Bleak November

Even if it's the equivalent of a participation award, and no bloody help to us now, it's nice to know we were actually quite good and didn't just finish second thanks to a piss easy draw. That obviously helped, but giving The Invincibles their biggest scare in two years is (extremely) minor consolation for losing a Prelim. At the same time, having the greatest 2nd d. 1st upset in history dangled in front of us for three quarters has left me with "it's the hope that kills you" misery that wouldn't have existed if North did as expected and poleaxed us from the first bounce. It's better to have had a chance and lost than never been in the game at all, but this could haunt me more than any AFLW result since the Miss Shop debacle against GWS.

Speaking of trauma, I know he's got bigger issues to worry about at the moment but keep descriptions of this game away from Steven May, who will plunge into PTSDee when he finds out that there's been another final where a Melbourne backline put in a heroic, Siege of Stalingrad-level effort under constant bombardment and it came to nowt because the forward line disappeared into thin air. At least this time we weren't favourites, and I've got nothing but appreciation for the enormous crack our side had at slaying the mythical beast, but as they always say in those website videos, "why not [volume cuts out to cover somebody swearing] us?"

Due to a longer history of pain, suffering, and brief moments of triumph, the swings and roundabouts of Melbourne (M) will always affect me more, I feel an investment in the women's team doing well because it still seems like they're doing it more for the love of the game than as a job. Maybe that's just  me being incredibly patronising towards women in the traditional style of middle aged men everywhere, but the family atmosphere in their videos seems more realistic than the men. Basically, I want them both to win, but feel worse for the W players individually when they don't.

There was extra feeling in this game due to the deep "end of an era" vibes around the club in the last few weeks. Even the coaching conspiracy theory came off, and it looks like he's about to pull the pin. And I can't say I blame Stinear after finding out he's been travelling to Casey from the Surf Coast, presumably not via helicopter or cross-bay hydrofoil, for nine years. If he ends up in charge of Geelong, who have conveniently just lobbed their coach from an upstairs window, the reduced travel time will be well-deserved.

On-field, it's almost certain that Zanker will go, and I won't be surprised if some/all of remaining originals Lampard, Paxman, and Pearce retire. On paper, there's still plenty for a new coach to work with, and after a couple of years at the draft here's to a return to rebuilding on the run by snatching players from less fortunate teams at a discount price.

There were a few minutes in the first quarter when it looked like this post might be less 'end of season retrospective' and more 'fuck yo winning streak', and even though we stopped kicking goals after the first quarter (entirely after half time as it turns out), there was a bit at the start of the last term when one conjured out of nowhere may have been enough to hold on. Even with a minute left we had an 0.001% chance of making a last centre bounce interesting, and within the space of a few paragraphs I've talked myself out of believing that getting close was a consolation prize.

Unlike many others, I hope North wins the Grand Final and stays undefeated until we get another crack at them because I want the chance to get some futile revenge and be the ones who end the streak. And as the AFLW may be the worst scheduled professional league on the planet there's every chance they'll miss an opportunity to set up the obvious game next season and we'll have to play them in a final again. As an example of what a farce/shambles this operation is, the lack of a World Cup-style third/fourth place playoff means we haven't played Carlton since 2022. This must be the longest period any team has gone without facing a particular team after winning a competition (NBL: no, it doesn't count if the team carks it immediately after a'la South Dragons, whose demise is mysteriously not mentioned on the page).

As I've barely had time to watch our games this season, you won't be surprised to know that I've been derelict in keeping up with other teams. The only time I've seen North all year is the last few minutes against Freo when they were going for the record margin. My most recent MFC inclusive memories are that final when they got the party started by pummelling us, and a first-gear win in early 2024 just as the Rent-A-Player crisis was about to peak. I knew we were in trouble though, by reputation, winning streak, and them being $1.05 favourites.

I'm confident in saying that we weren't going to launch a miracle come from behind victory, so a good start was important. My idea of starting a massive brawl was probably not good for football, but if we weren't going to literally punch them in the face I was prepared to accept the metaphorical version instead. Enter Eliza/Elizabeth (delete as applicable) McNamara to win a holding the ball free and put on a short pass to Paxman for the opener. It may have been the last target McNamara hit by foot, but it was a good one.

As North players sooked up over free kicks in the same fashion as a billionaire who's just dropped a $20 note, Wotherspoon continued last week's solid form by pulling down a contested mark and we already had two more goals than Hawthorn got against them in the first final. This was the third final in a row at Princes Park where we kicked the opener x2, but it didn't prove a springboard to bigger and better things either of those times so official advice was to shelter in place and wait to see what happened next.

The secret of our success was that North had barely touched the ball so far, and that wasn't going to last forever but at least we'd turned our good start into goals. The second one almost went straight back when a Gillard pass nearly set Paxman up for a clobbering at the top of the 50. It was one of her few mistakes, as she, Chaplin, and Taylor led one of the great holding back the tide performances. 

The irresistible force eventually shifted the immovable objects, but without them we wouldn't have gotten anywhere near as close. I'll also give credit to Bannan, who I've gone off this season but was important in linking play around the ground in the first quarter. I know they weren't going to drop a heart and soul player before the Prelim, but there was an argument for keeping Gall in the side instead, and while it wasn't valid in the first quarter I wonder if we'd have gone better in the rest of the game with somebody who had better influence on contests inside 50.

Sadly, the joy would not last, and when North finally started getting kicks they turned three into goals in quick succession. We got a leg up from a 50 metre penalty, complete with more Mario Ballotelli style "why always me?" histrionics by the North player, but failed to take advantage of them dropping two marks inside 50, and got nothing from Harris being shifted out of the way right in front of goal via a vigorous shove in the back. 

We helped release the pressure when Zanker gave away a 50 by decking our old friend Libby Birch after a mark, then gave her the mocking crying gesture which doesn't look so good now that their schedules next week will be Birch - playing for fourth flag, Zanker - scouring Perth real estate listings. It didn't stand the test of time, but a few seconds later Eden looked like the genius in this situation after the ball returned straight to Harris, who kicked the piss out of a set shot that restored a seven point lead. Not long after, the big game player appeared to have found a big game to play in when she pulled down a knee-in-the-back screamer. And then didn't have much of an impact for the rest of the game.

The Channel 7 commentator had a point in going on repeatedly about what a good game this was, even if that's a bit of a giveaway that they know how many dud matches have happened this season. Shame that after 14 weeks of matches they managed to land the Preliminary Final in direct competition with the second day of an Ashes test where the majority of sports-curious neutrals were busy watching both sides bat like they'd learnt to play in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. 

