The Maureen – AFLW match reports

5.10pm Saturday 7 March 2020

I have missed all of our AFLW matches since round 1 which isn’t good and our team still haven’t won a game which isn’t good either.  On the other hand, at least I haven’t missed our first win in this competition.

This match isn’t on the telly but the streaming over the internet thingy works surprisingly well.  For the first half I’m getting dinner ready as I watch but for the second half I plug the laptop into the telly and enjoy – if that’s the word – the game from the couch.

Our first quarter is pretty good.  After the Giants get the first goal Conti makes a great run through the middle, kicks long from outside 50 and the ball is gathered and kicked through the big sticks by Bernardi and there’s only two points in it.  But not too long after that Privitelli gets away from her several Tiger defenders to mark and goal.  I don’t think much of it at the time, but it sets a pattern of sleepy defending that will hurt us badly.

Quarter time score:  GWS 2.5.17 to Richmond 1.1.7

The Giants are clearly the better team in the second term but miss lots of chances.  Stahl takes a very brave mark in the middle of the ground for us and Monahan clears well from defence a couple of times but there seems to be little system to our game and passes rarely find a team-mate.  At the main break only the Giants’ poor kicking for goal is keeping us in it.

Half-time score:  GWS 3.8.26 to Richmond 1.2.8

The Giants keep missing in the third term, but it seems that even their points will be enough to beat us.  Beeson hits the post after marking Privitelli’s pass very easily and then Barr misses from right in front.  Grace Campbell defends bravely for the Tigers and wins a free but the siege of our backline continues and the inside-50 count is 21 to 10 for the afternoon.

From a stoppage the Giants’ Irish giant Staunton storms through and kicks another goal.  Privitelli takes another very good mark and hits the post.  Richmond attack a couple of times but can’t find the big sticks either.  Frederick takes a big mark 55 out but Conti can’t hold her kick into the 50 and nothing comes of it.  Frederick marks again, runs into the forward line and kicks a point and at the last break it’s the Giants by 28.

Three-quarter-time score:  GWS 4.13.37 to Richmond 1.3.9

Phoebe Monahan is moved into the middle in the last quarter which might be a good move.  We need something to change, that’s for sure.  On the other hand, we probably miss her in the back-line and the Giant’s pile on the damage in the last.  After Bernardi kicks another point from a set shot Staunton marks again, plays on again and kicks her third.

Frederick hits the behind post and the Giants attack again.  Staunton marks and plays on, yet again and goals and it seems as if nobody wants to tackle her.

Hannah Burchell for the Tigers wins a holding-the-ball free for a very good tackle, but her kick falls short.  Monahan snaps and misses.  There’s a big scuffle near the bench, the Giants are awarded a 50 and Staunton marks yet again.  Privitelli marks her kick and scores from the tight angle with seven seconds left.  The siren is a great relief.  It’s the Giants’ highest ever AFLW score and their biggest ever winning margin.

Summary

Not a lot of joy for the Tigers this afternoon.  The effort and ferocity which were a real feature of our game in round one seem to have lessened and a more skilful and experienced team like the Giants can then do much as they please. This seems especially so in the last quarter when the Giants buried us.

Best players for Richmond:  Conti, Monahan, Bernardi, Frederick.  Grace Campbell also showed some skill and bravery and Kate Dempsey showed promise in her first AFLW match.

The Maureen for best player
5 votes – Monica Conti
4 votes – Phoebe Monahan
3 votes – Christina Bernardi
2 votes – Sabrina Frederick
1 votes – Grace Campbell 

Leaderboard
20 Monahan
18 Conti
10 Campbell
8 Bernardi
6 Wakefield
4 Makur Chuot, Frederick
2 Brennan, Edmonds
1 Stahl

The Kate Sheahan Shield for players recruited with AFLW experience [eligible: Burchall, Bailey, Tesoreiro, Frederick, Bernardi, Conti, Whitford, Ross, Makur Chuot, Monahan]
20 Monahan
18 Conti
8 Bernardi
4 Makur Chuot, Frederick
2 Brennan

The Peggy O’Neal Claret Jug for best AFLW first year player [eligible: everyone else not in above list]
10 Campbell
6 Wakefield
2 Edmonds

The Kate Dixon Grip of Death for our top tackler
25 – Conti, Jacques,
22 – Campbell
21 – Sansonetti
17 – Woodward
16 – Brennan
14 – Molan, Monahan

On Saturday we met fellow strugglers Geelong at Bendigo. Queen Elizabeth Oval looked an absolute picture, one of Australia’s prettiest grandstands.

