AFLW Round 4, 2023

Carlton 2.2 14 4.3 27 5.3 33 6.4 40 Richmond 4.1 25 4.1 25 4.5 29 7.5 47
Venue:	Ikon Park, Carlton.
Date:	Saturday 23rd September, 2023 (1.05 pm).
Result:	Lost by 7 points.
Crowd:	2,304
Goalkickers:	B. Moody 2.0, M. Austin 2.0, A. McKay 1.0, P. McWilliams 1.0. D. Vescio 0.2, E. Fitzpatrick 0.1, Rushed 0.1.
Reports:	Nil.
Umpires:	Andrew Heffernan, Andrew Mitchell, Emma Stark.
Injuries:	Nil.
Ladder:	9th

Game Review

Blues fight hard but come up short

It was a seven-point defeat for the Blues as Richmond held on in Round 4. - By Rose Zarucky, Carlton Media.

Showing grit and determination from start to end, Carlton has come up short in the annual AFLW Carlton Respects Game, with Richmond holding strong in the final quarter. After a fast-starting Tigers outfit hit the lead early, the Blues fought the way back from the centre-circle, led by a classy Jess Good ruck performance, supported by another strong performance from Mimi Hill. Abbie McKay continued her electric start to start the season and finished a Carlton push into their attacking 50 with a classy snap around the body to kick the Blues’ first goal for the game. A late Phoebe McWilliams goal and plenty of physicality and pressure lit a fire under the Blues heading into the first break. In true Carlton fashion, the second-quarter comeback was built on slick ball movement through the centre and strong defensive rebounding, with returning Captain Kerryn Peterson leading from the front with 17 disposals, eight contested possessions and seven intercept possessions. The defensive line followed their leader, shutting down the Tigers and keeping them scoreless for the quarter, helping guide the Blues into the half-time break by two points.

Both teams came out firing at the start of the third quarter, with a lot of physical pressure and heavy tackles being laid, halting the scoring for most of the quarter, seeing Brea Moody’s conversion off a strong pack mark the only goal for the term. With a strong test this week, Moody and Good teamed up for another impressive effort sharing ruck duties and showing strength around the ground and inside fifty. Moody balanced her time between ruck and forward effectively with 17 hitouts and two goals, whilst Good impressed in the middle with 27 hitouts and 18 disposals. A high-pressure final quarter saw a lot of attack from the Tigers, with the Blues defence under constant attack, mustering up all they could to warden off the late-finishing Richmond side. But the Tigers proved too strong in the end, kicking three goals to one in the final quarter, defeating a lion-hearted Carlton by seven points in a bruising encounter. Keeley Sherar shone once again, making good use of her fellow midfielders' efforts, amassing 27 disposals, nine contested possessions and laying five tackles. Although the Blues couldn’t hold on and the positives are being applauded, it's now all eyes on Friday afternoon, the Carlton take on the Sydney Swans back at IKON Park.

Best: K. Sherar, K. Peterson, A. McKay, B. Moody, M. Hill, K. Skepper.

Tigers power home against Blues to notch yet another fightback win

Richmond powered home in the final quarter to notch its third win of the season - By Sarah Black.

Richmond has come from behind to secure its third fightback win this season, defeating Carlton by just seven points at Ikon Park. But the 7.5 (47) to 6.4 (40) win may have come at a cost, with number one ruck Gab Seymour limping off in the final seconds of the game. Coach Ryan Ferguson said Seymour had received a knock to her leg in a similar position as an incident earlier this season, and the hope was it would settle just as quickly. Caitlin Greiser pounced on a scrappy contest to snap truly eight minutes into the fourth term to take the lead, and Stella Reid followed two minutes later, the Tigers finally capitalising on some momentum.