And if you were roped in to watching based on the quarter time scores there was bad news because after quarter time it was OUT - Swashbuckle, IN - Grim struggle. It was good for purists and interested parties, but trying to sell the rest of this game to skeptics would be like convincing them to watch an entertaining 0-0 draw in soccer.

Appropriately, considering what we were about to go through, Gillard was the first person to do something exciting in the second quarter, when he put on another goal saving tackle. We're still waiting for the biggest injustice in history to be corrected, and league to announce she's been given a share of the 2022 (Spring) Grand Final BOG medal.

By now we'd lost control of the game, and North started to get on top with brute force attack. It was our turn to get lucky with kooky umpiring when Goldrick walked the ball into a tackle, then chucked it away without penalty. Then Hore put us back in front and I was willing to buy entirely into the fairytale, before Goldrick suffered karma reversal as she was pinched for high contact which only happened because the opponent lowered the head and charged into her. 

We survived to half time with a two point lead, and could've done without conceding a mark inside 50 in the opening seconds of the third quarter, but we got away with that, and the 1999 Preliminary Final style miracle was still alive. North ended up going scoreless for the quarter, but we missed the chance to take advantage by responding with four behinds. One of them involved Bannan being carried over the line by multiple defenders, which you could technically claim was them deliberately rushing a behind by proxy if you wanted to be difficult.

Each team had chances at the start of the quarter, including Bannan being carried over the line by multiple defenders, which you could technically claim was them deliberately rushing a behind if you wanted to be difficult. I'm not sure one more goal would've helped us hold on, but it can't have hurt. Especially if North still got a free 40 metres out after 10 seconds, then moved the ball closer to a player standing on their own. 

Your friend and mine Chaplin came to the rescue with a saving mark, before a completely stupid passage of play when North got a free, were pinched for playing on, we kicked the ball straight back to them and somehow no scores were registered. Then Heath had to put on a goal saving tackle and I was about to have a coronary. 

We weren't going to win this in an orgy of goalkicking brutality, but just one from fluke, luck, or flat-out thievery might have given us the necessary breathing space. The problem was we could barely get the ball across halfway, and when we did it was usually kicked straight to a defender in acres of space. It was down to the defenders to try and save it and Gillard had another great moment, grabbing her opponent by the arm and swinging her around like a wrestler doing the Irish Whip, and if she'd played the start of the season there's every chance some of our opponents would've scored 0.0.

If we had to lose, I'd like to have forced North to win via the modern equivalent of that time their men's team ran down our six point lead by kicking points, but they opted to do it the traditional way and kick goals. It was time for the forwards to fire up after not being seen since the first quarter, but they didn't get a chance because the ball went straight back down North's end from the bounce. 

There, Taylor and Chaplin got in each other's way, and may I suggest we introduce road rule style 'give way to Maeve' laws inside our defensive 50. The subsequent ball-up saw the Roos pluck a goal out of their arse and our chances of winning had gone from 'unlikely' to 'mad finish required'. Soon after, Chaplin's muscles were the ones giving way and she was left huffing pickle juice on the boundary line to stave off cramp. I'd rather her out there than not, but as we were at the point of having to kick goals to win, plenty of others had the chance to temporarily recover from being half dead and do something memorable.

For all the massive efforts being put on try and make the finish interesting, the entire space from the right of centre circle was a giant chasm where our dreams went to die. We were probably already dead when Taylor found herself pelting forward, but never got the chance to find out if we could've Mad Minuted the finish because she was too far out to score, and apparently our forwards had disappeared into the Princes Park department of the Bermuda Triangle. Once she was run down we were officially finished, and whatever happened in the final seconds is a mystery to me because I cracked the shits and stopped watching in a big sulk.

Considering we didn't even make the finals last year, I can't complain with second place, and a battling Prelim loss to the greatest women's team ever convened, but let's see what happens next. We won't get the same walkover draw, and the Round 1 team next year may look a lot different to what we've just seen. I think things will turn out alright, but the paper-thin lists in this league mean you're never far away from having to call up overmatched VFL players to have a crack so who knows what will happen next. Here's to me not being mentally fried to bits by the time the 2026 AFLW season starts so that I might have a proper crack at reporting on it and/or check posts for mad errors before publishing.

2025 Daisy Pearce Medal votes
5 - Maeve Chaplin
4 - Tahlia Gillard
3 - Kate Hore
2 - Saraid Taylor
1 - Tyla Hanks

Apologies to Harris, Paxman, Pearce and Wotherspoon

Leaderboard    
And there you have it. Congratulations to the captain for a much-deserved victory. She's also gets to double-up by winning via the Finals POTY award which I forgot I existed until now. Hore's second win draws her level with Tyla Hanks on two victories, still a fair way short of Paxy's five in a row between 2018 and 2022 (Summer).

In the other categories, we already knew Chaplin and Pearce were going to win their categories but it's good news for Saraid Taylor, whose contribution to our backs-to-the-wall defensive effort here carried her back to the top of the Rising Star table.

47 - Kate Hore (WINNER: 2025 Daisy Pearce Medal for Player of the Year, WINNER: 2025 Finals Player of the Year)
40 - Tyla Hanks
27 - Maeve Chaplin (WINNER: Defender of the Year)
17 - Eden Zanker
16 - Tayla Harris
15 - Tahlia Gillard, Eliza McNamara
12 - Shelley Heath
11 - Megan Fitzsimon
5 - Paxy Paxman, Olivia Purcell
4 - Lauren Pearce (WINNER: Ruck of the Year), Ryleigh Wotherspoon
3 - Sinead Goldrick, Saraid Taylor (WINNER: Rising Star Award)
1 - Maggie Mahony

Goal of the Week
The Harris set-shot wins here, but our overall winner is Zanker from the pocket vs Sydney. That didn't even get nominated for the overall Goal of the Week let along Year, which just goes to show you can't trust public voting.

Next Week
I hope everyone has a good time and Zanker finds a nice place to live.

Final thoughts
And that's me done - at last - for 2025. Thanks for your support, and I'll see you when the men play some tepid pre-season slopfest at a local park. Maybe I'll finally do the 1964 Grand Final rewatch at some point during off-season?

