Melbourne Demons out of finals after Geelongs Cats get upset win

Extremely, this was a slight enchancment on final week, once they didn’t kick a significant till late within the ultimate time period towards the Kangaroos.

Then Melbourne coach Mick Stinear throw the magnets round for the ultimate time period, together with placing star winger Tyla Hanks, who struggled with a tag early on, on the ball and Alyssa Bannan on the wing, which resulted within the Demons discovering their groove. Nonetheless, they couldn’t discover their accuracy. They completed the day with six objectives and 9 behinds.

Whereas Geelong had a well-rounded effort, Nina Morrison starred with a game-high 29 touches, 10 clearances and eight tackles. Georgie Prespakis had a whopping 13 tackles, whereas Amy McDonald completed with two objectives and 21 disposals.

Earlier than their spherical six loss to three-time premiers Adelaide, the Dees had received 14 video games on the trot, and that defeat was their just one earlier than the ultimate spherical of the common season.

Each preliminary finals at the moment are locked in. Brisbane will host Geelong up in Springfield and North Melbourne to host reigning premiers Adelaide at Ikon Park.

Name of the Crows: Adelaide attain ultimate 4

Marnie Vinall

Adelaide put their foot down towards a plucky Sydney facet at Norwood Oval on Saturday evening to reassert their dominance within the competitors and guide their spot within the preliminary finals with a whopping 67-point win.

The Crows completed prime of the ladder however a slim loss to Brisbane within the qualifying ultimate pressured them to go the lengthy technique to the ultimate 4, the place they may now face North Melbourne.

Adelaide defeated the Swans 12.10 (82) to 2.3 (15).

It’s uncommon to get such a pronounced David and Goliath sport in finals, however that’s what was served up because the Crows, three-time premiers and this yr’s minor premiers, hosted Sydney in simply their second season. The Swans had been additionally up towards a boisterous Adelaide house crowd of 4688.

This time it was the enormous who received.

Sydney held off Adelaide for almost all of the opening half, a lot to the credit score of their unrelenting strain, however when the dam wall broke simply earlier than half-time, the Crows objectives didn’t cease coming.

There wasn’t a lot the Swans may do to cease them.

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Adelaide received the vast majority of the ball, with plus 49 contested possessions, after which managed it across the floor, with plus 45 uncontested possessions. They received the within 50s rely 48-14

Crows midfield duo Anne Hatchard (37 touches, two objectives, six tackles) and Ebony Marinoff (26 disposals, 13 tackles) had been as prolific as ever. Sharp shooter Danielle Ponter, who was named in her first All-Australian squad this yr, was moved down the bottom into the mid and had a superb sport with 24 touches and 9 clearances.

They had been helped by teammate and ruck Jess Allan, who dominated the hitouts with 25 – 15 greater than her Swans counterpart Alexia Hamilton.

Sydney had moments of brilliance, together with break free runs from co-captain Chloe Molloy and midfield assertion from Laura Gardiner and Ella Heads.

In addition they utilized constant strain. Final week the Swans broke the AFLW report for many sport tackles with 107, and backed it up with 74 towards the Crows.

The Swans had been with out key goalkicker Rebecca Privitelli, who suffered a nasty foot damage of their elimination ultimate, however the ball hardly ever made it into their attacking half anyway.

The Swans had been on a exceptional run after sneaking into the highest eight within the ultimate home-and-away sport and successful their first ultimate towards Gold Coast, a sport few tipped would go of their favour.

It was coronary heart, perception and plenty of Chloe Molloy, however not sufficient will may get them over the road.

North Melbourne will host Adelaide subsequent weekend with the Crows in pursuit of their fourth premiership. In sharp distinction, the Kangaroos are bounding after their first.

The Crows have misplaced simply two video games this yr, each to the Lions. They may meet them once more within the grand ultimate, relying on how the remainder of the finals form out. The Roos, after their whopping 41-point qualifying win over reigning premiers, can be a troublesome prelim opponent.

Ponter relishing new function, provides depth to Crows’ midfield

Marnie Vinall

Adelaide trusty goalscorer Danielle Ponter has discovered herself in a brand new function this season, moved into the midfield alongside premier gamers Anne Hatchard and Ebony Marinoff.

Within the Crows prolific 67-point semi-final win towards the Swans on Saturday evening, Ponter had a game-high 9 clearances, together with 24 touches and a aim.

“From taking part in within the ahead line completely within the prior seasons, and now making the transfer up into the midfield, [it] has been completely different for me, however an area that I actually wished to discover,” Ponter mentioned put up win on Saturday night.