There were goals each early. A very high standard quarter, clean hands everywhere, although not much action on the scoreboard. Our goal though Courtney Wakefield on the end of a perfect pass from Phoebe Monahan.

Immediately in the 2nd Q McClelland goaled from a free after long hopeful bomb from Brennan. Then … a Cats clinic. Darby, McDonald, McWilliams and Cranston did as they pleased for the hoops, great hands. They had 11-2 i50s for the quarter. They kept just getting over the back of us with long kicks. I think our back six was a strength in the first two games but connection has gone missing in the 2nd quarter last week and this week. Cats got some lucky 50s [that were technically there but geez].  19-46 at half time.

We are getting nothing from the umpies – a broken record this season. It’s odious to compare AFLW players to famous male counterparts of course but Akec Makur Chuot has some early Alex Rance about her. It’s now 19-60 and the game’s gone.

Sabrina Frederick is a big power forward but her field kicks are disappointing. When we are humming (probably round 8) we’ll be seeing Campbell or Conti or Brennan or Monahan cruising past Sabs for the handball.

Suddenly, we pinged three in a row through Bernardi, Wakefield, Jacques, that’s our best five minutes of the season. Conti instrumental in all three.

• McDonald kicked it straight to Bernadi on the hotspot.
• Bernardi strong mark from a quick kick to advantage from Brennan.
• Great forward pressure from Wakefield held the ball in f50, then Kodi Jaques followed up her own high kick, took a handball from Conti, and rolled a lovely bouncing shot over and under the defence and through the middle. 37-60 and suddenly the complexion is changing.

Then Sabs puts in repeat efforts and is rewarded with a free, and salutes with a big roost from 40m. Its 43-61.

On the brink of 3QT Brennan was clattered by Ivey who didn’t look at the ball at any stage – chose to crunch a player that didn’t have the ball. Later Ivey was rightfully given a one week spell.

Katie Brennan spent the 3rd quarter on the bench. “Resting a player with possible concussion – its a no brainer” says Peta Searle, awkwardly.

Grace Campbell might be a bit lippy, she seems to inspire some rough responses. Makur Chuot gives it away, Monahan and Miller collide and the Cats goal to relieve pressure. Great chain of possession ended with Wood streaming into kick her first goal and she shanks it. Another chain started by a surging Rebecca Miller ended with a Conti give-and-go and a indecisive kick, neither pass nor shot. But she’s been massive for us.

Katie Brennan was initially given the thumbs up to return to the game then suddenly, the cue was in the rack. “The Tigers brains trust have thought better of their assessment…” says Sam Lane, awkwardly.

Final score: Geelong 10 7 67 d Richmond 7 3 45

Conti had 28 touches, Monahan 20. Bernardi with just 4 touches was tagged out of it. Ella Wood had just 2 touches but 4 tackles. Wakefield took 5 marks and kicked 3 goals, more than the whole side managed in their previous games. Alice Edmonds made 32 hitouts and 4 tackles.

The Maureen for best player
5 votes – Monica Conti
4 votes – Courtney Wakefield
3 votes – Phoebe Monahan
2 votes – Alice Edmonds
1 votes – Grace Campbell 

Leaderboard
16 Monahan
13 Conti
9 Campbell
6 Wakefield
5 Bernardi
4 Makur Chuot
2 Brennan, Edmonds, Frederick
1 Stahl

The Kate Sheahan Shield for players recruited with AFLW experience [eligible: Burchall, Bailey, Tesoreiro, Frederick, Bernardi, Conti, Whitford, Ross, Makur Chuot, Monahan]
16 Monahan
13 Conti
5 Bernardi
4 Makur Chuot
2 Brennan, Frederick

The Peggy O’Neal Claret Jug for best AFLW first year player [eligible: everyone else not in above list]
9 Campbell
6 Wakefield
2 Edmonds
1 Stahl

The Kate Dixon Grip of Death for our top tackler
19 – Conti, Jacques, Sansonetti
18 – Campbell
17 – Woodward
16 – Brennan
12 – Wakefield

It seems these days, when you’re wanting a quick recipe online, you must first read the life story, and the extensive history of the author’s journey to the perfect basil pesto.