Semi conscious

Friends and well-wishers, thank the football gods because after seven finals losses in a row, the dear old Melbourne Football Club has saluted for the first time since 2022. Only now will I sincerely agree that it's better to be in them and lose than not have the chance at all, but there'd have been none of that if this game had gone where it looked to be heading in the second quarter. Enter pound-for-pound our finest half in a final, where unlikely heroes united with superstars and legends to deliver a result that was more exciting than all the thumpings of shit teams this season combined. 

If we were going to get to the pointy end of the year and plummet off a cliff again, it's appropriate that the opposition had players called Goodwin and Grace Kelly. And by the time we were nearly four goals down I was waiting for surprise recruit Jana Novotna to show up and declare us the game's straight sets specialists. But no, unlike cowards like me, the people who are employed to do this stuff professionally weren't running up the white flag and preparing for post-mortem finger-pointing, they were alive, well, and ready to come back from the dead in memorable fashion. Result - a massive weight off the shoulders, even if there may be an anvil headed directly for our collective bonces next week.

Usually the only reason to watch Channel 7 games via Fox Sports/Kayo is to avoid seeing the Tayla Harris eye jumper/man kicking footy through window ads for the 2500th time this year, and given that only a handful of the viewing audience would've been tuning in through their coverage I'm surprised they bothered to put on a panel to analyse the game. Not half as surprised to hear somebody from the organisation that calls games from a South Melbourne studio say "there's no excuse for not getting out and watching some footy today". Also, with five minutes to the bounce it wasn't a very helpful suggestion unless you were going past on the #19 tram. 

Quite a few people had an excuse because only 2600 turned up, and if somebody's going to claim we'd have got more at Casey, a) we wouldn't, and b) it's a small price to pay for the dignity of the competition, because it looked better on TV. To thrash the over-expansion case yet again, AFLW would be in a much better place, with more interest if games like this were the norm rather than Gold Coast losing by 70.

My anti-Cranbourne views about how Princes Park should be the home of AFLW (and who really cares if there's some Carlton signage on the fence?) didn't look so good when the place flooded a view weeks ago, and I thought further carnage was on the cards when the national anthem singer was grappling with the radio thing (industry term) on her hip just as the music started. I suspect she battled hard to stay faloat together in the face of production troubles, but pulled it off only for the microphone to abruptly cut out about 0.01 seconds after she finished the final note. After going to pieces the last three times they've heard Advance Australia Fair, her save was obviously inspirational to our players.

This is the same ground where I once found a disused washing machine at the foot of a stairwell, so while it may be better than Casey the ideal situation would be for the AFL to invest in a boutique stadium 'Home of AFLW' stadium somewhere near the city. Here's an idea, how about we give up on paying a fortune to move to middle of a racecourse and go halves so AFLW Land can also house our training venue? What about putting it in Docklands near that bullshit wheel so the City of Melbourne will chip in too? Might start an MFC Party to run at the next state election.  

Like last week we got off to a hot start, but this time I wasn't falling for it. There was a false alarm where a Harris snap from an obscure angle just fell short, to the disappointment of Gall who'd already turned around to celebrate, and the other players mobbing Tayla in the pocket. Never mind that shit, here came Fitzsimon to put one through from a similar angle, and my petualnt demands for a Crumb 'n Snap led recovery were being taken seriously. Then Hore did brilliantly to bring a ball to ground and regather before kicking the second. This was not to be taken seriously yet, but preferable to being two goals behind.

Against Brisbane, Wotherspoon got a rush of blood and missed the third goal via attempted miracle dribble from miles out, this time it was the more conventional route of Fitzsimon from a set shot 30 meters out. Once again, after we'd missed the chance to stomp on the opposition in the first quarter they belatedly turned up and made life difficult. The ball spent the next few minutes at Adelaide's end, and we were in danger of having all the early dominance wiped out in a flash again. 

I thought it was nice when the Crows botched an easy chance from right in front, but as we couldn't clear the ball effectively it turned out to just be the setup for a seven point play and I thought it was time to start nervously adjusting the collar. So far, so last week, but crucially we didn't concede the second goal [Update - I'd completely blanked out that the Brisbane goals came in the second quarter. Going well then], and in a complete deviation from the script the goal to the right of screen with 0.00 left in a quarter went to us. It was a fine finish from Mahony, whose zero goals in the first 12 games of the season were obviously just a massive rope-a-dope job before she went (relatively) nuts in finals.

So that was all good, but you could tell from the way the ball got trapped in our backline that the Crows weren't going to fall apart like so much other flimsy opposition this season, and the way our fourth quarters have gone this year I wanted to avoid any tricky situation like... say... being level at the last change. That didn't look like it was going to be a problem thanks to Adelaide suddenly shooting away in the second quarter, starting with a mark to a player third in line, who only had three career goals and decided to steer a set shot right through the middle instead of shanking it OOF and into the park at right angles. 

After earlier claims on commentary that the mystery voice you could hear through the effects mic was Mick Stinear, I hope he was the person who unsuccessfully yelled "chewy on your boot" as she lined up. Later he was seen coaching from the box, which is very unlike him and may have just been down to the novelty of playing at a ground with two proper levels. Wherever he was during the quarter in question, nothing could be done to stop the Crows from seemingly carting off to a famous away win.

I'd complain about the 50 against Gillard that led to Adelaide's fourth goal (surprise, surprise, to somebody who isn't a regular goalkicker), but even if the contact was so light it nearly qualified as mime don't push an opponent after a mark unnecessarily and there's no chance of being duded by the umpires. The free before their next goal was more offensive, with a bit of pissweak off the ball holding leading to a reversal and the sense things were about to go tits up. Even Abbey Holmes, who once said "we" when referring to the Crows on commentary couldn't hide her disdain for the decisions.

Enter Crumbmaster Mahony, who goalled via a great turn and snap from the square, and you'd have willingly taken a seven point deficit into half time considering where it was going. Except you couldn't, because this time we were the clods conceding right at the end. I'd had to stop watching at the end of the first quarter, and was 35 minutes in the hole even after skipping half time, so if it suddenly leapt to the real time coverage a'la Geelong 2022 I'd have been surprised to find us close/in front rather than eight goals down. It just felt like it was going that way, but as you already knew half an hour ahead of me it wasn't.

With limited options available to change the game after half time, Harris went into the ruck and Pearce played forward because I suppose they thought we couldn't take forward marks to save ourselves anyway so why not try and liven things up around the ground. This worked in theory because Harris got plenty of the ball during her cameo time in the middle, but most of our attacks were still dying when panic punted into the arms of a defender (if it got that far), so wasn't helping us eat into the lead.

