AFL WOMEN’S Rankings: Round 5 2022

Did Freo miss Turbo?

Last week on this blog I said it would be interesting to see how Fremantle went without reigning AFLW best and fairest Kiara Bowers. Given their 10-point loss to the Kangaroos on Sunday the answer would seem to be: not as good.

Despite being behind on the scoreboard, the Dockers did still have plenty of scoring opportunities, winning the inside 50 count (see table above). It wasn’t the massive advantage though that it had been in previous weeks, with Bowers the league leader in inside 50s so far in season 2022. The Dockers also lost the contested possession count and drew level on clearances, both of which are also categories Bowers leads in terms of averages.

Part of the turnaround also likely came from playing a relatively tough opponent in unfamiliar territory, as the changes compared with overall season performance were higher than Bowers’ production of five inside 50s, 15 contested possessions and six clearances per game. Still Bowers’ absence very likely hurt significantly.

One area where the Dockers maintained their average differential was tackles, with rookie Jessica Low stepping up into the midfield and laying nine tackles. However, given that Low primarily did that in a tagging role that exchange of midfielders might have kept up the Dockers’ pressure prowess, but at the expense of the offensive firepower Bowers also provides. (It’s also a tough ask for a first year player to replace the league’s best player!)

But Adelaide keep powering on

There were no such major problems with missing personnel for new league leader Adelaide, who dominated Carlton with a 39-point win.

The Crows are giving up a mere 15 points per game, over a goal less than any other team. Given they rank fourth for inside 50s against that is some stingy defence.

Midfielders Anne Hatchard and Ebony Marinoff remain the stars however, with both ranking in the top five for average kicks behind only Bowers and the Kangaroos’ Ashleigh Riddell. They also both rank in the top ten, along with Adelaide’s other superstar Erin Phillips, for average score involvements.

Both have been able to rack up a lot of their possessions outside of contests. Marinoff’s contested possession to disposal ratio sits at 40 per cent and Hatchard is at 48 per cent (see table below). In comparison Riddell is also under 50 per cent, but other high disposal-getters Bowers, Richmond’s Monique Conti, and West Coast’s Emma Swanson are pushing 60 per cent or above.

In the men’s game such numbers might indicate a bit of teammates kicking laterally around the field. In AFLW however the ability of Adelaide’s ball winners to get a lot of kicks in non-congested/non-pressure situations is probably an important factor in the Crows’ success this season.

In closing, some tips, before the fixture changes again…