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Season over for star Magpie Ash Centra
By Hannah Kennelly
Star Collingwood rookie Ash Centra will miss the remainder of the AFLW season after suffering a shin injury.
The 19-year-old was unable to complete a fitness test before the side’s round 10 match against Richmond last Sunday, presenting with what Collingwood described as bone stress in her shin and “calf awareness”.
Rising Star nominee Ash Centra is out for the season.Credit: Joe Armao
“The club has ruled Centra out for the final two games of the AFLW home-and-away season as she takes a longer-term approach to her recovery,” Collingwood said in a statement.
Ahead of the final two rounds of the home-and-away season, Collingwood are 17th on the ladder and are set to face the Gold Coast this weekend.
It’s been an injury-plagued year for Centra, who debuted on managed minutes due to a hip issue she sustained in the pre-season. The rising star nominee also copped a wrist injury during the round seven clash against the Western Bulldogs, but was able to return to play.
She later experienced calf tightness ahead of the Magpies’ round nine match with St Kilda and was a late omission.
Last year’s no.1 draft pick, Centra entered the league with plenty of hype surrounding her and is a product of the AFLW’s first national draft class.
Footage of the rookie bouncing a Sherrin between her legs before her debut game at Ikon Park in August quickly went viral and inspired numerous copycat attempts, including from Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell and Collingwood’s Nick Daicos, Jack Crisp and Darcy Cameron.
After Centra’s debut game, Collingwood AFLW coach Sam Wright quipped Centra had already developed a cult following, noting the gigantic cheer when she finally came off the bench to play.
“Looking back and reflecting, it was definitely probably the biggest highlight of my night, hearing that roar,” she told this masthead.
Fellow Magpie Kellyann Hogan will also miss the rest of the season after sustaining an MCL injury to her right knee in the final minutes of last week’s game against Richmond.
Georgia Clark is following concussion protocols following a hit last week and will also be unavailable for the Gold Coast clash.
Demons stumble as Lions put hands up in race for second
The race for second spot is set to go down to the wire after the Brisbane Lions came from 14 points behind to post a nine-point win over Melbourne.
The Demons led 27-13 at half-time of Saturday night’s match at Brighton Homes Arena, but the Lions kicked five goals to one after the main break to seal the 6.9 (45) to 5.6 (36) victory.
Lions star Sophie Conway was best afield with 27 disposals, six tackles, three clearances, two goals and 527 metres gained, while Alexandra Anderson (28 possessions) and Orla O’Dwyer (26 disposals) were also big as the Lions posted their sixth consecutive win.
The fourth-placed Lions (8-3, 161.7 per cent) are now equal on points with third-placed Melbourne (8-3, 221.6 per cent).
Second-placed Hawthorn (9-2, 118.3 per cent) have to play unbeaten North Melbourne in the final round next week.
If Hawthorn lose as expected, Brisbane or Melbourne could nab second spot, with the Demons’ superior percentage putting them in the box seat despite their loss to Brisbane.
The Lions face lowly Collingwood in Melbourne next week, while Melbourne take on the 13th-placed Cats.
“It’s pretty special,” Conway told the Seven Network after Saturday night’s win.
Orla O’Dwyer and Natalie Grider were all smiles after their win.Credit: Getty Images
“We’ve been building all season. The games we have lost, I still feel like we’ve been really competitive.
“It’s nice to come up against a rival like Melbourne … and get the four points.”
Melbourne star Kate Hore kicked 1.2 from 26 disposals to take her career tally to 98 goals, meaning North Melbourne’s Jasmine Garner (97 goals) now has the chance to become the first person to reach 100 AFLW goals.
Both teams brought a finals-like tackling intensity in the first quarter, and it was Brisbane who dominated territory with a 15-6 inside-50 count.
Dakota Davidson hit the post from just metres away, while O’Dwyer’s missed snap meant Brisbane went into the first break with the scoreboard only reading 4-0.
The second quarter featured moments of individual brilliance as Melbourne finally found their groove.
Tayla Harris kicked Melbourne’s first goal via a mark, and Demons defender Tahlia Gillard followed it up a short time later with a brilliant goal-saving run-down tackle.
