Dees ready to rumble

Bianca Jakobsson and her Demons are ready to go. Picture: COURTESY OF THE MELBOURNE FOOTBALL CLUB.

By Nick Creely

AFL WOMEN’S LEAGUE 2018
PREVIEW – ROUND 1
MELBOURNE v GWS GIANTS
Saturday 3 February, Casey Fields, 5.05pm
TV: Foxtel, AFL app

 

The second season of AFL Women’s has arrived, and for Melbourne, it’s just about building their momentum, and ensuring they are ready to fire.
The Demons; coached by Mick Stinear once again; were inconsistent in 2017, and despite possessing some of the most elite talent in the competition, finished third on the ladder, missing out on the grand final by just 16.3 per cent after drawing level on points with eventual premiers, Adelaide.
They kick start their season at home in Cranbourne; against the GWS Giants; a side that finished bottom of the ladder and struggled with a lack of genuine scoring power, finishing with an average of just 22 points per game.
Comparing that to the Demons; who managed to average 37 points a game; and there is a clear difference in class and scoring prowess.
But last year, the Giants won just one game, coincidentally against the Demons, in a match where they were restricted to a horribly inaccurate 1.9
The Demons will already be one it’s brightest young talents for the season, with emerging forward Ainslie Kemp rupturing her ACL in a training mishap.
Kemp played four games for the Demons in the opening season of the competition, and will be sorely missed in the forward line.
But apart from the unfortunate injury, the Demons enter Saturday’s clash raring to go, and are ready to unleash a more energetic and confident game style.
Boom recruit, and local Cranbourne star Bianca Jakobsson, is also expected to play in defence this season, with the switch to the backline during the pre-season adding an elite marker to that area of the ground.
LAST TIME THEY MET: GWS Giants 3.2(20) defeated Melbourne 1.9(15) at Blacktown ISP Oval
KEY PLAYERS: DAISY PEARCE is the most complete player in the competition, and the Demons skipper will once again be a crucial factor through the midfield with her class and elite football brain, and was comfortably their best player last season. JESSICA DAL POS; who is a teammate of Pearce’s at Darebin in the VFLW competition, is a player the Demons must shut down and an asset for the Giants. If the Demons; as expected; are too comfortably have the Giants’ measure, ensuring Dal Pos doesn’t relish in the clearances will make the four points a formality.
WHAT THE CLUB SAYS: “The excitement is building; we’re really getting ourselves and our bodies fit for matches, and there’s a lot of excitement around the club and a lot of hype outside the club.” – Bianca Jakobsson
“That affiliation with Casey and being a Casey girl myself makes it all the more exciting; to be able to play in front of family and friends is pretty exciting.
“The health of the list is great, except for Kempy, but she’s been getting around us all and driven everyone to get the best out of the program.”
PREDICTION: Melbourne by 20 points

 

TEAMS

MELBOURNE

B: L. Duryea 11, M. Downie 2, B. Jakobsson 7
HB: K. Smith 13, J. Grierson 19, C. Phillips 35
C: E. O’Dea 5
HF: L. Mithen 14, R. Cranston 30, S. Scott 12
F: T. Cunningham 1, D. Pearce 6, K. Hore 10
Foll: E. Hoare 46, K. Paxman 4, M. Hickey 18
I/C: A. Guest 17, L. Pearce 15, M. Guerin 22, E. Humphries 3, A. Newman 16
Emg: H. Cordner 21, A. Mifsud 9

GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY

B: A. Farrugia 18, T. Hetherington 9, E. Brush 10
HB: N. Barr 8, L. Stephenson 12, A. Eva 2
C: C. Gum 26
HF: M. Collier 14, J. Barclay 34, P. McWilliams 3
F: J. Dal Pos 7, C. Staunton 13, R. Beeson 6
Foll: E. McKinnon 23, R. Forth 27, B. Tully 16
I/C: M. Boyd 25, J. Hicks 5, P. Randall 21, R. Privitelli 19, E. Bennetts 22
Emg: P. Monahan 28, A. Schmidt 11