Cora Staunton and Laura Corrigan-Duryea will go head to head today and Irish eyes will be smiling.  But Staunton will also renew acquaintances with Daisy Pearce.

Sure we are excited to see two Irish players line up in today's AFLW match.  But still have a time to wait before we see women that have learned the Australian game in Ireland make it to this competition however.  Today's meeting though could be some petrol added to the fire of local development in Ireland that is already on the up after winning this year's women's International Cup title.

Laura Corrigan-Duryea found the game in Australia, learnt it in suburban Melbourne and mastered the game at Diamond Creek before finally donning the number 11 for Melbourne in the AFLW's inaugural season.  She backed up the AFLW season with a VFL season that saw her with a Grand Final runners-up medal around her neck and a championship medal for the International Cup (as co-captain of her nations footy team).

In the first match of her second AFLW season she will either line-up on or in proximity to Cora Staunton.  A woman who is a legend of Ladies Gaelic Football and a household name in Ireland, recruited to try to boost the poorly performed forward line of the GWS Giants.  Staunton's journey from the draft to playing Australian rules at the highest level in a number of months is remarkable.  A fast running, goal scoring forward, she is a revered veteran of her game at home and the rawest rookie in the Australian game.  This contest will not go un-noticed in Ireland and will be eagerly watched by women across Ireland and may just bring a boom in interest in playing the Australian game too.

While Laura Corrigan-Duryea has not played against Staunton before, one of her team mates has.  Possibly the greatest female playing in Australian football going against possibly the greatest of Ladies Gaelic football.  Daisy Pearce was part of the 2006 Australian team that played International Rules in Ireland, with Cora Staunton on the Irish team.  Then both so raw, now both so experienced and with decorated careers under their belt.  Let's hope we see them clash today.

And as suggested by our writer Tash Gunawardana earlier this year, let's hope we see them go head to head again representing their nations in a repise of the International Rules series for women too. ...

Casey Fields Date: 3/2/18 Time: 5:05pm

The Melbourne Demons won in a cracker of a match against the 2017 bottom placed GWS Giants this afternoon at the Casey Fields, the home of the Melbourne Women's Football Club. Both sides put on an entertaining see soaring contest from the first ball up till the end of the match.

Image Source: Twitter @FOXFootyLive

For the whole match you could not pick a winner in this match due to both teams playing with a high amount of intensity and pressure. It was a great spectacle of women's football for the 5,100 fans who were there to see it. In particular many of the Melbourne fans who came to support their beloved Dees ladies play in their opening round match.

Before the match the young Melbourne Demons fans formed a guard of honour for the Melbourne players to run through. The Giants team ran through the banner first before the Demons who had two African drummers play the drums before there team song blasted through the grounds speakers. When the Melbourne theme song started playing the home crowd became loud to cheer their ladies onto the ground. The two captains Daisy Pearce and Amanda Farrugia tossed the coin in the centre and the Giants won the toss. Farrugia chose to kick to the left of the ground with the breeze and the Dees to the right of the ground.

Nothing could separate both the Dees and Giants in the first term, as the pressure from both sides was immense from the start of the quarter to the end. The Giants captain Farrugia led from the front with her pressure on and off the ball. Farrugia was influential in setting up the Giants first goal of the match as she kicked it into the forward 50 and the ball went over the back and Jacinda Barclay slotted through the goal for the Giants.

In the first term Melbourne had majority of the possession and plenty of inside 50s but were unable to make the most of their opportunities with the football, as their disposal efficiency let them down. Melbourne scored their first goal of the match after they were able to break away out of the middle with clear possession and Melissa Hickey for the Dees kicked the football forward and Melbourne finally kicked their first goal of the match via Shelley Scott.

The Dees had a lot of the play late in first quarter but they were still behind at quarter time by four points due to a late goal in time on through Irish new recruit Cora Staunton on the run from 30m out. Staunton showed her speed that with her goal on the run. Karen Paxman was in the hands of trainers, as she hobbled from the ground and she looked to be in immense pain. The Giants made the most of their limited opportunities when they went forward with 2 goals to 1 goal to the Dees at quarter time. Britt Tully was leading disposals for the Giants with 5 and Karen Paxman with 8 disposals leading the way for the Dees.

The second term begun tightly contested and with immense pressure, as the first quarter did. Phoebe McWilliam's kicked through the first goal for the Giants and the Giants had a 10 point lead and looked like they would run away with this match, as they were getting on top in the play.

