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Joined August 2024
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Some would say Tom Rogers owed his captain a match-winning performance. The Melbourne Renegades made the daunting trip to Perth still licking their wounds…
The former Demon has been instrumental in Hawthorn’s ascendance, with her 22.4 disposals per game good enough for top-15 in the competition.
Eliza McNamara was the name on the commentators’ lips on Sunday as the Demons took down the Saints at RSEA Park to keep their…
With a resume as outstanding as Clarko’s, one has to ponder how long the club can keep kicking the can down the road.
Delivering in a big final will be the perfect way to prove Carlton couldn’t possibly consider parting with Harry McKay's services.
The youth movement has been in full effect at Hawthorn as they embark on one of the most unlikely premiership tilts in recent memory.…
Thank you wibble! Really appreciate the kind words!
Couldn’t agree with you more. Eliza had another great game today against Collingwood. Hoping it’s not the last time we see her in action depending on tonight’s Carlton-Essendon result, but regardless, it’s a great way to end to a superb season on her behalf. And like you said, she is primed for many more years of brilliance.
She has a great story, as do many other players in the league, and I think it’s really important for the growth of the women’s game that the media highlight their stories. I’m hoping through this article plus others I intend on writing about the AFLW and its stars that I can play a small part in that.
Thank you again!
From relearning to walk to walking on water: McNamara key to Dees' run home
Thank you Sally! Couldn’t agree more.
From relearning to walk to walking on water: McNamara key to Dees' run home
Mitchell had the most mature response champ
COMMENT: Hinkley made himself look silly with Ginnivan spray - but smart alec Hawks got what was coming to them
Nope, I’m making it sound like a bloke nearly on the pension is carrying on like a teenager. Mitchell handled himself with class, Hinkley did not. End of.
COMMENT: Hinkley made himself look silly with Ginnivan spray - but smart alec Hawks got what was coming to them
How are we criticising a coach for being dejected after losing a hard fought final, but celebrating a coach for carrying on and targeting a bloke a third of his age when he was four points away from not having a job by Monday. What an awful take.
COMMENT: Hinkley made himself look silly with Ginnivan spray - but smart alec Hawks got what was coming to them
Absolutely. Sometimes you do have to go backwards to go forwards, and maybe that’s what this year was (moving on from Goldstein, McKay etc. and going to the draft). There are plenty of individuals that would give Roos fans hope, and at times this year we’ve seen them come together to work well as a unit. Would need to see that more often though next year, especially from the jump. Can’t be waiting until after the bye for the first win again.
Staring down the barrel of a tedious rebuild: How long should Clarko have to actually show progress at North?
Yep, it’s a big couple years and I don’t think they can afford to still be in the wooden spoon race heading into the final rounds in a couple of years time or otherwise all hell has to break loose. Glad they aren’t going to Tassie tho.
Staring down the barrel of a tedious rebuild: How long should Clarko have to actually show progress at North?
All clubs need luck, and admittedly North have often not been on the favourable side in that regards. They’re unlucky to not have more wins, but you could also argue they’re lucky to get three. Their win against West Coast the Eagles kicked 8.17 (they were 2.15 at one stage), and the Roos only got up by 9. After trailing with just a couple minutes left, they took the lead back with a contentious HTB call. Richmond also kicked inaccurately (10.17) and North only got up by 13, so perhaps luck again there, too. Not that I’m a proponent of holding opposition kicking against them, because bad kicking is bad footy, but still.
Even before the thrashing against the Dogs and Hawks, they had posted a worse percentage compared to last year, which says less about luck and more about competitiveness. 11 of their 21 losses last year were by 30 points or less, as oppose to only six this year. Unsurprisingly, their defence conceded bigger scores far more often this year as well. So, overall, they were a less competitive outfit this year. I haven’t consumed too much North content this year, so can’t comment on how the media is representing them, but if it’s in the light that they haven’t improved, then I think that’s fair.
I take your point about the loss in experience though, and it’s entirely valid to raise. My point of the article was less to blame or attack Clarko for not showing signs of improvements for the team, as there are genuine reasons for this such as the inexperience (even though I think the position they’re in is relatively similar to when he got there), but more so that the patience is going to run thin if they’re in the same spot next year. For only so long can we excuse them being young and inexperienced, when they’re meant to have one of the best coaches ever, and have several players that are building blocks for a competitive team. I don’t really give them a chance at Finals although you can’t discount any team in this league at this point, but I think they’ve got to start reaching the tier between finals contention and wooden spooners with teams like St Kilda, Gold Coast and Adelaide. I think if they can have a season like 2023 Hawthorn where they can feast on the Richmond’s of the world, be competitive in more games again, and upset a few finals teams rather than just beating those around them in the bottom-six, then that would be a massive tick. 2023 Hawks got seven wins (were unlucky not to get more like North this year) and had a percentage of 80. I think that’s very realistic for the Roos in 2025.
Thank you for your comment, really appreciate it.
Staring down the barrel of a tedious rebuild: How long should Clarko have to actually show progress at North?
Thanks mate! Definitely a destination club at the moment. Should mean their list gets even better in the off-season which could be a scary sight.
Just like old times: The premiership-winning veterans crucial to young Hawks' September surge
Disagree. Eliza is a genuinely great footballer, and has picked it up and developed very quickly. That’s why she’s made significant improvement in just about every season she’s played. She’s not dominating because her competition sucks, she’s dominating because she’s that good. There’s many stories like hers – even in men’s sports – where athletes go from never playing it to all of a sudden succeeding, that’s why they’re elite athletes. The AFL is a prime example of this. There’s been a plethora of Irish players for instance that have come over and thrived, and many of their stories start with “I had never even played AFL before.” I think a story like Eliza’s just shows how many more women footballers that could potentially be out there that have been lost to the game because they weren’t afforded the opportunity to try the sport growing up, and in turn explored other ventures. Everyone slams the competition for being thin in talent, but compared to the men’s game, there is a much thinner pool of potential players out there because women weren’t given the chance to play growing up. Only now is that starting to change a bit. There’s still some very good AFLW being played out there and I think the Finals coming up will showcase that.
Former college basketballer Eliza West has proven she's a true footballer and has a second premiership in her sights