The second spot in the inaugural AFLW Grand Final won’t be decided until the final round of the competition after the Crows were unable to secure their place with a win over Melbourne in Darwin.

The Crows started well in their quest to book a rematch with the undefeated Brisbane Lions, kicking the opening two goals and holding the Demons scoreless in the first term to lead by 13 points at quarter time. However, it was all Melbourne from then on.

Melbourne kicked five of the next six goals to lead by 15 points halfway through the fourth quarter.

Two quick goals to Crows forwards Kellie Gibson and Sarah Perkins in the dying stages of the match ensured a thrilling finish. But the Dees held on to record a two-point win – 5.4 (34) to 5.2 (32) – and keep their season alive in front of 5,100 fans at TIO Stadium.

In a fast and sometimes bruising encounter, it was Adelaide with the bulk of the Northern Territory crowd behind it thanks to its training base in Darwin and a number of Territory players on its list.

The big name players from both sides delivered with Crow Erin Phillips getting the fans out of their seats in the first quarter with a spectacular mark in the forward pocket and Melbourne captain Daisy Pearce leading from the front with decisive plays all over the ground and her first goal for the season.

A win to Adelaide would have secured a grand final berth and kept the Club in the frame to host the first-ever AFLW finale, but with one round to play Melbourne now enters the mix as it sits level on points (16) with Adelaide.

Adelaide coach Bec Goddard acknowledged the loss amounted to a missed opportunity and said the Crows let themselves down.

“They were much better than us, our skills under pressure weren’t good enough,” she said.

“Our attack on the footy was really poor.”

Melbourne coach Michael Stinear was very satisfied with his team’s effort after the first quarter.

“A win on the road was really important for us after being a bit flat with our efforts last week and this young group now knows what it takes and we put the pressure back on other teams who have to perform,” he said.

The Crows now have to beat Collingwood next week (or rely on Melbourne losing and percentage) to secure a Grand Final berth, and Goddard said Adelaide had to approach the game as though it was a final.

“We gave ourselves an opportunity where we won four games so we can’t be too hard on ourselves because we have played some good footy,” she said.

“We are capable of playing good footy. We showed in patches tonight that we can do it and next week it’s a must win.”

Melbourne must either rely on Adelaide losing next week to qualify for the Grand Final, or register a thumping win over Fremantle to overtake the Crows on percentage.

Stinear said the Demons’ first priority will be winning.

“We just need to win and if we’re in a position where we can extend the lead then we’ll just get the girls to continue playing four quarters,” he said.

“Freo played really well last night and got a lot of confidence from the win. You could see them start to play their style of footy. They’ll be a great challenge for us.”

The speccy

With Adelaide pressing Melbourne’s defence late in the first quarter, former international basketballer Erin Phillips showed why her athleticism is so valuable to her adopted game. She used her knee to lift herself onto the back of her Melbourne opponent and took a classic speccy. 

Doing it all

Melbourne captain Daisy Pearce is already one of the superstars of the competition, and she made it abundantly clear why in the second quarter. She was key to the Demons pulling themselves back into the match after a scoreless opening term. Two moments emphasized the point. One minute she was kicking Melbourne’s second goal deep in the forward line and a few minutes later she was taking a classy goal-saving mark on the last line of defence.

What’s next?

Adelaide is on the road again travelling to Melbourne to play Collingwood at Olympic Park Oval. A win should be enough to secure that elusive Grand Final berth given its superior percentage, 159 to Melbourne’s 112.6. Melbourne hosts Fremantle at Casey Fields.

From the winner’s rooms

Melbourne coach Michael Stinear: “Tonight it felt like we played three quarters, Adelaide probably got the better of us late. That first quarter cost us a bit but if we can play four quarters we’ll see where that takes us.”

From the loser’s rooms

Adelaide coach Bec Goddard: “Each week has felt like a final. Tonight felt like we lost a final.”

 

ADELAIDE     2.1      3.1      3.1      5.2 (32)
MELBOURNE    0.0      2.1      4.3      5.4 (34)

GOALS
Adelaide: Riley, Bevan, Randall, Gibson, Perkins
Melbourne: Berry, Pearce, Mifsud, Scott, Newman

BEST
Adelaide: Phillips, Foley, Bevan, Randall, Radan
Melbourne: Pearce, Newman, Smith

Injuries: TBC

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Andrew Crosby, Brodie Raynor and Nathan Toner.

Official attendance: 5,100