Eagles pluck winless, captain-less Magpies in AFLW
Jacob Shteyman |
Collingwood’s torrid start to the AFLW season has continued, losing captain Bri Davey to concussion as they were crushed by high-flying West Coast at Ikon Park.
After leading at quarter time, the Magpies failed to score a single point until nine minutes before fulltime as they slumped to a 5.6 (36) to 3.1 (19) defeat on Tuesday night.
They remain winless after four matches, with only percentage keeping them clear of the Western Bulldogs in last place.
And their misery was compounded when Davey was forced from the field after a head knock in the second quarter and failed to return.
Collingwood will be without their influential ruck rover for the next two matches due to concussion protocols.
“Anytime you lose a player and a leader like that is really hard to come back from,” said Magpies coach Sam Wright.
“But I’m more disappointed for Bri because she’s put in a lot of work and she’s come back and she’s just a quality human and a quality player. We absolutely missed her tonight.”
Defensively, the Magpies were much improved on their previous two outings, having conceded more than 70 points against the Brisbane Lions and Hawthorn.
But the players still had a long way to go to learn about their defensive positioning and systems, Wright said.
The Eagles started slowly, conceding the first two goals of the game in the opening five minutes, but from then on it was one-way traffic.
Teenage marvel Ella Roberts amassed 19 possessions as West Coast’s dominant midfield iced the Magpies out of their attacking 50.
On the odd occasion they did bear down on goal, the Eagles’ defending was steadfast.
Belinda Smith’s outstanding diving smother to deny Sabrina Frederick an open goal was a standout.
Up top, Jess Hosking scored a brace while Amy Franklin shook off a painful finger injury to score a goal of her own.
“That’s the team we want to become: one that doesn’t really value the stat sheet or who gets the accolades, but really valuing those actions,” said West Coast coach Daisy Pearce.
“And there were a lot of them tonight: Hosko led the way, I thought; B Smith’s smother on the goal line, just that desperation to save a goal.”
The Eagles move to third on the ladder after the first back-to-back wins in club history.
With just four rounds completed, they have already set a record for their most wins in a single season.
“They’ve put in a mountain of work and not just this year, but they’ve been building for a long time,” Pearce said.
“It’s a very young team that sometimes takes time to develop.
“The consistency of our training has really improved, bringing experienced people in that lift your overall training standard.
“It teaches those younger, really talented players how to work, and I think that’s probably been the biggest thing.”
AAP