“It’s thrilling time for me, I suppose, and I’m actually to higher my footy and see if I can take it any additional.”

Ponter mentioned she labored with Crows head coach Matthew Clarke within the pre-season to discover the transfer on the ball and has loved the added problem.

There, she’s discovered an added dimension to her sport and was recognised within the All Australian squad this yr for the primary time, with the ultimate workforce to be introduced on the W awards subsequent Monday.

Humble as ever, she mentioned the honour was a “large shock” however one she’s extraordinarily grateful for.

“There’s loads of different expertise on the market that , may have been within the place that I’m, so simply actually grateful.”

She additionally earned a spot as a finalist for aim of the yr, alongside teammate Niamh Kelly, for her long-range aim again in spherical 2 towards Richmond at Ikon Park.

With the best centre clearance of all time, Ponter booted the ball from the centre circle, clearing a line of gamers earlier than a fortunate few bounces noticed it undergo the massive sticks.

Adelaide subsequent play North Melbourne in a preliminary ultimate of their hunt for his or her fourth premiership flag.

Ponter facet the Crows received’t rejoice the semi-final win an excessive amount of as they should hit the monitor and prepared themselves to face the man top-four facet.

“They’ve a very good high quality facet with some actually robust midfielders in Jassy Gardiner and [Ash] Riddell, and people different women in there,” mentioned Ponter.

“So, one other large problem for us.”

Goddard steps down as Hawthorn coach

Roy Ward

Girls’s soccer pioneer Bec Goddard has introduced her teaching retirement, ending her three-year tenure at Hawthorn.

Goddard led the Adelaide Crows to the inaugural AFLW premiership in 2017 and was named to the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday honours in 2021 for companies to Australian guidelines soccer and the Indigenous group.

The Canberra-raised coach was additionally a relentless voice for change in Australian guidelines soccer and in teaching, pushing for extra feminine participation, particularly in full-time roles, and for an expanded AFLW. The latter is now a actuality and can assist foster extra feminine figures within the sport within the years to return.

She nonetheless desires to see extra full-time roles within the ladies’s sport and for the AFLW’s professionalism and place within the sport to be expanded.

“Having been a life-long Hawthorn supporter, it was a dream come true to steer the membership as its first AFLW senior coach,” Goddard mentioned.

“I’ve been very lucky to work with an unbelievable group of gamers, coaches, and workers throughout the previous two seasons, and I wish to thank all of them for his or her assist, love and care.

“The time is true for the membership and myself to embark upon new instructions, and I depart Hawthorn pleased with the whole lot we achieved.”

4 AFLW golf equipment are on the lookout for new coaches for 2024 with Nathan Burke (Western Bulldogs), Steve Symonds (Collingwood) and Michael Prior (West Coast) additionally departing.

The Crows’ 2017 premiership win was a memorable one and Goddard’s skill to steer a newly-assembled workforce, together with captains Chelsea Randall and Erin Phillips, stood out because the quick season moved into the finals.

Goddard coached Adelaide for the primary two AFLW seasons in 2017 and 2018 earlier than resigning to deal with her profession with the Australian Federal Police.

She was an assistant coach within the Girls’s Nationwide Basketball League for the Canberra Capitals throughout their championship successful season in 2019.

In 2021, Hawthorn signed Goddard as their VFLW coach because the membership ready to enter AFLW, and she or he was the Hawks’ inaugural coach for his or her first two seasons in late 2022 and this yr.

The Hawks had 3-7 [win-loss] information in each her seasons in cost and the membership introduced her departure with a day press launch.

Hawks chief govt Ashley Klein mentioned Goddard had left her mark on the membership’s ladies’s program.

“There’s no doubting the large impression Bec has made at our membership, her legacy as Hawthorn’s inaugural AFLW senior coach is one which received’t be forgotten,” Klein mentioned.

“Together with being a pioneer of the competitors, Bec has been a trailblazer for our AFLW program, and we wish to thank her enormously for her ardour, enthusiasm, and dedication.”

Hawks soccer basic supervisor Rob McCartney mentioned the search would start instantly to search out their subsequent Hawthorn AFL coach.

“We stay dedicated to investing and growing our subsequent technology of expertise to align with the membership’s strategic precedence in creating an elite AFLW program,” McCartney mentioned.

“We are going to get to work to recruit a brand new AFLW senior coach instantly.

“Once we look again at Bec’s time on the membership, she can be part of so a lot of our first essential moments. Bec will all the time be a particular a part of the Hawthorn cloth, and we want her and her associate Shanrah the perfect for the longer term.”