It looked like two Giants players were on Daisy Pearce for the whole first half, as she was unable to break away clear from the contest. New recruit Courtney Gum who is 36 years old, played well for the Giants with her ferocious tackling and showed that age is only a number. It was a very tight tussle for the entire second quarter as neither team dropped off their intensity, especially the tackling pressure was high. Both teams defences held up well with neither forward lines able to score. For most of the second term the Dees were a bit scrappy with their possession of the football as they were unable to find targets.

The Giants led by 9 points at the major break over the Dees. Britt Tully and Meg Downie were leading disposals for the Giants with 9 and Elise O'Dea and Lily Mithen with 9 respectively.

Melbourne came out with a lot of pressure and intensity in the third term and as a result were able to slot through first goal of the second half through Tegan Cunningham. The Dees kicked their second goal in a row after Shelley Scott kicked the football forward and Rochelle Cranston slotted through the major. Melbourne took back the lead early on in the third. Alicia Eva for the Giants placed a good hard tackle in the contest.

The Giants were deep in attack in the last couple of minutes but were unable to get a major, as they weren't clean with their disposal of the football. Melbourne kicked a dribble goal via Kate Hoare and the Dees towards the end of the third term were getting on top of the Giants.The Giants were able to stay in the match due to a throw of the ball after the Dees player was tackled, which resulted in a drop punt kick at goal by Jacinda Barclay.

This third term showed how still tightly contested both teams were playing with neither team able to breakaway clear with possession or get in front by more than 10 points. The 36 year old Gum continued to play well for the Giants as the game went on. Giants kicked a ripper of a goal via Phoebe McWilliams who booted through her second from the outside of her boot from the boundary after a Melbourne kick out of defence error with a minute left in the third term. Elise O'Dea and Daisy Pearce were leading disposals for Dees with 13 each and Britt Tully and Courtney Gum both had 12 disposals for the Giants respectively.

The Giants went into the final stanza with a 5 point lead over the Dees. Both teams held up well in all parts of the ground making for a breath taking contest. This match could of gone either way with the Dees kicking to the end with the breeze in the last term. Daisy Pearce broke away in the second half and was able to get on top in the contest. Pearce led from the front after being heavily tagged for most of the first half, but like a true champion she stepped up for her Dees and was able to get her team over the line by a goal.

Courtney Gum continued to play well for the Giants in defence and the middle of the ground. Cranston slotted through another goal for the Dees and she was a gun up forward and showed a lot of potency in the forward line. Melbourne gained the lead back by a point and this was credited to their inside 50s count racking up. As a result, they were able to boot another goal through Shelley Scott. Melbourne were up by 7 points with 10 minutes left.

Melbourne were all over the Giants in the last quarter, as they lifted their intensity and pressure around the ball when they needed to. Faruggia was valiant till the end, because she set up another goal for her Giants by kicking it inside 50 and her Irish teammate Staunton was rewarded a free kick and slotted through the goal truly. Scores were levelled with less than five minutes of play left in the match and both teams still gave it their all.

Fans from both teams were so nervous in the last few minutes of play and the Dees fans were very vocal each time the Dees players went near the ball, you could hear the roar. Pearce did everything she could to get her team over the line with efforts such as taking a courageous mark in the centre. The pressure in the last few minutes of the match was immense and right up with both fans on the edge of their seats and you could feel the pressure.

Cranston was versatile again up forward and was able to slot through a goal out of nothing. She played well up forward for the Dees and was their standout in the forward line. The Dees were able to hold on and win by a goal at their home at Casey Fields in a cracker of a match.

BRISBANE LIONS    1.2      1.3      3.6      4.7 (31)
ADELAIDE                 0.0      3.1      3.1      3.1 (19)

GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Wuetschner 2, Conway, Ashmore
Adelaide: Jones, Wallace, Randall 

BEST 
Brisbane Lions: Frederick-Traub, Lutkins, Zielke, Stanton, Ashmore, Wuetschner
Adelaide: Randall, Marinoff, Varnhagen, Foley 

INJURIES 
Brisbane Lions: Nil
Adelaide: Nil 

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Andrew Crosby, Trent McPhee, Cameron Dore

Official crowd: 11,120 at Norwood Oval ...

Tash Gunawardana interviewed marquee AFLW Brisbane Lions player Sabrina Frederick-Traub. Frederick-Traub played for the Lions last night in the Grand Final rematch against the Adelaide Crows at Norwood Oval and took home the four points against the reigning premiers..

