Richmond surged to a sixth win on the trot that dealt Carlton’s finals chances a major blow, a career-best performance from Monique Conti helping the Tigers to a come-from-behind 10-point win to kick off Pride Round.
The Blues burst out of the blocks, but relentless Richmond reeled them in to score a first AFLW win over Carlton at Princes Park on Friday night, 6.8 (44) to 5.4 (34).
Conti starred with a career-high 30 possessions, while Courtney Wakefield booted four goals, also a career-best for her.
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Mimi Hill started in attack for Carlton where she kicked a goal, then moved onto the ball where she racked up a team-high 20 touches.
It was a match that had significant finals ramifications for both sides.
The sixth-placed Tigers appeared destined to play finals for the first time since they entered the competition before the match, but the victory locks in a historic finals berth and puts them in with a chance at a top-four finish.
The Blues went into Round 8 sitting in 10th spot, one win and about 19 percentage points out of eighth place, and desperately needed a win to boost their bid to return to the finals after two seasons out.
The result is clearly a blow, but the Blues are still in with a fighting chance given they face the two teams ahead of them on the ladder to round out the home-and-away season.
Daniel Harford’s side plays the Suns at Metricon on Friday night, then the Bulldogs at Princes Park in what could be a ‘win-and-you’re-in’ Round 10 clash.
BLUE BLITZ
Carlton opened with a ferocity at the contest that had the Tigers on the back foot from the outset.
AFLW enters crunch time | 04:44
The fired-up Blues went inside attacking 50 11 times before Richmond managed its first forward foray of the contest, with the inside 50 count a lopsided 13-3 at the first break.
The shell-shocked Tigers did well to limit the damage early, but a courageous smother by Keeley Skepper helped break the deadlock, with Hill gathering the spilt ball and kicking the first major.
Peterson celebrated her 50th-game milestone with a fine snapped goal in traffic and Taylor Ortlepp booted her first AFLW goal as Carlton raced to a 26-point lead over the scoreless visitors.
Carlton hadn’t kicked more than two goals in a first quarter this season, but fired through four in a withering opening salvo.
CONTI COUNTERS
Sarah Hosking’s late major made it a 19-point game at the first break and it was Conti who led the Richmond counter-attack as the Tigers flipped the script in the second term.
Conti led all players with 15 possessions at half-time, seven of those contested, with her work in close helping Richmond wrest the momentum.
Courtney Wakefield’s eighth goal of the season was the only major of the second term and helped slice the margin to 11 points at half-time.
Conti was important again when she found Wakefield with her 20th possession, the Tigers sharpshooter giving her side the lead for the first time midway through the third quarter with her third goal of the night.
FRANTIC FINALE
Skepper put the Blues up by three points at the last change with her late goal setting up a tense finale.
Wakefield gave her side back the lead with her fourth, but Carlton continued to press.
It was Tigers skipper Katie Brennan who settled the engrossing contest, banging through her only goal of the night with 44 seconds left after she played on from a free kick further up the field.
BRISBANE’S OMINOUS MESSAGE
The relentless Lions reinforced why they are red-hot favourites for the 2022 AFLW crown with a 22-point rout of Adelaide in the top-of-the-table clash at Metricon Stadium on Friday night.
Four unanswered goals in the second term set up the win and three more majors in the final quarter from the Lions finished off the Crows as Brisbane moved to a 7-1 record and one win clear of the rest of the competition.
Brisbane’s slick ball movement, hard running and suffocating defensive pressure overwhelmed the Crows who had injury added to insult when captain Chelsea Randall left the field in the last term with an ankle injury after landing awkwardly in a marking contest.
Both teams were 6-1 heading into the clash between the two most successful sides in AFLW history, but Brisbane snapped Adelaide’s six-game winning streak in emphatic fashion with a performance that sent an ominous warning across the bow of its rivals.
Ebony Marinoff had 33 touches for the Crows but got too little support from too many as Sophie Conway was best-on-ground with 15 telling disposals and two goals for Brisbane.
CONWAY IN HOT WATER?
Conway could find herself in hot water after a second quarter incident
involving Adelaide’s Randall.
Randall tackled Conway as she kicked the ball and the Lions ball magnet did not like the heavy treatment. She remonstrated with Randall and appeared to push down on her face.
Randall left the field soon after with blood coming from her mouth and was treated for a split lip by Crows medical staff.
The Adelaide skipper returned to the action before half-time and played out the game until an ankle injury ended her night late but the high contact away from the ball will be looked at by the MRO.
TIGHT LADDER TUSSLE
The AFLW ladder was more congested than traffic on the M1 between Brisbane and the Gold Coast on a Friday afternoon before the first bounce at Metricon Stadium with five
teams – Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Collingwood and Richmond all on 24 premiership points.
Home ground advantage will be vital in the finals so the Crows need to put Geelong and St Kilda to the sword in the next fortnight to stay in the hunt for a top four finish with percentage also set to be crucial.
THE TRUE BLOCKBUSTER
A Brisbane radio ad on Friday afternoon was promoting an “AFLW blockbuster” later that night – between Carlton and Richmond.
Spare us – the game does exist outside of Victoria.
The true blockbuster was between the two most successful sides in AFLW history with the Crows and Lions winning four of the five flags that have been decided.
The Crows have been the undisputed benchmark with three premierships from four grand final appearances while the Lions have the one flag from three trips to the big dance.
— NCA Newswire
