Aflw - 2025

[The Underdog]

Have you ever considered becoming an AFLW Player Sponsor?

If you have a business, then there are some advantages, however most of our AFLW players are sponsored by individuals.

There are 2 levels of sponsorship available:
- Gold, which costs $1,500
- Silver, which costs $600

If it’s something you’re interested in but can’t afford it on your own, then there’s the ability to split the cost with someone else, so please feel free to post on here if you’re interested in going halvies with someone else.

I’m not exactly too sure what the packages contain this season, so if you do have questions, please call David Vraca at the club on 0412 615 532.

Hang on. TCD returns?
Holy moly!!!

[BiteNibbleChomp]

Game tickets are on sale now: https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/n...mates-and-save

It looks like this year members have to redeem the tickets for each game individually (the standard W membership is good for all 12 games) - the Canberra one is on ticketek but the rest on ticketmaster.

- BNC

[Hotdog60]

Big drop off in the VFLW side since it wasn't being topped up by the AFLW huge gap between the second and first tiers.

[Hotdog60]

AFL considering new boutique stadium in Melbourne
The AFL is open to developing a new boutique stadium to be the home of AFLW as it looks to consolidate venues

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THE AFL is exploring the prospect of building an AFLW-specific boutique stadium in Melbourne as it works to consolidate the number of venues used in the women's competition.

With the League focused on harnessing the unique crowd that the AFLW attracts, a purpose-built venue with a capacity of roughly 15,000 is under consideration as it focuses on growing attendances.

Another option being considered is whether one of the current boutique venues in Melbourne like Ikon Park, Mission Whitten Oval or RSEA Park could be redeveloped to become the home of the AFLW.

There is not yet a proposed location for a new venue, should the AFL choose to go down that path, with the League taking lessons from how women's sporting competitions operate across the globe.

Last month, the AFL purchased Waverley Park from the Hawthorn, which will be used for talent pathways programs, community footy, and umpire development.

This season, the AFLW's 117 home-and-away games will be played at 28 different venues, down one from the 29 used last year.

In contrast, the AFL men's season will use 18 venues for its 207 home-and-away games this year.

The discrepancy is reflected in the fact Bonnie Toogood's 64 career games have been played at 30 different venues. David Swallow, meanwhile, has played at 22 venues in his 246 AFL games, which is the most of any men's player.

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Collingwood veteran Scott Pendlebury has played at just 11 different venues in his 418-game career.

The AFL wants to reach a point where there are just four dedicated AFLW venues in Victoria. There will be 10 Victorian grounds used in 2025 – Arden Street, Casey Fields, GMHBA Stadium, Ikon Park, Kinetic Stadium, Mars Stadium, Mission Whitten Oval, RSEA Park, Victoria Park and Windy Hill.

Punt Road will be out of action this season as it prepares for a long-awaited redevelopment, while Victoria Park is currently next in line for work on its facilities.

There has been no increase in the number of tier one venues used for the 2025 AFLW season, with no games at the likes of Marvel Stadium, the MCG and Adelaide Oval.

Instead, the AFL's focus is on filling the 5000-12,000 capacity venues and creating an atmospheric product for both those at the ground and fans viewing from home.

This focus also means there are no double-headers with the men's games, despite the first two rounds of the W season overlapping with the last two rounds of the men's campaign.

The 2025 AFLW season begins on Thursday, August 14.

LINK

[Hotdog60]

Instead of sinking money into a stadium they should be funding the pathways to AFLW so the skills are much better. If the girls don't get more clinical with their performance, they are not going to increase attendances.

[josie]

Instead of sinking money into a stadium they should be funding the pathways to AFLW so the skills are much better. If the girls don't get more clinical with their performance, they are not going to increase attendances.

Agree. But AFL like shiny new things….

[BiteNibbleChomp]

AFL considering new boutique stadium in Melbourne
The AFL is open to developing a new boutique stadium to be the home of AFLW as it looks to consolidate venues
<snip>

Wasn't Ikon supposed to be the home of AFLW a few years ago and that's why they did a big redevelopment there? Take down that awful Carlton logo and it's more than fine.
The only W games I heard of selling out last year were a couple at Punt Road (where there's no space) and the grand final. Even the prelim was only about a third full. If there's games that are going to sell out Arden Street or Punt Road, move them to Ikon (or just move them anyway - there's no seats at either ground which is pretty poor). Capacity isn't close to being an issue. And if we get to the point that Ikon isn't sufficient, play the games at Marvel.

So many better ways that money could be spent.

- BNC

[jazzadogs]

Instead of sinking money into a stadium they should be funding the pathways to AFLW so the skills are much better. If the girls don't get more clinical with their performance, they are not going to increase attendances.

100%. They jumped the gun and introduced all the teams, so they must continue to invest money in the pathways. Most of the girl's talent programs involve staff working across both boys and girls which is limiting their capacity and effectiveness.