You were born in England, what is your awareness of footy in the UK?
I am aware of both the male and female teams that compete in the International Cup.

Do you consider yourself English, or Aussie?  Is there any identity clash when the Ashes are on?
I consider myself English, although I left when I was 7 my family still kept me immersed in the British culture and I go back a fair bit – Hahaha I support Australia when they are playing any other country apart from England , I am loyal when it comes to my home country.

 Image Source: womens.afl

Have you had any contact with the team the Great Britain Swans?
I have spoken to the captain over message briefly, really would love to be involved more with the team.

Did you have any messages of support from women following the AFLW in the UK or anywhere else outside Australia?
Not that I am aware of no.

You captained an Australian youth girls team on a tour of New Zealand, what can you tell us about that tour and the opportunity to play footy in another country?
It was a life changing experience, one I will take with me forever. To compete against the Kahus girls and watch them grow over the few games on the tour was incredible. To see a different approach to AFL and the culture they brought with it was so exciting – to be able to play the game I love and Australia’s great game to another country where the passion is .

What was your experience like in Papua New Guinea when you did footy development work over there and what is the potential for women’s footy in that country?

Such a great experience in PNG, again such a different cultural approach to AFL, which I love! I think they have great untapped talent – with the lack of resources they have and what they can do is mind blowing. It reminds me of when I first started playing football, as a female it wasn’t resourced yet the passion for the game was the key driver and that is what is happening over in PNG.

What is it like to be an Australia Post AFL Multicultural Ambassador?
Honestly is the one of best titles I can be given. AFL gave me something nothing else has ever given me and it’s a place of belonging. The community you are adopted into and the experiences you gain is second to none. Being able to be a mark of what AFL can do for someone foreign to the game and then seeing children from all sorts of backgrounds coming together for an oval ball is unbelievable.

Given your heritage, do you think we could ever see women in the ‘West Indies’ nations playing Australian football too?
Absolutely I can. I would love to see that happen, I would love to see this great game played all over the world if it could.

Describe what it is like to play for the Brisbane Lions in the AFLW?
To be honest I get asked this question a lot and I never really know how to put it into words other than we are a family .I was lucky enough to be one of two AFLW players first signed to the club and to have watched the process to get the team and staff functioning in a way that is filled with so much passion is inspiring.

What have you learnt from your first season in the AFLW?
I have learnt that it is so much more than just a game.

What does it mean to be a women’s footballer?
It means everything to me, to be one of the first is an absolute honor and I don’t take it for granted.

As a footballer, what are your strengths and weaknesses? 

Strengths I would say my presence and leadership. My weaknesses change all the time but I like to keep them to myself so I can improve.

Did you play any other sports growing up other than football?
I did a fair bit of sport growing up. Being English of course I played football (soccer), I also played basketball , cricket and did swimming.

What do you do in your spare time?
 I like to be outdoors a fair bit, love to body board and skateboard.

If you were not playing women’s footy, what other sport would you be playing?
Probably soccer or basketball.

Which AFL player past or present do you model your game on?
Nic Naitanui

What are you most looking forward to in the 2018 AFLW season?
Excited for a step up in the game and quality of players. Also looking forward to seeing all the new draftees out on the field.

  ...

The Lions took home the chocolates in their Grand Final rematch against the Crows at Norwood Oval in front of 11,120 fans at the home of the Crows on Saturday evening. This match was a tight tussle like the previous two matches to open the 2018 AFLW season.

The Lions did not want a repeat of last year’s Grand Final and to ensure that history did not repeat itself they kept the Crows scoreless in the last stanza to win by 12 points.

Chelsea Randall ended the match with 18 disposals and led the possession count for the Crows and Jamie Stanton from the Lions accumulated an impressive 21 touches. Jess Wuetschner from the Lions was the only multiple goal scorer on the ground with 2 goals and Chelsea Randall, Eloise Jones and Ruth Wallace each kicked a goal apiece.

BRISBANE LIONS    1.2      1.3      3.6      4.7 (31)
ADELAIDE                 0.0      3.1      3.1      3.1 (19)

GOALS
Brisbane Lions: Wuetschner 2, Conway, Ashmore
Adelaide: Jones, Wallace, Randall
 

BEST
Brisbane Lions: Frederick-Traub, Lutkins, Zielke, Stanton, Ashmore, Wuetschner
Adelaide: Randall, Marinoff, Varnhagen, Foley
 

INJURIES
Brisbane Lions: Nil
Adelaide: Nil
Reports: Nil

Umpires: Andrew Crosby, Trent McPhee, Cameron Dore
 

Official crowd: 11,120 at Norwood Oval

  ...