Hore’s 98th career goal edged the Demons eight points ahead, but Brisbane defender Shannon Campbell’s brave decision to run off her opponent to intercept a ball led to the Lions’ first major – to Taylor Smith.
Two late goals to Eden Zanker ensured the Demons had a handy 14-point lead at half-time, but Brisbane hit back hard with the first four goals of the third quarter.
Conway was the biggest spark with two great goals, including one when she sold the dummy to an opponent before producing a 30-metre banana.
Melbourne defender Maeve Chaplin kicked her maiden AFLW goal after the three-quarter-time siren to reduce the margin to three points, but Ruby Svarc kicked the only goal of the final term to seal the deal for Brisbane.
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Dockers storm to a big win as AFLW finals chase heats up
Aisling McCarthy has produced a midfield masterclass as Fremantle trounced Richmond by 44 points to keep their AFLW season alive.
McCarthy kicked two goals to go with a career-high 32 disposals to help fire the Dockers to an 8.10 (58) to 2.2 (14) win at Fremantle Oval on Saturday.
Fremantle’s third consecutive win keeps them in touch with the top eight ahead of their final home-and-away clash against seventh-placed Adelaide.
Fremantle belt out their club song after a dominant showing against Richmond.Credit: AFL Photos
Lisa Webb’s side are 10th (6-5) in the logjam, where percentage makes the difference between sixth and their current ladder spot.
Meanwhile, 16th-placed Richmond will lick their wounds after suffering their ninth loss of the season.
The Tigers end their season by hosting fellow strugglers Gold Coast at Ikon Park next round.
McCarthy wasn’t the only Docker to slot two goals, joined by star Hayley Miller and teenager Georgie Brisbane.
Monique Conti led the game with eight clearances and had 29 disposals, but her effort couldn’t lift a stagnant Richmond.
The visitors hit the scoreboard first when Isabel Bacon pulled off a sensational goal on the run.
But Fremantle edged ahead thanks to a Miller goal, and should’ve taken more than a four-point lead into quarter-time after kicking five behinds.
The Dockers took their chances better after the break to slam through four consecutive goals to none, with Miller kicking her second major.
So dominant were the hosts that they finished with 28 inside-50 entries to four in the first half.
Richmond didn’t foray into their forward zone once in the second quarter, failing to take one contested mark before halftime despite resorting to lobbing the ball out of defence.
Caitlin Greiser ended the Tigers’ goal drought with the only goal of a hard-fought third quarter.
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Pluck of the Irish helps Hawks hammer hapless Bombers
Irish forward Aine McDonagh provided the class and equalled an AFLW record as Hawthorn consolidated their top-four status with a 30-point win over struggling Essendon.
Hawthorn kicked the last five goals of the game at Windy Hill on Saturday to break open a previously tight contest and win 7.14 (56) to 3.8 (26).
The victory lifted Hawthorn at least temporarily one spot into second above Melbourne, who were scheduled to play at Brisbane later on Saturday.
Aine McDonagh and her Hawthorn teammates impressed at Windy Hill.Credit: Getty Images
It was their first AFLW win over the Bombers and a strong response after last week’s loss to Port Adelaide.
On a wet afternoon when players had difficulty with shots for goal, McDonagh bagged three majors for the third successive game, boosting her season tally to 19.
She kicked Hawthorn’s two first-half goals with classy left-foot finishes, then racked up their first major of the final term, converting a right-foot set shot from close range after taking a mark.
That last effort ensured she matched compatriot Cora Staunton and Katie Brennan in notching 50 AFLW goals in the least amount of games, taking 41 to reach the milestone.
McDonagh also set up two goals for Greta Bodey, who missed three set shots in the first half.
Essendon slumped to an eighth straight loss but looked anything but a 14th-placed team for the first two and a half quarters.
They were level at quarter- and half-time and generated more contested possessions across the game, but couldn’t create and finish enough chances.
Co-captain Bonnie Toogood was the chief culprit, kicking 0.4.
Chloe Adams goaled to give Essendon the lead early In the third quarter, but they could only muster a single behind after that.