After respectfully trying to trade Bannan last week (shortly before that plan expired when it was all but confirmed that Zanker will be going to a WA side), she'd done chuff all here but had a chance to cut the margin to a goal with a set shot. Remember that final against the Crows when she said no thanks to a set shot and ran around the mark? That was good. This kick wasn't, but as we'd switched to an all-crumb strategy, Mackin got the all-important goal on the run instead and thing were officially ON.

It went from ON to SPARKS BURSTING FROM THE SOCKET when Kween Kate Hore put us ahead by rolling the ball through from angle to confirm what you already knew, that she's the greatest player this side has ever seen. Adelaide hadn't scored for the quarter, but this game had more ebb and flow than the Pacific Ocean, so it was no surprise when they were having a set shot not long after. That missed, but more importantly for this contest it happened with a Crows player looking dead in the background, then hobbling off with a leg injury. I don't wish injury on anyone and hope she's already recovered, but at the time my first thought was "that's got to help us". 

After all that hard work, we were on the hook for another goal in the last minute if not for a massive tackle by Gillard. Apparently this was just her warm up for an even better one later. This left scores equal at the last change, and good thing I could skip through three quarter time because the nerves were getting to me now. So much of this season has felt throwaway and frivolous, but confronted with the prospect of our season turning out to be a massive waste, I felt alive. 

Sure, the game was probably already over in real time but I didn't need to know that. It's not like somebody was going to drive down the street blaring the Grand Old Flag, and as I'm pretty sure my new neighbour who looks like Steven King isn't (only because it would be a right prick of a drive to Casey), I was safe from spoilers and free to watch in as close to real-time as possible, with gratuitous fast-forwarding after goals, and at stoppages. 

We were obviously very much in it but I just had a premonition that things had already gone horribly wrong. Partly because of our last quarter record, but also due to being a spineless poltroon. So when Adelaide attacked first my "here we go" moment came much later than last week, and I don't know how many Adelaide players are called Kelly but unless you're connected to the Royal Family of Monaco it's no excuse for saying Grace's first name every time. It'll be a sad day for dated references when she and Natalie Wood eventually leave the game, so can somebody please draft a Diana Spencer or Lupe Valez.

Early Adelaide dominance didn't bode well, but it all turned after we survived them getting away with two blatant counts of holding the ball, and went the other way for a goal against the run of play from who else but Hore. With Hanks not having her best day (but somehow being listed as our second best in the AFL website report, which is absolutely bonkers), it was up to the captain to lead an array of randoms to their finest moments. Wotherspoon had played one of the better 0.0 forward games so far, full of lovely chase and tackle, when she got reward by pulling down a great contested mark after our best ball movement of the day. Heath set it up with one of her Heathian looks like she went twice the allowed distance but probably didn't runs, but credit to Mahony for a perfect kick inside 50. Great time to play the game of your life to date. 

Suddenly we were 11 points up with eight minutes left, but that was more than enough time to turn it into a one point loss. Then Campbell wandered forward, pulled down a mark at the top of the square and it was going to take a lot of hard work to lose this. I'd still consider it a massive taking of piss if we'd lost to three unanswered goals in seven minutes but after events in the men's competition earlier this year I'm legally obliged to say you just never know... And when Adelaide attacked right out of the middle we were lucky not to be back within two kicks.

Wotherspoon could've killed it with a shot after another big mark, but even in missing she wasted enough time off the clock to ensure it would require St Kilda at Docklands levels of organisational disarray to lose. They did get one goal back, and even when pelting forward with 25 seconds left it was probably too late to get two and snatch it in dramatic fashion unless somebody punched the goalkicker immediately after it went through. 

Just to make sure, Gillard did this - which was arguably not as important as the one at the end of the third quarter, and not really match saving given how little time was left but looked great so let's look at it again.

Stood tallest when the moment arrived. 🔥 Take a bow, Tahlia. #DemonSpirit pic.twitter.com/jYs3OcgiDX

— Melbourne AFLW (@MelbourneAFLW) November 15, 2025

The shove of the vanquished opponent really topped it off, as did Hore's joy at having finally won the pretty big one. And indeed we had, ending the W finals losing streak at three. Spare a thought for Eliza West and Casey Sherriff, who lost the first two, then went to Hawthorn and have dropped four over the next two seasons, surely becoming the first ever players to lose six finals in three years (NB: Turns out they're not because they didn't). I hold all our premiership players in high esteem, and look forward to them returning to flag reunions in the future but all I'm saying is that it wouldn't have happened if they still played for us. Especially if we still didn't make finals last year.

Our joy may not last long thanks to the juggernaut that's waiting over the horizon with a thermonuclear nuclear bomb next week, but I'm thrilled that everyone's work this season has been at least partially validated with a finals win. Also, it's good that everyone's calling this Mick Stinear's 100th game in charge because it validates my view that Shae Sloane was the coach of record for that game against Hawthorn in 2022. Speaking of the coach, based on his reaction at the siren either he or a few long-term players are going to chuck it in at the end of the season, so may they all get one last, unexpected crack at a flag together via unusual and/or nefarious circumstances.

2025 Daisy Pearce Medal votes
5 - Kate Hore
4 - Shelley Heath
3 - Tahlia Gillard
2 - Ryleigh Wotherspoon
1 - Maggie Mahony

Apologies to Fitzsimon, Harris, McNamara and Taylor.

Leaderboard    
Ironically, if we'd lost Hore would've won the big one outright, but by keeping the season alive she's left the door open for Hanks to tie for first, or even go past her if we make the Grand Final. Now that's what I call captaincy. And there's big news in the minor awards, where Mahony not quite 'storms' into a share of the Rising Star given that you can currently win with one vote, but picks a great time to register her first appearance in the top five. Feel free to take it out of the judge's hands by kicking eight next week.

44 - Kate Hore
39 - Tyla Hanks
--- Cannot win ---
22 - Maeve Chaplin (WINNER: Defender of the Year)
17 - Eden Zanker
16 - Tayla Harris
15 - Eliza McNamara
12 - Shelley Heath
11 - Megan Fitzsimon, Tahlia Gillard
5 - Paxy Paxman, Olivia Purcell
4 - Lauren Pearce (LEADER: Ruck of the Year), Ryleigh Wotherspoon
3 - Sinead Goldrick
1 - Maggie Mahony, (JOINT LEADER: Rising Star Award), Saraid Taylor (JOINT LEADER: Rising Star Award)

Goal of the Week
Encouragement award to Mahony for the various snaps, but you can't go past Hore's big bounce. In the race for the end of year award it had better context than Zanker vs Sydney, but I'm still fond of that right up to the point where we find out she's definitely leaving before the final result and there's a 'shock' change of mind.