The Bulldogs were victors over Freo by 26 points Sunday afternoon in front of 8,500 fans at the home of the Western Bulldogs the Whitten Oval. A woeful Freo were only able to trouble the scorers in the third term, as they were only able to score their first goal at the 3 and a half minute mark of the third via Amy Lavell.

Katie Brennan starred for the home team with 3 goals and Lavell slotted 2 goals for the Dockers. Ellie Blackburn was the leading possession winner for the Dogs with 23 touches. 2017 best and fairest winner Dana Hooker along with Kara Donnellan had 12 disposals each for the Dockers.

This match showed the rest of the teams in the AFLW competition that the Dogs will not be a team to be taken lightly this year.

WESTERN BULLDOGS     3.2     5.4     5.6     7.7 (49) 
FREMANTLE                     0.0     0.0    3.3     3.5 (23)  

GOALS
Western Bulldogs: Brennan 3, Blackburn, Lochland, Toogood, O'Connor
Fremantle: Lavell 2, Sharp

BEST 
Western Bulldogs: Blackburn, Brennan, Kearney, Lochland, Lamb, Utri
Fremantle: Donnellan, Hooker, Lavell, Miller 

INJURIES 
Western Bulldogs: Callinan (back), Bannister (knee)
Fremantle: Antonio (head knock)

Reports: Nil 

Umpires: Guy, Young, Burns

Official crowd: 8,500 at Whitten Oval ...

The AFL Europe Fitzpatrick Cup was played out last weekend, and the following article from the AFL Europe website details the event. Once again, the UC Bombers have proved to be the university to beat, raising the bar even higher in 2018. 

A mixture of rain, wind, hail and sunshine met participants at the 5th Fitzpatrick Cup hosted by the University College Cork (UCC) on Saturday. ‘The Farm’ played hosted to the annual universities tournament for the second year running in what proved a typically mild February day in Ireland. 

Eleven teams made the journey to this year’s Fitz with eight men’s and three women’s varsity teams battling it to be crowned university champions of Europe.

 The Group Stages 

Three women’s teams took to the field at the start of this year’s Fitz with defending champions, UCC, Cambridge and a Cork Mixed side competing in a round-robin to start the day off. 

UCC won both their games convincingly to book their place in the final and lined up against an inexperienced but enthusiastic Cambridge side. Despite finishing second after group stages, Cork Mixed weren’t eligible for the finals due to non-university students playing.

Women’s Pool Standings

UCC

Mixed Cork*

Cambridge

Two pools of four took to field in the men’s tournament. The competition proved fierce and the level was above that of previous years. New comers, CIT Saints, went through Pool A undefeated with English counter-parts Birmingham and Cambridge finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively after a thrilling final pool game between the two determined their placings. Maynooth battled hard but couldn’t get a win in the pool games but certainly showed improvement on previous years.

Pool A Standings

CIT

Birmingham

Cambridge

Maynooth

Pool B saw defending champions UCC1 go through undefeated but had some close games with the Mixed universities and their grand final opponents from last year, UCC2. Mixed universities finished 2nd with UCC2 finishing a close 3rd. Dublin universities in their first tournament toiled hard but couldn’t register a win.

Pool B Standings

UCC1

Mixed Universities

UCC2

Dublin Universities

The Finals 

For the women it was defending champions, UCC, taking on Cambridge. UCC jumped out of the blocks early and piled on a massive 46-points in the opening half. Making it next to impossible for the visiting Cambridge side to claw back the deficit.

The 2nd half started positively for Cambridge with a quick centre clearance and forward foray but unfortunately did not register for a score. Despite a much stronger showing in the 2nd half, UCC were too powerful and continued to score at will reclaiming their title with a convincing 76-0 score line. 

In a consolation for Cambridge the women’s player of the tournament went to Catherine Ludden in an amazing display across her three matches.

The men’s final series was a tantalizing prospect for the crowd with CIT taking on Mixed Universities and UCC1 taking on Birmingham. 

In the first semi-final CIT held control for the majority of the game and kept the Mixed side at arm’s length to run out 34-15 winners and booked their place in the final at their first Fitzpatrick Cup.

The second semi-final pitted the two most decorated Fitzpatrick Cup sides in history against one another with UCC1 taking on Birmingham. In a fiery game with a seesawing score line it was UCC1 who edged in front in the 2nd half and just held on to victory by 8-points.

