COACHES REPORT: Women’s Round 8

SANFL Women’s Round 8 

West Adelaide (0.4.4) Vs North Adelaide (5.4.34)

Round 8 saw us travel to Prospect Oval to face North Adelaide, a game we were eager to use as a turning point in our season. We made one change to the line-up, with Ella Maxwell out and Chelsea Newitt coming in.

We started positively despite slightly wet conditions, moving the ball well and creating some early forward opportunities. Unfortunately, we could only manage two behinds from those chances. It was a tight contest, with neither team able to take control early, but in the final 30 seconds of the first quarter, North Adelaide broke through to kick the opening goal. While disappointing, it was still a significantly better first quarter than what we’ve produced in recent weeks.

The second quarter began with promise, as we kept the ball in our forward half for the first five minutes, but again failed to capitalize on the scoreboard. At the nine-minute mark, North kicked their second goal, and their speed and ability to win contested footy started to trouble us. They added a third goal at the 15-minute mark. While we managed to steady for the remainder of the quarter, creating some inside 50s of our own, we couldn’t convert. The halftime score saw North Adelaide leading 3.2 (20) to our 0.2 (2).

Despite the deficit, we were confident at halftime that we could work our way back into the game. We focused on lifting our tackle intensity and making better use of our forward entries.

However, the second half followed a similar pattern. We created more inside 50s in the third quarter but couldn’t put any pressure on the scoreboard. We struggled to maintain tackle pressure and weren’t able to take enough contested marks to gain control. Neither team scored a goal in the third quarter, and while the final term opened up slightly, it was North Adelaide who managed two more goals to our single behind. The final score was North Adelaide 5.4 (34) to West Adelaide 0.4 (4).

It was, overall, a disappointing result and one we must learn from as we continue working to improve.

Our best players on the day included:

• Lucy Waye, who has been consistently strong over the past few weeks,
• Emily Mableson, who played her best game in some time,
• Emma Chapman, who did an outstanding job keeping North’s key forward to just four touches and no goals, and
• Niamh Davis, who was solid across half-back.

With six games remaining, and given how tight the ladder is, we’re still only two games outside the finals. It will take hard work, but I truly believe we’re capable of stringing together some strong performances and pushing for a finals spot.

Next week, we travel to Glenelg to take on the Tigers at 4:40 PM on Saturday, following the senior men’s game. If you’re heading to the footy, we’d love for you to stay and support the team!

– Bruce Dawes (Women’s Coach)

Best Players: Lucy Waye, Emily Mableson, Emma Chapman, Niamh Davis