They need to properly support the girls, which in turn will improve the pathway for the boys too.

[BiteNibbleChomp]

VFLW Round 13

After we stopped playing senior players in our state side last month, I thought I'd be done writing these. I won't be able to make the last match on August 1st (and won't have a chance to watch it online until at least the following Monday), and I'd rather enjoy the AFLW season proper as a spectator and not someone who spends half the game scribbling notes, so this will be my last writeup for the year. I hope everyone has enjoyed them.

Today's game was a nice one to end this series with - a one point win over the Borough. That it was a win at all was due to the Borough hitting the post twice. 6th on the ladder before this round, the Borough are a good side but probably not a serious contender for finals, while our VFLW side over the last few weeks has floundered when the AFLW girls weren't playing. There was a decent breeze (I'd hesitate to say strong) favouring the southeastern end of the ground earlier on in the game - during the first and third quarters, we were kicking against the wind, and the contest overall felt pretty even. During the second, we controlled territory, got a bit of a lead (13pts), but not enough to finish them off. In the fourth, the breeze died, the rain came and Port mounted a serious comeback. If they miss finals, as they could well do with the ladder being what it is, this will be the game they rue the most.

I also thought the announcement of the players' numbers last month would make that section of the writeup redundant. Nope. Barwick had 13, Ferres had 23, Buttifant had 18 and Hardingham 47. Sometimes I wonder if there's someone at the club reading this and trying to mess with me

Stats
Scoreline
Bulldogs 1.0 3.2 3.4 3.5.23
Borough 1.1 1.1 2.2 3.4.22
Hitouts
Bulldogs 14 31 43 55
Borough 4 10 12 14
Clearances
Bulldogs 6 13 20 29
Borough 9 17 25 30
Tackles
Bulldogs 16 32 43 63
Borough 20 35 50 61
Frees
Bulldogs 1 4 7 10
Borough 2 4 6 6
i50s
Bulldogs 6 14 24 34
Borough 8 15 23 29
Disposals
Bulldogs 67 106 168 220 (139K/81H)
Borough 46 92 136 200 (141K/59H)
Marks
Bulldogs 12 22 36 47
Borough 12 25 31 41

Bulldogs Scorers (* for VFLW players)
Sandral* 1.1
McFarlane* 1.1
Crook* 1.0
Hardingham 0.1
(Rushed 0.2)

Sandral's goal, which she somehow kicked over her head, is well worth a watch - the BulldogsW insta account has uploaded a clip this, go check it out!

Players
Hardingham was dominant, but even by her lofty standards that undersells it. Her 152 fantasy points is nearly twice that of the next highest ranked player (Jaimi Tabb, with a very respectable 82). She owned the ruck position with 43 hitouts (remember Mim Strom's best last year was 50). 27 disposals, 6 tackles, 8 clearances, 10 intercepts. Her one score hit the post - because no Bulldogs game is ever complete without us doing that . Several times she caught the ball straight out of the ruck - the Port player hardly featuring - one of these she kicked deep into the forward line (from centre bounce), which set up McFarlane's goal. Later in the game, there was an interesting role reversal - McFarlane was on the boundary line maybe 40m out from goal and positioned to take the set shot, and there's a ton of space of to her right - Hardingham spotted this a good six or eight seconds before anyone else, called out to her and began a lead (which, if Hardingham marks, sets up a much easier shot at goal) - McFarlane either didn't hear her or was just confident in taking the harder shot, and had about kicked the ball before anyone else even bothered to move!
Ferres played the best game I've seen from her (positioned half forward). Especially during the first half, her contested game was quite strong with 5 tackles then and 7 for the game (3 inside 50). 12 contested possessions from 17 disposals (though efficiency of just 41%...). I do wonder if the coaches have been encouraging the team to take on tackles before disposing of the ball (rather than say handballing it off), as both her and Hardingham in particular attempted to muscle their way through tackles a lot more often than I would otherwise expect.
Gorham was listed at half-back but more often appeared to play as the last line of defence. 9 intercepts, at least a couple of which prevented very gettable goals, and 19 disposals overall. Solid as a rock.
Buttifant joined her in defence, with 10 intercepts and 16 disposals. I did note a fair few times when she got caught a couple of steps behind her opponent, leaving her in a position too far behind to contest the mark, but on looking through the stats after the game, I reckon that might be underselling what she did do well. There's no stats for things like "missed opportunities" for me to review this more objectively, and overall our defence held up reasonably well over the course of the game (for significant parts of it our backline very much escaped my notice because they just weren't needed at those moments) which she certainly played a part in. She's also picked up the nickname "Clicky" at some point - I heard that one a fair bit today.
Barwick had 4 intercepts, gave away two frees, and otherwise didn't do much. For most of the game she was second last in fantasy scores for Bulldogs players (third last at full time), which is not very encouraging seeing as our VFLW side has been pretty weak when the AFLW players aren't included.