These recollections can give the reader insight into the personal life of a recipe blogger, tell tales of kitchen tricks passed down from generations, or just give a super detailed recount of a trip to a grocery store in a neighbouring suburb.

As you read through long-winded paragraphs, wondering if you will ever actually reach the ingredients section, pausing to reflect on why someone would name their child Tinsinatti, questioning if you even really need pesto anyway you may find yourself at your wit’s end.

Maybe it’s not such a big deal if the pasta and prawns are a bit dry?

I guess what I’m saying, is that right now, Richmond’s AFLW journey is shrouded in the mist of a long, complex story. It’s definitely more interesting than a trip to the supermarket, or the search for the perfect leaf of basil, but it’s a story that’s going to be tough at times.

We’re at the very beginning, and we have a bit to work through before we can feast.

Yes, I’m saying the Tigers’ rd 3 clash against the Kangaroos showed us that Richmond’s AFLW is a bit like a pesto prawn pasta without the pesto; there are some good elements to the dish, but it hasn’t quite come together. Yet.

Early in the first quarter, Daisy Pearce and Ellie Blackburn spoke in commentary about the way the Kangaroos set up around the ball at stoppages, and how this highlighted Richmond’s lack of structure in this area. This was one of several areas where North’s experience was obvious, as the Richmond players appeared desperate and at times frantic, in comparison to the calm and composed play of the Kangaroos.

Overall, I was pretty happy with the Tigers performance in the first quarter. It was scrappy, but players such as Grace Campbell and Mon Conti showed determination and pluck throughout. The only disappointment was kicking just 3 behinds for the quarter, and not making the best of our opportunities against the super-efficient North Melbourne.

The second quarter was a powerful display by the Roos, and really showed the gap between an AFLW team in their second season vs their first. North’s recruiting last year was widely lauded and for good reason, and this quarter was an illustration of why many (myself included) have them as favourites for the flag.

Thankfully the third quarter brought some joy, as Sabrina Frederick kicked our first for the game, a ripper of a goal as she took it from the ruck and kicked it backwards over her head. I absolutely loved her goal celebration, as she gave a massive roar and excitedly embraced her teammates. Some have criticised this celebration as ‘too much’ when your team is down by 40-odd points, but in a challenging first season, I think it’s very Richmondy to be celebrating the little victories. I think Sabrina is a great leader for our forwards, and I hope she continues to roar after every goal!

Captain Katie followed with a goal of her own, and while she didn’t roar as such, it clearly meant a lot to her, especially as she has been facing criticism of late.

In the 4^th quarter I was reminded that I really, really like Mon Conti.

Other Bits and Pieces

• Having experienced players such as Daisy Pearce and Ellie Blackburn in commentary is fantastic, as they give great insight and perspective into AFLW. Both Pearce and Blackburn talked about the challenge of having such a short season, and how building consistency is difficult for every team, not just the new teams (Ellie was particularly nice given how many ex-Bulldogs we have on our list…sorry Ellie!) and the importance of using each game as an opportunity to learn.

• “There are promising signs for the Tigers, they obviously haven’t been able to really impact on today’s game, but…you wanna be able to take little bits and pieces out of it…” – Ellie Blackburn. This quote reminds me of something Trent Cotchin (you may know of him) has said a bunch of times, “You win, and/or you learn.”

• The growing chemistry between Mon Conti and draftee Sophie Molan is really exciting. I can see these two becoming a dangerous duo.
• I felt that overall our field kicking was better in this game, which is a good sign. I would like to see more communication when players are hot, but like the field kicking, this will probably come with experience.

I thought about calling this section Ingredients but I don’t think we’re quite there, we’re still in the preamble.

I’ve waited my whole life to see women in Richmond jumpers, playing footy. At the moment, our team is learning, and the lessons are at times pretty harsh! But I’m so happy to see the story being told.

In any weather.