The men’s final was an all Cork affair with UCC1 looking to reclaim their crown and CIT hoping to make it the perfect debut tournament. The teams went score for score in the opening half and went into halftime tied at 2 goals, 2 behinds a piece. The defending champions jumped out of the blocks in the second half with two quick goals and from then on controlled the game to run out 38 to 21-point victors.

The men’s player of the tournament went to CIT captain, Paul Murphy. 

The Golden Whistle for umpire of the tournament went to Brent Morrison. 

A special mention to all the volunteers and umpires who made the day possible in what was at times very testing conditions. 

We look forward to the 6th edition of the Fitzpatrick Cup in 2019! 

AFL Europe’s original article can be viewed at: http://www.afleurope.org/fitzpatrick-cup-2018-tournament-review/ 

Photo Credits – UCC Bombers Men's & Women's Champions (AFL Europe)

  ...

With Nauru celebrating its 50th anniversary of independence in 2018, the Jubilee Cup has kicked off the festivities early.

The cup was a round-robin tournament featuring some of the most talented young footballers on the island, with 11 different sides all competing for the cup -- plus island-wide bragging rights. The initial tournament ran from January 17-20, organized into pools A and B, culminating in the grand final on the 27th.

Image Source: AFL Nauru

Ultimately, the Boe Lions took home the flag in a high-scoring grand final, defeating the Buada Tigers by 13 points. Both teams had come into the match with high expectations; the Lions and Tigers had dominated the competition, with both recording at least one shutout apiece in the previous week’s action.

The grand final itself was a fast-paced and exciting match at Linkbelt Oval, featuring lots of physical action and numerous lead changes in spite of humid conditions. Both teams had shown plenty of accuracy in front of goal in the cup so far, and the granny was no exception.

Joesen Kanimea and Pilo Dagiaro both booted three goals for Boe, with Lucky Ika and Zac Detenamo also coming in clutch with key goals at crucial moments late in the second half. The Lions’ defense stood tall against the Tigers, who boasted a potent offensive attack of their own. Marcus Detenamo and Bronco Deidenang each kicked three for Buada, but in the end, the Lions’ superior accuracy helped them secure a big victory.

Dagiaro -- whose brother Charles plays for the Nauru national team -- took home the best and fairest for the grand final. As winners of the Jubilee Cup, the victorious Lions will be heading to take a tour of Brisbane in March, where they will be able to show homegrown Nauruan talent on a much larger scale. Best of luck to them!

Jubilee Cup Grand Final

Boe 11.3.69

Buada 8.8.56

GOALS

Boe: Kanimea 3, Dagiaro 3, Emiu 2, Spanner, Ika, Detenamo

Buada: Deidenang 3, Detenamo 3, Scotty, Olsson

 BEST AND FAIREST

Boe: P. Dagiaro, Kamtaura, Kanimea, C. Dagiaro, Spanner, Detenamo, Harris, Star, Ika

Buada: Deidenang, Moses, Scotty, Detenamo, Olsson, Maaki

Image Source: AFL Nauru ...

On Thursday, a wonderful announcement was made by the Osaka Dingoes AFL Club and AFL Japan. They have gained a partnership with the Kobe-based Canadian Academy.

In an agreement,

- Complimentary ground bookings have been offered by the Canadian Academy to the Osaka Dingoes and AFL Japan in a certain months in 2018.

- Canadian Academy's PE staff members will get opportunities to gain coaching and training skills for their students, with the training and development coaching program conducted by Matt Gale, the President of AFL Asia and the Osaka Dingoes.

- Footy gear will be provided by AFL Japan for footy activities at the Canadian Academy. The partnership is a big step moving forward in developing and promoting Australian Rules Football in the Kansai region of Japan. Meanwhile Osaka Dingoes are back training and are looking forward to being back in a structured competition for the first time since 2013. ...

Melbourne were dominant at Casey Fields this afternoon with a percentage boosting win over the reigning premiers Adelaide in front of 3,800 footy fans. The Dees were all over the Crows who were not able to put a halt to the Dees immense pressure.

It did not start well at all for the Crows, because before the siren even sounded for the match to begin there banner fell apart on one end with the post falling off on the right due to the strong breeze and the crowd could not believe it. This trend unfortunately continued for the Crows who were unable to get on top of a Demons team that was exceptional and played top notch football.

