A SURGE in the second half of the fourth quarter from the Western Bulldogs gave them the edge over the VFLW Blues, defeating them by 14 points at Whitten Oval.  

Interim skipper Esther Honybun stepped up for the Blues, assuming the on-field responsibilities of captain in the absence of Ally Bild and Jennifer Lew. 

AFLW-listed Game Changers Grace Egan and Abbie McKay once again featured in the Coaches’ best, alongside Maddy Guerin who impressed in her return at half-back. 

Quarter-by-quarter breakdown:

Quarter 1:

The match got off to an exhilarating start with Abbie McKay taking on the tackler before sending the ball long to Stephanie Lawrence. Taking the mark cleanly on her chest, Lawrence set up for a shot at goal but missed for a point. Unsatisfied by her first attempt, Lawrence soon got another look thanks to a handy intercept by Natalie Paine who booted the ball into space. Scooping the ball up in front of her, Lawrence dribbled the ball straight through the big sticks for the first goal of the afternoon. It didn’t take long for the Bulldogs to bite back, streaming towards open goals to record their first major for the match. The Blues displayed ferocity early, however, despite plenty of open-air space in their forward 50, the Bulldogs’ defenders continued to occupy the “hot spot” and stand in the Blues' way. 

Quarter 2:

Paige Trudgeon took a strong intercept mark deep in enemy territory to prevent the Bulldogs from opening the term. Efforts by Carlton to muscle the ball downfield and into their forward 50 were continually spoiled by the Western Bulldogs’ guard. However, the Bulldogs failed to pile on scoreboard pressure, only converting 1.9 for the first half. 

Quarter 3:

Maddison Wilson delivered a beautiful forward 50 ball to Serena Gibbs, who went back and struck the Sherrin perfectly in front of the goals. Bry Gurr executed a solid tackle that was rewarded with a holding the ball stoppage. Lawrence converted her second goal for the match, spoiling the Bulldogs’ efforts to bring the ball out of Carlton’s attacking end. The Bulldogs continued to chip away at the scoreboard to maintain their lead by the slimmest of margins. Wilson made her way to the bench looking to have sustained a knee injury, however she was able to return to the game after receiving treatment from the trainers. 

Quarter 4:

Going into the last quarter just three points down, the Blues needed a gusty effort to steal the win from the Bulldogs. The game started to heat up as the Blues notched three points going into a slight breeze, to even the scores at 23 a piece. It then became a battle of points with both teams recording singular scores to keep the lead changing. In the closing moments of the game, the Western Bulldogs managed back-to-back goals, landing the final blow on the Blues.

Luke’s best on field:

“We gave Grace Egan best on today,” O’Shannessy said.

“Grace was great across the whole day.

“Right from the outset, she was getting her hands on the ball, competing really well on the inside and then able to work on the outside to linkup up with our forwards.” 

Match summary:

Carlton            1.1    0.1    2.0    0.4(38)
Western Bulldogs        1.4    0.5    1.2    2.1(24)

GOALS
Lawrence 2, Gibbs 

BEST
Egan, McKay, Guerin, Lawrence, Honybun, Gurr