lead but Melbourne came out firing in the third, keeping the Dockers scoreless and taking a 14-point lead into the final break. However, a rejuvenated Fremantle refused to lay down and kicked three goals in the final quarter to put themselves into the lead and take the four points.
But the story of the match was Kiara Bowers. A marquee player for the 2017 season, Bowers ruptured her ACL before the first season even began and complications in her recovery kept her out for the second season. In her first AFLW game, Bowers managed 13 disposals, 12 tackles and a goal – a remarkable performance two years in the making.
The statements continued in Queensland, as did the nail-biting finishes, when the Lions took on the Giants. A slow start by the locals saw the Giants take an early lead but they were soon reined in by a determined Brisbane who took the lead in the third and never relinquished it.
The Giants now boast two Irish players – fan favourite Cora Staunton and recruit Yvonne Bonner and both were impressive – but the real story of the match came from Brisbane who reminded the competition not to underestimate them. Two-time runners-up, the Lions will again be hunting the premiership that has remained so elusive. Their gritty opening round win provides a handy platform to build on.
There are a couple of clear takeaways from the opening round. Yes, North Melbourne have gelled. Yes, Fremantle look a different team this season. But the most exciting plot line is the talent of the young players. The likes of Morrison, Sabreena Duffy, Adelaide’s Chloe Scheer and Haneen Zreika from the Giants are thrilling to watch; talented and skilful, smart and fearless. They’re a sign of where the AFLW is headed. Expect plenty more.