 Image Source: Twitter @melbournefc

Captain Daisy Pearce won the toss to loud cheers and the delight of her team's supporters.

The first quarter was very tight with only a point separating both sides on the scoreboard at quarter time. Aleisha Newman from the Dees kicked a beauty of a running goal from outside 40 from the outside of her boot after she took on the Crows defender. It was great to see Newman take the game on with her speed and her goal is most likely in running for one of the goals of the year.

The Crows had a few inside 50s, but the Dees defensive half held up well with their marking in the first term. In the first the Dees had a lot of the ball but let themselves down when they were near their forward half, as they were wasteful with their disposal and struggled to get it past their attacking 50. Abbey Holmes slotted through the Crow's first goal of the first quarter with about three and half minutes left on the clock, after the Dees made a mess off it in their backline.

In the second term the Dees were able to kick away from the Crows with four goals into the breeze as they lifted their run, intensity and pressure in all areas of the match. Their footy was impressive to watch, as their skills with and without the ball were exceptional. They had answers for everything the Crows threw at them.

The Dees scored their first goal of the second quarter from a team effort after Daisy Pearce kicked forward to Tegan Cunningham who kicked to Shelley Scott. Scott took the football and ran towards the goal square and kicked an easy goal just metres out.  Richelle Cranston kicked another easy goal for Melbourne from the goal square and team mate Alyssa Mifsud set up another team goal for the Dees as she put two great efforts on to ensure her team scored a major when Lauren Pearce marked in the goal square.

The Crows only goal of the second came about halfway through the quarter after the Dees gave away a free kick. Jasmyn Hewitt from the Crows was the recipient of the free kick and she slotted truly from 60m out. Tegan Cunningham for the Dees marked it 20m out and kicked a goal on a slight angle and Melbourne went into halftime with a 20 point advantage over the reigning premiers.

The Dees started the third quarter as they ended the second with immense pressure and intensity. This paid off for them, because Mel Hickey kicked a nice running goal from outside 50 after a clean pick up. The Crows had no answers for the Dees. This match was very much one sided due to the Crows unable to match the Dees ferocity and pressure all over the ground. The Dees skills were top notch and they had a lot of long nice quick kicks forward, which put the Crows defenders under immense pressure.

In the last few minutes of the third term the contest tightened up with neither team able to break clear with possession with stoppage after stoppage. The Crows tried everything to put a halt to some of the Dees dominance. Fortunately for the Crows they were finally rewarded for all their hard work, as Ruth Wallace kicked truly for Adelaide's only goal for the quarter. The Demons responded with a quick reply after a quick kick inside attacking 50 and Tegan Cunningham scored from the goal square. At the end of the third, Melbourne were up by 28 points.

In the final stanza, the Dees were only able to trouble the scorers with one goal despite all the play and Newman the youngster was the one who slotted through the goal. The Crows kicked an easy running goal from the goal square via Jenna McCormick.

This quarter the football was mainly in the Dees attacking half of the ground, but their kicking in front of the big sticks let them down with four behinds. Fortunately they did not have to worry too much about their wayward kicking as they already had a match winning lead on the scoreboard.

The Dees won by 32 points at their home at Casey Fields over a Crows outfit that was outclassed from the second term till the final siren. As a result they remain undefeated and the Crows remain winless in season number two of the AFLW and their hopes of winning back to back premierships are slowly drying up.

Karen Paxman was everywhere for Melbourne and this was amazing, as she came off the ground early with a back spasm from last week's match against the Giants. Paxman finished with 21 disposals and Ebony Marinoff tried hard for her Crows all afternoon and ended the match with with 18 possessions. Cunningham and Newman were both lively in the forward line for the Dees with 2 goals each. The Crows had no multiple goal kickers.

MELBOURNE  1.1  5.2  7.4  8.8 (56)
ADELAIDE      1.0  2.0  3.0  4.0 (24)

GOALS
Melbourne: Cunningham 2, Newman 2, Scott, L.Pearce, Hickey, Cranston
Adelaide: Holmes, Hewett, Wallace, McCormick 

BEST
Melbourne: Paxman, O'Dea, Jakobsson, Hore, Mithen, D.Pearce,
Adelaide: Marinoff, Cox, Randall, Varnhagen, Cox 

Umpires: Gibson, McGinness, Heffernan

Official crowd: 3800 at Casey Fields ...

The Fremantle Dockers won by 13 points over the Pies in front of a massive record crowd of 41, 975 at their new home the Optus Stadium. This crowd was the biggest crowd in the history of Women's sport in Australia.