Hawthorn’s Laura Stone kicked a goal from close to 60m and inside the centre square to regain the lead for her side and trigger their decisive surge.
Bodey’s double gave the Hawks an 18-point lead at the final change, before McDonagh’s third and a goal to Elli Symonds completed a comfortable win after a tough early struggle.
“It was just a bit of a grind, we know that’s Essendon’s kind of game,” McDonagh told Fox.
“They are tough out in the contests and they love to play a quick brand and we had to take our opportunities.
“We missed a few, which we weren’t too happy with, but at least we got the win,” added McDonagh, whose team finish their regular-season commitments against pacesetters North Melbourne on Friday.
Georgia Nanscawen, Georgia Gee and Stephanie Cain were among the best players for the Bombers.
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Recalled forward reignites Swans’ finals bid
Rebecca Privitelli has kicked three goals to fire Sydney to a 17-point win over an Ella Roberts-less West Coast, keeping the Swans’ slim finals hopes alive.
Daisy Pearce’s Eagles were dealt a massive blow just hours before Saturday’s clash at Henson Park after main ball-winner Roberts was ruled out with hamstring tightness.
Rebecca Privitelli celebrates a goal for the Swans.Credit: AFL Photos
Eagles defender Annabel Johnson came into the side as the Swans posted a 6.7 (43) to 3.8 (26) victory in front of 4519 fans.
Sydney can finish the penultimate home-and-away round in eighth as one of four teams on 24 points, while West Coast – chasing their maiden finals berth – remain sixth on percentage.
Eagles coach Pearce is confident Roberts will return against fellow finals hopeful Carlton on Friday night.
“She was close and a bit disappointed when we made the call for her,” Pearce said.
“She’s a competitor who wants to be out there, and I doubt it’s gotten any better now, but nah, she’ll be attacking next week.”
But coach Scott Gowans will be sweating the fitness of Cynthia Hamilton after the star forward hurt her left ankle in a front-on collision with Eagles player Sanne Bakker early in the first term.
Star Swans forward Cynthia Hamilton picked up an injury at exactly the wrong time of the season.Credit: AFL Photos
Hamilton lay on the ground in agony and required assistance to leave the field, before being substituted out of the game at quarter-time.
“She [Hamilton] was just saying then, she’s a bit sore right up her leg so whether that’s nerves or anything, we’re not sure,” Gowans said.
The home side were also without star duo Chloe Molloy (back) and Sofia Hurley (quad), but it mattered little as Privitelli made the most of her recall to the side.
Privitelli pulled off her goal haul from just nine touches to remind Gowans of her quality.
The 30-year-old had been missing from the side for three weeks, with Saturday’s clash just her fourth game this season.
Laura Gardiner (30 disposals) saw plenty of the ball in her 50th game, well-supported by fellow Swans midfielder Tanya Kennedy (seven clearances).
Lauren Wakfer was among West Coast’s best with one goal, 14 disposals and four clearances.
Sydney rallied quickly after losing Hamilton, with Privitelli opening the scoring with her first goal of the season to help set up an eight-point lead at quarter-time.
West Coast could only cut the deficit to four points in the second quarter as both sides struggled to hit the scoreboard, slotting one goal each.
The home side finally broke away when Privitelli kicked her third goal of the match, taking a 23-point lead at the final break.
Kellie Gibson kicked off the final term with West Coast’s first goal since the second quarter, but she couldn’t spark a comeback.
AAP
Power stun Crows as Tahau sets AFLW goalkicking record
Port Adelaide forward Indy Tahau has set an AFLW goalkicking record as the Power upset arch rivals Adelaide by seven points in a feisty Friday night fixture.
Tahau slotted two goals in a 7.10 (52) to 6.9 (45) victory at Norwood Oval – the Power’s first win over the Crows in four matches.
Tahau has now kicked 23 goals this season – the most of any player in an AFLW home-and-away season.
Indy Tahau and Katelyn Pope after the Power’s win over their local rivals.Credit: AFL Photos
The Power dynamo equalled Melbourne’s Eden Zanker’s overall season record with 23 majors in 2023, which included three goals in three finals.