After a lively start, Richmond was held scoreless in the second quarter, and to four points in a very scrappy third term as Carlton dialled up the pressure. The Tigers pressed hard in that quarter, but looked unsettled in attack, struggling to find a clear path to goal and over-possessing the footy in an attempt to force a mark closer to the big sticks. Carlton had its own period of over-handling the ball in the first half, but its tackling in the contest was first class, coughing up turnovers and capitalising on the scoreboard. Richmond defensive general Bec Miller was a late withdrawal due to a finger injury, and Carlton took full advantage, keeping ruck Breann Moody (two goals) deep for large portions of the game. It's been a hit and miss strategy this year, but with the Blues winning plenty of the footy across the middle of the game – Keeley Sherar (27 disposals), Mimi Hill (24) and Keeley Skepper (20) – it was one that paid off against the Tigers. She was the beneficiary of a confused downfield free kick that took some time for the umpires to decide upon, but there were no questions about the resultant set shot goal, kicked from 45m on a sharp angle.

Theoretically, Richmond should have had too much speed and class on the outside, but were sucked into a contested footy game for the middle two quarters, a style which Carlton has proven to be its main strength this year. The Blues had managed to overhaul a 16-point Tigers lead, jumping out to a seven-point advantage after Moody's second halfway in the third quarter, but were overrun as the game progressed. Returning Carlton skipper Kerryn Peterson immediately added a layer of stability to Carlton's backline after missing the first three rounds with a knee injury, her pace proving too much at ground level for Tigers forwards Poppy Kelly and Caitlin Greiser in the first term. Play was stopped after Amelia Velardo suffered a heavy knock in the second term, clashing heads with Jemima Woods, a lump immediately swelling up on her forehead. She passed a concussion test and returned in the third term with a heavily bandaged head. Mon Conti racked up another 30 touches, while Grace Egan provided plenty of grunt around the contest in a best-afield performance.

Skipper v skipper
Katie Brennan's first goal just bounced over the goal-line before returning into play, but those few millimetres were all that was needed, and her second sent alarm bells through the Carlton coach's box. Peterson was swung on to Brennan in a tighter defensive role, meaning a rare skipper v skipper battle. Brennan found life much harder, having to push high up the ground, a win for the intercepting Peterson. The Tiger got the early goals, but the Blue came away with the chocolates in their one-on-one battle.

Up next
These two sides will be part of a double-header at Ikon Park on Friday as part of the Victorian public holiday on the AFL Grand Final eve. Richmond will host Fremantle at 1.05pm AEST, followed by Carlton playing Sydney at 4.05pm AEST.

Team

B:	4 Keeley Skepper	8 Vaomua Laloifi
HB:	9 Kerryn Peterson (c)	21 Harriet Cordner	6 Gabriella Pound
C:	14 Marianna Anthony	5 Abbie McKay	24 Brooke Vickers
HF:	1 Amelia Velardo	37 Phoebe McWilliams	19 Erone Fitzpatrick
F:	22 Mia Austin	15 Jess Good
Ruck:	16 Breann Moody	10 Mimi Hill	3 Darcy Vescio
Interchange:	25 Keeley Sherar	20 Lily Goss	34 Taylor Ortlepp
	49 Madeline Hendrie	2 Jess Dal Pos
Coach:	Mathew Buck
Emg:	17 Dayna Finn	28 Imogen Milford	36 Ciara Fitzgerald

In: Kerryn Peterson
Out: Genevieve Lawson-Tavan (suspended)

AFLW Team of the Week

Interchange: Kerryn Peterson

AFLW Coaches Votes

7 - Kate Dempsey (RICH)
6 - Katie Brennan (RICH)
6 - Grace Egan (RICH)
6 - Monique Conti (RICH)
3 - Keeley Sherar (CARL)
2 - Mimi Hill (CARL)

AFLW Best and Fairest Votes

3 - Monique Conti (RICH)
2 - Breann Moody (CARL)
1 - Grace Egan (RICH)

Club Best and Fairest Votes

Match Highlights

Links

AFLW Season 2023 | Round 3 | Round 5