For the first half of the first quarter, Collingwood were on top in all areas especially slick and clean in their forward half. As a result, they were able to kick two goals. Emma King from the Pies slotted the first goal at Optus Stadium and shortly after Christina Bernardi was able to score goal number two for the visitors. However in a tight and open first quarter, the Dockers led by six points at the end of the first after three goals in a row.

Image Source: Twitter @freodockers

The Dockers kept the Pies scoreless in the second term and the Dockers only managed to kick one goal of their own in the second.

Bernardi became the Pies only multiple goal scorer when she was able to kick her second goal of the match in the third quarter. Mel Caulfield also became a multiple goal kicker for her Dockers after she slotted through her second in the third term.

In the last quarter, both the Pies and Dockers were able to score a goal each. Most of the match was free flowing and open, which was great to see.

Dana Hooker who was the 2017 best and fairest winner for the Dockers had a standout performance. Hooker ended with 20 disposals and 14 of them were contested possessions and 2 goals. She also had 7 tackles and 5 clearances and was best on ground. Chloe Molloy played another quality match and was her teams best again like last week with 15 effective disposals and 6 marks.

Collingwood's Stacey Livingstone injured her shoulder from the match and she looked to be in serious pain, when she came from the ground.

The Dockers were victors in the end at their new home after they were able to score 6 of the last 8 goals for the match. This Dockers side were different from the one that lost against the Dogs last week. They played a tough, defensive and free flowing brand of football.

FREMANTLE                         3.0     4.1     5.3     6.4     (40)                  
COLLINGWOOD                   2.0     2.0     3.1     4.3     (27)            

GOALS
Fremantle: Caulfield 2, Hooker 2, Atkins, Lavell
Collingwood: Bernardi 2, King, Lambert 

BEST 
Fremantle: Hooker, Antonio, Caulfield, Webb, Donnellan
Collingwood: Kuys, Chiocci, Duffin, Molloy, Bernardi 

INJURIES 
Fremantle: Nil
Collingwood: Stacey Livingstone (shoulder), Sophie Casey (concussion) 

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Simmonds, Curtis, McPhee

Official crowd: 41,975 at Optus Stadium ...

The Western Bulldogs overcame the Lions in hot conditions in front of 5,300 football fans. In the second season of the AFLW the Dogs remain undefeated and the Lions have zero wins to start this season. The Dogs had been fantastic all day and their slick ball movement and gameplay all over the ground getting them get over the line. They unfortunately let themselves down in front of goal, as they were only able to score three goals for the entire match.

Image Source: Twitter @BulldogsW

It was a tight opening term with the first score a behind only coming with 6 mins left on the clock from Katie Brennan. Izzy Huntington played tough in and around the contest, as she cracked the packs and took strong marks. At quarter time the Lions led the Dogs by one point with neither team able to score a goal in the opening term. It was a real arm wrestle in the heat. Ally Anderson from the Lions was able to rack up nine possessions in the first. She was the only player able to get more than four disposals.

Emma Kearney kicked beautifully to Jenna Bruton who took a mark on a tight angle. Bruton set up the goal for the Dogs, as she kicked it forward to a pack in the goal square and Huntington the no.1 draft pick from last year took a solid mark and slotted home the Dogs first goal of the second only metres out. This was also the first goal of the match. Huntington played with flair, prowess and was a lively dangerous target up forward for the Dogs. She kicked two goals in the space of about two minutes, after she took two great pack marks and she helped her team get out to a lead of 11 points.

About 90 seconds after she kicked 2 goals in quick succession and owning the second term, Huntington threw her body at the contest and she came off second best. She held her knee in immense pain with what looks like a possible ACL injury. Huntington has done her ACL before in 2016 and she has just come back from a knee reconstruction.  Footy can be cruel at times after Huntington showcased some of the great skills she has to offer and was looking like she was going to continue to play a gem of a game.

Huntington was stretchered off and it was sad as she was giving it her all for her Dogs and truly bought the forward line for the Dogs alive. The Dogs were able to get three consecutive goals with a goal through Hannah Scott who crashed out of the pack and scored a goal off a banana kick. Bruton was really involved in the second and gave it her all and slotted another major for the Dogs in only her second match and they had a 24 point lead.

