World Footy News

What an exciting start to the AFLW season, round 1 was.

It had everything from big names returning, upsets, injuries to star players and the introduction of four new expansion teams.

Image Source: @MelbourneAFLW

Western Bulldogs outclassed newcomers St Kilda by 25-points at RSEA Park, in front of a full capacity crowd of 8,000 for the first time at the Saints home ground. 

American Dani Marshall made her AFLW debut and it was a historic one, she became the first American woman to play in an AFLW match. 

Marshall's first game was memorable, as she slotted through her maiden goal along with seven disposals, four tackles and four kicks. 

Image Source: @foxfooty

Today’s AFLW 4.0 feature is on Geelong Cats women’s player Rene Caris.

Geelong starts it's 2020 season this afternoon in Perth against the Fremantle Dockers. 

She was drafted by the Cats with selection number 35 in the 2018 women’s draft and she became the tallest player at the Cats.

“To say the least, it was probably one of the best days of my life, I feel like I worked really hard to get to that position and had a tiny bit of talk with the clubs and hadn’t really heard much at all,” Caris said.

“And then obviously, you know when I heard Geelong come out now, they are going to select someone and I wasn’t really listening, because Geelong hadn’t really spoken to me.

“Yes, surprisingly they called out my name and I was very shock, but also very excited, as I just heard some of my closest friends had just been drafted to Geelong in the picks before, so it was a really exciting day.”

Image Source: Geelong Football Club

When the Western Bulldogs named Danielle Marshall for Sunday's Round 1 AFLW clash against St Kilda this afternoon they became the first AFL club to select an American woman for a senior match. 

Marshall also is the first American to make it to an Australian football national competition team after learning and playing the game competitively in the USA.  While Mason Cox and Jason Holmes were recruited from the USA before making their AFL debuts, they had to learn the game in Australia. 

Marshall is a bona fide product of the United States Australian Football League (USAFL).  The Arizona Hawks to be more precise.  Marshall played with the Hawks in 2018 and 2019 seasons.  In 2019 she came to Australia to see how far she could make it in the game here.  She returned to the US in October to play in the USAFL National Championships in Florida.

 

 

The 2020 AFLW season will see the addition of four news teams in Richmond, West Coasst Eagles, St Kilda and the Gold Coast Suns. A season preview on each of the 14 teams is below.

Adelaide Crows:

The Crows finished the 2019 AFLW season, as the premiers for the second time in three years. However, premiership glory was bitter sweet with superstar player Erin Phillips rupturing her ACL in the third quarter of the Grand Final. Phillips will once again lead the Crows in the 2020 NAB AFL Women's Competition. Phillips has officially been ruled out for the start of the season and Chelsea Randall did her ACL in practice and will miss the whole season. With these two injuries, Anne Hatchard has probably become the most vital player for the Crows this season. For coach, Matthew Clarke in his second season, he will probably need to make a few positional changes to fill the strong void left by Phillips and Randall who lead them well on and off the field. Rhiannon Metcalf will most likely return from injury and could take over the starting ruck duties from Jess Foley who did well last year. If, Metcalf does takeover, than Foley might move into the forward line as an agile option. The Crows, also drafted promising young gun Montana McKinnon who is nearly six foot with her strength and strong marking ability. Therefore the Crows have marking options who can help Sarah Allen. The Crows forward line looks great as ever and will look to excite once again with the likes of Danielle Ponter and Stevie Lee Thompson running through there with Courtney Gum. Adelaide's defense will lack with Randall missing and the opposition forwards might feel confident as they will not have Randall stopping their every move. Expect Adelaide to be up there again in 2020, but I cannot see them winning the premiership without Randall. 

AFLW season four starts in just a few hours.  If you are outside Australia and want to watch on TV, we have the broadcast schedule for you below. 
   
Fox Soccer Plus in the USA, ABC Australia in Asia/Pacific and India, as well as Sky Sports in NZ will be broadcasting matches this week so please check local guides. 

As always we recommend the AFANA website for all the most current and detailed information for the broadcast of AFL/AFLW in North America 

Fans can also subscribe to Watch AFL  to stream matches outside Australia.

Today’s AFLW 4.0 feature is on St Kilda’s women’s player Tarni White.

White’s dream of playing in the AFLW was put on hold, as about a year and a half ago she ruptured her ACL.

“I was really worried, but at the same time when I was up in Queensland, I was around amazing physios and sports trainers in the Brisbane Lions Academy,” she said.

“And they were just amazing, so they helped me in my rehab, and I was actually playing my first game back in 12 months, which was really big because I was told at the start it was 18 months and when it was pushed forward.”

Image Source: St Kilda Football Club 

If the legendary Kevin Sheedy can get his dream, Greater Western Sydney (GWS) might well play a premiership match in California as early as next year. ‘Sheeds’ will draw on the talents of the other two clubs where he became a legend – Essendon or Richmond – to be the Giants’ opponent.

There would be no better innovator in AFL circles to make this happen. It was through Sheedy’s vision and determination that we now have the ANZAC Day match between his beloved Bombers and Collingwood, as well as the round as a whole now. He was also the driving force behind Dreamtine at the G showpiece between Essendon and Richmond and more recently the Country Round between Essendon and Geelong.

The following link to a story on the 7 News website looks deeper into his American Dream: https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/gws-gi...a-c-676121

 

In an article by Emma Duffy at THE 42, the argument about whether elite sportswomen in Ireland should be free to choose to play in both Australia for the AFLW and back home in Ireland gathers momentum.

The following article looks at the different sides to an emotive argument. It is also an argument that does not have a definitive answer, as individual women will want to choose their own directions rather than a “one size fits all” approach.

'Telling players they have to choose isn't fair' - Aussie Rules agent hits back at Mayo ladies boss' comments

12 of the 18 Irishwomen preparing for AFLW action are managed by CrossCoders – and its co-founder Jason Hill has responded to Peter Leahy’s claims.

At half time, nobody could see it coming. By three-quarter time, still nothing. But a thirteen-goal final term by Waratah over Wanderers turned a tight match for three quarters into a 75-point win.

Just before three-quarter time, less than a goal separated the teams in match where any lead was little more than a goal. Waratah say their turnaround was just an increase in intensity, but it had to be more. Waratah kicked 14 unanswered goals from late in the third term until well into the final.

The win gives Waratah a mathematical chance at finals, but little more.

Round 15 results saw the Tiwi Bombers down the Darwin Buffaloes, Nightcliff defeat Southern Districts and St Mary’s were comfortable winners over Palmerston.

Today’s AFLW 4.0 feature is on West Coast Eagles women’s Irish Mayo player Niamh Kelly.

Kelly signed alongside older sister Grace as rookies ahead of the Eagles inaugural AFLW season.

Image Source: West Coast Eagles Football Club

 

Jennifer Phelan from the www.afl.com.au website reports that the scheduled match in China later this year will still go ahead as planned, despite the outbreak of the Coronavirus – for now. Jennifer’s original story can be found at: https://www.afl.com.au/news/368057/china-game-to-go-ahead-as-planned-but-afl-monitoring-situation 

THE AFL is preparing to proceed with its May match in Shanghai but will seek advice from the Australian government and the World Health Organisation after the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus. 

St Kilda is fixtured to face Port Adelaide at Adelaide Arena at Jiangwan Stadium, on May 31, with the League expecting the game to go ahead.  

"The AFL will take advice from the Australian government and World Health Organisation regarding any safety precautions related to the coronavirus," a statement said.