The Wooden Finger: October 2023

Sunday, October 8, 2023

AFLW Rankings: Round 6 2023

The Crows halt Melbourne

In an AFLW classic, the Adelaide Crows surprised with an away win against reigning premiers and previous league ladder leaders Melbourne on the weekend. While the Crows are themselves one of the top-rated sides, Melbourne had looked a step ahead of even the best teams with their awesome offensive prowess, averaging over two more goals per game than even the Crows heading into the matchup.

Adelaide couldn’t quite stop Melbourne’s forward firepower – the Demons still scored on 40 per cent of their inside 50 entries, which is still pretty good for any team not wearing red and blue. They couldn’t also stop Eden Zanker, who kicked five goals to bring Melbourne back into the match in the final half hour.

What Adelaide did reduce though was Melbourne’s inside 50 entries and particularly their flow of uncontested possessions. The Demons had just 88 uncontested possessions against the Crows, way down on the 153 per game they had been averaging beforehand this season. That brought down Melbourne’s supply of scoring opportunities, with only 28 inside 50s, about ten down on what they had been averaging.

The Crows meanwhile were able to mostly maintain both their uncontested game and forward supply. They racked up 139 uncontested possessions and 38 inside 50 entries – a little down on their averages so far this season, but very respectable against the toughest opposition in the league on their home turf.

Going Noff

A major part of the Crows’ win were the amazing performances of their midfield engine room of Ebony Marinoff and Anne Hatchard. Between them Marinoff and Hatchard had 60 disposals, 19 tackles, and 4 goals, which proved decisive in the win.

Marinoff in particular has become more of a forward threat this season. She has averaged seven inside 50 entries per game this season, after never averaging more than five per game in her previous six seasons.

Indeed, Marinoff would be clearly considered the most damaging midfielder in the game – if it wasn’t for a certain #25 at North Melbourne. Jasmine Garner has averaged over eight inside 50 entries per game, and is the only player to be ahead of Marinoff this season for inside 50s and metres gained (see below). Both are also in the top ten for score involvements. The main difference is that Garner is a clearance/contested possession machine, while Marinoff remains outstanding in terms of her tackles (though both are near the top of either statistic).

Either way, Marinoff and Garner are the main driving forces behind the league’s top two teams on the ladder at the moment. They’ll face off against each other in three weeks time, in a matchup that may be crucial for shaping the top four this season.