The season was a fantastic ride for supporters and it would be fair to say that the team would’ve exceeded the expectations of even the most optimistic supporter.
No doubt the inability to convert the opportunities inside F50 was a weakness across the season and I’d suggest that there were a few factors contributing to this.
1. The reliance on McDonagh as the key target inside F50 made the entries “easier” to defend structurally. Also her kicking technique became an issue as the season progressed. As to a second tall target, Earderly being moved forward is still a work in progress. Butterworth from her very limited chances looks to have a strong sense of forward craft.
2. With Bodey missing a couple of games and being played on the wing, this meant we lost our small forward crumbing goal kicker as a support to McDonagh’s opportunities. This was recognised late in season with the noticeable structural change of playing Fleming inside F50.
As part of the season review one question to be assessed with both moves: did we rob ourselves of a couple of strengths?
3. As to strengths for the midfield it was their ability to extract the ball from contests, however their foot skills are not great. Fleming would be the best of them, however this part of her game is still a work in progress. As the season progressed, Bates, West & Breed et al reminded me of the Demons men’s midfielders eg. Oliver, Viney whose entries aren’t great. Having said this, I see this as a competition wide issue & next stage of progression in the AFLW. Given we tended to play a stay at home forward line rather than looking to race back to goal (think of the Port goal in last quarter), the connection between the mids & forwards is more significant.
It has to be noted that I’m not sure the defenders could play any better or even more consistently than they did this year.
Yes, losing two finals is certainly disappointing for our girls and supporters but I tend to think of it now as being a learning curve and create more hunger to win for next season and beyond. I've thoroughly enjoyed watching our team's improvement over the past couple of years and can't wait to see what Daniel Webster and his coaching panel can bring to 2025. Looking forward to watching the W Awards and our B & F night in the coming couple of weeks.
Also a BIG THANK YOU Julia for your weekly articles, they have been very enjoyable and informative.
Wishing you and your family a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year ...GO HAWKS!!
What a journey it was this season! What a team!
Not the result we wanted but still a great season
An enormous effort by the team.
Deserved to win. A heartbreaker.
Eerie to have Port pop-up as a nemesis for the women as well as the men
The season was a fantastic ride for supporters and it would be fair to say that the team would’ve exceeded the expectations of even the most optimistic supporter.
No doubt the inability to convert the opportunities inside F50 was a weakness across the season and I’d suggest that there were a few factors contributing to this.
1. The reliance on McDonagh as the key target inside F50 made the entries “easier” to defend structurally. Also her kicking technique became an issue as the season progressed. As to a second tall target, Earderly being moved forward is still a work in progress. Butterworth from her very limited chances looks to have a strong sense of forward craft.
2. With Bodey missing a couple of games and being played on the wing, this meant we lost our small forward crumbing goal kicker as a support to McDonagh’s opportunities. This was recognised late in season with the noticeable structural change of playing Fleming inside F50.
As part of the season review one question to be assessed with both moves: did we rob ourselves of a couple of strengths?
3. As to strengths for the midfield it was their ability to extract the ball from contests, however their foot skills are not great. Fleming would be the best of them, however this part of her game is still a work in progress. As the season progressed, Bates, West & Breed et al reminded me of the Demons men’s midfielders eg. Oliver, Viney whose entries aren’t great. Having said this, I see this as a competition wide issue & next stage of progression in the AFLW. Given we tended to play a stay at home forward line rather than looking to race back to goal (think of the Port goal in last quarter), the connection between the mids & forwards is more significant.
It has to be noted that I’m not sure the defenders could play any better or even more consistently than they did this year.
Well said Julia,if we can convert our opportunities better there's no reason why we can't become the best team in the competition. 🤎💛
Yes, losing two finals is certainly disappointing for our girls and supporters but I tend to think of it now as being a learning curve and create more hunger to win for next season and beyond. I've thoroughly enjoyed watching our team's improvement over the past couple of years and can't wait to see what Daniel Webster and his coaching panel can bring to 2025. Looking forward to watching the W Awards and our B & F night in the coming couple of weeks.
Also a BIG THANK YOU Julia for your weekly articles, they have been very enjoyable and informative.
Wishing you and your family a Merry Xmas and Happy New Year ...GO HAWKS!!