Next Week
You cana avoid straight sets and still lose the decider 6-0, but even thought it's highly unlikely that we'll end the greatest winning streak in history I'm very much into having a crack at North. In the limited time since 1st and 2nd could meet in a Preliminary Final, the second place team will never have started underdogs to the same level we will next week and I say bring it on. Like entering the $50 million Powerball jackpot it's probably a waste of time, but until the moment the numbers come out and you've won nowt you can dream about how good the unthinkable will be.

Obviously, Zanker comes back, but the way the forward line worked here with one less tall I'm tempted to say either Bannan or Gall will need to make way. No doubt this will lead to Wotherspoon and Mahony having zero disposals combined in a total of 0.3 but if we're going to beat North by any means don't you think it's more likely to be snaps directly plucked from the arse rather than well crafted kicks to a marking forward? And in light of the best score we've kicked against a good team in god knows how long, I won't get high and mighty in demanding a Pisano recall.

Otherwise, assuming Chaplin's still not going to be right, just go with the same lineup and hope for the best I suppose. And somebody sew the seeds of confusion by starting a fight at the opening bounce please. 

Final thoughts
Now, obviously we want to win next week clean and free of controversy, but at the same time, North Melbourne have you thought about a team building dinner at one of these restaurants?

Finals Destination

Hello, it's your usual correspondent, back from my nervous breakdown just in time for finals. And what says 'uplifting comeback story' better than Melbourne blowing the first part of a double chance? If you consider the entire scope of human existence, it's not that long since we last won a flag under those circumstances... in 1957.

Thanks again to the guest reporters for keeping the red and blue end up over the last fortnight, but I'm here for as long as we keep our finals adventures alive. They're morally obligated to give us another go next week, and having come this far in 2025 I'm prepared to go for another three weeks if it means rising from the dead to make a Grand Final via beating the most unstoppable force in the competition's history.

By now, I'm pretty sure the only people reading this are fellow nutters who also spent the whole week thinking how SHIT it would be to lose eight consecutive finals across the genders. But you can't lose eight until you've lost seven, which is where our old chums Brisbane come in. If somebody can prove there's been a mystical 'flags for finals losses' trade-off it would all be worth it, but as no such thing exists I reserve the right to be morbid and miserable. 

As somebody who always expects the worst but hopes to be pleasantly surprised, I went into this game thinking about pre-ordering commemorative 0-8 merchandise from a foreign sweatshop (not sure who'd buy it, but go with me), and obviously thought "here we go" in record time when the Lions got a free at the opening bounce. 

The return of the mystery midweek injury - previously seen destroying our 2024 season - claimed Maeve Chaplin, and I was not keen on the ball spending any more time than necessary in a Chapless backline, so it wasn't ideal handing the ball over to them with an invitation to wallop it inside 50. Speaking of absent defenders, it's not my place to tell them who to pick (well, not in the women's game anyway, I'll go to the electric chair for selection whinges March - September August) but I felt bad for Laela Ebert that she'd been roped in as an injury replacement, played every game of the season, then got the Tijuana when finals turned up.

The free kick was confirmation bias gold, but inadvertently led to our first goal. They tried to get it inside 50 and test our Gillard and *makes ehhhhh side-to-side hand wobbling gesture* backline, but a pox kick went straight to O'Hehir [insert sound of deviant British laughter], and by not paying a 50 when the ball was slapped from her hands, the umpire helped get the ball to Heath, who got a free for a high tackle. She was well beyond her range, but Brisbane obviously thought she'd have a red hot go anyway because they ignored Harris strolling past for a handoff/goal on the run combo. Not, as it turns out, the start of a huge day out for Tayla against her old side.

We were suspiciously (and misleadingly) dominant early, and another chance soon came via the high tackle/offload method. In this case, Hore graciously declined a long-distance opportunity for her 100th career goal and passed to Fitzsimon. She missed, but at the second opportunity Hore did register the career ton. Which is a great achievement by our reigning greatest player ever, but more importantly at this time put us 13 points up in a final. 

The excitement was diminished a bit by Zanker departing the ground with what looked to me at first like the old "I can still walk but my ACL is mincemeat" scenario, until it turned out she was hobbling while trying to regain composure after a head knock. She passed the concussion test, but was ruled out of the game anyway, which was the safest option after we got away with sending Goldrick back on with a fractured eye socket.

We remained on top until quarter time, and held them to a single point. Maybe it was just the home ground advantage that caused us to lose to Brisbane a few weeks ago? Nothing to do with a forward line subject to more downhill skiing references than Sonny Bono, and finishing games like a car running out of petrol I'm sure. 

Given our very average last quarters this year, I was keen to have some sort of buffer to work with at the end here, and we'd have got a third if Wotherspoon had passed to Bannan or walked a bit further into an open goal instead of trying to roll it through from 30 metres like Ryleigh Pickett. If it went through via any means we'd have been in "hello, what's going on here?" territory, but that miss was the beginning of the end. Next thing you knew the ball was at the other end, where Taylor failed the Acting Football League test of pretending you REALLY wanted to keep the ball in play and instead gently rolled it over like a lawn bowler. Sure, a Lions player had just hoiked the ball in the air seconds earlier, but AFLW umpires have all but decriminalised incorrect disposal so it's not surprising they missed it.

Unfortunately for Taylor, who has been very good this season, and did well in other parts of this game, her over-lingering tackle immediately after helped Brisbane to their second and our first quarter successes had been wiped out. It was back to three points, and remained that when Brisbane converted another free/goal. As she was closest to the ball when it was paid I was worried for a second that Taylor had done a one-person reverse Mad Minute and given away three goals in a row, but thankfully for her the alleged offence had already occurred. Didn't make any difference overall, by now our Zankless forward line had practically ceased trading, and Brisbane were doing all the attacking. 

That's more like how I expected things to go, and a reminder not to do stupid things like feel positive about winning off the back of a couple of early goals. The good news is that the Lions got it out of their system and didn't get another before half time, but neither did we, and watching our attacks die horrible deaths probably brought joy to all those lowly teams we'd beaten the tar out of earlier in the season. Maybe I don't want a two division system as much as I thought? 