The Maureen for best player
5 Monique Conti
4 Grace Campbell
3 Phoebe Monahan
2 Katie Brennan
1 Sabrina Frederick

Leaderboard
13 Monahan
8 Conti, Campbell
5 Bernardi
4 Makur Chuot
2 Wakefield, Brennan, Frederick
1 Stahl

The Kate Sheahan Shield for players recruited with AFLW experience [eligible: Burchall, Bailey, Tesoreiro, Frederick, Bernardi, Conti, Whitford, Ross, Makur Chuot]
13 Monahan
8 Conti
5 Bernardi
4 Makur Chuot
2 Brennan, Frederick

The Peggy O’Neal Claret Jug for best AFLW first year player [eligible: everyone else not in above list]
8 Campbell
2 Wakefield
1 Stahl

The Kate Dixon Grip of Death for our top tackler
19 – Conti, Jacques, Sansonetti
18 – Campbell
17 – Woodward
16 – Brennan
12 – Wakefield

I watched most of this game later on my phone, already knowing the result. It clashed with cooking dinner for guests. I peeked at it live and was dismayed that after a 2-goal first quarter we got stuck in the mud – but I didn’t see a final score until much later. Good on the Suns jagging their first win, they were better when it counted.

Fox bring us this game with an all-male comms team. Ben Waterworth says “Position A” too much but otherwise is OK. My under 13 soccer teammate Alistair Lynch is not popular on Twitter – and I agree he doesn’t add a lot of insight.

Q1 Suns are a goal up quick smart through a soccer goal to Stanton on the end of a soccer assist from Perry, who has used body position to undo the taller Akec Makur Chuot twice already. A long kick came in over the pack.

Bernardi takes a huge mark down back – isn’t she a forward? We are making bad choices with our kicks inside 50. Suns are crisp and have cleaner hands. It’s very muggy and 30° and a bit of rain falls during the game; and we drop more uncontested marks than the Suns.

Bernardi gets another soccer goal back for us from a similar long kick over the pack from Conti, although this was lucky as it came off hands nicely. Bernardi is 5th on the AFLW all-time goal kicking ladder. We are getting on top now, with the ball held in our half for a long time. Frederick hooks a behind when there was time for her to be more composed. Grace Campbell on debut is lightning quick. Constable Alice Edmonds kicked sideways inboard to no-one and Campbell was there like a shot.

Bloodnut Molan is having a good start; she hits Tayla Stahl on the chest with a pinpoint pass. Stahl did a great job to hold her position – and kicks the goal to put us in front.

We get a 50m penalty in the centre and Campbell seizes the ball and tries to outsprint the umpie to crib a bit extra. Stahl has another shot and falls millimetres short. Sabs is unlucky with a touched ball that sailed through the middle. It’s 1.2 to 2.2. Courtney Wakefield seems to have a better gut feel for kicking inside 50 but its her that we want in there marking them.

The Suns box us into defence for the last minute. Someone kicks to Rebecca Miller on the bounce; she probably should have made ground to mark it. She takes a while to grasp it and is caught HTB. Then there’s a 50m pen as the siren goes; so scores are level at 2.2 as the girls swap ends.

Q2 A good goal straight off to Britt Perry (a state player in cricket). Suns are leading, marking and kicking long and straight. It’s just good football and we aren’t countering it as well as we countered Carlton last week. The back six that should move around as though connected by elastic; seems to be getting isolated and lost. Mon Conti looks like she has gone up a gear from last week, out of basketball mode and ready to play footy. KB seems to be off the boil in my opinion. Campbell is prominent but plays like she is used to dominating at a lower level; attempts the impossible at times. She was 3rd in our VFLW best and fairest. 4.3 to 2.4 at half time.

Q3 Brennan hoists a high kick and it literally lands on Sabs’ head. We are very predictable, kicks aren’t favouring her, and she’s not a mobile player. It’s just not working. Frederick marks at centre half forward then dithers until she has to play on, and is caught holding the ball. I am clutching my head now. Yorston scores a lovely goal after slick and sophisticated ball movement. Stahl marks well again, and spots up Brancatisano.

A quick aside: multisyllabic Italian names have given so much to football culture. In this team we are blessed with Brancatisano, Tesoreiro, Sansonetti, Bernardi and Conti. I hope they will have more storied Richmond careers than Renato Dintinosante (2 games, 2 losses).

