World Footy News

What an intriguing round of footy, round 4 was.

It started off with Melbourne and Collingwood playing off in the curtain raiser match before the State of Origin Bushfire relief match, North Melbourne playing their first ever AFLW match at Arden St, West Coast Eagles notching up their first ever AFLW victory, superstar Erin Phillips made her long awaited return from an ACL injury and Carlton upset the Crows in the Grand Final rematch.

Image Source: Getty Images 

Collingwood vs Melbourne:

Melbourne won by 20 points over Collingwood, as they were far too superior at Marvel Stadium, in front of 21, 528 fans on Friday night. All-Australian Pies defender Ash Brazill went down in final minutes of the third quarter with what is a suspected torn ACL injury and she will undergo scans in the coming days.The Demons led for the whole match controlling all facets of the game. Heading into this match, both teams were levelled at 2-1 and this was a must win in terms of the Conference B ladder. The Demons pressure and power up forward along with their strong defense was difficult for the Pies to overcome. For the Demons, Karen Paxman was formidable once again finishing with 24 disposals and six clearances and she was integral in helping Melbourne to move the ball smootly forward. With the win, the Demons rise from fourth to second in Conference B and the Pies drop from second to fourth in the same conference. Next week, Collingwood hosts the Western Bulldogs on Sunday early afternoon from the Morwell Recreation Reserve and Melbourne will host the West Coast Eagles down at Casey Fields on Sunday afternoon. 

Richmond vs Geelong:

Geelong were white hot in the second term with six goals to one, which set up their 22-point victory over Richmond at Queen Elizabeth Oval on Saturday. The win for Geelong was their first of the season. In the second quarter, the Cats had simply better execution than the Tigers and the ball was spent in the Cats forward half for most of the quarter. Georgia Clark booted through two of the six goals in the second for the Cats. The Tigers came out with grunt in the third quarter, as they scored four goals to the Cats two and narrowed the margin to three goals at three quarter time giving them a chance to come from behind to win in the final term. The Cats led from start to finish. Monique Conti had a day out for the Tigers accumulating 28 disposals and five tackles. Richelle Cranston was influential up forward for the Cats finishing with two goals and 15 disposals. The Tigers are winless and sit bottom of the Conference A ladder and the Cats are second last in Conference A. Next week, Geelong will travel to the Great Barrier Reef Arena to play against the Gold Coast Suns on Friday night and the Tigers will play away on Saturday twilight against the GWS Giants at the Robertson Oval. 

North Melbourne vs Gold Coast Suns:

North Melbourne secured their first even win at Arden St on a history making day for the football club, in front of 3,280 in perfect conditions on Saturday. The Kangaroos were kept on their toes for most of the match, as the Suns threw everything they had at the premiership favourites but North Melbourne's class and experience willed them over the line in the final term by 13 points. It was the high pressured tackling style of the Suns that forced North Melbourne into uncharacteristic skill errors and they were unable to convert their chances in the forward line. In the last, the Suns were threatening to snatch the win away from North Melbourne, in what was a frenetic quarter. North Melbourne's Daisy Bateman was able to seal the victory for her side with her second major late in the match. For the Kangaroos, captain Emma Kearney led the way with 26 disposals, seven marks and five inside 50s in a sensational performance. Kearney was constantly the one player who was involved in North Melbourne's attacking play from half-back through to the forward half of the ground. She was not the only weapon for North Melbourne, as Jasmine Garner (30 disposals), Ellie Gavalas (21 disposals and nine tackles) and Jenna Bruton (12 disposals) supported her well. A scoring highlight came for the Suns in the third quarter, when Kate Surman nailed through a ripper of a goal from 40 metres out after she knocked the ball out of Jasmine Grierson's hand and shrugged a tackle to score. For the Suns, Kalinda Howarth was a strong forward target for the second consecutive week scoring two goals. Former Roo and now Sun Jamie Stanton led the disposals for her side with 17 and four tackles. The Roos have now won three in a row and are second in Conference A and half a game away from ladder leaders Brisbane Lions. North Melbourne also have a greater percentage of 189.50 compared to the Lions percentage of 165.20. Next week, North Melbourne hosts Adelaide on Saturday afternoon from their second home at the North Hobart Oval and Gold Coast Suns will host Geelong on Friday night from the Great Barrier Reef Arena.

West Coast Eagles vs Western Bulldogs:

It was a day to remember for the West Coast Eagles women's team, as they pulled off their first ever victory in AFLW history by four points over the Western Bulldogs at Leederville Oval on Saturday afternoon. After the match, the scenes were absolutely ecstatic and there were tears of happiness shown by the players, coaching staff and fans. The match was a scrappy affair and could have gone either way. Eagles captain Emma Swanson led from the front with 22 disposals, eight tackles and a goal to her name. Irishwoman Grace Kelly also was influential with 14 disposals, three tackles and a goal. Youngster Gabby Newton at 18 years old was huge with her tackling for the Dogs with 10 tackles. 

Adelaide Crows vs Carlton: 

Please find link to feature match report - http://www.worldfootynews.com/article.php/20200301140424113

St Kilda vs Fremantle:

Fremantle Dockers snatched victory by a point in the last minute of the match, breaking the hearts of the St Kilda faithful down at RSEA Safety in Moorabbin. For the Saints, the loss was also made worse due to the injuries to key players Tarni White with a knee and Kate McCarthy with a leg. The Saints led for most of the afternoon, but a costly mistake late from defender Molly McDonald gave away a 50 metre penalty to Docker Irishwoman Kate Flood and Flood slotted through the easy goal to tie the scores up with two minutes left on the clock. Gemma Houghton did not have her kicking boots on kicking three behinds, but one of the behinds she kicked ended up being the handy point that gifted the Dockers the unlikely win and lucky escape. Both teams were kept goalless in the opening term and this tight tussle continued well into the next three quarters. Next week, the Saints will take on the confident Blues at Ikon Park on Saturday night and the Dockers will host the Brisbane Lions on Sunday afternoon, as they try to keep their undefeated record intact in 2020. 

Brisbane Lions vs GWS Giants:

Brisbane Lions remain undefeated, as they thrashed the GWS Giants by 28 points at Hickey Park, in front of 3,297. Lions coach Craig Starcevich was back in the coaching box after last week he was sidelined with a heart scare. The comprehensive victory allows the Lions to jump to the top of the Conference A ladder and also it sets up a huge exciting clash against the only other undefeated side with the Conference B ladder leaders Fremantle. It was total dominance from the Lions in the midfield, as Cathy Svarc collected 23 disposals, two goals and 11 tackles and Emily Bates had 24 disposals and a goal. Also, up forward the Lions were powerful with young forward Jesse Wardlaw scoring two goals. The Lions kicked away in the third quarter with three unanswered majors adding to their 12 point half time lead and the GWS Giants had no answers to counteract and stop the Lions relentless brand of football. Next week, GWS Giants will host Richmond on Saturday twilight at Robertson Oval and Brisbane Lions will look to remain undefeated as they try to defeat fellow undefeated side Fremantle Dockers on Sunday twilight at Fremantle Oval.