Kuwarna will be hoping to make it back-to-back wins as it travels to Melbourne to face Hawthorn in a pivotal Round Four clash.
The match will be the first AFLW match played for premiership points at the Hawks’ new Kennedy Community Centre home ground in Dingley.
Kuwarna Senior Coach Ryan Davis spoke ahead of the match, and touched on the following.
A milestone day for midfield duo
Kuwarna pair Teah Charlton and Sarah Goodwin will play their 75th and 50th games respectively, against the Hawks on Sunday afternoon.
The duo have been given extra responsibility in the midfield this season, and impressed, as the Club begins a new era under coach Ryan Davis.
“There's been a couple of departures in the off season, and the way that Teah and Sarah have grown in their leadership capacity, but also their performance, has been really really good to watch,” Davis said.
“They've been developing for many years, but that extra midfield time, and being exposed to bigger minutes this year, they're just getting better and better each week.
“Sarah’s a fantastic athlete in person, and being able to get in there with her contested stuff, I think she sort of eight or nine clearances on the weekend, so she's doing a lot of the grunt work, and she's relishing in that, so it's it's awesome to see.
“Teah’s a fantastic competitor, she relishes the contest, which is something that we love about her.
“She's played plenty of forward over her career, but now's the time with some of those departures that she's stepping up and she's grabbing that opportunity (in the midfield) with both hands.”
Eagles win a “reward for effort”
Davis recorded his first win as an AFLW Senior Coach against West Coast last week, a result he admitted was a “reward for effort.”
Kuwarna had shown strong signs throughout its first fortnight, but were ultimately unable to come away with the points against undefeated opposition Sydney and Carlton.
Davis said the group had grown in confidence following the result, and was keen to continue its momentum on the road this week.
“It (last week’s win) was a great reward for effort for the players, there were plenty of emotions, plenty of good emotions, which is fantastic.
“Getting that win on the board, getting four points, getting our season sort of rolling, it does lift the group and gives them more belief that we are on the right track.
“We reviewed that, and then we just got straight on to this weekend with Hawthorn. They're a fantastic side, playing on their home ground for the first time. So we're looking to go down there and spoil the party.”
Playing at a new venue
Kuwarna will take part in a slice of history this weekend, as it faces Hawthorn in its first ever match for premiership points at the Kennedy Community Centre at Dingley.
Davis said playing at a new venue offered a different set of challenges for his team.
“It’ll be an interesting one, we haven't played there before and neither have they,” Davis said.
“The dimension is a little bit different to what we have here, it's a lot wider ground in an MCG type of dimension. So we're looking to really explode and get big with our ball movement.
“With the wind down there, potentially we might have to play some different roles with different players, but we can't really control that. So we have things in place if that does eventuate. But for now it’s business as usual for us.”
An update on Christina Leuzzi
Kuwarna forward Christina Leuzzi will be hoping to prove her fitness, after suffering a minor ankle injury.
She was listed as a test for the clash against the Hawks, and a decision will be made on her availability after Thursday’s main training session
“We'll be looking at the main training and match committee this afternoon (when it comes to Christina),” Davis said.
“She’s got to get through a fair bit of training, but we'll make that decision post training today.”
Forward 50 a work in progress
Kuwarna produced great improvement ahead of the ball in last week’s win against West Coast, something Davis hoped to improve against the Hawks on Sunday.
“Plenty of work went into our forward 50 entry stuff last week, we weren't quite nailing it with the depth of our entries over the first two weeks,” Davis said.
"So we were just looking at trying to find that extra mark around that launch zone to give our forwards the best opportunity to kick goals from well and truly within their range
“The data shows if you're getting inside 30s, you generally are scoring, If not that entry, certainly any re-entries off the back of that, and I thought we really improved on that last week.”
Facing Emily Bates in her 100th game
Kuwarna will be hoping to spoil the party of star Hawk Emily Bates this Sunday, as she plays her 100th AFLW game.
Davis spoke glowingly about Bates’ career and how important it would be to quell her influence.
“She’s the ultimate professional, she's had a storied career, she's a fantastic operator, and we'll be putting some time and effort into her to make sure she doesn't have a great day,” Davis said.
“Our aim is to go over there and spoil Hawthorn’s party this Sunday.”
Kuwarna takes on Hawthorn at Kennedy Community Centre this Sunday, with the match to begin at 12.35pm (ACST).
Fans can watch the game live on Fox Footy, Kayo and Channel 7Mate Adelaide.
