AFL WOMEN'S Rankings: Round 7 SEASON 7

 

The Kangaroos are better than their record suggests

North Melbourne currently sits at seventh on the AFLW ladder. They have won fewer matches this season than Geelong and Richmond, and as many matches as the Gold Coast Suns and Western Bulldogs. The rankings currently have them as a clear fourth however, and they are generally regarded as one of the top sides.

The Roos have had a relatively tough fixture this season. Part of that is because they made the finals last season. However their fixture has been tougher than Collingwood’s, who also went out in the first week of the finals. North has played all of the top three teams Adelaide, Brisbane, and Melbourne, while Collingwood has only played Adelaide so far (they will play Brisbane in the final round). The Magpies have also played lower-ranked sides such as Sydney, GWS, and St. Kilda, while North’s only ‘easy’ opponent has been Sydney, who they beat by 66 points. The difficulty of the Roos’ fixture is commensurate with Grand Finalists Adelaide and Melbourne, rather than a team that finished fifth or sixth (see table below).

North Melbourne’s three losses this year have come to those top three teams. They were particularly competitive against Brisbane on the weekend, losing by seven points but having 43 to 23 inside 50s. They lost to Melbourne by only two points, which perhaps understates the disparity in that they had seven less scoring shots, although they did have only three less inside 50s.

Geelong has not had to play any of the top three teams. Richmond has had to play two of them, and to their credit did beat the Lions. Gold Coast has had to play only one (Brisbane), and the Western Bulldogs also has played one (Melbourne), and both were beaten by over ten goals.

North Melbourne does have an easier matchup this week against Port Adelaide, but then have a couple of tougher matches against fellow finals contenders Collingwood and Richmond. Those matches may end up shaping whether, despite their tough fixture, the Roos can still finish in the top four this season.