AFLW: Tiger’s gutsy mark caps hard-earned win; Dons’ losing streak extends to seven

The Western Bulldogs have kept their faint finals hopes alive after pummelling the battling Gold Coast Suns by 66 points.

The Bulldogs are eight points outside the top eight with two games to go after giving their percentage a hefty boost by keeping the Suns goalless in the 10.12 (72) to 0.6 (6) victory at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay.

Tam Hyett’s charges will take on Geelong at Ballarat’s Mars Stadium next Sunday then St Kilda at RSEA Park the following week and must win both games and have other results go their way to make the eight.

“We’ve put in a lot of effort throughout these past couple of weeks,” defender Rylie Wilcox told Fox Sports.

“We’ve finally clicked, and I’m excited to see what the next two rounds give us.”

The Bulldogs leapt to 11th on the ladder (16 points, 115.4 per cent) with their third win in four games and second victory on the bounce.

Star turns from Ellie Blackburn (20 disposals and a goal), Jess Fitzgerald (22 disposals, five clearances and a goal) and Isabelle Pritchard (23 disposals, one goal) were crucial.

Young key forward Emma McDonald kicked three goals, Elaine Grigg provided a spark and defender Wilcox impressed.

Gun Suns Charlie Rowbottom (26 disposals) and Niamh McLaughlin (32 disposals) were busy, but Jamie Stanton was forced off with a left hamstring injury in the final quarter.

The Bulldogs made the perfect start when Fitzgerald threaded a terrific goal on the run from the boundary.

They added three goals in the second term to lead by 23 at halftime.

In the third term, they put the foot down. Two minutes into the third quarter, Blackburn burst through the middle and brilliantly teed up recruit Louise Stephenson to nudge the Bulldogs out to a 29-point lead.

It set the tone for a dominant quarter where the Bulldogs slammed home five unanswered goals.

At the three-quarter time huddle, Hyett said “we cannot take our foot off the throttle” and urged her charges to remain “relentless”.

McDonald kicked her third major before Pritchard put an exclamation mark on the game and her performance with a lovely goal.

Rhyce Shaw’s Suns huffed and puffed, but inaccuracy was costly as they ended goalless.

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Captain Katie Brennan kicked a season-high three goals to spearhead Richmond’s second win in three weeks as they held off Collingwood by 13 points.

Teammate Sarah Hosking took a strong candidate for mark of the year and Magpie skipper Ruby Schleicher responded with her own “speccy” as the Tigers beat the Magpies 7.4 (46) to 5.3 (33) at Victoria Park on Sunday.

In an incident-packed match between two bottom-four teams, Magpies star Brit Bonnici is likely to be suspended for her second-quarter bump on Katelyn Cox.

But it could have been much worse. Bonnici jumped off the ground as she attempted to spoil and laid out Cox with the impact.

Cox was able to return to the field and played out the game.

Collingwood forward Kalinda Howarth also looked distressed on the bench during the third term, but kicked the opening goal of the last quarter.

Richmond held on despite the Magpies kicking the first goal of each term, setting up the win by kicking four goals to one in the first quarter.

Hosking highlighted the opening term by running back with the flight of the ball and taking an outstanding mark in defence.

Schleicher took her own soaring grab in attack during the final quarter.

Collingwood stuck with Richmond and only trailed by seven points late in the third, before Brennan crucially kicked her second goal.

An outstanding assist from Laura McClelland, who was crunched as she dished off her handball, set up Brennan for her third in the last term.

While the Magpies kept pressing, and again drew to within seven points thanks to Nell Morris-Dalton’s goal, Richmond looked better organised and kept them at arm’s length.

Caitlin Greiser’s second goal on the final siren was the exclamation point for Richmond, a fortnight after they upset Adelaide for their first win of the season.

“The start of the season, we weren’t able to turn these games,” Brennan told Fox Footy.

“We were in them from the start and just couldn’t wrestle back momentum, so we’ve going to work on our game.

“I’m really proud of our group. It’s been a really challenging start to the (season), but we’re gaining momentum as we go.”

Bonnici’s 26 disposals and 10 tackles were game highs, while star Tigers midfielder Mon Conti had seven clearances and 23 possessions.

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St Kilda recorded their sixth straight win and all but sealed their maiden AFLW finals berth after posting a 13-point victory over Carlton at Ikon Park.

Carlton closed to within five points in the third, but St Kilda kicked the next three goals to seal the 7.7 (49) to 5.6 (36) win.

The result lifted St Kilda (7-3) into fourth spot on the ladder, two wins and percentage clear of ninth spot with just two rounds remaining.

Even if St Kilda lose to ladder leaders North Melbourne and the struggling Bulldogs in the final two rounds, they have probably done enough to play finals.

But the Saints’ latest win came at a cost, with three injuries in the final quarter.

Georgia Patrikios looked to have injured her lower leg in the dying minutes, and Nicola Xenos was carried off by trainers at the same time with a right leg injury.

Xenos was able to recover quickly, but Rebecca Ott, who injured her ankle earlier in the quarter, looked to be in pain on the bench.

“To be honest there is a bit of a chip (on the shoulder),” St Kilda midfielder Tyanna Smith told the Seven Network when asked about her team’s desperation to prove their worth.

“It’s probably the first time we’ve spoken about it, wanting to make finals.

