Crows ‘back of the pack’ as Dees regroup for finals
Joanna Guelas |
Melbourne coach Mick Stinear can’t help but rejoice in Adelaide’s slide down the AFLW order as the flag-chasing Demons look to reignite their own ascendancy.
The Demons will look to claw their way back from a qualifying-final loss to another grand final when they host the three-time premiership Crows in a sudden-death clash at Ikon Park on Saturday.
Stinear’s side, after finishing second (9-3) on the ladder, were out to claim their first post-season victory since their 2022 premiership, but instead lost to last year’s grand finalists Brisbane by 13 points.
Melbourne were already without reliable defender Maeve Chaplin (hamstring), before losing star forward Eden Zanker (concussion) in the second quarter as Lions on-baller Ally Anderson caused chaos.
Meanwhile, Adelaide, who finished sixth (7-5), easily took care of St Kilda with a 44-point elimination-final win.
Should Melbourne lose to Matthew Clarke’s Crows on Saturday, the Demons will have tumbled out of their last two finals campaigns in straight sets.
In their 2023 premiership defence, the Demons were first thrashed by North Melbourne in a qualifying final before suffering a shock five-point semi-final defeat to Geelong.
Melbourne then missed out on finals last season, finishing ninth.
A full-strength Adelaide side will start as slight favourites on Saturday as Melbourne look to cover the loss of Zanker, but Stinear believes the Crows are no longer untouchable as they once were.
For the first time since the conference system was phased out in 2021, Adelaide have finished outside the top six after shock defeats to rank outsiders St Kilda, Richmond and Port Adelaide.
“It’s nice that they’ve been able to come back to the pack a little bit, had a couple of seasons of success,” Stinear said on Wednesday.
“(The main feeling) probably has been frustration in the early years – you just couldn’t get past them. No one in the comp could.
“This is a great opportunity for us to win a really important game and get one back on those early years.
“You couldn’t get a better challenge against a high-quality outfit. They’ve been setting the tone in women’s footy.”
The semi-final clash will be the first time Melbourne play Adelaide this season, outside a pre-season match.
“This is probably the only year (since the inaugural 2017 match) that we haven’t played them at least once,” Stinear said.
“The practice match, yeah, we can draw a little bit on that, but I feel like they’ve evolved a lot as the season’s gone on.
“Got a few back from injury, feel like they’re really strong at the moment and full of confidence, and we need that challenge.”
Melbourne will at least be bolstered by the return of midfielder Sinear Goldrick, who had fractured an eye socket in round 10 against Sydney.
“She was asking every day last week to play,” Stinear said.
“She got the all clear this week, so no more boxes to tick.”
AAP
