Inefficiency hurts the Crows, again
Losses always hurt, but they’re even more painful when you know you’ve had opportunities to win. The Crows dominated the inside 50m count for the second week in a row, but once again were unable to make their most of their chances. Adelaide doubled Brisbane’s inside 50m tally a fortnight ago yet lost by three points and had 14 more entries than Melbourne on Saturday night but were bettered by two points. Conditions were tough in the greasy Darwin climate, but dropped marks, sloppy skills and fumbly hands under pressure allowed the sharper Dees to take control the longer the game wore on. It’s a costly trend that needs correcting at the pointy end of the season.

“Again, our skills under pressure weren’t good enough. We put the ball inside 50m, I think, 35 times to their 21 but we couldn’t get the score that we wanted to. They just played some much cleaner footy … and got the job done.” - Crows AFL Women’s coach Bec Goddard.

AFLW Match report: Crows v Demons

Has Erin earned the AFLW double?
Could Erin Phillips win both the Goal and Mark of the inaugural AFLW season? The Crows co-captain kicked a 60-metre bomb to help her team win its clutch clash with Carlton in Round Three and added yet another magical moment to her growing highlight reel against the Dees. Phillips got the perfect sit on opponent Mel Hickey, who also comes from a famous footballing family, at half-forward late in the opening term. The athletic Crow launched herself early at the footy but timed the ride to perfection, claiming a classic grab in the shadows of quarter-time. Phillips got such hang time that the local Darwin crowd actually started cheering before she had even taken the mark! You’d be brave to bet against Phillips taking at least one - if not both - of the inaugural AFLW awards.

“I said in the box when she took it that if she didn’t take that mark, it was going to be a free kick! That was spectacular. Hopefully there were a few things that kept the crowd happy despite the loss tonight.” – coach Goddard said post-match.


Goddard’s voice of reason
Fans could’ve been excused for thinking coach Bec Goddard had unleashed on her troops by the sound of her voice on Saturday night. The usually strongly-spoken Goddard had been battling a flu in the days leading into the clash at TIO Stadium, but she wasn’t about to sit idly by and miss the important match. One of Goddard’s great strengths as a coach is her close connection with the players and the positive energy she shares with the group. Sitting back in bed at the hotel simply wasn’t an option. Goddard had almost lost her voice completely by the time she got to her post-match press conference, but she never uttered one word of complaint. She – like her team – will be eager to recharge, regroup and reload ahead of the all-important final round next weekend.

Darwin defender rock-solid
Joint vice-captain Angela Foley did everything in her power to will the Crows over the line in front of her home crowd in Darwin. Foley single-handedly stopped two goals in the second half to give Adelaide a shot at victory in the latter stages. First, she nailed a lunging tackle on Melbourne’s Catherine Phillips as the Demons surged forward in waves midway through the third term. Foley was the last Crows defender in line, but was rewarded with a holding-the-ball call to stop the dashing Dees in their tracks. Foley then stopped another six points with a strong contested mark on the goal line in front of marquee Melbourne midfielder Daisy Pearce. Foley claimed a team-high six marks and had eight of her 13 disposals in the second half in her strongest performance of the season.

Match photos: Crows v Demons

It all comes down to this
The premiership race is down to three teams with only one round remaining in the inaugural AFL Women’s season. The undefeated Brisbane Lions have cemented their place in the AFLW Grand Final and will host either the Crows or Demons in the decider. A significant percentage difference between the two sides means Melbourne must defeat Fremantle on Saturday afternoon at Casey Fields to have a realistic chance of qualifying for the final. Adelaide will advance with a victory over Collingwood on Sunday at Olympic Park, even if the Demons win the day before, barring an extreme percentage turnaround. If both the Dees and Crows lose in Round Seven, Adelaide is certain to hold onto second spot courtesy of its superior percentage. It’s the business end of the AFL Women’s season, and the stakes have never been higher.