Reflections
This time last year, we were being near-unanimously predicted for the spoon, and many expected we wouldn't win a single game. Instead we won four, and those despite losing Mua in the preseason and Ellie in round 3 - that's not a bad place to be starting our second year of the rebuild.
Hardingham is easily our standout recruit, being best on in arguably every game she played in the VFLW this year - I'll be pretty filthy if she doesn't get a spot in the 21 for round 1 (keep in mind the two she'd most likely be competing with for spots - Stephenson and McKee - both featured in VFLW games as well, but not quite so impressively). Out of curiosity, I went back through the stats for last year's VFLW games as well - of the three games she played alongside Blackburn, two of them gave her a higher fantasy score. I'd also have no hesitation about debuting McDonald in round 1 - she was up there with our more established forwards in Woodley and Hartwig in the games she shared with them, and that despite not having a day of proper pre-season under her belt (she hasn't featured again since formal training started back in June). And if we can squeeze Poustie in the side too, I doubt we'll be disappointed.
Of course, for every player that comes in, someone else inevitably gets pushed out. Our recruitment has been rather heavy in the forward line, which is where I expect we'll see the most movement compared with last year. Gutknecht has already been re-labelled as a defender this year on the team list, and Westo played a couple of games for our state team on the wing (a move I'm still less convinced by) although she is still listed as a forward. A couple of others to watch are Gavalas (who last year played 6 AFLW games, although without making a huge impact, but was dominant in her state games this year), and Kimber (who will be competing with Laloifi and Ahrens to retain her spot down back).
Looking ahead a bit further, for the last few years we've drafted one of our VFLW players into the senior side each year - McFarlane, Borg and now Hardingham. This is something I'm quite curious if it will be continued this year - about the only two I could imagine are even in the mix would be Sarah Sansonetti and Jaimi Tabb, and their numbers were both noticeably less impressive than any of those three (worth noting too that McFarlane has since been delisted, and Borg's numbers pre-injury were such that I wouldn't have been surprised if she got dropped even if she had been fit).

There's a bit in the 100 year anniversary book about how, in the leadup to the 1954 flag, Charles Sutton said that it took four years to build a premiership team (with 1951 being his first). Last year was very much a first step in a journey - it is worth bearing in mind that our wins were against teams crippled (Sydney), hapless (Carlton) or both (Collingwood), and we did suffer three losses where we didn't score any goals and a fourth where we scored just one - but we look well set up to take that second step this year. I don't presume to say where we might be in three years' time, but I do think we have a lot of things pointing in the right direction.

- BNC

[josie]

Thanks BNC. I’ve enjoyed your write ups. A lot of work in them, they paint a detailed picture of both game & players. Bravo.

[Axe Man]

AFLW injury update: Deanna Berry and Isabelle Pritchard

Western Bulldogs captain Deanna Berry and 2024 Best & Fairest winner Isabelle Pritchard will be sidelined for the start of the 2025 NAB AFLW Season.

Pritchard will miss 4-5 weeks after sustaining a left knee injury, while Berry is expected to miss 6-7 weeks with a left hamstring injury.

They are expected to return in Round 2 and Round 4 respectively.

“During training, Pritch entered a contest and her left knee was forced into an awkward position,” Bulldogs AFLW Head Physiotherapist Olivia Dawson said.

“Scans have confirmed an injury to her left patella. We are following a thorough and carefully managed rehabilitation plan to support her timely and successful return to play.

“De sustained a hamstring injury during a high-speed effort at training, with scans confirming the diagnosis and informing her recovery timeline.

“While she progresses through her rehabilitation timeline, she remains confident in a successful return-to-play and will continue to lead and support her teammates from the sidelines in her role as captain.”

The Bulldogs’ first test against opposition will come against North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos in a match simulation this Friday evening at Mission Whitten Oval.

Gates will open at 5pm and the event is free for members and fans to attend.

The Club will commence its official weekly Medical Room report next week, in the lead-up to its official practice match against West Coast.

[Bornadog]

Big losses

[BiteNibbleChomp]

Mua's still out too per https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/n...oesnt-know-why
"Laloifi is aiming for a return in the first half of the AFLW season, which starts on August 14."

- BNC

[BiteNibbleChomp]

Team for tomorrow announced:

https://www.westernbulldogs.com.au/news/1839738/aflw-squad-match-simulation-v-kangaroos

- BNC

[Hotdog60]

Match summary:


Western Bulldogs 2.0 3.0 7.1 7.1 (43)

North Melbourne Tasmanian Kangaroos 0.2 1.5 1.6 3.9 (27)

Goals: McDonald 3, Smith 2, Hartwig 2

Best(s): Grant, McDonald, Wilcox, Hartwig, Gutknecht


Good win by the girls