Despite Herculean, Gawnesque efforts by Hore to lift her side, we came back from halftime flatter than the proverbial plateful of piss and conceded first. It was just the sort of goal from thin air that we don't do enough, and instead of the finals slogan 'Bring the Heat', I'd suggest they try to 'Bring the Crumb'. I've wrestled all year with which one of the forwards has to make way, and unless the decision is made for us by Zanker going west, I've regrettably landed on Bannan. I will always cherish only knowing we'd won the Grand Final by seeing her celebrate in our general direction, but we've got to get some ground level players down there, and she lacks the versatility of Harris. 

Send letterbombs c/o Demonblog Towers, but please attach your case for using all of Zanker, Bannan, Gall and Harris (+ Campbell/Pearce at times) inside 50. And any danger of playing Pisano again? She hasn't set the world on fire, but if you draft somebody at #5 and have them under contract for two more years there must be a better end to their season than playing in half-baked scratch matches. NFI if she'd have made a difference against Brisbane, but if she plays next week I'll be heavily invested in her doing something useful so this paragraph doesn't make me look like a cock.

Just as we seemed to be swirling around the u-bend, enter Supreme Leader to stick a kick down Mahony's throat and get things going again. I doubt many established teams have three games in a row where somebody kicks their first career goal, but I'd have preferred that as a fun fact to Channel 7's helpful graphic about how Brisbane had never beaten us in a final. Which is not that big an achievement considering there had only previously been two. And when we gave back the Mahony goal soon after, it was time to erase the stat from Talkingpointpedia entirely.

Stranger things have happened than us kicking a run of goals, but I'd all but put up the white flag and wondered if we could change the course of the game by somebody heroically sacrificing their season by going the biff. The Lions look like a team that would enthusiastically throw themselves into stoush and forget about footy, but sadly the theory was never tested.

Other than Hore being dudded out of an open goal by a bounce/close checking opponent, our forward line remained unseen - and the captain was so good everywhere else on the ground she gets a full pardon from being implicated. I'm sure things would've looked a lot better if Zanker was down there, but it doesn't mean the moment she departs (and if she doesn't play this week the departure may already have happened) everyone else goes out in sympathy. 

McNamara was well down the list of people I'd expect to be marking inside 50, and as it's not her job to kick set shots I won't hold a miss against her. Still, as long as we kept the margin under 10 at three quarter time you never know right? And then we let Brisbane go end-to-end in the dying secondsfor a goal where ball hit boot between the on-screen clock expiring and the siren going off. There was a fair push in the back in the lead-up, but that's no excuse for being in that situation to begin with. 

There's always a chance of weird shit happening, but fat chance. It will be retrospectively funny if we win next week and somehow beat RoboNorth in the Prelim but at this stage I'd be willing to bet a kidney against that happening. With nothing else happening in attack Campbell went forward, but her attempting to recapture the Zank magic was like trying to fill the Grand Canyon by chucking in some loose rocks.

After partially starting the rot in the first quarter, Wotherspoon had the chance to inject some life into things but missed, and I reckon it's risky relying on set shot goals so much in a competition where only about 10 players can comfortably kick over 40 metres. The 'spoon agreed with my idea and crumbed one straight through the middle. Of course, this was all for nothing when a minute later four (4) Brisbane players were left running onto a loose ball in the square that may have bounced through on its own anyway. Some teams would've blown it by crashing into each other, or trying to share the ball unnecessarily two metres out from goal but none who were playing in Qualifying Finals. 

It all started with a player wading through a tackle in the middle of the ground, and with 10 minutes go, this was fatal. But not as fatal as conceding another one straight after. I'd like to see the ball tracker evidence that the ball went far enough to be paid a mark, but it was morally no less than we deserved. It said everything about our day when Gillard threw a boot at a loose ball on the half back flank, only for it to shoot off at right angles and out of bounds. If I wasn't obliged to keep watching, I'd have walked out of my TV at that point. 

Gall got one to cut the margin to 13 again, but instead of piling on the pressure just in case, we let them get the ball straight back down their end and nearly kick a goal. It didn't happen then, but the death blow didn't follow far behind. Bannan got one at the end, which was nice for her but too bloody late to be any help for our chances of winning. Which we didn't do, landing us on the edge of another double finals disaster, and on the same side of the draw as a team we probably won't kick a goal against. Just think, if this comp was still played over summer we'd be a few weeks away from Round 1, refreshed and ready for a big season. Now I feel like I want us to win the flag but would be guiltily satisfied to get a start on ignoring footy for the next few months.

2025 Daisy Pearce Medal votes
5 - Kate Hore
--- Incredible distance ---
4 - Tahlia Gillard
3 - Eliza McNamara
2 - Tyla Hanks
1 - Ryleigh Wotherspoon

Apologies to Fitzsimon, Mackin and Taylor.

Leaderboard
It's a completely natural grandstand finish that I'm prepared to take a lie detector test to prove was not rigged to create drama. It would be fitting if they shared the award, but as that would likely involve us losing next week and neither being in the top five players (explaining the loss) then let's hope for alternatives. They are officially now the only potential winners.

39 - Tyla Hanks, Kate Hore
--- Cannot win ---
22 - Maeve Chaplin (WINNER: Defender of the Year)
17 - Eden Zanker
16 - Tayla Harris
15 - Eliza McNamara
11 - Megan Fitzsimon
8 - Tahlia Gillard, Shelley Heath
6 - Olivia Purcell
5 - Paxy Paxman
4 - Lauren Pearce (LEADER: Ruck of the Year)
3 - Sinead Goldrick
2 - Ryleigh Wotherspoon
1 - Saraid Taylor (LEADER: Rising Star Award)

Goal of the Week
It's the Wotherspoon crumb just for being a rare goal to come unexpectedly instead of first relying on a mark or free inside 50. Zanker vs Sydney remains the leader.

Next Week
The world tour of all the teams we've lost finals to before continues with a return to playing Adelaide. Here's to Bannan bringing back her move from last time of running around the mark for a goal on a run, then sticking two fingers up towards me for trying to trade her. It's just a team balance thing, I promise. The Crows are obviously not what they used to be, but are a cut above the mid-table strugglers we usually dispatch with moderate ease (in Victoria) so this could go anywhere. NFI if Chaplin is coming back, and I seriously doubt Zanker will play, but Goldrick would be a welcome addition in defence and maybe the loss of our best tall forward will accidentally encourage us to do something else in attack. I'll foolishly predict a win but without any confidence.

