THIS is it, the home and away season is coming to an end this weekend in Round 18. Nightcliff belted the Eagles last week but even with their dominant performance, they could not escape the bottom of the ladder. It may stay that way when the Southern Districts look for a win as they take on the Tigers on Saturday morning. At noon fans will get to see the Grand Final Replay as Waratah and Darwin will face off at Gardens Oval. The evening will be a tune-up match for highly ranked Palmerston as they play against the Wanderers. On Sunday Pint will face the Saints as the Queen Ants prepare for finals. As for Tracy Village, they have the bye which puts their season to an end early.
NIGHTCLIFF V SOUTHERN DISTRICTS
Saturday, February 16 10:00am
PSC BM Oval
Last week the Crocs were missing a few stars in Tahlia Holtze and Tayla Thorn. This Saturday they may be managed ahead of finals as the Southern Districts face the bottom team on the ladder, Tigers. Nightcliff was impressive last week against the Wanderers, but the Crocs are a far superior team to the Eagles. The Tigers will look to Emma-Lou Wolsey and Shantel Miskin-Ripa in order to slow the Districts’ backline.
WARATAH V DARWIN BUFFETTES
Saturday, February 16 12:00pm
Gardens Oval
Another classic bout between Waratah and Darwin would normally see an entertaining duel. However, the Buffettes have had a run of average matches against higher ladder teams. Tikesa Docherty-Cole is still missing from the side, meaning their forward line pressure is coming in waves. Kylie Duggan, Machaelia Roberts, and Celina Whan have been outstanding for the Buffs, but the rest of the team will need to step up to challenge Waratah. Waratah is a different story, as most of their players haven’t missed a beat.
PALMERSTON MAGPIES V WANDERERS
Saturday, February 16 5:00pm
Asbuild Oval
The Wanderers will finally see an end to a disappointing season, while Palmerston can cement their spot in second place with a win. Natasha Medbury, Jessica Stassi and Tabitha May are likely to prove too strong for the Eagles midfield, while forwards Freda Puruntatameri and Shenaida Bush have proved a deadly combination of late. As for the Eagles, it’s all about rebuilding from here. However, the Eagles will want to push the Magpies in their final game of the season.
PINT V ST MARYS
Sunday, February 17 2:00pm
MCG
Pint has waited out some of the best teams due to their strong defense in the past few weeks, but this round they will want to boost their percentage. Cassie Henderson has had a fine season for Pint and looks likely to take home the club Best and Fairest. Ellie Ryan has been solid up front, while Erin Hetherington has been classy down back. St Marys has nothing to lose as they remain out of finals contention, but Alana Coombes may pop up for a few goals to end her season.
State Academy notes: 2024 WAFLW – Round 8
WESTERN Australia’s State Academy members continued their seasons for Round 8 of the WAFL Women’s, with just one more round until the league-wide bye. While Zippy Fish was among those not out there, the other two West Australian AFLW Academy members stood up in their games.
2024 SANFLW Team of the Week: Round 7
GLENELG and South Adelaide occupy the top two spots on the SANFL Women’s ladder, and shared 10 players in this week’s Team of the Week. The sides asserted their control at different points, and ended up with two more representatives than other winners Sturt and West Adelaide, while the remaining four teams finished with two […]
WAFL Colts MOTR | Round 4: Claremont vs. Subiaco
CLAREMONT has moved two games clear atop the WAFL Colts ladder after defeating Subiaco by 32 points in Round 4’s standalone match. The Lions kicked away with the first four goals but were reigned back in term two and never recovered, going down 12.17 (89) to 8.9 (57). The reigning premiers, still undefeated at 4-0, […]
2024 SANFLW Player Focus: Grace Martin (WWT Eagles)
WOODVILLE-WEST Torrens midfielder Grace Martin is quietly flying under the radar in the 2024 SANFL Women’s season. The top-age Eagles midfielder was prominent playing on-ball in the loss to Glenelg, racking up seven clearances and seven inside 50s to go with her 10 tackles and 19 disposals. Not the largest accumulator and Martin can tend […]
2024 Coates Talent League Girls: Round 3 wrap
TWO Northern Academy sides entered the Coates Talent League Girls competition in Round 3 as the weekend’s action extended out to seven games in a blockbuster weekend of action. We recap the standouts and how each match went down.
Scouting Notes: 2024 Young Guns vs. Vic Metro
REPRESENTATIVE and mid-season draft auditions rolled on in Victoria as the Young Guns took on Vic Metro at Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday. It was the 2005-born squad which defeated its younger counterpart by 42 points, and we were on hand to note some of the standout players. YOUNG GUNS 15.11 (101) def. VIC METRO […]
2024 AFLW Under 16s All-Australian team announced
CHAMPIONS South Australia have topped the 2024 AFL Women’s Under 16s All-Australian team nominations with with seven players, four more than any other state or Academy. Behind the Croweaters was the likes of Brisbane Lions Academy, Vic Country and Western Australia who all had three, making up 16 of the 23 players. GWS Giants Academy […]
VFL Player Focus: Jack Hutchinson (Collingwood)
COLLINGWOOD forward Jack Hutchinson has emerged as one of the top mid-season draft candidates after a promising start to his maiden VFL season. The 22-year-old was recruited from Wonthaggi and has caught the eye with extraordinary high marking exploits. Hutchinson booted two goals in Collingwood’s Round 4 defeat to Coburg, which broke the Lions’ 23-game […]
2024 SANFLW R7 wrap: South sends ominous message
SOUTH Adelaide is back in a big way in the SANFL Women’s competition, winning its fourth straight match in the 2024 season, this time the grand final rematch. The Panthers proved too strong for Central District, booting the first five goals of the match and containing the Dogs to just two majors for the match […]
