AFLW Rd 1: Carlton vs Collingwood at Ikon Park

[PaulP]

The ladies aren't full time, professional athletes. They have careers, and play part time, like the blokes used to back in the day. It's a new sport, new competition, 1st week in, it's a short season for them, they don't have much time to train, prepare etc.

One must temper expectations to a degree.

[Bear]

We know that the skills can be better than last night, we have seen better games than that before. To question the entire concept based on last night’s game is ridiculous.

[DJC]

I spent a couple of hours at the emergency vet with a dog with a swollen mouth and just got to see the girls sing the song - twice!

Oh, and I saw a replay of the kick to the nurries ???? She'll get suspended for the season for that effort.

Nix, my dog, made a full recovery ????

[shawny]

Skills 2 out of 10.

Spectacle: 4 out of 10.

They tackle hard but any form of rational system seems non existent....

Harris clearly a great mark but then spays it from 15 out! Levi...?

100% agree.....nice to get some honest opinions. Skills are awful. Cant kick longer then 30 metres. Ground too long. Rather watch under 14s 

[Lods]

I think our opinions are largely based on our expectations.

You can't look at it in terms of a comparison to an elite men's game.
If you do you it will be a long time in meeting your expectations.

It is what it is...a concept in it's infancy, and the only expectations should be that it improves from year to year. Strength, fitness and skills should all improve as the competition evolves.

We all question the skill level currently on display but we need to realise that the players skills are being tested under a pressure that they haven't been accustomed to.
If we were to watch them at training the skills would probably be streets ahead of what we see under match conditions.
The "skills under pressure" will improve with the more games they play at that elite women's level.

How many AFL players look the goods after less than a dozen games at the top level?
That's what we're dealing with.
Let's see how they're going after 50+ matches

I enjoy it.
Probably as much as a Northern Blues match.
I was genuinely anxious in that last quarter last night, hoping we'd be able to hang on.

[mateinone]

The ladies aren't full time, professional athletes. They have careers, and play part time, like the blokes used to back in the day. It's a new sport, new competition, 1st week in, it's a short season for them, they don't have much time to train, prepare etc.

One must temper expectations to a degree.

Neither are most Olympic athletes, unfortunately in the women's sports.
Those excuses are all reasonable and make sense, but at the rate of improvement, they won't be quality for 10 years and very few people will be watching then.

I think they need to work around those excuses. It is harder than for men because they have other jobs, but so did most men even well into the 90s.

Highlighting the areas that need to improve and the reality of how much they need to improve is part of the solution.
Draft players and ensure they meet skinfold tests, put training on at the clubs for them year round. If someone says they can't commit.. then draft someone who can.
It should take less than one season of training to be more than good enough to play this game at that level, so you get the players prepared to do that.

Preseason for local football now starts in January for most clubs and they are not getting paid either.

The question is, does the game just continue along with the type of spectacle like last night or does it want to be taken seriously as a sport that attracts sponsors, supporters and the cash flow to allow the girls to play as full time professionals. Remember the men earned the right to professionalism, it wasn't just handed to them.

If the girls want to grow they can't hide behind the excuse (and I am not saying that they are, but others making these excuses for them) that they are not professional and have other jobs etc. They want to be up on the big stage in front of 20,000 paying spectators and televises on national tv then they need to make the SACRIFICE.

Could you imagine the havoc one girl with the ability to be a top player in any U/18 competition could do out there? Just 1?
They would pick up 40 touches and rip it up.

I don't agree with glossing over real issues if you want to succeed. That game last night would have won over very few people and would have lost a number of people that were 'taking a look'.
It does not help with the abysmal commentary team (was it Nicole Livingstone?), which was as bad as any I have ever heard.

It comes back to a simple question. Do the women want to have a professional football league?
If the answer is yes, they need to treat that the same way someone would treat the goal of making the Olympic team and throw everything into it.

Jim, I believe you train Olympic level or those attempting to be Olympic level walkers, How many are paid professional? And how many non professionals come in overweight for a professional athlete?.. I don't know what is required to be an Olympic walkers I am guessing, but I do know those hoping to make the Swimming teams are making HUGE sacrifices with hours of training each day and restricting their diets, with no guarantee of making it.

All of what I have said sounds critical and it is, but pretending that was a good game to watch to me is far worse than pointing out how much they need to improve.

[mateinone]

I understand Lods, but these girls are earning a lot more than most local league players are earning for a season and the fitness and skill levels really are poor for even under age football.

And that has to be a concern that the AFLW players should be addressing.
If it just trickles along, the general interest might just dry up

[townsendcalling]

They need to modify the rules to avoid congestion and open the game up.  They play crowded, pressure football around the ball but don’t have the skills or strength to break it open. They do everything under pressure.  Give them time and space and you ‘might’ see some improvement. 

[crashlander]

Terrible umpiring. Missed about 3 free kicks at the opening bounce then plucked one out for the pies.

There were 17 free kicks given in the first quarter. Most of them were very tiggy touch-wood stuff. Three very obvious in the back free kicks (all to us) were ignored, including one that started the first 'confrontation' of the night.
I don't think there were 17 free in the last 3 quarters combined.

I'd say that the umpires were a tad rusty, to be generous.

[crashlander]

Our tackling and pressure is a big reason for the lead at quarter time.
Harris impressive.

Over the whole night, the pressure put on by our mids and defenders especially was fantastic. Good chasing and excellent intensity. That sort of fanaticism could take us a long way.