Their ball movement and play was exceptional and possibly can only be matched to the Dees. Sabrina Frederick Traub tried to give her Lions a lift with a strong pack mark 30m from goal and the crowd cheered. Unfortunately Frederick Traub's kicking in front of goal let her down on this occasion. Dogs had a 23 point advantage at the main break over the Lions who had only managed three behinds for the whole match so far.

Jess Wuetschner scored the Lions first goal of the game at the start of the third term, after she curled the kick perfectly from the boundary. The game heated up late in the third term with both teams not allowing each other to breakaway clear from the contest with possession. At three quarter time the Lions were down by 16 points.

The fourth stanza started tight with both teams unable to breakaway from the packs with clean  disposal. There was stoppage after stoppage due to the good tackling by both teams who were playing a contested style of football. The Lions did all of the attacking in the middle and in their forward part of the ground for the first half of the last quarter. Fortunately for the Dogs, the Lions were unable to make the most of their opportunities when the football was inside their attacking 50. The Lions were all over the Dogs in the last term, but to the relief of the Dogs they could not capitalize with majors on the scoreboard.

Ally Anderson slotted through the first goal of the tight last quarter for the Lions. Aisling Utri for the Dogs saw an opportunity in front of goal and nailed the open goal. Wuestchner responded straightaway for the Lions with a goal of her own on her left foot for her second goal of the match. The Dogs were outscored in the last quarter, as they only kicked one goal to the Lions two.

Wuetschner ended the match with two goals to her name and so did Huntington for the Dogs. The smalls for the Dogs were great today. Katie Brennan led the way as captain again for her side with 11 quality disposals, 7 marks and 2 score involvements. Emily Bates had 21 possessions and Anderson had 16 disposals. They both played well for their Lions. Sabrina Frederick Traub was well managed by two Dogs players all match. Kearney was the standout for the Dogs as well with 18 possessions, 5 marks and 9 tackles in a fine display.

The Dogs were victors by nine points over a Lions team that almost over ran them in the last quarter. Even though the dogs were able to get the win this afternoon they will be anxiously awaiting the results from Huntington's scans on her knee.

BRISBANE                             0.2     0.3     1.4     3.6     (24)
WESTERN BULLDOGS     0.1     4.2     4.2     5.3     (33) 
 
GOALS
Brisbane: Wuetschner 2, Anderson
Western Bulldogs: Huntington 2, Bruton, Scott, Utri
 
BEST
Brisbane: Anderson, Bates, Zielke, Lutkins
Western Bulldogs: Lamb, Kearney, Blackburn, Bruton 
 
INJURIES
Brisbane: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Huntington (knee)
 
Reports: Nil
 
Umpires: Broadbent, Adair, Strybos
 
Official crowd: 5300 (approx) at South Pine Sports Complex (Brendale)
  ...

When the team was first forming for the 2017 International Cup Anslam Diaz as proud Sri Lankan expat in Australia was excited to the he might be able to play for Sri Lanka. But eventually as the rules were understood as to eligibility it became clear Anslam would not qualify as he lived majority of his life in Australia. 

He was obviously disappointed he couldn't play, but that did not stop him taking part.  He was at almost every training session of the Australian based players in the lead up to IC17.  He found the team sponsorship, he ran water and he was the runner for all of Sri Lanka's IC17 matches.

Diaz is pictured at the top of the photo above

He took days off work to be part of the team even though he couldn't play. His enthusiasm was clear to anyone who saw him around the team, he didn't walk water out to his thirsty mates, he always ran the water.  He even arranged champagne when for the team celebrations when the nation won their first International Cup match.  

We received news today that Anslam met with a car accident couple of weeks ago and is in an induced coma at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. His Sri Lankan team mates are shocked and deeply concerned for Anlslam and hoping for a positive outcome for the man who gave them all so much support at IC17.

Diaz pictured above as he was in all the matches in the pink runners top during last year's IC17 tournament.

Prabath Fonseka from Australian Football Sri Lanka told us "he was the ideal team man , instead of walking out when he couldn’t qualify he did the team thing - raised funds , got sponsors on board , took time off from work to run water etc. I really hope in a week or two he'll be able to do what he does the best - join our team and train to play in the Anzac Day game against India. Get well soon brother"

At the moment all the Australian based Sri Lankan players are arranging times with his family to visit him. He has a very young family and support and recognition from AFSL , footy around the world and World Footy News readers will be appreciated by his family members and Anslam him self.

From all of us at WFN we are thinking of Anslam, his family and his footy mates and hoping for a quick recovery.  Please add you well wishes in the comments below, on our Facebook Group or directly to AFSL. ...