The Adelaide Crows have overcome a huge scare to notch an 18-point AFLW win over injury-hit Fremantle.
Key points:
- The Suns triumphed 7.7 (49) to 2.3 (15)
- They sit in ninth place on the ladder
- The Swans are yet to record a win in their first AFLW season
Earlier, Gold Coast stayed in the finals race following a commanding 34-point victory over the winless Swans in wet conditions at Sydney’s Henson Park.
The Crows were held scoreless in the opening term at Adelaide’s Unley Oval and trailed by nine points at three-quarter time.
But they came home with a wet sail to post their sixth successive victory, winning 7.7 (49) to 5.1 (31).
Ebony Marinoff was on all-time record pace with 24 first-half disposals, before slowing somewhat to finish with 32.
Teammate Anne Hatchard chalked up 28 disposals, 12 clearances and eight tackles, while captain Chelsea Randall, Caitlin Gould and Ash Woodland slotted two goals each.
The Dockers largely had the better of the opening three terms, despite being two down on the bench after half-time.
Rover Gabby O’Driscoll appeared to dislocate her left shoulder just before the main break while attempting to tackle Chelsea Biddell, before defender Janelle Cuthbertson injured her left ankle when brought down by Montana McKinnon in the second quarter.
That was after winger Airlie Runnalls shook off a pre-match injury scare when she rolled an ankle during the warm-ups.
Adelaide’s streak of zero goals conceded in its previous nine quarters came to an end inside the first four minutes when youngster Amy Franklin snapped superbly, giving Fremantle the edge at the first change.
The reigning premiers had the breeze in the second and moved ahead by two points, thanks chiefly to Marinoff’s brilliance.
The Dockers regained the momentum after the long break, pinching the lead back on Mikayla Hyde’s excellent spin around and snap and extending it when young ruck Mim Strom ran into an open goal.
The fourth quarter was all Adelaide, from the moment Randall kicked a goal 22 seconds into the term.
Woodland’s second goal put the Crows in front before Gould’s second made it three majors in five minutes.
Suns trump Swans
The Suns set up their triumph as the rain started to fall early to lead by 22 points at half-time, then handled the slippery conditions better than their opponents to record a 7.7 (49) to 2.3 (15) win.
The result means the Suns continue their late-season charge towards a second finals appearance but the weather made it difficult to secure a significant percentage boost.
The Suns ended the match sitting outside the top eight on percentage.
Jac Dupuy looked more comfortable than most in the conditions and finished with two goals from 14 disposals, while Allison Drennan collected 19 touches and Claudia Whitford also had 19 and added an early major.
Much of the match was played in the Suns’ half as they controlled the ball with 221-167 possessions and 43-26 inside 50s.
The last two number-one draft picks, the Suns’ Charlie Rowbottom and the Swans’ Montana Ham, enjoyed an enthralling midfield battle and were both among the best on ground.
Rowbottom continued her outstanding second season with a match-high 22 disposals, while Ham fought hard against the Suns’ strong on-ball brigade to gather a team-high 15 touches.
The Swans looked determined to claim their first AFLW victory with ferocious attack on the ball and tough tackling in the first quarter.
They kicked the opening goal of the match when Rebecca Privitelli slotted a set-shot to make an early impact after returning to the side following an illness.
Privitelli shook off a heavy bump from Suns defender Ellie Hampson late in the first term to be the Swans’ main focal point and kicked their only other major with a smart snap in the third term.
Lisa Steane and Sarah Skinner also embraced the trying conditions with 11 disposals each for the Swans to prevent the margin blowing out further.
The Suns have an opportunity to stamp their finals credentials when they face Melbourne on Saturday night, with winnable matches against Carlton and GWS to follow.
The Swans will be on the road to continue chasing their first AFLW victory when they play fellow expansion side Essendon earlier that day.
AAP
Source: AFL NEWS ABC