“We’re in that position now, but we’ve just got to play it week by week and see where we get to.”

Carlton slipped to a 6-4 record, and will probably need to win at least one of their two remaining games – against GWS and West Coast – to snare a finals berth.

Madeleine Guerin led the way for Carlton with 24 disposals, five clearances and 486 metres gained, while Dayna Finn (22 disposals, 10 marks) and Darcy Vescio (19 disposals) were also strong contributors.

Serene Watson racked up 23 disposals to go with 486m gained for St Kilda, while Smith was big with 21 disposals, five clearances and 462m gained.

St Kilda led by just two points at quarter-time, and Saints star Patrikios produced a moment of magic to start the second term when she grabbed the ball near the boundary, dodged an opponent, before nailing the goal with the outside of her right boot.

St Kilda’s lead extended to 18 points early in the third quarter when J’Noemi Anderson kicked a goal.

There were no celebrations for Anderson, who rolled her troublesome left ankle while kicking the goal and had to be carried to the bench for treatment, before later returning to the field.

A two-goal burst to Carlton whittled the margin back to five points, but St Kilda broke the Blues’ spirits early in the last when Darcy Guttridge produced a smother, gather and goal to send the Saints on their way.

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Fremantle overcame early kicking woes to keep their AFLW finals hopes alive with a gritty seven-point win over the GWS Giants.

Their 6.11 (47) to 6.4 (40) victory at Henson Park in Sydney Freo two spots to 10th, leapfrogging both Port Adelaide and Geelong.

The Dockers trailed at all three breaks, but were never more than 10 points behind.

The deficits were due to wasteful kicking, with the visitors’ score reading 1.7 and 2.10 at different stages, but they kicked three goals in the final quarter to secure a much-needed win.

Freo dominated most of the key metrics, winning contested possessions by 30, clearances by 14, and logging 18 more inside-50s.

“It was a whole team effort, to really grind it out,” ruck Mim Strom told Fox.

Strom was outstanding, logging 23 disposals, 28 hitouts, eight tackles and six clearances.

Midfielders Gabrielle Newton (28 touches, nine tackles, six clearances) and Kiara Bowers (22 touches, 10 clearances, nine tackles) were also impressive.

As the game wore on, Freo did a better job of slowing the Giants’ ball movement, limiting the home team’s opportunities and pouring on the pressure through repeat entries and more accurate kicking.

“A big relief, pretty close but a really hard-fought win, so those are really satisfying when you have to fight to the end,” Newton told Fox.

Tunisha Kikoak was Fremantle’s only multiple goalkicker, booting two majors.

Most of the Giants’ scores, including all 21 of their first-half points, came from turnovers, fast ball movement and some high-quality finishing.

Tarni Evans kicked two goals, one following a low diving “slips-catch” mark, and Cambridge McCormick split the big sticks with a monster kick from more than 50 metres.

Emily Pease accumulated a game-high 29 disposals for GWS, who suffered their fourth straight loss and stayed 15th on the ladder.

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Arden Street was packed with blue and white on a sun–soaked Saturday afternoon as fans watched the still-undefeated North Melbourne trample the Adelaide Crows by 40 points, 10.11 (71) to 5.1 (31).

A record crowd of 3282 showed up to celebrate pride round and watch the Roos secure their 22nd consecutive win, with dedicated supporters lining up around the fence and scrambling for spare spots around the hill.

Under Darren Crocker’s tenure, the ladder-leading Roos are now just one game away from equalling the most consecutive wins in VFL/AFL or AFLW history, closing in on Geelong’s long-standing mark of 23 in the men’s VFL back in 1952-53.

Premiership star Tahlia Randall, playing her 100th game, delivered a first-quarter masterclass – notching her 75th AFLW goal, while a brilliant snap from Ash Riddell pushed North Melbourne further in front.

Reflecting on her milestone game, Randall thanked the North fans for creating an electric atmosphere and for smashing the venue’s previous attendance record.

“It has the essence of when we played at Ikon [Park] last year, whether it was a prelim or grand final, just how loud the North fans and how involved they get in the women’s program in general, it’s really contagious,” she said in a post-match interview.

Randall is now the fifth AFLW player to reach the 100-game milestone, and joins inaugural players Ebony Marinoff and Ally Anderson to reach the mark.

“As everyone saw, I am emotional at the best of times but, yeah, I think it’s just really special to have so many people in my football journey, whether that be in AFLW or in under-18s or juniors reach out,” Randall said.

“I just feel very loved,” she continued. “To be able to play on such a beautiful day, to be able to play in a round that means more than footy, it’s very special.”

Adelaide were scoreless in the first quarter, going into the first break already down 31 points. North Melbourne’s onslaught continued in the second with some flawless footy, while Adelaide fumbled and scrambled for consistency. The North juggernaut moved like a well-oiled machine, blocking and smothering any attempts Adelaide had at goal.

Midfielder Teah Charlton finally put the Crows on the scoreboard with a much-needed first goal in the third quarter, however North Melbourne countered with another major mere seconds later.

Joint efforts from a sensational Riddell and captain Jasmine Garner propelled North further as they marched on to another big win.

North coach Darren Crocker said he was proud of the team’s blistering efforts in the first quarter, which saw them boot five straight goals. However, he was conscious of the team losing concentration and suffering from fatigue in the fourth quarter.