Tahau, a premiership player with the Brisbane Lions who joined Port in 2022 and a year later suffered an injury requiring a knee reconstruction, snapped a goal-of-the-year contender during a crucial win.
The Power climbed to 10th on the ladder, just one win behind the seventh-placed Crows, with one game remaining before finals.
Adelaide, with Grace Kelly booting two goals, skipped to a nine-point quarter-time lead, 3.3 to 2.0.
But the Crows lost Niamh Kelly to concussion – the Irish talent left the field after an accidental head clash in a heated push-and-shove following Adelaide’s opening goal.
The Crows, led by midfield star Ebony Marinoff’s 10 disposals, were remarkably efficient – they scored from all six of their entries inside their attacking 50m zone.
But Port kept in touch on the scoreboard with Tahau slotting a stunning snap when pinned on a boundary line some 30 metres out.
In the second quarter, the floodgates opened with four consecutive Port goals in less than eight minutes of play.
They outscored the Crows 4.2 to 0.3 in the term, with Tahau again featured in a scoring spree capped by an Abbey Dowrick goal.
Dowrick delivered the Power a 14-point advantage, 6.2 to 3.6 at the halftime siren, when yet another melee between the rivals ensued.
Port logged the sole goal in a tense third term, stretching to a commanding 23-point break at three-quarter time, 7.6 to 3.7.
But the Crows, after goals from Anne Hatchard and Rachelle Martin, snuck within 13 points with nine minutes remaining.
And another late major from Caitlin Gould reduced Adelaide’s deficit to just seven points with 90 seconds left, but neither side scored again.
“It felt like a final,” Power captain Justine Mules-Robinson, who was a triple-premiership player with the Crows, told Fox Footy.
“It was a very, very contested game, but we just continued to chip away and played our brand of footy.”
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The teams: Gold Coast v Collingwood
GOLD COAST
B: K.Lynch, C.Fitzpatrick
HB: M.Girvan, W.Randell, N.McLaughlin
C: G.Clayden, M.Brancatisano, L.Mithen
HF: E.Veerhuis, H.Harris, A.Kievit
F: J.Dupuy, T.Harrington
Foll: D.Davies, C.Rowbottom, L.Single
I/C (from): L.Bella, E.Smith, M.Salisbury, C.Wilson, S.McMullen, K.Bischa, K.Fullerton, T.Gregory
In: C.Fitzpatrick, E.Veerhuis, K.Fullerton, T.Gregory
Out: J.Stanton (injured)
COLLINGWOOD
B: L.Butler, L.Cronin
HB: A.Lee, T.White, A.Runnalls
C: J.Allen, R.Schleicher, S.Rowe
HF: V.Patterson, N.Morris-Dalton, G.Campbell
F: I.Barnett, K.Howarth
Foll: S.Frederick, B.Bonnici, M.Cann
I/C (from): A.Schutte, L.Williamson, M.Hyde, S.Karlson, G.Knight, A.Porter, C.Taylor, E.James
In: M.Hyde, S.Karlson, A.Porter, C.Taylor, E.James
Out: K.Hogan (injured), G.Clark (injured)
The teams: Carlton v GWS
CARLTON
B: A.Velardo, M.Hendrie
HB: C.Fitzgerald, H.Cordner, D.Vescio
C: Y.Duursma, K.Sherar, D.Finn