Final thoughts
It's better to make finals and lose them than not making them at all, because it means you had 12-24 good weeks and only a couple of shit ones at the end, but I'm fanging for a hit of glory so if I promise not to get upset when we die without a trace against North can we just win one more game this year please?  

Second comes right after first

It's thanks to the guest reporter rotation for saving my bacon again, and this time we're crossing time zones for a return report from Mae of Western Australia. It's been 12 years since she contributed the last post of the Neeld era, which is absolutely wild stuff. In the interim she was there for a M flag, I was there for a W flag, and we'll navigate the end of 2025 home and away football commitments together.

Big thanks to Sir Demonblog for letting me jump in this week. Fair warning that this might lean a little more 'vibes' than 'serious football analysis'. (As opposed to my other Champion Data level posts?). One of the joys of AFLW season is how perfectly it coincides with the annual Men’s Off-Season Meltdown. While the papers are full of trade demands and punch-ons, our girls are dishing out proper Demon ruthlessness.

On a personal note, as someone who was the lone girl in the kick-to-kick during school lunch breaks back in the day, I still can't believe I am lucky enough to have AFLW exist in my lifetime. Even though it arrived too late for me to play (not that my lack of talent, fitness, or ability to survive a Shelley Heath tackle would've helped), the W vibe still makes you feel part of it. The players' genuine warmth - from Kate Hore thanking you for holding the banner to their support of the Ruby Demons - makes every fan feel included. It's just a bloody good vibe.

Also, a quick plug for our amazing WA supporter group, the Western Demons. Their latest newsletter has an incredible feature on more than 100 years of women’s footy history, including wartime matches in 1915 where women played in full skirts in front of huge crowds in Perth while raising money for the troops. If that’s your jam, I’m sure they would be happy to send you a copy. Hit them up on Facebook or email westerndemons@gmail.com for a copy.

On another note, I'm loving the club's newfound social-media energy. Living so far from the action, I lap up every post as it makes me feel closer to the teams and fellow supporters. Dropping a joke about 186 (we were using '186' long before the cool kids started saying '6-7,' right?) felt like the start of a new era, and I am absolutely here for it. (Objection - I think it's like telling Pearl Harbour survivors gags about the Japanese airforce). 

Laughing at ourselves is actual Demon Spirit, and the timing — right as our girls were about to head back to the scene of the crime for a must-win (to dodge Norf until the Granny) — showed a cheeky, youthful arrogance that this old chook can absolutely get behind.

Admin’s not sleeping tonight 😔 #DemonSpirit pic.twitter.com/BMMYOfF6WM

— Melbourne Demons (@melbournefc) October 31, 2025

Right, so onto the game. We went in needing a win to cement second spot - aka a ladder position taht keeps us well clear of the Norf juggernaut in week one of finals. We knew the Lions would roll the Pie in their last home-and-away game, so it was pretty simple: win and finish second (hello, Brissie at our Casey stronghold) (or as it turns out, at Princes Park. Which is bad for home ground advantage, but good for not playing marquee games at glorified public parks), or lose, slip to fourth, and cop a humiliation from Norf in week one. Let’s save that for the last Saturday in… November, shall we?

At least we'd already earned the double chance. We've got to maintain recent MFC tradition and go 0–2 in every finals series we're in, right? (This is why the 186 jokes are funny to us.)

The chance to be the first W player to reach 100 career goals was snatched from Kate Hore, with Gemma Houghton hitting the milestone earlier in the day. It's a shame as I really wanted us to win something this year. Still, at least it wasn’t a Norf player taking this one too.

Changes were Georgia Gall returning from her ankle injury, Dingo coming in to cover the injured Molly in defence, and Rigoni making way. I turned on Foxtel to find the Swans–Bombers game still going after a weather delay and found us on the channel labelled 'Lawn Bowls PBL22' instead. Classic.

In the first quarter, Maggie Mahony got a bit greedy early, missing a snap at goal and ignoring Zanker in a paddock of space. Please, girls, don't annoy Zanks when we are up against Daisy to get her to sign a contract. It was a good contest early, with both sides looking dangerous when they found space to run but our tackling pressure - especially from Heath and Hanks - kept shutting down their flow. Add those long Gillard arms cutting off everything, and we were holding firm.

Geelong's pressure was solid too, and a tackle in their forward line gifted them the first goal. But enter Ryleigh Wotherspoon, who pickpockets a Cat with a ninja move and nailed our reply. Must be her cricket background… can we make 'cricket background' the W version of a 'basketball background'? (I feel like she'd have been an elite sledger in her day. Real off-colour stuff, possibly ending in Miandad vs Lillee wielding of willow)

The Cats started dominating uncontested ball, but Maeve Chaplin was reading the play beautifully and saved us repeatedly. They were peppering the goals, but were thankfully kicking with Demon-like inaccuracy. It was a very entertaining opening term, just one goal apiece but plenty of fun to watch. I warned you there'd be more vibes than analysis. (So far we've had a player called Dingo and somebody's alternative sports background raised so A+ from me)

Second quarter. Right, time to lift Dees as Operation Avoid Norf needed to step up a gear. Tyla Hanks, my goodness. What. A. Player. She nailed a strong tackle to win a free, then delivered a precision pass to Tayla Harris. Pure, glorious Hanksy vibes. Zanker slotted our second - please stay, Edo, we love you. She outmuscled her opponent to take a nice mark from a lovely Fitzy long bomb into the hot zone and converted from 20 metres out.

Both sides were tackling like madwomen. Mackin was a bit fumbly (understandable after so much time out), but you can already see how her line-breaking pace and dare will be crucial come finals. We’ve missed that spark all season, and I think having both her and Goldy in the team will make us a lot better. Geelong were moving it quicker, but we'd had more of the ball and repeat inside 50s this term. Their defender out-marking Gall then laughing in her face was outrageous behaviour, though to be fair, with Georgia’s cricket background she probably opened the sledging innings herself (Oops, I blew the cricket sledging storyline too early. Meanwhile, I hope the Cats player who had all the laughs enjoys sitting on the couch next week).

Nina Morrison, though... She's just better than everyone for a few minutes there. Spins out of a pack at their 50 and snaps truly to put the Cats back in front. They're coming hard now. Prespakis hits Morrison again soon after (the curl connection vibes I am here for), but why is she that free inside 50? Very uncharacteristically sloppy defending from us. Luckily she missed but the momentum was all theirs. 

