AFLW Round 7: Sydney Swans v Gold Coast Suns 1.10pm AEDT Sat 8 Oct 2022 Henson Park

[Meg]

Another tough match tomorrow for our winless AFLW team against the ninth-placed Suns.

This week coach Scott Gowans has again talked about his focus on the inexperienced Swans’ women making gains in their internal KPIs rather than concentrating on scoreboard outcomes. He specifically referred to retaining control of the ball for extended periods of time, thereby winning more territory advantage, rather than rushing when in possession.

Unfortunately the weather forecast is dire as otherwise I think there would have been a good crowd for this first Swans’ match at Henson Park. Morale amongst team members and their supporters, who see the improvements being made, remains high. (See the enthusiasm of Gowans and Lauren Szigeti in this week’s Swans’ video press conference.)

An added interest for Swans fans this match will be to see star Suns’ player Charlie Rowbottom (sister of James) in action.

Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster. The game will also be broadcast LIVE on FOX FOOTY, Kayo and 7Mate (NSW and QLD).

[liz]

Tickets can be purchased via Ticketmaster. The game will also be broadcast LIVE on FOX FOOTY, Kayo and 7Mate (NSW and QLD).

Plus the communications from the club indicate that members can just swipe their pass at the gate rather than having to redeem a ticket ahead of time.

I confess the awful weather forecast means I'll probably watch it snuggled on my settee, rather than venture out to Henson Park.

[Meg]

Plus the communications from the club indicate that members can just swipe their pass at the gate rather than having to redeem a ticket ahead of time.

There is confusing info on this - elsewhere I read all tickets need to be redeemed - so I suggest members download their tickets anyway.

[Meg]

Teams now announced.


SYDNEY

B: Ella Heads 12 Brenna Tarrant 20
HB: Molly Eastman 9 Bella Smith 11 Alana Woodward 13
C: Ruby Sargant-Wilson 6 Montana Ham 18 Lisa Steane 21
HF: Sarah Skinner 15 Ally Morphett 7 Sarah Dargan 5
F: Rebecca Privitelli 19 Brooke Lochland 1
Foll: Alexia Hamilton 30 Sofia Hurley 25 Cynthia Hamilton 10
I/C: Aliesha Newman 16 Kiara Beesley 26 Bridie Kennedy 2 Lauren Szigeti 28 Maddy Collier 14

Emerg: Zoe Hurrell 17 Genevieve Lawson Tavan 24 Sarah Ford 3

In: Ally Morphett, Rebecca Privitelli
Out: Paige Sheppard (illness), Genevieve Lawson Tavan (omitted)


GOLD COAST

B: S.Watson 14 L.Ahrens 7
HB: K.Howarth 23 V.Saad 39 G.Clayden 18
C: T.Meyer 34 C.Whitfort 4 E.Keaney 30
HF: L.Single 13 J.Dupuy 27 C.Jones 5
F: T.Bohanna - C 12 T.Groves-Little 3
Foll: L.Bella 2 A.Drennan 33 C.Rowbottom 8
I/C: W.Randell 15 S.Danckert 9 E.Hampson 1 D.D'Arcy 20 G.Davies 22

Emerg: A.Atkins 37 K.Scott 21 A.Bradfield 10

In: T.Groves-Little
Out: J.Smith (omitted)

[dejavoodoo44]

I can see a bit of an upset happening today, with the Swans enthusiastically slogging through the mud and getting the ball forward enough to score their first win.

And well done to Meg for starting the thread each week, despite the lack of wins and some of the whiny, 'oh it's not real football' comments.

[Mark26]

I can see a bit of an upset happening today, with the Swans enthusiastically slogging through the mud and getting the ball forward enough to score their first win.

And well done to Meg for starting the thread each week, despite the lack of wins and some of the whiny, 'oh it's not real football' comments.

+1

Much appreciated Meg.

I'm hoping our midfield gets first hands on the ball and we play wet weather footy. Knock it forward and play a territorial game. Here's hoping our three H's get their fair share (Ham, Hurley and Hamilton).

I also rate our defence, but they've been under pressure, sometimes for the full four quarters. I like the competitiveness of Heads and Smith in particular. A few more pre-seasons together will make a huge difference.

Bring it on. Go Swans.

[liz]

The weather forecast seems to have shifted somewhat, with the heavy rain now not predicted until early evening. So our game seems more likely to be played under intermittent, light to moderate rain, rather than a downpour. We may not get that mud bath after all.

[Meg]

Yay! Swans kick a goal in first minutes of match! And they are tackling like demons.

[dejavoodoo44]

Effort and tackling has been good. Some of the disposal less so. Montana Ham is going to be a star. Cynthia Hamilton is becoming a favourite. As is often the case, I'm finding the umpiring a bit irritating: ignored a couple of possibly reportable offences and then later picked out some soft frees near goal.

[Meg]

Double yay!! Privitelli kicks her/Swans second goal [emoji122][emoji122].

[aardvark]

Really positive signs from the team today. Looking forward to seeing them next season after a full preparation.

[Meg]

Final score: Suns 7.7 defeated Swans 2.3.

Privitelli so very nearly kicked her third goal after the final siren but the ball was touched on the goal line.

A bit of a slog in difficult conditions: wet long grass and drizzle made for a heavy ball. At least the torrential rain forecast for later in the day didn’t arrive.

[Meg]

Really positive signs from the team today. Looking forward to seeing them next season after a full preparation.

Agree with all this.

Fitness to be able to run out a full match is clearly a problem which in turn I think contributes to a lot of the many free kicks the Swans’ players give away. An off-season program and a full pre-season under professional fitness guidance should make a big difference.

Plus of course a full pre-season of coaching and practice as a group.

[mcs]

Really positive signs from the team today. Looking forward to seeing them next season after a full preparation.

I haven't seen a lot of the games in the last few weeks, but I managed to catch a decent part of today's game.

I also thought there were some good positive signs that we are learning and starting to build in terms of team work and strategy.

A lot of work to do yet of course (especially around disposals), but really looking forward to seeing how we will go in the second season once we've had a full preparation. A shame the first win won't come in the first season, but will make it all the sweeter when it does come!