Brancatisano shanks her kick and just scrapes a point. Suns lead 5.3 to 2.5 at the last change.

Terrific centre break for us, Stahl gallops from the centre, sells the dummy and kicks to advantage for Wakefield who pulls in a great mark. She kicks to Sabs who drops the mark and gives away a free. [I don’t want to be on her case, but I am feeling a bit flat about her first couple of outings for us.] We dominate this quarter. Both teams are very tired, and the Suns are really just trying to hang on. We have plenty of chances at goal and kick 0.5 After one Bernardi miss, Alistair says “She’s cut the ears off that one” which is not a turn of phrase I’ve heard before.

The Suns do not score in the final quarter and win by 11 points.

OK, positives. Grace Campbell was very lively and should add heaps of toe to the side. Phoebe Monahan had 21 touches and did a load of work off the ball. The skipper didn’t have a great game but laid 6 tackles which is a great way to keep contributing when other parts of your game are rusty. That’s all I’ve got.

We are a quarter of the way through the home and away season. Coming up we’ve got Kangaroos, Geelong, Giants, St Kilda, Brisbane and Adelaide.

The Maureen for best player
5 votes – Phoebe Monahan
4 votes – Grace Campbell
3 votes – Monica Conti
2 votes – Christina Bernardi
1 votes – Tayla Stahl

Leaderboard
10 Monahan
5 Christina Bernardi
4 Makur Chuot, Campbell
3 Conti
2 Wakefield
1 Frederick, Stahl

10 Monahan
5 Christina Bernardi
4 Makur Chuot, Campbell
3 Conti
2 Wakefield
1 Frederick, Stahl

The Kate Sheahan Shield for players recruited with AFLW experience [eligible: Burchall, Bailey, Tesoreiro, Frederick, Bernardi, Conti, Whitford, Ross, Makur Chuot]
10 Monahan
5 Bernardi
4 Makur Chuot
3 Conti
1 Frederick

The Peggy O’Neal Claret Jug for best AFLW first year player [eligible: everyone else not in above list]
4 Campbell
2 Courtney Wakefield

The Kate Dixon Grip of Death for our top tackler
12 Sarah Sansonetti
11 Kodi Jaques, Alana Woodward
9 Katie Brennan, Phoebe Monahan

I had planned to leave work early but I’ve been behind with things since I got back from leave three weeks ago and in the end I catch the 4.19 from Eltham.  Among other things that have gone awry this year, my bike was stolen from a locked cage at work two weeks ago and it now takes longer to get home than it used to.  I have a very strong feeling that if we’re not at the ground when the gates open at six, we won’t get in at all.  And even if we do get there at six, maybe we still won’t get in.

It is Richmond’s first ever AFLW game, after all.

Both my daughters are coming and I think it’s the first time the three of us have been to the footy together since the Elimination Final in 2015.  My younger daughter barracks for North and so all three of us went to that game.  Whatever happens tonight, we will be happier than we were on that blighted, sunny afternoon.  Not even the North daughter was happy that day – “You two were just so sad that I was sad too.”

It’s close to six before we leave the house, so we definitely won’t be there when the gates open.  But as it happens, we’re in good time.  There is no queue – and still no admission charge – to get in and we find good seats at ground level.  Despite its newness and the small suburban grounds it is played on, AFLW is cursed like the men’s game with corporate noise.  We position ourselves between two speakers – they have one every fifty feet or so – and while the spruiking and loud music bother us, we know that it can’t be any quieter anywhere else.

By chance we find my niece, Terri, sitting nearby and she is soon joined by her Melbourne Uni footy mates.  We fill in the time before the first bounce in the normal way – eating hot chips, chatting idly, trying to memorise players’ numbers.

The latter is a tough exercise but before the game starts, I have in my mind no.34, Makur Chuot, 3 Katie Brennan, 4 Monique Conti and 7 Lauren Tesoriero.

Soon after the game starts no.2, Phoebe Monahan, is added to this list.  She seems to be playing at full back and our defenders have their hands full.  Carlton are kicking to the end we’re sitting near and we see far too much of the footy.