HF: L.Goss, P.Scholz, E.Fitzpatrick
F: B.Harrington, S.McKay
Foll: J.Good, A.McKay, L.Keck
I/C (from): G.Pound, K.Skepper, B.Vickers, M.Guerin, S.O’Connell, T.Bohanna, A.Reidy, M.Austin
In: S.O’Connell, T.Bohanna, A.Reidy, M.Austin
Out: M.Torpey (omitted)
GWS
B: D.Walker, K.Smith
HB: G.Martin, C.McCormick, E.Pease
C: S.Howley, R.Beeson, M.Brazendale
HF: G.Garnett, M.Pauga, B.Mowbray
F: T.Evans, I.Huntington
Foll: E.O’Dowd, Z.Goldsworthy, K.Srhoj
I/C (from): T.Levy, C.Ransom, J.Doyle, V.Saad, F.Davies, A.Newman, E.Brown, S.Kavanagh
In: C.Ransom, V.Saad, A.Newman, E.Brown
Out: A.Eva (injured)
The teams: North Melbourne v St Kilda
NORTH MELBOURNE
B: L.Birch, J.Ferguson
HB: E.O’Shea, E.Shannon, T.Boyd
C: A.Smith, R.Tripodi, T.Craven
HF: V.Wall, B.Bogue, A.O’Loughlin
F: T.Randall, E.King
Foll: K.Rennie, A.Riddell, J.Garner
I/C (from): A.Gavin Mangan, B.Eddey, J.Bruton, K.Shierlaw, A.Hetherington, C.Mahony, G.Stubs, E.Slocombe
In: A.Hetherington, C.Mahony, G.Stubs, E.Slocombe
Out: E.Kearney (managed)
ST KILDA
B: E.Friend, N.Stevens
HB: A.Burke, P.Trudgeon, S.Watson
C: N.Xenos, T.Smith, C.Baskaran
HF: J.Anderson, J.Wardlaw, A.Gee
F: Z.Besanko, H.Priest
Foll: R.Caris, G.Patrikios, Am.Clarke
I/C (from): D.Guttridge, J.Lambert, K.Forbes, N.Barr, H.Stuart, L.Hung, N.Plane, Ar.Clarke
In: R.Caris, J.Lambert, N.Barr, L.Hung
Out: R.Ott (injured)
The teams: Western Bulldogs v Geelong
WESTERN BULLDOGS
B: E.Bennetts, L.Ahrens
HB: I.Grant, K.Kimber, B.Gutknecht
C: R.Wilcox, E.Blackburn, M.Gorham
HF: H.Woodley, E.McDonald, S.Hartwig
F: L.Stephenson, E.Grigg
Foll: A.Edmonds, J.Fitzgerald, D.Carruthers
I/C (from): S.Poustie, D.Berry, B.Barwick, K.Weston-Turner, N.Ferres, E.Gavalas, A.McKee, V.Laloifi
In: D.Berry, K.Weston-Turner, N.Ferres, A.McKee
Out: I.Pritchard (injured)
GEELONG
B: G.Rankin, C.Gunjaca
HB: R.Kearns, A.Gregor, R.Webster
C: E.Kilpatrick, G.Prespakis, K.Kenny
HF: M.Bowen, J.Parry, K.Surman
F: A.Moloney, C.Mason
Foll: C.Tipping, A.McDonald, N.Morrison
I/C (from): S.Tallariti, Z.Friswell, E.Fowler, K.Darby, C.Thorne, B.Smith, M.McDonald, B.O’Rourke
In: B.Smith, M.McDonald, B.O’Rourke
Out: Nil
The teams: Brisbane Lions v Melbourne
BRISBANE LIONS
B: J.Dunne, S.Campbell
HB: S.Conway, J.Ellenger, N.Grider
C: L.Postlethwaite, A.Anderson, O.O’Dwyer
HF: N.Dooley, T.Smith, C.Svarc
F: D.Davidson, C.Mullins
Foll: T.Hickie, C.Hodder, I.Dawes
I/C: P.Boltz, S.Davison, E.Hartill, R.Svarc, C.Wright
EMG: R.Crozier, E.Hampson, D.Heslop
In: C.Hodder
Out: S.Peters (injured)
MELBOURNE
B: S.Taylor, T.Gillard
HB: B.Mackin, S.Lampard, M.Chaplin
C: E.McNamara, T.Hanks, P.Paxman
HF: M.Fitzsimon, E.Zanker, A.Bannan
F: T.Harris, R.Wotherspoon
Foll: L.Pearce, S.Heath, K.Hore
I/C: L.Ebert, J.Rigoni, G.Campbell, M.Mahony, M.O’Hehir
EMG: G.Gall, L.Johnson, D.Taylor
In: B.Mackin, M.Mahony
Out: S.Goldrick (injured), L.Johnson (omitted)
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