Then, finally, a spark. Harris launches long, Gall takes a cracking pack mark, earns a 50, then dishes off to Fitzy - who handballs to Gillard rather than taking a shot herself, and Gillard bombs her first ever AFLW goal from 40. Scenes! Game 46, and the tall defender gets on the board. After Maeve's first last week, it’s becoming a defender goal fest (Thank god I was in the room for this one, because it was tremendous). Vibes immaculate.

Half-time: Dees 21, Cats 17. Fun, frantic, entertaining footy. I'd settle for boring footy if it meant we locked in second spot without heart palpitations.

Shoutout to a few Demon Army legends - Suze and Claire - spotted behind the half-time boundary chat. Elite banner skills and background acting? Love it.

The commentator described a Hanksy run, bounce, and precision pass to Zanker on the lead as "champagne football". Correct, and the really expensive kind of champers. But the Cats drew first blood in the second half to retake the lead. Come on Dees, don't make this hard for yourself. The connection between mids and forwards wasn't there tonight. Then some Zanker magic, a miracle goal over her shoulder from a ruck contest near the square. Please stay, Edo. Demonblog, surely that’s a Goal of the Year contender? (TBD)

Hanksy was finding more of it now, and Mackin's was shaking off the fumbles and starting to show her run. We were up by 10 halfway through the third and had definitely cranked up a gear, but my blood pressure would prefer a 10 goal lead, not 10 points. Geelong's tackling pressure remained top-notch, and Zanker going off with a bloody nose hurt as we need her up forward.

A random umpiring decision (never been better) gifted the Cats a chance, but an equally random one our way balanced it out. Karma vibes perfection. Hanksy then kicks a Nina Morrison-style goal - crashing the pack, scooping it up, spinning through traffic and snapping truly. God, I love her. Gillard followed with a brilliant smother to kill another Cats attack. But Morrison responded with her own Morrison/Hanks special to keep Geelong within ten. 

Then the skipper stepped up, as Hore channelled her inner-Petracca (oh...) with a clever bouncing goal from the boundary. So classy. That’s her 99th. Another Goal of the Year contender? (TBD!)

Zippy Eliza Mac gets a fingertip on a certain Cats goal, and bless the footy gods, the technology agrees with the ump that she did indeed touch it. (Not that they ever showed us any evidence of this, but I was happy to take their word for it). Then Hanksy capped off one of the best quarters you'll see, laying a fierce tackle, winning the free, and spotting Harris perfectly for a strong contested mark. Tayla nails it after the siren. Five goals to two that quarter. Dees by 23 at the final change.

Mick Stinear is probably one of the most underrated parts of our club. He’s always talking up the unsung players like Heath and Fitzsimon, but how about his own contribution? Premiership coach and still employed.

Now it was time for the girls to bring home second. Wotherspoon was terrific, and she's improving every week despite having barely any footy experience. Must be that cricket background. Harris was huge playing higher up the ground, giving us a strong linking target.

The Cats had plenty of chances early but couldn't kick straight. Our pressure was forcing them wide and keeping the damage down. Then there was some genuinely sexy team footy: slick ball movement by multiple Dees through the middle, ending with a perfect pass to Zanker, who clunks the mark and nails her fourth. Not flashy enough for Goal of the Year, but what a team goal. Pure Dees footy. We're finally starting to connect properly as a team. (And may I suggest we do whatever sort of Melbourne Storm style cash in a paper bag/amended invoices rorts are required to keep her? Thank you). 

The Cats got one back, leaving the margin 21 with five minutes to play. Then another to make it 14 points with a minute left. Typical Melbourne. Siren. Breathe. Dees win 9.5.59 to 6.9.45 and finish second on the ladder. Job done. 

2025 Daisy Pearce Medal votes
5 – Tyla Hanks – 5 votes, and a quiet moment of appreciation for a star midfielder wearing this number who just quietly goes about being awesome and humble
4 – Eden Zanker
3 – Megan Fitzsimon
2 – Kate Hore
1 – Shelley Heath

Apologies to Ryleigh Wotherspoon, Tayla Harris, Maeve Chaplin and Lauren Pearce.

Leaderboard
37 - Tyla Hanks
34 - Kate Hore
--- Needs three finals to win
22 - Maeve Chaplin (WINNER: Defender of the Year)
--- Needs four finals to win ---
17 - Eden Zanker
--- Not going to win ---
16 - Tayla Harris
12 - Eliza McNamara
11 - Megan Fitzsimon
8 - Shelley Heath
6 - Olivia Purcell
5 - Paxy Paxman
4 - Tahlia Gillard, Lauren Pearce (LEADER: Ruck of the Year)
3 - Sinead Goldrick
1 - Saraid Taylor (LEADER: Rising Star Award), Ryleigh Wotherspoon

Goal of the Week
The Eden Zanker special (grabbing the ball from the ruck and booting it literally over her head) is right up there. Maybe we should just give it to her, along with her 'official prize' of bags of cash to encourage her to sign that new contract (Scam endorsed, but she still wins for the one at Casey from the boundary line post-smother). When Edo's in Hulk mode, she's unstoppable.

The defender's first goal trope always hits, so Tahlia Gillard's long hoof from 40 (set up by that clever Fitzy handball) deserves a nod. And that team goal in the last quarter that ended with another for Zanker was peak Dees footy.

But it has to go to Kate Hore with The Petracca™ from the pocket. I'd call these goals 'The Hore,' but… yeah, also problematic. She’s just so skilled and classy, and every so often she pulls out something that reminds you she’s operating on a completely different level.

Final thoughts
A final note on vibes… Paxy helping carry former teammate and opponent Shelley Scott off the ground in her last game was big W energy.

Also, confirmation that the Official Kate Hore Non-Concussion Prayer Circle put into operation after the game worked, so I guess I'm religious now. "How did you find God, Mae?”, “Well, Kate Hore passed her concussion test so she could play in our first final”…

We’ll need to lift another level for finals, but at least it’s not Norf first up and we get to play at our Fortress of Wind (I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you). Finishing second is a fantastic achievement. We can only play who was in front of us, and we won enough to earn it. Even in the games we lost, we were right in them. A few bounces our way and we're unbeaten. The list is healthy, competition for spots is fierce, and that’s exactly how you want to roll into September  November.

After both our teams missed the eight last year, I'll never take this finals feeling for granted again, and honestly I've got far more faith in our girls than the other mob to actually win another one.

And the feeling is very much mutual there. Thank you very much again to Mae and Craig for filling in while I was having a little nervous breakdown. I'll be back next week for the first leg of our 0-8 finals run. Cheerio and Go Dees.