Carlton score first with a point from a set shot and more missed shots and rushed behinds follow, all to Carlton, who lead 5-0.  I’m glad it’s not soccer.  Then Carlton get their first goal after Loynes wins a free for being held.  

The Tigers defend ferociously, however.  The tackling, smothering, chasing and bumping is constant and nothing is easy for the Blues forwards.  Phoebe Monahan is especially good for us.  Razor Ray Chamberlain is umpiring and even he has to give us the odd free for holding the ball.  But by quarter time he is clearly in the running for some sort of equal-opportunity award – he is as biased against our Women’s team as he is against the Men’s.

Yet even allowing for the umpiring, the Blues seem to have an edge over us.  The ball rarely leaves their forward line and they have an infuriating habit of passing the ball to their team-mates who then pass it to another team-mate.  We struggle in this area and many of our hard-earned kicks are turned over.

Quarter time score:  Richmond 0.0 to Carlton 1.5

The second quarter goes a lot like the first, only we see less of the action as Carlton are attacking the other end.  But our attack seems to be getting somewhere until a promising move is turned back by a free kick for deliberate out-of-bounds.  As if.  Soon after that we have our first ever AFLW score when someone kicks a point.  We all cheer loudly.  Carlton rebound and soon have that point back.  Then they get another point to go further in front.  The Tigers attack again for a point and are threatening again when the siren goes.  Of course.

Half-time score:  Richmond 0.2 to Carlton 1.8

Our Gabby Seymour (28) takes a great mark in defence early in the quarter before Chamberlain gifts Carlton another shot on goal.  Courtney Wakefield, our number 8, marks but misses everything from quite an angle.  Carlton string some more passes together – how do they get away with it? – and kick another goal and it’s 3.8 to 0.2.

Darcy Vescio – who is still “Our Darcy” as she used to play for the Falcons at the bottom of our street – snaps but misses, luckily for us.  But Carlton soon after win a 50, Harris marks in the goal-square and it’s 4.9 to 0.2.  Yet another free to the Blues leads to another goal and at the last break it doesn’t look great for us, 5.9 to two points.

It must be said at this point that whenever Carlton kick a goal the electronic scoreboard bursts with a loud and obnoxious noise.  It really would be a terrible thing if AFLW matches were ruined by having some crowd atmosphere.  The powers that be are right onto it.

Three-quarter time score:  Richmond 0.2 to Carlton 5.9

In the last quarter the Tigers are kicking to our end again.  The ball is kicked long into our forward line, Sabrina Frederick takes a great mark and could it happen that we kick our first ever AFLW goal?  Yes it can!  Yes she does!  And we erupt and we’re all chanting and cheering and all is right with the world.

Carlton immediately reply but nobody cares.

The Tigers attack again, Wakefield keeps her feet in the traffic, weaves this way and that and goals and we erupt again.  It’s been a tough night for the Tigers but they’ve never given up and have kicked two snags in the last term. And in fact, we’ve won the last quarter, which is the Richmond way.

It’s been a tough debut for our team but they can hold their heads high.  Their tackling and chasing and attack on the footy have wanted for nothing.  Even with Razor Ray at his worst they’ve won countless frees for holding the footy.  But their kicking has let them down a bit and there have been some heart-breaking turnovers.

Carlton, on the other hand, showed how they made the Grand Final last year.  But we’ll be better next week and the week after that.

And Footy’s back and we have an AFLW team now and all is good with the world.

Best players for me included Monahan and Makur Chuot who defended tirelessly and Wakefield and Frederick for taking their rare chances.

The Maureen for best player
5 votes – Phoebe Monahan
4 votes – Akec Makur Chuot
3 votes – Christina Bernardi
2 votes – Courtney Wakefield
1 vote – Sabrina Frederick

The Kate Sheahan Shield for players recruited with AFLW experience [eligible: Burchall, Bailey, Tesoreiro, Frederick, Bernardi, Conti, Whitford, Ross, Makur Chuot]
5 Monahan
4 Makur Chuot
3 Bernardi
1 Frederick

The Peggy O’Neal Claret Jug for best AFLW first year player [eligible: everyone else not in above list]
2 Courtney Wakefield

The Kate Dixon Grip of Death for our top tackler
10 Sarah Sansonetti
8 Alana Woodward, Phoebe Monahan
7 Kodi Jaques